h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The article begins with "Throughout MANKIND'S social development and culture, the wolf, the moon and hunting have been intertwined in a complex mythology resulting in the phenomenon known as the werewolf".

Are werewolves truly universal? Surely there are parts of the world that didn't have wolves - e.g. Australia - so Werewolf mythology couldn't have existed there. Also, I can't recall werewolf stories relating to anywhere other than Europe. Where there Japanese, Zulu or Mayan werwewolves? It has always seemed to me to be a mainland Europe thing, even just an Eastern European mythology that spread (a bit like vampire legends?). I'm not sure that the oldest British mythology has any mention of werewolves. Dragons and spirits yes, but werewolves no.

Can anyone shed light on this?

Japanese culture has had at least one wererat... can't remember the legend though. The 'were' (i.e. humans who can turn into animals) in general is common to many cultures but the werewolf of legend is pretty much centred on Europe.

I'm sure that there were stories of human/fox creatures in oriental mythology. So that would be were-fox rather than were-wolf, but it's similar...

UG

In ancient times, transportation by air & sea is very hard to come by. Only those who can afford it could have it. So werewolves were restricted to only certain parts of the Earth. However, in our time transportation has become more affordable & more people (including those who are actually werewolves) are able to travel to other corners of the world. Scary, eh?

Maybe there are no werewolves in England because of the Phantom Hounds? Maybe Stonehenge has the answer why? But there were werewolves in Ireland. There may still are.

Japan does have werewolves called 'jinrhou', but mostly the famous werebeasts are werefoxes & changing racoon-dogs.

The Zulu people DO know of a relative of the werewolf, the 'jackalman'. But there is also the 'hyena women', the 'lion men', the 'antelope people', the 'leopard men' & others. Maybe the ancient Eqyptian God Anubis was actually a 'jackalman' who managed to convince the Egyptians that he's somekind of God.

sorry to but in, but there are local werewolf legads in england where i live. Most of them include big shapes in the shadows, and once a dark haired man among about 50 wolves. People don't talk much about them though, as many people refuse to belive they exist...