werewolf misconceptions

[Moonraiser]

I have always had this on my mind and I decided to rant about it. You have all heard and seen the cliches of the werewolf whether it be a book or hollywood: man gets bitten and at the next full moon and every full moon after that turns into a part man part wolf beast that is insane, bloodthirsty, and dangerous to all other non-werewolves. Personally I have always thought some of these are huge misconceptions and really irritate me. First off the part of a werewolf being bloodthirsty and insane is stupid. I mean all a werewolf really is is a human that has been mixed with a wolf. If this misconception were true then the wolf would have to be mean, evil, insane and lustful and wolves are far from these adjectives. In fact wolves are some of the most sane, intelligent and kind animals I know. they stay united in a pact, take care of each other, and are very smart at setting up attacks on prey. AS for turning into a werewolf only on the full moon, I think that is debateable. Personally my feelings are that a werewolf can change between 3 forms: normal wolf, anthrowolf, and normal human whenever they want to, all they have to do is imagine hard of turning into one of them and it happens. And I also feel that the full moon raises the desire for a wolf transformation. And as for a cure for lyncathropy I feel that the vaccine only works if the werewolf wants it to work.

[ST-84 Sahelanthropus]

I also find the uncontrollable beast cliche to be really dumb, but maybe it isn't as much the Wolf part of the man that makes him lose himself, but Post traumatic stress disorder as a result of the (often portrayed) painful transformation. As for the non-traumatic and/or intentional transformations, I don't know why they would suddenly develop a crazed state.

[JellyMuffins]

Moon, you have valid point, but to call the holiwood notions "misconceptions" is a very strange statemnet in and of itself. To claim that they are misconceptions means that you believe you know the truth, and that is completely illogical. One can't know the 'truth' about a mythological creature. It is quite possible that your ideas are the misconceptions here, because really, the parts that make up a myth are defined by the majority. If most people think that werewolves are bloodthirsty maniacs, then they are. You can believe otherwise, but think first before you claim a holiwood manifestation to be a 'misconception'.

[ST-84 Sahelanthropus]

I think Moonraiser is talking more about representations than misconceptions, perhaps confusing the two words.

[Moonraiser]

yeah my bad, representation is the proper word

[JellyMuffins]

Oh, in which case, I would tend to agree - not with your particular views on how a werewolf should be portrayed, but that the current holiwood ideas about werewolves are quite ridiculous.

[Moonraiser]

I found an interesting definition of a werewolf if they really existed
http://werewolf.rcromar.com/mywerewolfdefinition.html

[Vee Katame: His Wolfy]

I can understand how you'd be irritated with it. It irritates me sometimes too. But you have to remember, Hollywood isn't really about trying to make things logical when it comes to mythical creatures. They like to really dramatize those kind of creatures to make them over-the-top to fit what they're going for.

[Squirm]

but to call the holiwood notions "misconceptions" is a very strange statemnet in and of itself. To claim that they are misconceptions means that you believe you know the truth, and that is completely illogical.

I gotta agree with jellymuffins here.

as far as the inner workings of an imaginary creature are concerned there can be no misconceptions lest there were some standard to compare the world's assumptions to. A werewolf being entirely imaginary leaves quite a bit of room for artistic license; Though I agree the overuse of certain traits (such as a bloodthirsty nature) have absolutely become worn-out, unimaginative cliche's, there can never truly be any misconceptions, just individual interpretations (getting postmodern here  )

[Moonraiser]

yeah I prolly shouldnt of labeled them misconceptions but I think like squirm in which certain traits are overused. However personally as my opinion and the other guys opinion on the site that i found, if there really were werewolves out there they would most likely be described as in this one guys definition http://werewolf.rcromar.com/mywerewolfdefinition.html

[Armalite_]

As a werewolf fan myself, I have seen a lot of the cliches of your steretypical werewolf movies/books/mags. Yeah, I found it a bit irritating when the use of silver was used in ALL of the movies I'd seen or the going crazy and killing everyone. Though, I can understand that a lot of people who know little about werewolves to make these assumptions based off what they see and read. How else will they form their own definition of one? I know it's irritating and it kinda sucks that it's still used in movies but I guess thats what people expect to see, otherwise it's "whoa that new Underworld movie sucked because thats not what a werewolf is supposed to be like." But at the same time (and I don't mean to make anyone upset) werewolves are mythical creatures meaning people are free to make things up about them without concequence because there is no solid definition for something that does not exist. When you read up a definition, that is only that one person's own opinion like yours, moonraiser, of what a werewolf is like and I totally agree with you and that guy's definition. But how do I know? For what reason should I agree? I've never encountered a real werewolf before so I can't say for sure what a werewolf is like. If it don't exist, it don't have a solid definition. It's like making up a word, giving it a meaning, and having someone else say that meaning's wrong. So I dunno, I guess what I'm trying to say to you is that you shouldn't really get upset over a meaning of something when it really doesn't have a definite meaning in the first place. I think that's kinda silly. I have my own opinion of what a werewolf is and it's just like yours, moon, but I can't get upset (even though I will) when people tell me I'm wrong or violate our definition...because, really...there isn't one.

People writing dictionaries can have there meanings for concrete subjects like a television or a radio, but those are things people encounter every single day. You can feel it, see it, hear it. You can't with a werewolf. Those are untouchable. They are what fancy English teachers call "abstract ideas/concepts" of reality. How can you say what something is without even having the slightest idea of what it really is? You can't. No one has ever seen one, heard one, touched one, or been killed by one (I hope). So really that gives me the right to classify everything people say about werewolves, unicorns, dragons, fairies, and small Irishmen looking for gold as complete BS. Then again, they also have the right to do the same to us.

Sorry about the long post but I got really into it.

[Goblin Cat 😸]

Not all of Hollywood portrays it like a cliche, if I remember right, Blood and Chocolate did a pretty decent job with the portrayal of them, but it wasn't like the book. But I do agree. The same things go for dragons. In a lot of instances, I've seen in movies and TV shows that they are mindless animals that stole cattle and destroyed villages in the medieval times; yet I've recently come across a number of books that set them in a different light, and I've liked it much better. Hollywood is not one for accuracy so much as a thrill. Though, there's an explanation for the bloodthirst, I think. It's like when a domestic dog who is a good pet kills something, then all of a sudden gets mean. Some people, once they turn, might have a more feral state of mind with the wolf since no one has addressed really what mindset a person is in when they change. They may like the thrill of the hunt; the dominance that comes along with developing those new senses.. I mean, it can warp some people to thinking they've hit a god-like state since they can go unopposed unless they join a pack and aren't the Alpha. Think about it, it does have to effect a person's mentality when they do change and become an animal.