Post by Cain Jiovanni on Mar 17, 2006 20:36:59 GMT -5
Werewolf-A werewolf in folklore and mythology is a person who changes into a wolf, either purposely, by using magic, or after being placed under a curse. The medieval chronicler Gervase of Tilbury associated the transformation with the appearance of the full moon, but this concept was rarely associated with the werewolf until the idea was picked up by modern fiction writers. Most modern references agree that a werewolf can be killed if shot by a silver bullet, although this is more a reflection of fiction's influence than an authentic feature of the folk legends. Werewolves are sometimes held to become vampires after death.
Lycan-A Lycan is a person who has the ability to undergo transformation into a wolf (Lycanthropy), or in more modern uses of the word into any animal form.
In common English wolf lycans are usually called werewolves and the term lycan is actually quite rarely used. The only more popular mention of the word is in the movie Underworld. The term stems from Lycaon, the first king of Arcadia in Greek mythology that was cursed by Zeus to assume the shape of a wolf for offering human flesh as either a sacrifice or food to the god, depending on the account.
In the Underworld series Lycans were persecuted by vampires for nearly 1000 years, under the pretext that the they were dangerous and wild. The first Lycan was the son of Alexander Corvinus, William Corvinus. His bite was so potent that the first series of Lycans were savage and deadly beasts who could not revert back into their human forms. Their progeny later proved to be more usable to the vampires and were literally branded as subservient watchdogs for vampires during the daylight hours when the vampire's bodies were vulnerable to attack. A Lycan slave named Lucian eventually led a rebellion against the vampires in response to the murder of his wife. The daughter of the high-ranking vampire Viktor, she was killed because she was pregnant, and a Lycan/vampire hybrid was seen as an "abomination." In this world it has been explained that Lycans are immortal, just as vampires, often living hundreds of years. It is also explained that the older a Lycan becomes in age, the more control he can exert over his transformation, to the point that he can often change at will and with full mental control of his wolf-like form. To date only one female of the species has been shown (in a brief cameo when Raze brings a dead Trix back to their lair), indicating that the race is primarily male. As with typical werewolf lore, silver proves to be a poison to the Lycan race.
Lycanthropy-In folklore, Lycanthropy is the ability or power of a human being to undergo transformation into a wolf. The term comes from ancient Greek lykánthropos, lýkos ("wolf")("man"). The word lycanthropy is often used generically for any transformation of a human into animal form, though the precise term for that is technically therianthropy.
Folk-etymology also links the word to Lycaon, a king of Arcadia who, according to Ovid's Metamorphoses, was turned into a ravenous wolf in retribution for attempting to serve human flesh (his own son) to a visiting Zeus in an attempt to disprove the god's divinity.
There is also a mental illness called lycanthropy in which a patient believes he or she is, or has transformed into, an animal and behaves accordingly. This is sometimes referred to as clinical lycanthropy to distinguish it from its use in legends.
Lycan-A Lycan is a person who has the ability to undergo transformation into a wolf (Lycanthropy), or in more modern uses of the word into any animal form.
In common English wolf lycans are usually called werewolves and the term lycan is actually quite rarely used. The only more popular mention of the word is in the movie Underworld. The term stems from Lycaon, the first king of Arcadia in Greek mythology that was cursed by Zeus to assume the shape of a wolf for offering human flesh as either a sacrifice or food to the god, depending on the account.
In the Underworld series Lycans were persecuted by vampires for nearly 1000 years, under the pretext that the they were dangerous and wild. The first Lycan was the son of Alexander Corvinus, William Corvinus. His bite was so potent that the first series of Lycans were savage and deadly beasts who could not revert back into their human forms. Their progeny later proved to be more usable to the vampires and were literally branded as subservient watchdogs for vampires during the daylight hours when the vampire's bodies were vulnerable to attack. A Lycan slave named Lucian eventually led a rebellion against the vampires in response to the murder of his wife. The daughter of the high-ranking vampire Viktor, she was killed because she was pregnant, and a Lycan/vampire hybrid was seen as an "abomination." In this world it has been explained that Lycans are immortal, just as vampires, often living hundreds of years. It is also explained that the older a Lycan becomes in age, the more control he can exert over his transformation, to the point that he can often change at will and with full mental control of his wolf-like form. To date only one female of the species has been shown (in a brief cameo when Raze brings a dead Trix back to their lair), indicating that the race is primarily male. As with typical werewolf lore, silver proves to be a poison to the Lycan race.
Lycanthropy-In folklore, Lycanthropy is the ability or power of a human being to undergo transformation into a wolf. The term comes from ancient Greek lykánthropos, lýkos ("wolf")("man"). The word lycanthropy is often used generically for any transformation of a human into animal form, though the precise term for that is technically therianthropy.
Folk-etymology also links the word to Lycaon, a king of Arcadia who, according to Ovid's Metamorphoses, was turned into a ravenous wolf in retribution for attempting to serve human flesh (his own son) to a visiting Zeus in an attempt to disprove the god's divinity.
There is also a mental illness called lycanthropy in which a patient believes he or she is, or has transformed into, an animal and behaves accordingly. This is sometimes referred to as clinical lycanthropy to distinguish it from its use in legends.
