Werewolf

In the mythology of Medieval Europe, a man capable of turning into a wolf.

Werewolf itself comes from the Anglo-Saxon wer — "man, husband" and wolf — wolf.​‌‌​‌‌​ ​‌‌‌​‌‌ ​​‌

The first time the word werewolf is used in England during King Cnut (the first half of the XI century), however, based on the context, in it a werewolf is rather a devil than, in fact, a werewolf.

Early mentions in the British Isles of people capable of turning into wolves have a Celtic basis. For example, the mention of the Welsh historian Nennius about the people in the Irish Ossory, who can turn into wolves and hunt cattle in a similar guise. This transformation takes place in the form of a double: people are asked not to move their bodies during this transformation, since they will not be able to return back, but if they are wounded in the form of a wolf, then the same damage will appear on their body, and if they are killed with living flesh in their teeth, then it will also appear in their mouth. a person.

Gerulfus is a Latinized form of the Old French designation of the werewolf garoulf , from which the modern loup-garou originated . When the direct meaning of garoulf ("wolf man") was forgotten, loup ("wolf") was added to it and in fact the translation of the modern French word for "werewolf" is "wolf man-wolf".