In the study of cryptozoology, most reports of bipedal half-beasts consist of those falling into the “Bigfoot” category. Occasionally, there are from time to time reports of creatures which differ in various ways from the typical “ape man” and which, by all other accounts, could only be likened more to werewolves, the mysterious monsters of European folklore.

There are, however, various issues that come paired with the presentation of such claims, especially the fact that a werewolf, by definition, is something more likened to a by-product of magic, rather than an alleged flesh-and-blood animal. Historically, the werewolf is merely a man who, if attacked and bitten by another lycanthrope (a word derived from the greek words for wolf and man). Other sources describe the transformation as being the result of a satanic ritual, much like Richard Verstegan’s fifteenth century description which likened them to being evil sorcerers:  

(Werewolves) are certayne sorcerers, who having annoynted their bodies with an ointment which they make by the instinct of the devil, and putting on a certayne inchaunted girdle, does not only unto the view of others seem as wolves, but to their own thinking have both the shape and nature of wolves, so long as they wear the said girdle. And they do dispose themselves as very wolves, in worrying and killing, and most of humane creatures.

Sometimes these rituals involved more than secret girdled-garbs. One tradition holds that a man who, on the eve of a full moon, would go outdoors, undress, and urinate in a circle around himself would also transform into a werewolf. Regardless as to how one makes the transition, the result is always the same; an embodiment of evil that most often rampages across the countryside, killing innocents and yeomen.

Here in the states (and in the 21st century, for that matter), there have been reports of creatures similar to the classic description of a “werewolf”, bearing a long snout, fur-covered body, and other vicious features. Linda Godfrey, a journalist best known for her research into “The Beast of Bray Road”, Wisconsin, had documented various accounts detailing the alleged appearance of a wolf-man in the Bray Road area back in the 1980s in here book  The Beast of Bray Road: Trailing Wisconsin’s Werewolf.

One alternative explanation, at very least for historic accounts of lycanthropy, may have to do with a rare condition called hypertrichosis, which causes the growth of hair either in patches on the body, or in extreme examples all over the body of an afflicted individual. Many of the famous “wolf boys” and even “bearded ladies” of traveling side-show lore were indeed real individuals with a condition that caused the growth of the hair that made them famous. Still, whether or not anything akin to a Bigfoot might exist in great enough variation that it could be likened to a “wolf man”, bearing perhaps an overprotruberant snout, is beyond speculation without first access to proof of Bigfoot-like creatures. However, one of the greatest authorities on werewolves that I can think of, Nick Redfern, will be presenting his case regarding the creatures tonight on the Jeff Rense radio program. Here is a link to the live audio from Redfern’s Fortean Calendar website:

Werewolves TONIGHT!

He’ll also be joined by fellow Fortean Tim Beckley, editor of the Conspiracy Journal. This should no doubt provide a… dare I say… howling good time!