The Hairy Ones Shall Dance
Note: The title of this essay is inspired by the title of a story in the anthology 'Lonely Vigils' by Manly Wade Wellman.
It might be wise to begin with a few prefatory remarks about such legends as that of King Lycaon, who served Zeus the flesh of his son Nyctimus to see if Zeus was, indeed, all-knowing. Zeus, enraged by this, transformed Lycaon into a "man wolf." Nyctimus was restored to life. Also, there are the tales of the Norse "Ber-serkir," or "Bear-shirts," a class of warrior said to fight in a trance-like state, approximating possession by an animal, often a wolf, after donning the animal's pelt. The images of such Germanic "wolf warriors" is represented on many ancient shields and carvings.