There were two kinds of werewolves: voluntary and involuntary. Lycaon (from whom the term lycanthropy is derived) was changed into a wolf by Zeus, whom the unfortunate Lycaon had displeased. The oldest account of a man changing into a wolf came from Greek writings. Werewolf itself is an Old English term meaning shape-shifter, probably derived from older Germanic roots. It has been suggested that as the people settled into an agricultural life, the wolf lost its positive associations and became the outlaw animal many still consider it today. The ritual transformation into a wolf survives today in the Greek word vrkolaka (and its Slavic equivalents), derived from the old Slavic word for wolf-pelt, though the term is now applied to a form of vampire. The wolf was much respected in the area as a hunter. For example, the Dacians, an ancient people who had the wolf as their totem animal, annually turned their young men into wolves during a ritual in which they wore wolf skins and imitated the animal. More likely, however, the belief derives from early ritual practices in the Balkan area. The idea that they had something in common with animals would grow, and the concept that they were able to transform themselves into veritable animals would likely arise. Communities of semicivilized people would begin to shun those who devoured human flesh, ostracizing them and classifying them as wild beasts. The belief in werewolves may be a relic of early cannibalism. Similar tales in other countries usually introduced bears, tigers, leopards, or other animals. It was in Europe, where the wolf was one of the largest carnivorous animals, that the superstition became prevalent. It is a term used in the phenomenon of lycanthropy, which in ancient and medieval times was of very frequent occurrence. A human temporarily or permanently transformed into a wolf, from the Anglo-Saxon wer (man) and wulf (wolf).
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