The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

Contents



Section One-Introduction to Therianthropy



Part One



Overview



Shifting

Shifter’s Syndrome



Spiritual, Mental, and Physical Therianthropy



Contherianthropy



Cladotherianthropy



Lycanthropy and Its Relation to Therianthropy



The Two Versions of Lycanthropy



Zoanthropic Paranoia



Misanthropy



Other Versions of Therianthropy



Alternative Names For Therianthropes

Otherkin

Furries

The Theta-Delta



Therianthropology



Therianthrophobia



Part Two



FAQ For the Unsure, Mislead, and New





Section Two-Reasoning With The Opposition

Part Three

Why Therianthropy Isn’t A Mental Disease





Part Four

Therianthropes and Society







Part Five

Therianthropes and Religion





Section Three-A Therianthropic History

Part Six

A History of Therianthropy





Part Seven

Alt.Horror.Werewolves







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Section One: Introduction to Therianthropy





An Overview





What is therianthropy, you ask? Therianthropy is the state of being both animal and human. A therianthropist worships such creatures. A therianthrope is a person, god or creature that actually is part human and animal. For this article, a therianthrope is a person who is both human and animal. Therianthropy can manifest itself in many ways, may it be spiritual, mental or more rarely and likely non-existent, physically. I will describe each to the best of my ability later.







The word therianthropy comes from the Greek words therios (beast/wild animal) and anthropos (man). So literally, “beast-man.” Those who believe they are animal in some aspect are called therianthropes, or therians for short. Therianthropy is used by the therian to describe his/her unique state of being.







Therianthropes identify with either a single animal and some identify with more than one. This is more than just a simple liking of animals. It is an inner connection to an animal, something so strong that a therian believes to some extent that they are the animal. For many, therians believe that they are a certain animal because of their spiritual beliefs, may it be because they have the soul of an animal, they were placed in the wrong body (often referred to as trans-speciesism or the misplaced soul theory), or their soul is both partially human, and partially animal.







The animal a therianthrope identifies with is called their theriotype, though some use older words to refer to it, such as were-side, phenotype, therioside, or were-form. Those who identify with more than one animal are often called polyweres. The most common number of animals for a polywere to have is two. Those with more than three are very rare and sometimes questionable. The theriotypes of polyweres can be related or completely different.







The range of animals that therians identify with is infinite. The most common animal is the wolf and following that are other canines and big cats. Predatory animals are more common. The least common animals seem to be herbivores, reptiles, marine animals and bugs. Extinct animals can also be in the mix, including dinosaurs and other animals, such as ancestors of modern day animals. Those animals that have gone extinct recently, such as the thylacine, can also be in the mix. Mythical animals such as the dragon or unicorn are usually not considered to be a part of the therianthropic community and are most often considered a part of the Otherkin community. However, for the sake of this article, therians are included in the category of Otherkin.







A therianthrope generally Awakens to their animal nature during the teen years, although discovery younger or later is also possible. The discovery can involve anything from an increase in shifts to the simple discovery of the word therianthropy and others like them. This is commonly called an Awakening. Awakenings can be quite difficult and long. For some, they are in a “constant state” of Awakening, meaning that they are always learning about their animal side. Searching for the theriotype is usually full of hits and misses and takes a lot of searching. But for some, it is easy to figure out the theriotype. But when you finally know your theriotype and when you know that there are others out there like you, there is some sense of comfort. But for most of us, there is always more discovering to do, not only with ourselves, but also with the world around us.







Shifting





Shifting is an important part of most therians’ lives. Shifting is the change from human state to animal state. Shifting can manifest itself in many different ways. But shifting does not always need to occur for a therian to be animal. Most therians have subtle animal qualities that stick out without shifting, such as growling, barking, roaring or anything that attributes itself to their theriotype. Aside from sounds, there are also movements, which can be anything from yawning like an animal to moving like one. These almost instinctive actions of therians are different from shifting because shifting is not required and there is usually no large change in human mentality. The actions are simply an integrated part of the normal mindset. There are also therianthropes who don’t shift at all. They will be covered later on.







The following are the shifts I am aware of and a short description of each. Each shift can be voluntary or involuntary. Most shifts just happen, but it is possible to learn how to induce a shift.







Astral Shifting







Astral shifting is simply the shifting of the astral body into that of a therian’s theriotype. It is very common for those who practice astral projection and astral travel. Many therians can do this involuntarily without even knowing it. This is not necessarily good evidence of being therian, since the astral body is very malleable and can change shape easily.



Bi-Location Shifting



This is a rare shift that happens when one projects their animal body outside their own to a different place. It is much like having a “ghost” of one’s animal. That body can usually travel about as if it was real, and even acts as though it is a physical body. People can see it and very often, if they try to hurt it, then the same injury may be reflected in the human form. The body is thought to be the spirit of the person in animal form, or an astral body.



Cameo Shifting



This shift happens when a therianthrope becomes an animal (in the mental, dream, astral or any other state) that they aren’t. This is common when shapeshifting (that is, shamanic shapeshifting), though I don’t know of other reasons why this shift happens, other than complete randomness. Cameo shifts don’t necessarily mean that a therian has another theriotype that they haven’t discovered.



Dream Shifting







Abbreviated as d-shift. Dream shifting is a shift that, of course, happens in dreams. It can involve a shift from the human body to the animal one (that is, in the dream and not in the physical body), or it can just involve the animal being there in body and no physical shift has to happen. Dream shifting can be a great release for therians, because they can get the animal out and experience what it is like to be in their animal body. However, you do not have to be a therian to have this shift.







Mental Shifting







Abbreviated as m-shift. Mental shifting is possibly the most common shift. It is the shift from the human mindset to the animal one. The intensity of the shift varies. A “light” shift often involves the therian having some animal mentality, yet still having human awareness. They may have difficulty speaking and functioning with normal human tasks. “Deep” shifts usually have little or no human mentality left. The therian is in deep animal awareness. Human activity and civilization will scare the therian and they may try to escape to the woods or any nature that is available. Usually, heavy mental shifts are rare to occur around heavily populated areas. A mental shift may also be accompanied by other shifts. Mental shifting can be triggered by emotional factors, such as fear or sadness, or the surrounding environment (such as a forest).







Phantom Shifting

Abbreviated as ph-shift. The phantom shift concept comes from the idea of phantom limbs. The subject will “feel” the limb (like ears, a tail, or wings). It will not show up physically, but it feels like there is a limb. Some therians experience many different sensations with their limbs. For example, sitting on a tail can be painful, and having one’s back to a wall while feeling wings can be uncomfortable. However, there have been cases of phantom limbs being visible in the right type of light. With practice, some people can even use their phantom limbs to do things like sense energy or affect physical objects.



Physical Shifting



Abbreviated as p-shift. This is the rarest and most disputed shift of all. It involves the actual morphing of the human body into that of an animal body. Many people, in and out of the werecommunity, do not believe that this shift can happen. Though many claim they can do it, no one has shown any evidence of it. There is no evidence whatsoever of this shift being possible, though I have felt what I believe to be the possible beginnings of a physical shift. Obviously though, that is just a guess since I have never had a physical shift before. If anyone can actually do this shift, and just this shift, then they would not be a therian, but an actual werewolf. If you happen to be a p-shifter, I hear that there is a website out there offering one million dollars for proof…and that offer is still standing.



Sense Shifting



Sense shifting is sort of like a very minute physical shift. This isn’t considered a true p-shift experience though. The senses of one’s animal will come through and heighten the normal senses of the subject. This shift will often happen during a mental shift. This happens to be a controversial shift. The arguments against it say that one cannot change their senses, or the brain is tricking them. My theory for this would be that therianthropes just pay more attention to their senses, rather than having an actual change. There also seems to be, from my experience in the werecommunity, a possibility that therians may have heightened senses compared to normal people.



Shadow Shifting



This is much like a bi-location shift, except in this shift, the person will project the image of their animal around their body instead of in a different area. This most often occurs in low lighting. This shift is thought to be caused by manipulating the aura to show the animal form (some believe that a therian’s animal body is stretched out over the physical human body, in a metaphysical sense). Shadow shifting is also known as aura shifting.



OMGZ! I’m having weird things happening to me! Am I shifting?



Not necessarily. Sometimes, those people who are obsessed with trying to shift, or similar things, may start to mistaken normal bodily functions for signs that they’re shifting. This can range from hot flashes, cramps, and shaky, twitchy body parts, to anything else you could possibly mistake for a shift. It doesn’t mean you’re shifting, it just means that you’re desperate to shift, and paranoid that any little thing means you’re going to shift. This is usually called Shifter’s Disease or Shifter’s Syndrome. It isn’t an actual medical condition, but rather just a name for those who are overreacting to their body. This can also apply to someone who is looking into therianthropy and starting to connect things like quickly growing nails and hair, sharp teeth, or good hearing to something therianthropic (all three of which are common in humans anyway). The best way to get over this is to maintain a rational mind and remember that normally, while you’re spending five hours typing, your cramped hand doesn’t mean it’s suddenly going to turn into a paw, the funny feeling you get looking at the full moon isn’t a sign it’s going to turn you into a wolf, that desire to growl at someone doesn’t mean you’re going to have a full out mental shift, and your fast growing hair and nails means you’re probably getting a lot of protein in your diet. Take a breather and get away from shapeshifting and therianthropy for a while, especially if you’re one of those people obsessed over trying to cause a shift.



So just what are spiritual, mental and physical therianthropy?



Spiritual therianthropy is the belief that one’s therianthropy is caused by spiritual factors. That is, one has the spirit/soul of an animal inside, their soul is part animal, they are an animal in a human body, or their animal half is a layover from a past life. The ideas vary with the person.



Mental therianthropy, for lack of a better word, is not mental as in a mental disease. It is mental meaning that a therianthrope does not think they are part animal because of spiritual means, but because of psychology and cognitive processes in the brain. Those who believe this do not necessarily think that their psychological approach to therianthropy is dysfunctional in nature, but rather still allows them to be a functional member of society.



Physical therianthropy is when a person believes they are therian because can change physically to their theriotype. This is congruent with physical shifting. However, therianthropy is more commonly defined as people who have animal connections within. Those who can physically shift are not considered to be therians because they usually only show animal traits while in this other body. Thus, physical therianthropy can probably be more attributed to the mythical werewolf instead of the therianthropes of today. As with physical shifting, it is very doubtful that this exists. The werecommunity has taken a great disliking to the idea of p-shifting, and attempts to discuss it, no matter how intelligent or scientific the conversation, are often attacked.



What is contherianthropy?



Contherianthropy is commonly defined as the state of being animal and human (usually mentally) in a consistent state. This means that a contherianthrope sees the world from both human and animal perspectives. Since they are in a constant “humanimal” state, they usually don’t shift that often. Perhaps the only shift a contherianthrope may have is phantom. Thus, some call contherianthropy the state of being “shiftless” since contherians rarely, if ever, shift. The term contherianthropy was coined my Lion Templin.



What is cladotherianthropy?



Cladotherianthropy is a bit harder to define. I don’t know much about cladotherianthropy, so I’ll try my best to define it. This form of therianthropy involves those therianthropes who feel a connection to a family of species instead of just a member of that family. For example, instead of feeling connected to just the lion, a feline cladotherian feels a connection to all feline species.



So what is lycanthropy and is it related to therianthropy?



Well, it depends which lycanthropy you are referring to. If you mean lycanthropy, as used during AHWw, then yes, there is a relation. Lycanthropy simply refers to wolves in general, instead of all animals like therianthropy does. During AHWw’s better days, lycanthropy and lycanthrope were used to refer to all animal people because the word therianthropy had not yet been stumbled upon.



What do you mean, “which lycanthropy”?



There is the first lycanthropy I mentioned in the previous section, the one pertaining to wolf people and then there is clinical lycanthropy. Clinical lycanthropy deals with the mental disease that is so often discussed. It is not to be confused with non-clinical lycanthropy and therianthropy. Clinical lycanthropy deals with a subject who believes that they are a wolf (or any other animal, but the wolf is the most common). What separates this from therianthropy is that the subject will, quite literally, act like a rabid, crazed beast. They are violent and sometimes believe that they can and do shift into an animal body. They are delusional and quite often they control their “shifts”, both mental and “physical.” Clinical lycanthropes are insane and sometimes schizophrenic.



What the hell is zoanthropic paranoia?



Zoanthropic paranoia is a lesser-known form of clinical lycanthropy. Zoanthropic paranoia, or just zoanthropy, involves all animals, instead of just the wolf. A sufferer of zoanthropy will act like an animal and will show the symptoms of lycanthropy, yet as a non-wolf animal. Most places define zoanthropy simply as the delusion that one has assumed the form of an animal. However, lycanthropy is often defined as a mental illness where one believes that they are completely the animal. From what I have read on the little information that there is on zoanthropic paranoia, most zoanthropy cases have taken place in Africa.



So now I know about lycanthropy, therianthropy, and zoanthropy, but just what is misanthropy?



Misanthropy is completely unrelated to any of the terms above. Misanthropy is the hate of humans (or as some may call it, self-loathing). Misanthropes can generally be described as loners that dislike people. I have come across a few people who have mixed misanthropy up with other –anthropy related words. In the werecommunity, misanthropy is greatly looked down upon, but it isn’t uncommon to see misanthropic therianthropes. I’ve included it here mainly because it is very unhealthy to be misanthropic, and any extreme hate of humanity is idiotic in the first place. After all, the misanthrope is a human too!



Any other versions of therianthropy I should know about?



I can only assume that there are many different versions of therianthropy that are animal-specific, but those names are very hard to find. I can simply tell you about the ones I have heard of. There is ailuranthropy, which relates to felines, cynanthropy (sometimes spelled kynanthropy), which involves dogs, hippanthropy, which is for horses, and dracothropy, which is commonly used by dragon-kin to describe themselves as a dragon in a human body.



What are some other names for therianthropes?



There is a large amount of different words, many of which are/were recognized. Most common nowadays is, of course, therian. ‘Were’ (like in werewolf) was a common word, but now it in falling into disuse because it means man. Werewolf (and were-whatever you may be) was used in the early days of the werecommunity, but is starting to disappear as well due to the werewolf myth. Lycanthrope was originally used during the days of Alt.Horror.Werewolves, but it has fallen as well due to clinical lycanthropy. Theriomorph is a lesser-known word and one that is rarely, if ever, used. Animal person is another word that simply describes a person as being animal. But there is some confusion that can occur, since most people would think an animal person just likes animals a lot. However, it would be wrong of me to say that any of these words are “unfit” for the therianthrope community of today. These words are still used (and recognized), especially ‘were’. It is only when you use “werewolf” to refer to yourself that you may need to differentiate between you meaning a therianthrope and the mythical werewolf. Thankfully, for all of us wolf therians, no one says “Lycan” unless they are new to therianthropy, or if they have watched too much Underworld. I strongly discourage the use of Lycan. It makes most people think of vampire-fighting werewolves who shift into horrible looking, tail-less anthropomorphic wolves.



Are therians Otherkin (and what’s an Otherkin)?



Otherkin is an umbrella term used to describe those people who feel that they are non-human in some way. Which beings are included in the definition can vary from person to person, with some believing that therians and vampires are separate from Otherkin, to including the two species, or excluding one but not the other. I personally include therians with Otherkin, and define Otherkin as a term that relates to ALL beings and ALL people who feel nonhuman in some way.



Reasons for not including therians in the Otherkin category are as follows: Otherkin are often magical or mythical beings, whereas therians are normal, earth-based animals. Most Otherkin believe they are nonhuman because of a past life connection, whereas therians usually believe they are animal because their soul, spirit, ect. is animal in this life, and is not a layover from a past life, or believe they are animals for psychological reasons. Otherkin also happen to be interested in magic, and other similar things, compared to therians who are more “technical” and usually lean away from such things. In other words, Otherkin are everything mythical, while therians are normal, Earth-based animals with little or no need for the magical.



For a real answer to this question, it depends on who you ask, but many definitions include therians with Otherkin, simply because therians believe they, like all Otherkin, are nonhuman in some way. It all depends on how someone personally uses the label.



So are furries different from therianthropes (and what’s a furry)?



Furries are people who take up an extreme interest in anthropomorphic art (that is, bipedal or humanized animals, such as Bugs Bunny or Kimba, The White Lion). The anthropomorphic interest furries have can range from just liking the art, to making and dressing up in anthropomorphic animal suits, similar to mascot suits. Most furries are role-players who create and sometimes dress up as their character, who is almost always an anthropomorphic animal (their “fursona”). Some furs feel like their character is really a personification of them, and they connect to their character like a therian connects to their animal side. However, these furries do not necessary call themselves therians, but rather believe they are transspecies, though some furries are indeed therians. There are some interlappping aspects within the therian and furry communities, but the furry community SHOULD NOT be compared to the therian community as being the same thing. The two communities are very different.



Therians are sometimes viewed by furs and others as overreacting furries, and that they are taking things too far. On the contrary, some therians believe furries are just playing around and not taking things seriously enough. However, though in the two communities there may be dislike for the other, both communities tend to stay away from the other, and there is no true fighting between the two. Most therians tend to be accepting of furries, and even use fursuitting to make tails, ears, ect. to connect to their animal half.



Furries are sometimes and very often cast in a bad light, because of some furries’ interests and the tendency for outsiders to believe that all furries like bestiality and fursuit sex. This is sometimes applied to therianthropes by those who believe the two communities are one and the same. However, furries (and therians) are not all interested in the items mentioned above, though there are some that are.



Is there a special therian symbol?



The Theta-Delta is the recognized therian symbol (or just weresymbol), which gained popularity after being displayed on forums such as the Werelist (though I have no idea as to the true origins of the symbol). The Greek letters Theta and Delta are intertwined (Theta being the first letter of therian and Delta standing for change). The Theta-Delta is usually used as a customable symbol to reflect a therian’s animal connection. The colors can be any, and there is usually a personal picture that describes the therian in the middle. An example would be something that relates to the theriotype, such as a paw print or the theriotype itself. The one thing that must remain in the symbol is the line of Theta in the middle. If taken out, the symbol loses meaning.



Is there a scientific field of study for therianthropy?



There is no field of study in real life, although some researchers of the paranormal on the Internet have what they call therianthropology, which is a mix of parapsychology, anthropology and cryptozoology. Along with this is lycanthropology and various other versions of anthropology that delve into animal/human transformations.



Is there a phobia name for those who fear therianthropes?



Believe it or not, there is and it wasn’t something made up by those with a misunderstanding of therianthropy. Therianthrophobia is defined as a fear as half-human, half-animal deities, people, creatures, etc. However, I have not seen therianthrophobia applied to the therianthropes of today. Similarly, lycanthrophobia can be used to describe a fear of werewolves.



Now to end this, I have several questions that have been asked. For the sake of not answering them again and to get any stupid ideas out of people’s heads, here they are.



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Part Two: FAQ For The Unsure, Mislead and New



Hopefully, you have read all that I have to say. You may still be a bit confused, especially if you are new to therianthropy, or if you are coming onto this with a strong belief in the werewolf mythos. Here is where I attempt to break down the myths that many people believe in. If you are heavily into the mythos and you believe them, or you want to become a therianthrope, you are about to be disappointed. While it is true that myths have some basis in real life, they don’t in the case of therianthropy.



I am not sure if you caught onto this yet, but some therianthropes like to call themselves weres, or werewolves or were-whatever they are. Does this mean we believe ourselves to be werebeasts or something like them? The answer is a mix of yes and no. Therians can be related to werebeasts because we are both human and animal and we shift back and forth between the two (that is, in every way but physically). My point is, to approach therianthropy in the right way, you must disbelieve the myths surrounding werebeasts and come back into reality and into the 21st century. Those myths were made back around the medieval times and no longer have a place in the era we live in. There is nothing to fear from therianthropes or those who call themselves werebeasts. The following questions are based heavily on werebeast/werewolf myths (but I don’t go into all of them) and will finalize your path into learning about therianthropy.



Are you crazy?



A common thought for those whom I try to explain therianthropy to. Even though I may sound and act crazy, I actually have no mental diseases, illnesses or dysfunctions.



I wanna be a werebeast/therian!



Too bad. No one will make you one and there is no way to become one. You can only be born one.



If you bite me-



The answer is no. If this was true, then we would have an army by now and we’d try to conquer the world. The same goes for vampires and all other forms of partially non-humans. Bites only equal pain, maybe an infection and nothing else.



Are there hunters?



Actually, against what many therianthropes think/want to believe, there are hunters out there. Most, I would say, occur on the internet and will do anything from going into a forum and boasting to actually harassing a victim via email. These people are easily dealt with, and sometimes fun to pester right back. However, in real life, there are a few rare people who “hunt”. These hunters actually don't try to hunt with guns and whatnot, but rather encounter the prey in person, talk and whatnot. From the stories I have heard, most hunters just want to chat and often appeared frightened of the therian in question. Real hunters who may want to kill a therian most likely are not out there, but if someone is threatening you, and they seem to pose a real threat, DO NOT take it lightly.



Do silver bullets affect you?



Yes, in fact, silver bullets will kill us, along with any other kind of bullets and other things, like car wrecks, botulism, falling off cliffs and all the other things that kill humans. We are not invincible. Silver will kill anyone if it gets into the blood stream.



Are you affected by the full moon?



This is a very popular question with the kids and adults alike when they delve into therianthropy. This is a commonly asked question for the wolf therians and one I get asked a lot when I try to explain myself. The answer is, no, we aren’t affected by the full moon. While it is pretty and tends to affect all living creatures and the tides (I don’t know if you know this, but we’re made up of a lot of water), it doesn’t affect us specifically with any special powers.



So…you don’t change into an animal?



Nope, not in the physical sense. If we did, I wouldn’t be here typing this. I would be in the forest playing or I would be dead because someone shot me because they thought I was an actual wolf. It is a high hope for some of us, though. Nothing would be better than being able to shift back and forth between our human and animal bodies.



What about this war with the vampires?



It’s all a pack of lies! Underworld needs to be destroyed for making people think that there is some war between werewolves and vampires! Trust me, therians and vampires can get along very well. One of friends happens to be a vampire. While some of us may dislike vampires, that doesn’t mean we war with them.



Do you kill humans?



Let’s just give this one a simple no.



So you like humans?



It isn’t uncommon to find a misanthropic therian, but the majority of therians don’t condone misanthropy and human hate, and get along with humanity just fine. But then there are some who are exactly opposite.



Are you hairy?



About as hairy as your average human female. I may be a bit furrier…



So now you are telling me that you aren’t affected by the full moon, you aren’t at war with vamps, you don’t p-shift, you don’t kill humans, you can’t turn humans and you’re not in the least bit hairy…and you still call yourself a WEREWOLF?



This is the kind of question a person who can’t accept reality asks. They are stuck in their own little world where things must go their way or it isn’t true or someone is lying. Werewolves, therianthropes, whatever you want to call us…we just aren’t what the myths claim us to be.



That in general covers the FAQ. Of course, there is a large array of werewolf myths and what not that people think pertains to therianthropes, but it is certainly not true.



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Section Two- Reasoning With The Opposition



Part Three: Why Therianthropy Isn’t A Mental Disease



So just what makes therianthropy different from a mental disease and are we sure we don’t have a disease like clinical lycanthropy? I am not a doctor or anything and I obviously can’t give you a true answer to that, only my opinion. But my opinion is better than nothing, isn’t it?



Why I believe therianthropy isn’t a disease is because therians experience therianthropy all of their life. It is simply not something that just happens one day. It is always there with us, never disappearing, unlike clinical lycanthropy, which tends to just “happen.” Also therianthropes are sane, rational people who can control themselves. They do not show any symptoms of lycanthropy. We search for most of our lives to learn about who we are as therianthropes. I guess you could simply say that there is nothing “mental” about therianthropy. It is a habit of the soul and mind, a continuous and forever functioning piece of who we are.



Clinical lycanthropes, on the other hand, are violent, insane, irrational and are not always lycanthropes. They control what they are doing when it comes to acting like an animal. Therianthropes, however, do not “act” like an animal. It is simply who they are. Lycanthropes will often “change” into their wolf bodies and attack people and be very violent, uncontrollable. They are schizophrenic. They will act purely and uncontrollably animal.



So what I am getting to is that therianthropes are the complete opposite of a mental illness. We are sane people, whereas clinical lycanthropes are not. Of course, this is only my opinion and if I were you, I would seek more than just what I have to say. But my point stands very clear. There is a fine line between clinical lycanthrope and therianthrope.



To sum it up, therianthropy is a state of being and clinical lycanthropy is an illness.



*I can’t end this without saying this: there are some therians who believe they’re a therian because of psychology, or because of some other mental thing. Is it a disease or illness to them? I couldn’t tell you, but for some, therianthropy is a very mental thing.



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Part Four: Therianthropes and Society



Now we are going to dig deeper into therianthropy and its relations with mainstream society and the outside world. In general, therianthropy has remained online and secret to the outside world. Some therians believe it is better if we stay secret. This was made apparent when there was a recent (2005) radio show about werewolves and a werewolf/therian was interviewed. When it was time for calls, a few therians called in and yelled at the interviewee, telling him that “no self-respecting werewolf would do what he is doing” and that the world didn’t need to know about us. On the other hand, some therians called in and said that what the interviewee was doing was a good thing. The humans who called in seemed generally interested and non-skeptical to the situation once they heard what the interviewee had to say. Unfortunately, many of the people who called in were therians and very few humans got the chance to ask questions. I am split on the subject and I cannot say if it is a good thing for therians to come out to the world or if we are better in secret.



From experience, society generally thinks downwardly of anything that isn’t normal, may it be alternative sexuality, religion, spirituality, whatever. Society sees that things should be set in a “normal” mode where alternative things are kept out. I guess you could call it almost a Puritan society. So when a therianthrope approaches a normal person who has no idea about therianthropy and is against anything that isn’t “normal”, the result can be catastrophic. I’ve personally have quite a time coming out to some people. For some, the result can be disastrous, such as relationships falling apart…trying to “come out” to loved ones and friends about therianthropy sometimes isn’t a good thing unless the person you are telling is more into those alternate things like the occult and the supernatural, or just generally open to new things. Those who aren’t mainstream certainly can handle therianthropy better than the ones who are “normal.”



I have especially seen rejection of the alternative in schools. I am usually one to remain quiet so I can observe the things that are going on around me. Now this thought is based on what I have observed during my years in school. Mostly, when someone is gay, bisexual, wears different clothes, or just doesn’t act normal, they are labeled as different, freaks, losers, what have you. These people may be subject to abuse, may it physical, verbal, or emotional. As a therianthrope, I have shifted in school before, although it has been a small shift. When people took notice, I worried them and now I scare half the people who even know my name. I suppose that maybe therianthropes just won’t be rejected by society, but also be feared. After all, it is probably hard not to fear someone who may try to bite you if you get too close while they are shifted.



From searching on the Internet and talking to people in real life, yet not revealing my therianthropy to them, I can see that society is not ready and will not accept therianthropy. Forums on the Net that have brought up therianthropy have been approached with skepticism and flaming. They will say that therians are insane and are just trying to get attention. When talking to a person in real life about the possibility of someone being partially non-human, the one who is mainstream thinks differently. One who isn’t fully human must be crazy! The Internet and society seem to think the same thing: therianthropes are either crazy or are trying to get attention.



So what if therianthropy does leak out into real life? What if tomorrow, there is a report on CBS or the Discovery Channel about therians? I think it could possibly mean hardship for those who are therians. Here is what I think may happen if therianthropes do “come out” to the world:



As you probably know, gays are in the news right now (at the time of this writing, in 2006). Do you see how they are being treated and prosecuted? Imagine what it was like back in the 50s. Most of them were quiet and secretive about their actions and they didn’t want society to know about them. Now compare that to what is happening now in the world. Gays are well known and now society (and the government) is trying to take away their rights and say that they don’t belong. Gays have been killed and harmed for who they are. Compare this to the situation therians are currently in right now. The mass majority of them are in secret and very few, if any, of us are trying to make our presence known to the world. Why is this? It is because the outside world is dangerous. Society generally will not accept a therian (or Otherkin, for that matter). Society believes that people must be human and that in some way being partially non-human you are a freak and messed up and you are a “bane” of God or something. Much like gays, we would be prosecuted for who we are and what we believe.



So what am I getting to? As therians progress in the world, there will be more people who will go against us. As we creep out of the Internet and possibly into real life to make people aware that “we are out there”, we are going to face problems. No doubt that the possible hunters that people say might/mightn’t exist will gain support from people. We would not only face those hunters who think we should die because we are a “threat”, but we would also face some of those people who believe that we are “imperfect creatures of God” or “Satan’s spawn” (thank you, religion). Other problems we would face are the people who don’t really know about us and think we are monsters and actually the creatures from myth. I don't believe that we would have many Churches on our side, because we somewhat go against their beliefs. As for the government…I don’t even want to think about it. But, yes, the problems we would face are very large indeed. But hopefully, we don’t have to worry about facing these threats any time soon.







Of course, we would have our allies. We would have the tolerant people. Some of us would have our friends and family that we have “come out of the fur coat closet” to. We would also probably have all of those people, the ordinary people, that we talk to over the Internet, the people that we don’t know well, but support us because we’re Internet buddies. Then we would have some other alliances, maybe the ones that we would have to be careful with, like the people who want to become therians or Otherkin, or those who like our kind because we are fascinating or whatever their reason may be.







Perhaps my view is a little on the extreme side, taking the worst possible outlook towards what might not be something terrible. In the end, I don’t think we’ll really have to face any of these problems. I don’t think that we’ll tell the world we’re here for a very long time. I’m sure our situations will be like what gays are facing now, but I don’t think it will become an issue to where there is segregation between the “normals” and Otherkin. I definitely wouldn’t look for something like the Salem Witch Trials. So if you’re wondering how bad it might get, look to what is going on right now with the gays. But look past the marriage issues. Look to how they aren’t accepted and how the government is dealing with it. That is what I think we’ll face.







Of course, that is just an idea. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe we will be accepted in society. But from what therians face from those who happen to stumble upon therianthropy, I don’t think we’ll be very accepted. At least not without the “normal” people going out and learning more about therianthropy. But until society learns about therianthropy and learns about us personally, we probably aren’t going to be accepted.







However, even though therianthropy has remained secret to most people, we are stepping closer to letting ourselves be known. Several books are being written about therianthropes and Otherkin (at least, they’re being written, as many are attempting to do). There are only two books out there right now about therians. Rosalyn Greene wrote The Magic Of Shapeshifting in 2000, but it is very controversial, mainly because of the author’s view on physical shifting and some of her ideas, such as fox shifters being the “lowest” of shifters. Lupa’s A Field Guide to Otherkin, from 2007, is probably the better choice between the two.



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Part Five: Therianthropes and Religion





Religion is another thing that therians may have trouble with. It is the people who believe in God and are heavily religious that give therianthropes trouble. The most common argument with religious people is that animals don’t have souls and there is no way one could end up in a human. A least common thought, but even more harmful, is the thought that one who claims to be part animal, or starts acting as or shifting into an animal must be under demonic possession, or under the influence of Satan or even in alliance with him. Whatever the thought, each can be harmful in their own way if someone tries to take action on the therianthrope, may it be a physical or emotion attack or attempt at “help.”







To tell someone that you are part animal, (especially religious parents) could result in them thinking that you are possessed by a demonic spirit or some other crazy idea of theirs. I have heard of awful things happening to kids who come out to their parents and family, either involuntarily or voluntarily. They may be beaten to get the “evil” out or shunned and rejected. Then when the people learn about therianthropy, the therian is left with emotional and maybe physical scars from something they didn’t deserve. The thing is, even those religious people will slip back into their extreme ways of handling “possessed” people and the “evil” in us.







Another thing is also a factor that transgender people (that is, everyone under this umbrella term) face: the thought some people have that you should not change yourself. That is, with transgenders, some people believe that God made you a certain way and you were not made to be another gender and it is sin to change. To relate this to therianthropy is almost the same thing. If you were meant to be an animal, God would have made you an animal. You weren’t meant to be in an animal body and you were not meant to act like an animal. However, I don’t think shifting would really be considered sin. Animals are also thought to be lower than humans, so to think of yourself as an animal is to basically say you think you are lower. That would probably not only be seen as sin, but maybe even as insanity. I’m sure no human would want to think of themselves as being as “low” as animal.







I have personally had experience with a heavily religious Christian girl. I had to go a long way to explain my therianthropy to my friend when I was a junior in high school. She had a hard time grasping the thoughts of my belief. She could not accept the idea that I have a wolf soul/spirit or even the idea that a wolf could exist in a human body. One thing she had difficulty accepting was the idea of phantom limbs and phantom shifts. That also took a bit of explaining. In all, I guess, I still left her confused. When a therian has to deal with a religious person, explaining is something one must do and it has to be considered carefully. It is easy to say the right thing, but hard to say it in the right way to someone who doesn’t understand.







For an example of the confusion and misunderstandings religious people get from therians, I will include some of the letter I wrote in response to what my friend had written me. Now as a reminder, let me say I am trans-species, so my reaction won’t be the same as every therians.







“Do you want to be a wolf, or are you just going along with it because you think you can’t change?







In the beginning of my life, I had never wanted or desired to be a wolf. But once I discovered more about myself, I know that I just don’t have the want or desire anymore…I have the need to be a wolf. I feel like the beast within needs to be rid of this body. It doesn’t belong here in Missouri, going to some crappy school full of teens with drug problems, narrow minds and racist views. It doesn’t belong in some sparsely populated town with people who are obsessed with building condos, big stupid Wal-Marts and constantly destroying the woods and hunting animals with no concern for their lives and then not using what they’ve killed...the wolf doesn’t belong here. I have the need to be the wolf in body instead of just within and in mentality, spirit and soul. But there is really nothing I can do about it. All I can hope for is that I can get away from here and go west to where I believe I belong, and if I can’t satisfy my wolf, then I guess my only freedom is death (I hope this doesn’t lead you to believe that I’m suicidal…because I’m not). When I finally die, I hope that my wolf spirit and soul can finally be released from this pitiful furless shell so that I can go back to the wolf lands. That is my heaven…being free, finally, from a human shell, so that I can go into the wilds and join a pack and hunt down the caribou and romp in the snow and howl to the great moon. So, yes, I guess I “want” to be the wolf in body, but I am already the wolf everywhere else, pretty much.







Am I just going along with it because I think I can’t change? Well, in actuality, there is no way that a therian can get rid of their animal side. I can’t change into a normal human without an animal inside. I’m not really going along with anything. I have been this way my whole life, so there hasn’t been anything to go along with.”







Of course, there is the important explanation of how you are animal and just not wanting it or something similar. I suppose that religious people can’t grasp the idea that we are who we are and there is something different inside of us.







“I don’t understand how a wolf can live in a human body.







It is the spirit and soul that live in the human body. And to be quite honest, the wolf can’t live in the human body. I for one know that. You should see me in my free time when I am alone, how I strive to fulfill my wolf desires, but this human body limits me so much. I can indeed live in it; I just can’t do what I want. I can’t be a wolf in this body. Sure I can howl and hunt to some extent and basically act like a wolf, but I can’t do all those things you see the wolf doing on the Discovery Channel. I can’t find a pack since therians are so isolated and I certainly can’t fulfill my desires to hunt big game like deer or run on all fours. I still trip when I do that, even though I am getting better. In reality, I am a lost pup in this world, a lone wolf with no one to turn to. Sure, I have human friends and a few that understand me, but there isn’t anyone I can really relate to. No one knows what it is like living with a wolf within and never being able to live out those dreams and desires. And with my fear of humans (explain later), I can’t seem to get too far in this world.”







This part points out that people obviously can’t understand how a wolf can manage a human body. And indeed, wolves can’t manage human bodies without some training, which brings us to the next point.







“When God created animals, he didn’t do that [give them a soul], so how could a wolf manage a human body?







Contrary to your beliefs, I believe that animals do have souls. There is just no fighting it. I can’t see why God would do such a thing anyway. Why shouldn’t animals have souls? Why should they? The answer is simple…because we are ALL ANIMALS. If humans weren’t animals, just what would they be? I’m an animal, you’re an animal…there isn’t any excuse. Look at the scientific facts…seriously now…exclude evolution if you want to, but you can’t fight it. Humans have hair…check…they have skin…check…animalistic organs and such…check…hands and feet and all that jazz…check…*gasp* Is that so hard to believe? Animals and humans, there is no difference, except one has a very extreme way of surviving. So animals are less intelligent than humans, they can’t use technology, they can’t drive cars, they can’t speak like humans can…big freaking deal. Animals don’t need the human’s intelligent. Their way of life has been successful for as long as they have been around, so why would they need more? They are content where they are and they don’t need anything else.







So how can a wolf control a human body? Well, if you put a wolf soul/spirit in a human body and raise that wolf-human in a human environment such as has been done with all therians, then there is your answer. Of course, I still have the primal and instinctive wolf mind, but the human society has changed me (though not in a good way). Part of me is somewhat human, other than my body. I do have a human mind, but the wolf primarily controls me. Again, it mostly how you are raised, but there are things lodged in the mind that can’t be change, such as the desire for the mountains and the fear of humans (we’ll have to talk about the human-fear later).”







Something to add is that she didn’t think humans were animals and that animals are lower than humans. She believes that animals can’t function in a human body and that they in general can’t be in a human body because they have no souls.







“So why would an animal be controlling a human?







Do you think I chose this path? Fate and Destiny have thrust me along here. And the wolf doesn’t “control” me and I don’t “control” it. We are one and the same. I am wolf and the wolf is me.”







A rather sad explanation, but it was enough. An animal isn’t controlling a human body. This was done by Fate or whatever you want to believe in. It is also good to note if you ever have to talk to a religious person that you should mention that you and your animal are one and the same. Needless to say, my friend pretty much gave up trying to understand therianthropy after I told her these things.







It is my hope that we will gain understanding in the future. Until then, we must explain to people who don’t understand us. But that is the first thing we must do to get all people to understand us in the first place. Thankfully some religions understand us and accept us quite easily. However, they are the religions society doesn’t seem to like such as Wicca and Paganism.







But WAIT! Is therianthropy a religion? The answer is no. Therianthropy is not a religion and does not resemble one. Religions require a central figure of worship. Therianthropy has none. Therianthropy is a belief; it is a state of being and requires worship of nothing. It is simply a term to define those people who feel that they are animal in one way or another. It was not made to be a religion or to counter-affect or conflict with any existing religions, even though its ideas and beliefs do go against some religions. Therianthropy is simply here to describe people with an internal animal influence.







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Section Three-A Therianthropic History



Part Six: A History of Therianthropy





Therianthropy is not some “New Age thing” as many people tend to think. Therianthropy has been around for quite a long time, manifesting itself in many different ways throughout history. It was only in the 1990s when people began to look at therianthropy as a state of being instead of as a mental illness (lycanthropy and zoanthropy).







Therianthropy has been around, in one form or another, ever since the beginning of history. Cave paintings have been found of leopard-men, bear cults have been discovered and there have been countless legends and encounters of werebeasts. Of course, not all therianthropy has taken the form of werebeasts. The Egyptian gods are fine examples of therianthropes. They are half animal and half human, with the head of an animal and the body of a human. Other therianthropes have been found in mythology, ranging from the fauns and satyrs, to the Minotaur, a beast conceived by a human and animal courtship.







Basically, wherever you look, there is some form of animal and human features combined into one. This is not only because there may have been animal-humans, but also because of the human desire to want to become more like animals. They saw power and symbolism in them, so they combined the aspects to form anything from gods to simple mythology (of course, anything mythical such as fauns or any other mythical creature can be counted as Otherkin and therefore actually existent).







Therianthropes also exist in modern fiction. Dungeons and Dragons and White Wolf’s RPG Werewolf are good examples. Most fiction portrays therians as the people who have both a human and animal form, one that is usually anthropomorphic. Some believe that the werewolf races, the Garou and Uratha from Werewolf could have been partially inspired by modern therianthropes. Usually, therianthropes in fiction never appear as the modern, “true” therians (they are usually almost physical shifters), or under the name “therianthrope.”







Shamanism was probably one of the first practices to incorporate human and animal aspects together by shifting. Shapeshifting, as it is called, involves shifting into one’s totem. This is different from therianthropy because the animal influence is external rather than internal. Shapeshifting is very much like the shifting therianthropes experience, but it is induced rather than random as with therians. However, it is probably one of the things that kept humans along the path to remind them that they too are animals and that there are actual ways of incorporating human and animal together.







So where does the line between mythology and folklore end and the modern therianthrope begin? Well, to be honest, what we see as the modern therianthrope has existed in the past. Werewolves are an example of this. I am not saying that all of those shapeshifters and those tried were werewolves, but some of them had to be. I think it is truly sad that therianthropes had to go through persecution, but in a time where superstition ruled, I guess there is no trying to understand. However, we have no proof either that any of the persecuted werewolves were indeed therianthropes.







Going on, we have seen therianthropy, the state of being both human and animal, in mythology, gods, and real life. It has been around since humans could ever imagine and draw, and it is still with us today. There is probably never a time when therianthropes have not been thought of. The accounts of therianthropy, in any form, are actually too much to number. The true story of modern therianthropy as us therians today know it, actually started with the Usenet group Alt.Horror.Werewolves. What started as a simple Usenet newsgroup for werewolf fans became a bustling place for those who felt that they were more than human. It was where therianthropes could meet and talk and discuss what and who they were. However, AHWw soon fell as the new millennium approached, leaving it a flaming carcass of what it once was.







Therianthropy today is still unknown of. A search on Google brings up only about 45,900 pages (as of August 2006). It is safe to say that mostly therians and Otherkin have created most of those pages. The path to recognition of therianthropy into the outside world is still far ahead of us. But the therian community is still quite young and it still has much history ahead of it.







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Part Seven-Alt.Horror.Werewolves: The Birth of the Therianthropic Community





*I was not and am not a part of AHWw. But I have done research on it, and these are my findings.*







Before Alt.Horror.Werewolves, there was little talk or gatherings of people of similar spirit in the outside world. With the dawn of the Internet, people began to search for werewolves…and many of them came upon the Usenet group AHWw, which formed in the early 1990s. This group is very possibly the god of what is now the blooming therian community. In the beginning, AHWw was a small group devoted to werewolves. After it picked up business, people began to talk about feeling animal influences in their own lives. Not just externally, but internally, as if these animals were their very being. This was the beginning of the therianthropic community.







After a while, some of these people (amazingly to some, not teens, but actually older people over 20) openly admitted they were joking and some admitted that they were very serious. The group soon became a place to discuss being animal inside and it became less and less about werewolves and their Hollywood correspondence. From then on until AHWw’s fall in the late 90s, it was a bustling place to talk therianthropy and it was THE best place for therians. This was where the word therianthropy was presented and accepted into the world.







Around 1994, the word was proposed. Before the proposition of therianthropy, most members of AHWw called themselves lycanthropes, or werewolves, werebears, ect. The word was proposed by a wendigo named James Harrion III. It was accepted very well since the group was now mainly therians. Therianthropy was soon added to Werecards and it also began to pick up slang not much later.







From then on, therianthropy and AHWw enjoyed a few more years of success. But by 1998 to 1999, AHWw began to fall as people lost interest and the group became a flame war. As of now, it is no longer the source for therianthropy that it was. However, it is a wonderful start to the therianthropy community. Some still like to go back to the AHWw FAQ, which is a good source of information and history. But today, it is no more than a fallen Usenet group, only populated by idiots and those who have no idea of AHWw’s history. Thankfully, the therian community didn’t die with it, and it is still alive and strong.