Werewolves, friend or foe?

Werewolves are found in the legends and stories of a number of different peoples from around the world. Most regard the werewolf as an evil beast cursed to live a double life, one as an ordinary human the other as a vicious, bloodthirsty beast. Another train of thought portrays the werewolf as a protector of villagers sent to ward off the forces of darkness. I am curious to find out if anyone else has heard these stories that portrays the werewolf as the \"good guy/girl\". Thoughts anyone?

That is something interesting to think about. I personally have never heard of the tale of the werewolf as a protector of villagers but to think of a werewolf as a good guy/girl is interesting.

I have spoken to a few like minded people and the general consensus is that due to appearance of the werewolf is quite fearsome, most of the villagers would have considered them to be evil and dangerous. This may have tipped the scales in favour of the werewolf being a dangerous creature rather than one to be trusted. In current times Hollywood has not helped their cause either. It is hard for people to see a beastly creature to be trustworthy and a hero. Maybe it is time to tip the scales back in favour of the werewolf.

I have always thought werewolves to be unlucky victims of a curse that they didn't really want, but the idea of them being the good guys/girls is awesome! I personally love werewolves anyway...They might be prtrayed as scary beasts, but I still love them.

As we know the wolf is a very social family oriented animal with a strict hierarchy. Why wouldn't a werewolf be just as honorable creature. The only reason I can think against this train of thought is the amalgamation of the human aspect. Humans as we know are the most dangerous creature to have ever walked this planet. However, I hope that the wolf aspect would overshadow the human side and become an honorable and trustworthy creature. The recent movie The Grey, Which I love by the way, is a portrayal of how vunerable humans are against nature without all our technology. The wolf pack in the movie is only defending it's territory and it's young against another formidable predator.

Interesting discussion, Greywolf64.
Personally, I too see no reason why a werewolf shouldn't be a good guy of a story - it really just depends how the storyteller imagines his version of a werewolf.
But I have to note that I haven't heard any old legend where they are portrayed as the good guys.
The old legends of werewolves (and other creatures like dragons, vampires etc.) were told to scare people, to tell a story of how humans can conquer evil which was personified in the form of said creatures, and for entertainment purposes too. Those creatures were born firstly because people needed a bad guy.
If the storyteller said a werewolf was a rabid beast, then it was a rabid beast. If the storyteller said it would turn completely into a wolf, then it did; if it would be half-human/half-wolf, then that too was a werewolf after the storyteller. (Same way in some stories the cross is a bane to vampires, in others not; some can walk in daylight, others are destroyed by it etc.)
Most of these legends were born in a time when people weren't educated and therefore it was easy to believe in such stories. And like today, also then people liked to hear a good horror story.
Because there isn't a mutual consensus of the properties of a werewolf, every storyteller can twist the werewolf to fit his story as a good or bad guy. And nowadays a lot of people do, because a werewolf being a good guy is a newer approach to the creature then the old legends where he is a bad guy.

Regarding the comparison with a wolf - you have to keep in mind that a werewolf is a human who for some reason becomes a wolf, not the other way around. A werewolf isn't a wolf who becomes human. Therefore you have to look at it from the human side, not the wolf's. How would a human feel having to turn into a wolf? How would the process feel to him? Would he embrace the wolf in him, or would it drive him crazy and therefore dangerous? The wolf is social with his own pack, not with other animals - what would that mean to a werewolf? Would other humans be \"other animals\" (and prey) or would he consider them his own kind?

I could really go on for ages with such questions. :woohoo: