Werecat
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Other name(s) | Vârcopisică |
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A werecat (also written in a hyphenated form as were-cat) is an analog to "werewolf" for a feline therianthropic creature.
Etymology
Ailuranthropy comes from the Greek root words ailouros meaning "cat",[1] and anthropos, meaning "human"[2] and refers to human/feline transformations, or to other beings that combine feline and human characteristics. Its root word ailouros is also used in ailurophilia, the most common term for a deep love of cats.[3][4][5]
Ailuranthrope is a lesser-known term that refers to a feline therianthrope.[6]
Depending on the story in question, the species involved can be a
Folklore
Europe
European folklore usually depicts werecats as people who transform into domestic cats. Some European werecats became giant domestic cats
Africa
African legends describe werelions, werepanthers or wereleopards. In the case of leopards, this is often because the creature is really a leopard deity masquerading as a human. When these gods mate with humans, offspring can be produced, and these children sometimes grow up to be shapeshifters; those who do not transform may instead have other powers. In reference to werecats who turn into lions, the ability is often associated with royalty. Such a being may have been a king or queen in a former life.[15]
In Africa, there are folk tales that speak of the "Nunda," or the "Mngwa," a big cat of immense size that stalks villages at night. Many of these tales say it is more ferocious than a lion and more agile than a leopard. The Nunda are believed by some to be a variation of
Asia
Mainland Asian werecats usually become tigers.
In both present-day
In the central area of the Indonesian island of
The Americas
The foremost were-animal in pre-Columbian
In the US, urban legends tell of encounters with feline bipeds; beings similar to the Bigfoot having cat heads, tails, and paws. Feline bipeds are sometimes classified as part of cryptozoology, but more often they are interpreted as werecats.[22]
Occultism and theology
Assertions that werecats truly exist and have an origin in supernatural or religious realities have been common for centuries, with these beliefs often being hard to entirely separate from folklore. In the 19th century, occultist J. C. Street asserted that material cat and dog transformations could be produced by manipulating the "ethereal fluid" that human bodies are supposedly floating in.[23] The Catholic witch-hunting manual, the Malleus Maleficarum, asserted that witches can turn into cats, but that their transformations are illusions created by demons.[24] New Age author John Perkins asserted that every person has the ability to shapeshift into "jaguars, bushes, or any other form" by using mental power.[25] Occultist Rosalyn Greene claims that werecats called "cat shifters" exist as part of a "shifter subculture" or underground New Age religion based on lycanthropy and related beliefs.[26]
See also
Footnotes
- ^ "What does αίλουρος (aílouros) mean in Greek?". WordHippo. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ "anthropic | Etymology, origin and meaning of anthropic by etymonline". www.etymonline.com. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ "ailurophile | Etymology, origin and meaning of ailurophile by etymonline". www.etymonline.com. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ "Definition of ailurophilia | Dictionary.com". www.dictionary.com. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ "Definition of AILUROPHILE". www.merriam-webster.com. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ "What is a Therianthrope? (with pictures)". Language Humanities. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^
Galenorn, Yasmine (2006). Witchling. ISBN 9780425212547.
- ^ Monster Manual: Core Rulebook III. Wizards of the Coast. 2003. pp. 165–166.
- ^ Feehan, Christine (2002). Lair of the Lion. Leisure Books.
- ^
Worland, Rick (2006). The Horror Film: An Introduction. Blackwell Publishing. pp. 73, 176–178, 184.
- ^ a b
Greene, Rosalyn (2000). The Magic of Shapeshifting. Weiser. p. 9.
- ^ Weeks, Linton (17 July 2009). "You Sexy Beast: Our Fascination With Werewolves". NPR.
- ^ Hamel, Frank (1969). Human Animals. New Hyde Park: University Books. pp. 7, 103–109.
- ^
James Sprenger(2000). The Malleus Maleficarum of Heinrich Kramer and James Sprenger. Book Tree. pp. 61–65.
- ^ annimi (29 March 2010). "Werecats: The Lions of Tsavo | Werewolves". Retrieved 21 May 2020.
- ^ Welfare, Simon; Fairley, John (1980). Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World. Book Club Associates.
- ^ Summers, Montague (1966). The Werewolf. University Books. p. 21.
- ^ lycanthropy – the were-tiger of the east indies
- JSTOR 41560428.
- ^ Roux, Joane le (2 November 2014). "In pursuit of a were-tiger". New Straits Times. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ^ . Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 150.
- Kensington Books. pp. 154–160.
- ^ Hamel, Frank (1969). Human Animals. New Hyde Park: University Books. p. 292.
- ^
James Sprenger(2000). The Malleus Maleficarum of Heinrich Kramer and James Sprenger. Book Tree. pp. 127–128.
- ^ Perkins, John (1997). Shape Shifting. Rochester, Vermont: Destiny Books. p. 3.
- ^
Greene, Rosalyn (2000). The Magic of Shapeshifting. Weiser. pp. 53–89, 125, 149.
References
- Borges, Jorge. (1969). The book of imaginary beings. New York: E. P. Dutton. ISBN 0-670-89180-0
- Greene, Rosalyn. (2000). The magic of shapeshifting. York Beach: ISBN 1-57863-171-8
- Hall, Jamie. (2003). Half human, half animal: Tales of werewolves and related creatures. Bloomington: 1st Books. ISBN 1-4107-5809-5
- Hamel, Frank. (1969). Human animals: Werewolves & other transformations. New Hyde Park: University Books. ISBN 0-8216-0092-3
- Steiger, Brad. (2001). Out of the dark. New York: Kensington Books. ISBN 1-57566-896-3
- Saunders, Nicholas J. (1991). The cult of the cat. London: Thames and Hudson. ISBN 0-500-81036-2