THE WEREWOLF
For centuries, werewolves have been part of the human culture and have been the subject of many horror stories. Whether it is the iconic "Thriller" by Michael Jackson or the magical Professor Lupin from Harry Potter, werewolves have been in myths and legends from across the globe. We all know the similarities, but what differences keep them away from the rest of the "pack"? How do the portrayals of the werewolf differ from different cultures?
IN THE MORNING, THEY ARE HUMAN.
THE NIGHT IS A MORE HAIRY SITUATION.
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The Myth
Lobisomem is a word that translates to "werewolf" from Portuguese to English. The word is used in both Portugal and Brazil. The legend was spread from Portugal to Brazil during the colonization era. However, the natives of Brazil made more theories on how Lobisomems are thought to transform. At first glance, the legend of the Lobisomem can seem the same as the Werewolf, but they are not completely the same.
A common belief among both the werewolf and the Lobisomem is that being bitten by a werewolf will turn the victim into a werewolf. The common belief in Brazil is that if a baby is baptized, it will not be a Lobisomem regardless of its order in birth. Also, in some regions of Brazil, the myths mention a cure from being a Lobisomem. In other regions of Brazil, the people believe that even if bitten, the victim has 12 days to find a cure. Unfortunately for believers of the myth, there is no cure in their legend.
Joanapolis is a small city in Brazil where people have reported the most "sightings" of werewolves. For this reason, it is considered the "Capital of the Werewolf."
In Brazil, 7 isn't thought to be lucky. Instead, it's thought to be the number of the Lobisomem.
Many of the stories about the Lobisomem deal with childbirth. The most common belief is that the 7th child of the same gender will become a Lobisomem. There are others who think that the 8th child regardless of gender will be a Lobisomem.
According to believers of the myth, the Lobisomem will change from human to Lobisomem at a crossroad on the midnight of a Friday regardless of a full moon. In order to return, the legend claims that the Lobisomem must find the same crossroad of its transformation. Another belief is that the Lobisomem must run through seven cemeteries in order to transform.
Transition to Lobisomem
Lobisomems are thought to transform near crossroads.
Once "lobisomems" come near crossroads, they are thought to make the "cross" between human and wolf.
Lobisomem VS Werewolf
This fake werewolf was "found" in the woods.
This fake Lobisomem was "found" near a crossroad.
The Werewolf and Lobisomem share many features. However, they differ in a few core myths. For one, in the traditional werewolf myth, you have to be infected by another werewolf. In the myth of the Lobisomem, the 7th or 8th child born to the same family and same gender as the first six children. In addition to this, a Lobisomem can be infected by the conventional method of being bitten by another Lobisomem.
Another difference is in the original legend of the werewolf where there is no cure. Once a person is a werewolf, they are thought to be one forever, having to keep their "identities" a secret. However, in the Lobisomem legend, Lobisomems have 12 days to find a cure.
Another difference is their "sightings." When people claim that they have "sighted" a creature, there is a difference in the location where the creratures were thought to be "found." In the fake werewolf sighting example, the werewolg was thought to be sighted in the woods. In contrast, the Lobisomem was thought to be sighted on a crossroad, which corresponds to the myths.
The last key difference is transformation. The Werewolf myth states that during a full moon at midnight, the Werewolf will change from human form to wolf form. However, the Lobisomem is more specific. A Lobisomem must be at a crossroad at midnight on Friday as previously mentioned in transformation.
The Werewolf is believed to roam the woods, and the Lobisomem is thought to roam the streets.