Ok! I really need someone to tell me. Am I a werewolf? Okay, I've never really thought about being one until 2 years ago... Heres my stats,   13 years old, Male, 5 foot 11 inches. I have never trusted authority. I have dreams of being outside in my woods as a werewolf. One of them was outside my window and I looked down, saw that I had paws, and fainted. When I get really angry I go in ''beast mode'' and my eyes white out and I have no memory of what happed...I even choked a kid out and slammed his head in a tree. (Well thats what my friends said. I dont remember.) I come from a European background. Animals love me. I have strong lusts around certain girls I know, even though I really dont like them like that. I have a short fuse, and is sometimes very violent. Im a hardcore Christian and beleive that lycanthropy isnt the work of the devil. I love running through the woods and occationally howling. My parents act like they know something but its too awkward to ask them...So tell me. Am I a werewolf?

I'm glad you're doing all the 'am i therian lol' debunking lately, Sherlawk. It's nice to have a break.

Okay, I realize this post was like... waaaay back on the first page, but I only just now saw it; and it has me curious. I am still trying to figure out the whole concept of therianthropy and what it means. Not that I don't understand the basic premis - I believe I do. I'm just still trying to really truly understand it on a deeper level. So I have a lot of questions.

WolfVanZandt wrote:

Your list gives quite a few of the common (but not universal) symptoms of therianthropy - nocturnal, heightened senses (I believe, because we actually use our senses, not that they're particularly better than others), migraines, "hot" immune systems, dyslexia, heightened empathy, shamanic experiences, preference for digigrade walking, tendency to use "animal" vocalizations, phantom body, dreaming as a nonhuman animal, body asymmetries, active instincts....the list could go on and on because therianthropy pervades pretty much all of our lives. But I can't tell you how it's affected me because I don't have a "me" that's not Therian to compare it to. So, in the same way, being a Therian hasn't changed my life because there was never a time that I wasn't a Therian.

WolfVanZandt wrote:

The things that make me recognize another Therian (yes, I can pick most Therians I don't know out of a crowd) are not things that can be easily put into words. They're sort of a "family resemblance" - the way Therians carry themselves, the way they're always scanning their surroundings, the way they are attracted to movement, maybe their scent (most of us still have a functional musk which mainstreamers lost long ago). The dense but fine hair is also common among Wolf Therians (but not universal). Two things that really ring a bell with me are autoimmune disease and, especially, dreaming as an animal - but, again, those aren't universal among Therians.

Okay, the first question I have here (forgive me if this is a bit dense), but what is meant by a "hot" immune system?

The second question I have here - dreaming as a non-human animal? Doesn't everyone dream of being an animal? I don't mean that they necessarily do all the time, but a key component of one's dream world is the immagination. And I would think that imagining oneself as an animal is a common thing, and thus for people who can remember their dreams (I know lots of people who don't remember their dreams except on rare occassions), perceiving oneself as an animal in that dream would be, if not common, at least something that has happened for them at some point. I mean, I guess as we get older, we would imagine ourselves as animals less and less... but I think it is very common for children to identify with animals and to pretend to be animals in their play. If nothing else, dreams in adulthood could be influenced by such play as children. I guess the thing that gets me about this is that dreams are just so subjective. Anyone who simply likes a certain animal could begin to identify with it enough subconciously that they dream that they are that animal, and I don't think that would be enough to indicate therianthropy.

Next question - When you say most therians have a functional musk, do you mean that they have the kind of body odor that comes from not bathing regularly? Or do you mean that their basic smell is different, regardless of how fastidious their personal habits are? If it is the latter, could it be possible that therians perhaps smell more "natural" because they don't tolerate strong artificial smells as well as mainstream people? Meaning, maybe a therian would rather use unscented detergent because the scented stuff bothers them. Or they use unscented deodorant or hand soap because the strong antiseptic smell is nauseating to them? If this is the case, then maybe mainstreamers would have that musk too if they didn't use strong scents, because they wouldn't be trying to cover everything up with phermaldahide. I mean, you use unscented soap or whatever, and you would still smell clean and fresh - but you would also smell like yourself instead of like a doctor's office.

Next question - You mention some physical stuff like migraines, dyslexia, and autoimmune disease. Have you ever noticed a tendency in therians to be prone to ear infections? Also, regarding this - I mean, basically this would mean that your physical body is affected by being a therian. Like, do you suppose that therianthropy could be genetic on some level? As in, if you are a therian, then there is a good chance that your parents, grandparents, or someone else in your family also is? Have you ever known an actual family in which most or all members are therians? And if so, did they have similar theriotypes?

Next question - I lost this in the copy paste, but in one of your posts on that first page, you said that you believed that in order to be complete as a therian, one needs to be able to be around other therians (or something like that - correct me if I messed that up). Why is that? Do you just mean this by way of confirmation - as in, therians can give each other confirmation as to each other's validity (because of the whole recognizing each other thing)? Or do you mean that in order to feel complete as individuals, it is important to have that company with other therians?

Okay, and final question - Forgive me if this sounds a bit like prying or sarcastic, because it isn't meant that way. In regard to all of these physical symptoms, how do you know? I mean, I can understand the behavioral stuff, because you have spent time in the company of other therians. Common behavior patterns just make sense to me. It is the physical stuff that I am wondering about. I'm sure that, among your time with other therians, there has been conversation about common illness and stuff. But have you ever tried to do like a survey, asking a wide group of therians (not just the ones you have personally known) what sort of illnesses and physical challenges they typically face? If not, I think it would be facinating.

Hmm... autoimmune diseases. My aunt died of lupus a few years back, but I am unaware of what other types of ailments would fall into the "autoimmune" category. I only know about lupus in the first place, really, because of my aunt.

Thanks, Sherlawk, you've saved me a lot of time, but let me fine tune.

All animals, including humans, secrete odor chemicals that serve as biological signals. The musk has been pretty much bred out of humanity, though. You can barely tell that most Humans have a musk. On the other hand, many Therians do secrete an oily, odoriferous sweat on parts of their body.  It's not necessariy an unpleasant odor, but the oiliness is a problem for me. It's uncomfortable.

Ear infections - I haven't polled the rest of the Therian community on that. When I was a kid, I did have lots of ear problems (respiratoty problems, rashes, eye problems). As I got older, I started being diagnosed as having, not infections, but inflammations and I'm suspicious that all those problems I had as a kid were inflammations also. Now, on mentioning autoimmune disorders on Therian forum, I've gotten flurries of responses that other Therians also have had problems like that. Of course, you have to take the problems of polling an Internet forum into account.

I suspect (believe is a little to strong, actually) that Therianthropy is genetic because these health issues look like markers that indicate genetics in several races. Also there's the predominance of shovel teeth that looks genetic. Also, there was a time when therianthropy was a characteristic of a race of people - the Nueri, and it would be easy to see the modern Therians community as a continuation of the Neuri. hey were vigorous dispersers.

In my experience, elements of a person's therianthropy "wake up" when they spend time around other Therians. For instance, their shamanistic tendencies strengthen or their empathy strengthens. On the negative side, I lose linguistic skills for a time. Regardless, things change - Therians become "more Therian" (and I use that term with trepidation).

The reason I'm careful not to go so far as to say "this is the way it is" is that there has been no opportunity for hard science in the Therian community yet. You're right, it would be fascinating and I've seen a little interest in adacemi but not enough to motivate anyone to take on a study. But, yes, I'm going on discussions with individual Therians and threads on therian forums. That's not enough to nail anything down.

As for proving genetics, that would require a rather expensive genetic profile study. I don't see that happening anytime soon so, all we have to go on is what looks like genetic markers.

SherlawkDragon wrote:

In other words: VanZandt has his own opinions and beliefs that most of the community doesn't subscribe to, as interesting as they are, and as reasonable as they sound coming from him.

What are your reasons for not subscribing to VanZandt's opinions? From what I have seen, a lot of people view therianthropy through a more spiritual lense, whereas VanZandt seems to look at it more physically. That is, the genetic stuff... even mentioning races of people from whom therianthropy could have been originated.

I mean, not saying that one belief or the other is more far-fetched... the whole topic in general would be foreign to most people. But I think an integrated view of physical and spiritual is probably useful.

And I know that everyone keeps saying that therians are born or not born - you can't "become" one. But what if you can? Meaning, what if certain people develop into therians from early childhood because of childhood experiences and how they were raised? As in... maybe there are a certain number of people who, at birth, COULD grow into therians; but in order to do so, environmental aspects of their rearing have to be present? So perhaps - there are people who would never be therian regardless of what happened to them, there are people who would always be therian regardless of what happened to them, and then there are a group of people who have the potential to be or not be therian - and the determining factor is all in how they were raised?

Hi, my far away enough to bring the world's writers tusfeléről Hungary, so forgive the wrong pronunciation of English. I do not know what you think about the story, and you can answer what it is exactly. I am a éljel picket guarding the building I was in my car for a task but it is not the point. It is dormant in the back seat and the price can awaken the car door and a big furry dogs like to jump into something before I get myself to bite my hand, and then disappears. It was like a rémálomból woke I turn myself in between sessions. Then I have my faith is only a dream I saw a bloody hand to him and quickly ran to the bathroom and washed. I see the bite marks but no bleeding and a párnapra it no longer visible. I thought it kiröhögnének go doctor but no one spoke. But now I feel weird doing that and some never before.

LOL.  Wolf120 is using an online translator, so we can't understand anything he types.

The trouble is, if you're going to start saying therians have physical characteristics in common, then this does not explain the (probably many) therians who do not have any of these physical characteristics. Personally apart from the hot immune system (which even that I doubt is genetic because the main reason it's 'hot' is because I keep it dosed up with plenty of good stuff) and allergies I can't really say the rest applies much to me. I think saying there are physical characteristics in common between therians is kind of arbitrary; a few people saying they have certain symptoms does not really account for the therian population as a whole. Especially since many people in the world as a whole suffer from migraines, allergies, and infections of all kinds. To indicate that these are part of being 'therian' when they affect a huge number of non-therians seems a stretch.

VanZandt, sorry if I've gotten lost in your posts, but are you referring to the fact that 90% of people in the online therian community are white?  'Cause I've actually thought a bit on this, and I think the reason you see that is because black people are demographically less likely to be going online and getting involved in communities like ours on the internet. (which also means those "people who talk about being Therians that ain't Therians" are more likely to be white as well)

This is quite a fascinating avenue of exploration, but I do think there are too many flaws within the genetic perspective for it to be held as a universal sort of thing.

First off we have no data, and as WVZ states earlier it is merely speculation.  I mean if we take for example the different races in the world each one has been studied extensively and tested shared traits have been listed out to identify who fits where. (Though in the modern world those distinctions between people are fading.)  The suggested shared traits for Therians however has never been tested.  So a few therians share a Hot Immune system, but is that a widely enough shared trait to be classified as Therian?  (Also people across the globe, across "races" have hot immune systems, and I think that particular trait is too pan-human to be used as a differentiation trait.

Secondly would be the notion that most Therians are white. For if we look at the myths of werewolves in Europe, and hold that they were Wolf Therians, wouldn't that imply that we would support a similar premise for the werecats of Africa, etc.  Which in the broad sense of all Therians that would hold that white individuals do not make a majority of the group and so any "universals" among this demographically white forum could very well not be universal at all.

Also the genetic perspective fails to explain all of therianthropy, as it lacks that other element that some, myself included, feel is there. A more spiritual side if you will.  A good explanation for therianthropy will be one that could explain both perspectives upon the topic. 

So it seems that for the moment the Genetic theory is not very valid as there are too many discrepancies within, and in all honesty before any theory could be formed we must have data.

Hmm, interesting thoughts everyone, i'll have to keep digging to form my own opinion but it's always great to hear different opinions!

I'm steadily placing all my resources on my website (which should be in my profile). It would be a lot easier to direct you there than to list them here.

You also have to keep in mind that the Neuri is intimately related to other topics and there are books that never mention Werewolves or Neuri, but once you get into deep study, you relize that they're there. For instance, the Neuri was a eastern European tribe of Scythians and when you start reading books related t eastern cythian migrations and star comaparing them to to where and when legends about Werewolves were cropping up, you begi to strongly suspect that Werewolves were migrating with the Scythians.

Historical study is like archeoogy. There is very little whole pieces of evidence left. You have to look for fragments and then place them together to make coherent models. And you can't just look for Werwolves - you have to look for Scythians, and shamanism, Dacians and Syro-phoenecians, animal fables and, pehaps, Neanderthal.

I was at Auburn UNiversity from 1973 (my hiking companion says we met there in 1971 - but that would have made me 18 and I spent some time out-of-school and at Southern Union Junior College before I went to Auburn) to 1991. In that time I worked summers and skipped a few other quarters but I was in school a solid 10 years and I spent a lot of time at the huge research library there. Since I left school and began my practice, I have canvassed the Werelist three times and performed several surveys at the SEHowl which is one of the largest and the longest continuously running Howl in the US. Being the organizer for thatHowwl for the last 11 or 12 years, I've also been around a lot of THerians from all over the US and from places like Canada and Germany. I've also carried on correspondences with Therians from Eastern Europe where there's an unbroken tradition of lycanthropy back to far before the birth of Christ. I've had several Therians as clients. I continue to dig up journal articles and such as I find them via InterLibrary Loan.

The information is out there - you just have to be willing to work a little to get it.