Tales of canine-human hybrids have been present in cultures throughout the world for hundreds of years. From the Caucasus mountains to the Caribbean, both ancient folklore and 21st century sightings of these cryptids can be found from folk stories to scientific journals.
The very first concept of werewolves originates from Iran by way of the Hyrcania people, a historical region composed of the land Southeast of the Caspian Sea in modern-day Iran, bound in the south by the Alborz mountain range and the Kopet Dag in the east.
Hyrcania translates to โWolf Landโ, and the Dahye who lived there in ancient times even called themselves the wolf people.
In Armenia, they are known as Mardagayl, and in Iran the Kaftar; a monstrous half-man half-hyena. The cause of the transformation from human to canine and back varies significantly depending on where the cryptid originated from. The one consistency is a hunger for human flesh.
In 2004, a case study was published in the archives of Iranian medicine following the admission of a Mr. Ali, a man who claimed to have periodically gained superhuman strength and involuntarily transformed into a werewolf.
Labeled under clinical lycanthropy by psychologists, the patient in this was a 20-year old man from the Kazerun region in Iran. He was admitted from psychiatric treatment after attacking and eating several people in a frenzy, literally ripping chunks of flesh from their bones.
Fortunately, no one died in these incidents. This case is just one of many cases of lycanthropy in Iran that have been reported and written about.
There are pictures and videos of alleged dead wolf-like creatures in Iran that do not match any known canine
There are pictures and videos of alleged dead wolf-like creatures in Iran that do not match any known canine
Even though there's a huge question mark on how authentic they are, the remains of these cryptids are merely the latest in the long line of strange finds that blur the line between mythical folklore and scientific reality.
Known for specifically preying on young children, the Kaftar is a creature from Persian folklore that is said to have telepathic attributes, with the ability to hypnotize and control humans before eating them.
Interestingly, amongst the various cases of recorded clinical lycanthropy in Iran, a common fear among patients in addition to the involuntary turning into a wolf, is the fear that they would kill young children, particularly young members of their own family.
The werewolf mythos in Persian and northern areas of the Gulf goes back thousands of years. In the Sumerian epic of Gilgamesh, one of the oldest written stories dating back more than 4 millennia, humanity gets its first written occurrence of werewolves.
Gilgamesh is courted by the goddess Ishtar, but he rejects and reminds her of the tragic fate of her precious lovers, one of whom became a werewolf-type creature.
There it stated, โYou loved the shepherd, the master herder, who continually presented you with bread baked in embers, and who daily slaughtered for you a kid, yet you struck him and turned him into a wolf, so his own shepherds now chase him and his own dogs snap at his shins.โ
From Iran to ancient Armenia, there are women who are condemned to spend seven years in wolf form due to their sins. These are the Mardagayl. Usually a woman is visited by a Djinn carrying a wolfskin who orders her to wear it, turning her into a wolf, craving human flesh.
With this hunger, she wanders only at night with the telekinetic ability to unlock doors and windows. Giving her free access to any home she desires.
These types of werewolves cannot be killed by typical weapons. The only way to save oneself from them is to take and burn the wolfskin that was initially given to her by the spirit. After seven years, the person returns to being a normal human being.
After a physical traumatic experience in which he was badly burned across his legs and back with boiling water, an 18-year old patient from Iran began to voice concerns that he had transformed his own mother into a wolf on several occasions.
When asked what he thought had causes them to become this way, he explained that he was cursed by King Paimon, the king of the Djinn from Arabic mythology.
When asked to elaborate, he claimed that he had somehow injured the Djinnโs daughter when he accidentally burned himself with boiling water, and now the King was taking revenge on him by giving him a power that could not control.
Werehyenas are a type of therianthrope, and are primarily found in the African traditions that are heavily influenced by Arab and Middle Eastern cultures, particularly Morocco and Ethiopia.
While Werewolves are subtly human at heart, Werehyenas begin life as either humans who can transform into Hyenas or as Hyenas that can disguise themselves as Humans. According to folklore, they can be solitary but are also known to hunt in packs.
They have been known to call out peopleโs names at night, taunt them, and lure them away from safety before devouring them. It was believed that magicians and witches were able to transform into these creatures at will, but another Ethiopian belief placed the blame on blacksmiths
It was thought that blacksmiths were particularly prone to becoming werehyenas. This was taken to the extreme in this country, where people generally believed that old blacksmiths were witches or wizards who can transform into hyenas at will.
In the memoir-novel, 'The Life and Adventures of Nathaniel Pearce', the author who lived in Ethiopia recounts a story about a servant who asked for a leave of absence, who not long after it was granted, was seen transforming into a large hyena, rushing off across the open plains.
On his return the next morning, the servant was confronted about the incident, and readily admitted that he was capable of the transformation. This true life biographical novel also described several stories in which dead hyenas had been found with earrings on their ears.
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