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british Horror Films
Although the rest of the United Kingdom and Ireland are relatively new to the realm of horror cinema, Great Britain has a long history in the genre. The British imprint on horror films has been apparent since early in the genre's cinematic heyday, from Boris Karloff's iconic presence in Universal features like Frankenstein and The Mummy to director James Whale's steady hand behind the scenes of The Invisible Man, Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. But Britain has also produced its share of scary cinema within its own borders, including some of the most highly regarded movies in horror history.
Early Scares
The Ghoul, released in 1933, was the first British horror "talkie." The Boris Karloff vehicle also had the dubious distinction of being the first film to receive the "H" rating from Britain's rating system, designating it as "horrific." Thus began British horror's struggle for legitimacy within its own country.
The British Board of Film Censors had existed since the early days of silent film, and its history had made it clear that horror movies should not be, ironically, too horrific. As such, horror filmmakers in the '30s and '40s tended to maintain the status quo -- even at the cost of their artistic integrity. Movies like The Mystery of the Marie Celeste (1935), The Face at the Window (1939), Dead of Night (1945) and A Place of One's Own (1945) stuck with safe, "polite" fare that was sure to avoid offending any sensibilities.
see rest in response!
Early Scares
The Ghoul, released in 1933, was the first British horror "talkie." The Boris Karloff vehicle also had the dubious distinction of being the first film to receive the "H" rating from Britain's rating system, designating it as "horrific." Thus began British horror's struggle for legitimacy within its own country.
The British Board of Film Censors had existed since the early days of silent film, and its history had made it clear that horror movies should not be, ironically, too horrific. As such, horror filmmakers in the '30s and '40s tended to maintain the status quo -- even at the cost of their artistic integrity. Movies like The Mystery of the Marie Celeste (1935), The Face at the Window (1939), Dead of Night (1945) and A Place of One's Own (1945) stuck with safe, "polite" fare that was sure to avoid offending any sensibilities.
see rest in response!
Funny Games (1997)
This Austrian movie is disturbing, especially for one that is not crazy about horror films.
In this deconstruction of the way violence is portrayed in the media, a family settles into its vacation home, which happens to be the next stop for a pair of young, articulate, white-gloved serial killers on an excursion through the neighborhood. It can be boring because the director, Michael Haneke, wanted this to be as realistic as possible, he succeeded.
Incubus
An incubus (plural incubi) is a demon in male form supposed to lie upon sleepers, especially women, in order to have sexual intercourse with them, according to a number of mythological and legendary traditions. Its female counterpart is the succubus. An incubus may pursue sexual relations with a woman in order to father a child, as in the legend of Merlin. Some sources indicate that it may be identified by its unnaturally cold penis. Religious tradition holds that repeated intercourse with an incubus or succubus may result in the deterioration of health, or even death.
Etymology
The word is derived from the Latin preposition in, which in this case means on top of, and cubo, which is Latin for "I lie". The word incubo translates into "I lie on top".
Origins
A number of secular explanations have been offered for the origin of the incubus legends. They involve the medieval preoccupation with sin, especially sexual sins of women. Victims may have been experiencing waking dreams or sleep paralysis. Also, nocturnal arousal, orgasm or nocturnal emission could be explained by the idea of creatures causing an otherwise guilt-producing and self-conscious behavior. Alternately, the influence of incubi could also have been invoked to explain otherwise "unexplainable" pregnancies out of wedlock.
Purported victims of incubi could have been the victims of sexual assault by a real person. Rapists may have attributed the rapes of sleeping women to demons in order to escape punishment. A friend or relative may have assaulted the victim in her sleep. The victims and, in some cases the clergy, may have found it easier to explain the attack as supernatural rather than confront the idea that the attack came from someone in a position of trust.
Ancient and religious descriptions
One of the earliest mentions of an incubus comes from Mesopotamia on the Sumerian kings' list, ca. 2400, where the hero Gilgamesh's father is listed as Lilu (Lila). It is said that Lilu disturbs and seduces women in their sleep, while Lilitu, a female demon, appears to men in their erotic dreams. Two other corresponding demons appear as well: Ardat lili, who visits men by night and begets ghostly children from them, and Irdu lili, who is known as a male counterpart to Ardat lili and visits women by night and begets from them. These demons were originally storm demons, but they eventually became regarded as night demons due to mistaken etymology. Also considered to be vampires which is another form of a demon that is said to drink blood from its victims.
Incubi and succubi were said by some not to be different sexes, but the same demons able to change their sex. A succubus would be able to sleep with a man and collect his sperm, and then transform into an incubus and use that seed on women. Their offspring were thought to be supernatural in many cases, even if the actual genetic material originally came from humans.
Though many tales claim that the incubus is bisexual, others indicate that it is strictly heterosexual and finds attacking a male victim either unpleasant or detrimental. There are also numerous stories involving the attempted exorcism of incubi or succubi who have taken refuge in, respectively, the bodies of men or women.
Incubi are sometimes said to be able to conceive children. The half-human offspring of such a union is sometimes referred to as a cambion. The most famous legend of such a case includes that of Merlin, the famous wizard from Arthurian legend.
According to the Malleus Maleficarum, exorcism is one of the five ways to overcome the attacks of Incubi, the others being Sacramental Confession, the Sign of the Cross (or recital of the Angelic Salutation), moving the afflicted to another location, and by excommunication of the attacking entity, "which is perhaps the same as exorcism." On the other hand, the Franciscan friar Ludovico Maria Sinistrari stated that incubi "do not obey exorcists, have no dread of exorcisms, show no reverence for holy things, at the approach of which they are not in the least overawed."
Regional variations
There are a number of variations on the incubus theme around the world. The alp of Teutonic or German folklore is one of the better known. In Zanzibar, Popo Bawa primarily attacks men and generally behind closed doors. El Trauco, according to the traditional mythology of the Chiloé Province of Chile, is a hideous deformed dwarf who lulls nubile young women and seduces them. El Trauco is said to be responsible for unwanted pregnancies, especially in unmarried women. Perhaps another variation of this conception is el "Tintín" in Ecuador, a dwarf who is fond of abundant haired women and seduces them at night by playing the guitar outside their windows; a myth that researchers believe was created during the Colonial period of time to explain pregnancies in women who never left their houses without a chaperone, very likely covering incest or sexual abuse by one of the family's friends. In Hungary, a lidérc can be a Satanic lover that flies at night and appears as a fiery light (an ignis fatuus or will o' the wisp) or, in its more benign form as a featherless chicken.
In Brazil and the rain forests of the Amazon Basin, the Boto is a combination of siren and incubus, a very charming and beautiful man who seduces young women and takes them into the river. It is said to be responsible for disappearances and unwanted pregnancies, and it can never be seen by daylight, because it metamorphoses into that kind of river dolphin during those hours. According to legend the boto always wears a hat to disguise the breathing hole at the top of its head.
The Southern African incubus demon is the Tikoloshe. Chaste women place their beds upon bricks to deter the rather short fellows from attaining their sleeping forms. They also share the hole in the head detail and water dwelling habits of the Boto.
Etymology
The word is derived from the Latin preposition in, which in this case means on top of, and cubo, which is Latin for "I lie". The word incubo translates into "I lie on top".
Origins
A number of secular explanations have been offered for the origin of the incubus legends. They involve the medieval preoccupation with sin, especially sexual sins of women. Victims may have been experiencing waking dreams or sleep paralysis. Also, nocturnal arousal, orgasm or nocturnal emission could be explained by the idea of creatures causing an otherwise guilt-producing and self-conscious behavior. Alternately, the influence of incubi could also have been invoked to explain otherwise "unexplainable" pregnancies out of wedlock.
Purported victims of incubi could have been the victims of sexual assault by a real person. Rapists may have attributed the rapes of sleeping women to demons in order to escape punishment. A friend or relative may have assaulted the victim in her sleep. The victims and, in some cases the clergy, may have found it easier to explain the attack as supernatural rather than confront the idea that the attack came from someone in a position of trust.
Ancient and religious descriptions
One of the earliest mentions of an incubus comes from Mesopotamia on the Sumerian kings' list, ca. 2400, where the hero Gilgamesh's father is listed as Lilu (Lila). It is said that Lilu disturbs and seduces women in their sleep, while Lilitu, a female demon, appears to men in their erotic dreams. Two other corresponding demons appear as well: Ardat lili, who visits men by night and begets ghostly children from them, and Irdu lili, who is known as a male counterpart to Ardat lili and visits women by night and begets from them. These demons were originally storm demons, but they eventually became regarded as night demons due to mistaken etymology. Also considered to be vampires which is another form of a demon that is said to drink blood from its victims.
Incubi and succubi were said by some not to be different sexes, but the same demons able to change their sex. A succubus would be able to sleep with a man and collect his sperm, and then transform into an incubus and use that seed on women. Their offspring were thought to be supernatural in many cases, even if the actual genetic material originally came from humans.
Though many tales claim that the incubus is bisexual, others indicate that it is strictly heterosexual and finds attacking a male victim either unpleasant or detrimental. There are also numerous stories involving the attempted exorcism of incubi or succubi who have taken refuge in, respectively, the bodies of men or women.
Incubi are sometimes said to be able to conceive children. The half-human offspring of such a union is sometimes referred to as a cambion. The most famous legend of such a case includes that of Merlin, the famous wizard from Arthurian legend.
According to the Malleus Maleficarum, exorcism is one of the five ways to overcome the attacks of Incubi, the others being Sacramental Confession, the Sign of the Cross (or recital of the Angelic Salutation), moving the afflicted to another location, and by excommunication of the attacking entity, "which is perhaps the same as exorcism." On the other hand, the Franciscan friar Ludovico Maria Sinistrari stated that incubi "do not obey exorcists, have no dread of exorcisms, show no reverence for holy things, at the approach of which they are not in the least overawed."
Regional variations
There are a number of variations on the incubus theme around the world. The alp of Teutonic or German folklore is one of the better known. In Zanzibar, Popo Bawa primarily attacks men and generally behind closed doors. El Trauco, according to the traditional mythology of the Chiloé Province of Chile, is a hideous deformed dwarf who lulls nubile young women and seduces them. El Trauco is said to be responsible for unwanted pregnancies, especially in unmarried women. Perhaps another variation of this conception is el "Tintín" in Ecuador, a dwarf who is fond of abundant haired women and seduces them at night by playing the guitar outside their windows; a myth that researchers believe was created during the Colonial period of time to explain pregnancies in women who never left their houses without a chaperone, very likely covering incest or sexual abuse by one of the family's friends. In Hungary, a lidérc can be a Satanic lover that flies at night and appears as a fiery light (an ignis fatuus or will o' the wisp) or, in its more benign form as a featherless chicken.
In Brazil and the rain forests of the Amazon Basin, the Boto is a combination of siren and incubus, a very charming and beautiful man who seduces young women and takes them into the river. It is said to be responsible for disappearances and unwanted pregnancies, and it can never be seen by daylight, because it metamorphoses into that kind of river dolphin during those hours. According to legend the boto always wears a hat to disguise the breathing hole at the top of its head.
The Southern African incubus demon is the Tikoloshe. Chaste women place their beds upon bricks to deter the rather short fellows from attaining their sleeping forms. They also share the hole in the head detail and water dwelling habits of the Boto.
Succubus
In folklore that stems from medieval legend, a succubus (plural succubi) is a demon who takes the form of a woman to seduce men in dreams to have sexual intercourse. In modern times, a succubus is often depicted as highly attractive, while in the past succubi were ugly. The male counterpart is the incubus.
Succubi draw energy from men to sustain themselves, often until the victim becomes exhausted or dies. In one such story, a man in the town of Koblenz is bewitched by a succubus, with whom he is forced to repeatedly fornicate in the presence of his wife. The story says that, "After an incredible number of such bouts, the poor man at last sinks to the floor utterly exhausted and disgusted beyond belief." From mythology and fantasy, Lilith and the Lilin (Jewish) and Lilitu (Sumerian) are in redactive Christian fables (folktales not part of official Christian theology), considered forms of succubi.
According to the Malleus Maleficarum, or "Witches' Hammer", written by Heinrich Kramer (Insitoris) in 1486, a succubus collects semen from the men she sleeps with, which incubi then use to impregnate women, thus explaining how demons could apparently sire children despite the traditional belief that they were incapable of reproduction. Children so begotten were supposed to be those that were born deformed, or more susceptible to supernatural influences.
Etymology
First attested 1387, derived from Late Latin succuba "strumpet", used to describe the supernatural being as well. From succubare "to lie under", from sub- "under" and cubare "to lie". They are also believed to be vampires in some cultures. Earlier stories of them were said to drink blood from their sleeping victims or take blood from the willing. The legend of this account was 1st established in 300 B.C. maybe older.
Succubi draw energy from men to sustain themselves, often until the victim becomes exhausted or dies. In one such story, a man in the town of Koblenz is bewitched by a succubus, with whom he is forced to repeatedly fornicate in the presence of his wife. The story says that, "After an incredible number of such bouts, the poor man at last sinks to the floor utterly exhausted and disgusted beyond belief." From mythology and fantasy, Lilith and the Lilin (Jewish) and Lilitu (Sumerian) are in redactive Christian fables (folktales not part of official Christian theology), considered forms of succubi.
According to the Malleus Maleficarum, or "Witches' Hammer", written by Heinrich Kramer (Insitoris) in 1486, a succubus collects semen from the men she sleeps with, which incubi then use to impregnate women, thus explaining how demons could apparently sire children despite the traditional belief that they were incapable of reproduction. Children so begotten were supposed to be those that were born deformed, or more susceptible to supernatural influences.
Etymology
First attested 1387, derived from Late Latin succuba "strumpet", used to describe the supernatural being as well. From succubare "to lie under", from sub- "under" and cubare "to lie". They are also believed to be vampires in some cultures. Earlier stories of them were said to drink blood from their sleeping victims or take blood from the willing. The legend of this account was 1st established in 300 B.C. maybe older.
European Vampires
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings that subsist on human and/or animal lifeforce. In most cases, they are reanimated corpses who feed by draining and consuming the blood of living beings. In folklore, the term usually refers to the blood-drinking humans of Eastern European legends, but the term is often applied to similar legendary creatures from other regions and cultures. The characteristics of vampires vary widely among these different traditions. Some cultures also have stories of non-human vampires, including real animals such as bats, dogs, spiders, and mythical creatures such as the chupacabra.
More in first response.
More in first response.
French Horror Movies (Le Horreur!)
France's tradition of filmmaking is as long and as rich as any country's. Although it's more renowned for its high dramas, its edgy experimentalism and its art house sensibilities, French cinema also has an eclectic history within the horror genre.
Read rest in first response.
Read rest in first response.
British Horror Films
Although the rest of the United Kingdom and Ireland are relatively new to the realm of horror cinema, Great Britain has a long history in the genre. The British imprint on horror films has been apparent since early in the genre's cinematic heyday, from Boris Karloff's iconic presence in Universal features like Frankenstein and The Mummy to director James Whale's steady hand behind the scenes of The Invisible Man, Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. But Britain has also produced its share of scary cinema within its own borders, including some of the most highly regarded movies in horror history.
See response for more.
See response for more.
Myths of European Werewolves
Bulgaria (varkolak, vulkodlak), Serbian (vukodlak) Russia (volkodlak), Poland (wilkołak), Romania (vârcolac), England (werwolf), Germany (Werwolf), France (loup-garou), Galicia, Portugal and Brazil (lobisón, lupisomem), Lithuania (vilkolakis and vilkatlakis) and Estonia (libahunt). In northern Europe, there are also tales about people changing into bears. In Norse mythology, the legends of berserkers may be a source of the werewolf myths. Berserks were vicious fighters, dressed in wolf or bear hides; they were immune to pain and killed viciously in battle, like a wild animal. In Latvian mythology, the Vilkacis was a person changed into a wolf-like monster, though the Vilkacis was occasionally beneficial. A closely related set of myths are the skin-walkers. These myths probably have a common base in Proto-Indo-European society, where the class of young, unwed warriors were apparently associated with wolves.
I copied this from Not Your Average Mythology because SnowWolf thought Ponytail would like this. See first response.
I copied this from Not Your Average Mythology because SnowWolf thought Ponytail would like this. See first response.
Global Werewolf Legends
Argentina
Lobisón is the word that stands for Werewolf in north Argentina.
The Lobisón is usually the seventh son in a family (whereas the seventh daughter is doomed to be a witch). When they turn into a hairy creature that resembles both a man and a wolf, the Lobisón (a legend greatly influenced by the Brazilian traditions), wanders in the hills and mountains, feeding mostly upon carrion. However, if they get to meet with a human being, they will instantly attack. The survivors (men and women) will then turn into Lobisones themselves, but it is quite rare, because most people die in the claws and teeth of these ferocious creatures. It is also said that if a Lobison's saliva sprinkles over a man or a woman, he or she will eventually turn into a Lobisón.
In the early 1900s the legend of the 7th son (it had to be 7 boys in a row, no girls in between) transforming himself into a werewolf was so widespread and believed that it was causing a lot of children to be abandoned or given away for adoption, and it is said that in some cases the parents killed their own son. Because of this, the president passed a law in the 1920s by which the 7th son of a family automatically receives the godfathership of the president of Argentina! Through this, the state gives him a gold medal on the day of his baptism (when the president officially becomes his godfather) and a scholarship for all of his studies until his 21st birthday. Supposedly, this ended the phenomenon of people condemning their children for fear of the werewolf. The law is still in effect, and it is popularly known, and the presidents have always attended at least some of the baptisms, especially during election season.
Brazil
In Brazil, A humam only will become a "lobisomem" if he was the 7th children (male) from the same father and mother. He changes into a "lobisomem", for the first time when he is 13 years old. Just for two hours: from Midnight to 2:00 am. Always on Friday during Lent.
In some places of Brazil (Portuguese colonization is responsable for the legend in that Country), the damned man changes in a crossroad, friday night (usually the 13th), after midnight when the moon is full.
Finland
The Finnish werewolves are rather melancholy creatures (surprisingly...). In our stories/legends/myths a person usually turns into a wolf without really wanting it, accidentally (by doing something that'll turn him into a wolf without knowing this might happen) or because some witch has put a spell on him (according to Finns, these witches would naturally be Sami, although the Swedes thought we were pretty good at magic ourselves). The werewolf (who's usually bound to be a wolf for nights and days until something releases him from the spell) then lurks around houses, sometimes eating cattle but rarely people and waits for somebody to recognize him. When somebody does (e.g the wolf's mother), she/he can break the spell by calling the werewolf by his Christian name or giving him some bread to eat. Sometimes after the werewolf had regained his human form, he would still have his tail till the day he died. Some houses actually exhibit sauna benches (or whatever they are called; 'lauteet' in Finnish) that have a hole in them, presumably cut for the ex-werewolf's tail. Finland's southern neighbor, Estonia is also known for its werewolf legends. Estonia is sometimes called 'Viro' in Finnish, and at one time werewolves were called 'vironsusi' ('Estonian wolf') in Finland. It should be mentioned, though, that 'vironsusi' is originally the same word as 'werewolf', meaning 'man-wolf' and connecting it with Estonia is a false etymology due to Estonia's reputation as a werewolf country.
Mexico
The werewolf is basically a universal myth. In Mexico, the most widely spread version of the werewolf is the one called "nahual", which comes from the Nahuatl (the ancient language of the Aztecs, becoming thus, the universal language in the pre-Hispanic world)word "Nuahualli", meaning warlock. Since the Spaniards did not bring much on werewolves after colonizing Mexico, the ancient local legends on the subject became predominant. The nahual was a warlock who had the capability to shape-shift at will into an animal, preferably a black or dark coyote. It was believed in the pre-Hispanic times, that people were constantly threatened by these evil beings.
Even if the Spaniards who came to Mexican lands in the mid 1500s were not concerned about werewolfery, they were influenced by other European countries that had pretty strong legends on the subject. And so, this allowed for the nahual myth to survive the Colony times and make its way through present time. Some indigenous groups still currently believe that nahuales turn into coyotes or other animals at night, through the use of magic and sorcery, in order to harm other people. Once they have shape-shifted, nahuales can run the lengths with no difficulty to steal corn of chickens, and to fight other nahuales that pretend to invade their territories. Such indigenous people's legends say that once in animal form, they can get killed if wounded, but in case they survive, they will show the wounds or damage done suffered while in animal form
According to modern-day Mexican indigenous beliefs, the nahuales can shapeshift by performing anyone of the following: Jumping over a wooden cross, getting into deep sleep, putting on an animal skin, or covering their bodies with an ointment made of herbs, Not everyone can achieve the transformation. Just a few ones have been nature-granted with the capability to perform the change, but they also need to be skilled warlocks or sorcerers. These legends also tell about the way to kill a nahual or Mexican werewolf: Stoning, or gun-shooting; they can also be killed by using holy water, fire or by hanging them.
In the Mexican state of Tlaxcala, in the surroundings of the mountain known as La Malinche (the wife of the Spaniard conqueror Hernán Cortés)the nahuas (a local indigenous group) believe that witches or "tlahuelpuchi" turn into fearsome coyotes at night, in order to break inside the houses where small children live to suck their blood. On the day after, parents will find their sons or daughters dead, with savage bites on their necks, legs and arms.
To prevent the attacks by tlahuelpuchi witches, parents leave by the bedside in the kid's room a mirror reflecting the sleeping child, a knife or a pair of scissors, all of which are said to have magical properties that scare-off these savage female werewolves.
In the Mexican state of Oaxaca, there are several indigenous groups, having each one similar beliefs of their own. In regards with the werewolf-like characters, the Zapotecs, for instance, say that nahuales are warlocks who shapeshift into ferocious and damaging animals that can produce great evils to people. They believe that nahuales are warlocks who make deals with the Devil in order to be able to turn into coyotes to suck people's blood while they sleep. They can only shapeshift at night. Their powers, according to such legend, include the capability of damaging unborn children, which explains to them why some kids are born dead or with malformations. In order to scare nahuales off, the Zapotecs place garlic on their doors and a knife or a pair of scissors under the pillow.
On the other hand, the Chinantecs, yet another indigenous group living in Oaxaca, also believe in nahuales. To them, nahuales can be both men and women, and they can only achieve the transformation at night, and they get to kill those who see them or even dare to face them. The Chinantecs say that if the nahual is injured in the battle, but manages to escape, on the day after, the man or woman behind the beast will show scars resulting from the wounds inflicted to them while in animal shape.
Norse
The Norse legends claim that one can change shape by wearing the skins of the animal one want's to change to.(also used by other cultures, belt made from a wolf etc.). Loki (the god) often changed and had a lot of skins (including a worm and a flea skin).
Portugal
In Portugal, werewolves are called lobis-homems. In the 1400's there was one kind of lobis-homem that was very quite common: The gentle and non-attacking creature. Once fallen under a spell, the lobis-homem would attend a crossroad at night to become a wolf after groveling on the dirt. Then the creature would run into the countryside, howling out loud, without hurting anyone. A shy and sad creature, the Portuguese lobis-homem could be easily recognized, for it was a wolf with a short and yellow-furred tail.
However, there was yet another kind of werewolf in Portugal, with little resemblance to this noble creature. It was the evil and devilish variety, far less-common though, linked directly to the black arts of witchcraft. Evil lobis-homems could be recognized by the shape of their eyes and sometimes because of the presence of the Devil's mark in some part of the body.
Russia
The person wishing to tranform goes into the forest, sticking a copper knife into a tree and dances about while saying incantations. When this ritual is performed, the spirit of the Wolf will take over your soul.
Above Info found at: view link
Lobisón is the word that stands for Werewolf in north Argentina.
The Lobisón is usually the seventh son in a family (whereas the seventh daughter is doomed to be a witch). When they turn into a hairy creature that resembles both a man and a wolf, the Lobisón (a legend greatly influenced by the Brazilian traditions), wanders in the hills and mountains, feeding mostly upon carrion. However, if they get to meet with a human being, they will instantly attack. The survivors (men and women) will then turn into Lobisones themselves, but it is quite rare, because most people die in the claws and teeth of these ferocious creatures. It is also said that if a Lobison's saliva sprinkles over a man or a woman, he or she will eventually turn into a Lobisón.
In the early 1900s the legend of the 7th son (it had to be 7 boys in a row, no girls in between) transforming himself into a werewolf was so widespread and believed that it was causing a lot of children to be abandoned or given away for adoption, and it is said that in some cases the parents killed their own son. Because of this, the president passed a law in the 1920s by which the 7th son of a family automatically receives the godfathership of the president of Argentina! Through this, the state gives him a gold medal on the day of his baptism (when the president officially becomes his godfather) and a scholarship for all of his studies until his 21st birthday. Supposedly, this ended the phenomenon of people condemning their children for fear of the werewolf. The law is still in effect, and it is popularly known, and the presidents have always attended at least some of the baptisms, especially during election season.
Brazil
In Brazil, A humam only will become a "lobisomem" if he was the 7th children (male) from the same father and mother. He changes into a "lobisomem", for the first time when he is 13 years old. Just for two hours: from Midnight to 2:00 am. Always on Friday during Lent.
In some places of Brazil (Portuguese colonization is responsable for the legend in that Country), the damned man changes in a crossroad, friday night (usually the 13th), after midnight when the moon is full.
Finland
The Finnish werewolves are rather melancholy creatures (surprisingly...). In our stories/legends/myths a person usually turns into a wolf without really wanting it, accidentally (by doing something that'll turn him into a wolf without knowing this might happen) or because some witch has put a spell on him (according to Finns, these witches would naturally be Sami, although the Swedes thought we were pretty good at magic ourselves). The werewolf (who's usually bound to be a wolf for nights and days until something releases him from the spell) then lurks around houses, sometimes eating cattle but rarely people and waits for somebody to recognize him. When somebody does (e.g the wolf's mother), she/he can break the spell by calling the werewolf by his Christian name or giving him some bread to eat. Sometimes after the werewolf had regained his human form, he would still have his tail till the day he died. Some houses actually exhibit sauna benches (or whatever they are called; 'lauteet' in Finnish) that have a hole in them, presumably cut for the ex-werewolf's tail. Finland's southern neighbor, Estonia is also known for its werewolf legends. Estonia is sometimes called 'Viro' in Finnish, and at one time werewolves were called 'vironsusi' ('Estonian wolf') in Finland. It should be mentioned, though, that 'vironsusi' is originally the same word as 'werewolf', meaning 'man-wolf' and connecting it with Estonia is a false etymology due to Estonia's reputation as a werewolf country.
Mexico
The werewolf is basically a universal myth. In Mexico, the most widely spread version of the werewolf is the one called "nahual", which comes from the Nahuatl (the ancient language of the Aztecs, becoming thus, the universal language in the pre-Hispanic world)word "Nuahualli", meaning warlock. Since the Spaniards did not bring much on werewolves after colonizing Mexico, the ancient local legends on the subject became predominant. The nahual was a warlock who had the capability to shape-shift at will into an animal, preferably a black or dark coyote. It was believed in the pre-Hispanic times, that people were constantly threatened by these evil beings.
Even if the Spaniards who came to Mexican lands in the mid 1500s were not concerned about werewolfery, they were influenced by other European countries that had pretty strong legends on the subject. And so, this allowed for the nahual myth to survive the Colony times and make its way through present time. Some indigenous groups still currently believe that nahuales turn into coyotes or other animals at night, through the use of magic and sorcery, in order to harm other people. Once they have shape-shifted, nahuales can run the lengths with no difficulty to steal corn of chickens, and to fight other nahuales that pretend to invade their territories. Such indigenous people's legends say that once in animal form, they can get killed if wounded, but in case they survive, they will show the wounds or damage done suffered while in animal form
According to modern-day Mexican indigenous beliefs, the nahuales can shapeshift by performing anyone of the following: Jumping over a wooden cross, getting into deep sleep, putting on an animal skin, or covering their bodies with an ointment made of herbs, Not everyone can achieve the transformation. Just a few ones have been nature-granted with the capability to perform the change, but they also need to be skilled warlocks or sorcerers. These legends also tell about the way to kill a nahual or Mexican werewolf: Stoning, or gun-shooting; they can also be killed by using holy water, fire or by hanging them.
In the Mexican state of Tlaxcala, in the surroundings of the mountain known as La Malinche (the wife of the Spaniard conqueror Hernán Cortés)the nahuas (a local indigenous group) believe that witches or "tlahuelpuchi" turn into fearsome coyotes at night, in order to break inside the houses where small children live to suck their blood. On the day after, parents will find their sons or daughters dead, with savage bites on their necks, legs and arms.
To prevent the attacks by tlahuelpuchi witches, parents leave by the bedside in the kid's room a mirror reflecting the sleeping child, a knife or a pair of scissors, all of which are said to have magical properties that scare-off these savage female werewolves.
In the Mexican state of Oaxaca, there are several indigenous groups, having each one similar beliefs of their own. In regards with the werewolf-like characters, the Zapotecs, for instance, say that nahuales are warlocks who shapeshift into ferocious and damaging animals that can produce great evils to people. They believe that nahuales are warlocks who make deals with the Devil in order to be able to turn into coyotes to suck people's blood while they sleep. They can only shapeshift at night. Their powers, according to such legend, include the capability of damaging unborn children, which explains to them why some kids are born dead or with malformations. In order to scare nahuales off, the Zapotecs place garlic on their doors and a knife or a pair of scissors under the pillow.
On the other hand, the Chinantecs, yet another indigenous group living in Oaxaca, also believe in nahuales. To them, nahuales can be both men and women, and they can only achieve the transformation at night, and they get to kill those who see them or even dare to face them. The Chinantecs say that if the nahual is injured in the battle, but manages to escape, on the day after, the man or woman behind the beast will show scars resulting from the wounds inflicted to them while in animal shape.
Norse
The Norse legends claim that one can change shape by wearing the skins of the animal one want's to change to.(also used by other cultures, belt made from a wolf etc.). Loki (the god) often changed and had a lot of skins (including a worm and a flea skin).
Portugal
In Portugal, werewolves are called lobis-homems. In the 1400's there was one kind of lobis-homem that was very quite common: The gentle and non-attacking creature. Once fallen under a spell, the lobis-homem would attend a crossroad at night to become a wolf after groveling on the dirt. Then the creature would run into the countryside, howling out loud, without hurting anyone. A shy and sad creature, the Portuguese lobis-homem could be easily recognized, for it was a wolf with a short and yellow-furred tail.
However, there was yet another kind of werewolf in Portugal, with little resemblance to this noble creature. It was the evil and devilish variety, far less-common though, linked directly to the black arts of witchcraft. Evil lobis-homems could be recognized by the shape of their eyes and sometimes because of the presence of the Devil's mark in some part of the body.
Russia
The person wishing to tranform goes into the forest, sticking a copper knife into a tree and dances about while saying incantations. When this ritual is performed, the spirit of the Wolf will take over your soul.
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The Top Ten Vampire Myths
Most vampire myths come to us from the Dark Ages, when science was in its infancy and people looked to religion or superstition to explain the world around them. While many vampire myths have their basis in Christian orthodoxy, others represent imaginative interpretations of actual vampire behavior.
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