Sunday, 11 December 2022

Skin changers



One of the most ancient ways to becoming a werewolf is believed to be wearing a wolf pelt. This was the case in ancient times, when warriors wore the pelt of a wolf that made them take on the traits of the wolves during battle. In Scandinavia, the Norse had a term for this, Berserkers, and most specifically Ulfhednar, which means "wolf head". The men wore the pelts of wolves and bears to enter a war, and this made them extremely aggressive. It isn't always warriors that became wolf mad while dressed in the skins of wolves. 

A married couple wore wolf pelts and became wolves. They encountered a priest, and the woman was dying of an illness while in the form of a she-wolf. The husband wolf spoke to the priest and described that both of them were under a curse and so the priest gave the she-wolf viaticum. Both satisfied the werewolves were grateful to the priest and helped him on his travels. This was referenced by Gerald of Wales (1146-1223) in Ossory, Ireland. 

Such stories like these are rife in the past, most of them passed down, but this is mainly because wolves were common and considered a threat. Wolves were everywhere in Britain and Ireland until they were wiped out in the 18th century. In ancient times, it was said that wearing anything belonging to wolf, including its skin, bones, teeth and it's skull, gave the person the supernatural ability to become a wolf. Pliny the Elder mentioned it as versipellis which means "skin changer."

Wolf Girl Night

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