Transformations of Werewolves

Historically, the werewolf myth centers on a person transforming either into a full wolf that is only distinguishable from a normal wolf by its enormous size, or into a kind of hybrid between wolf and man.  Given that many people throughout the ages purport to being capable of either one of these transformations and have in most cases been diagnosed with clinical lycanthropy, which is akin to having a tattoo slapped on the forehead saying "I'm a total nutjob," we can reasonably add this as a third, non-physical type of transformation.  Then, of course, you have the intellectual werewolves who make psychological connections between our innate desires, rages, and nobility and the personifications that we project on the wolf.

Bear in mind, I in no way stand in judgment of any of these-at the very least I am guilty of at least two theories of my own-though I simply am laying out a kind of brainstorm for myself concerning what might influence the transformation and if those external factors might alter the transformation itself.

For example: Perhaps none of these transformations are untrue when it comes to werewolf mythos.  If one werewolf is born into lycanthropy, then maybe he changes at every full moon and the days before and after without fail.  Perhaps this doesn't begin to occur until he hits puberty (not to unduly remind everyone of Teen Wolf, which really was not that bad of a movie...) and thus the transformation itself becomes a rite of passage into manhood.

But what about the evil bastard who makes a deal with the Devil and receives a wolf skin belt that initiates the transformation.  For him, there is no rite of passage.  There is only destruction and damnation.  So to speak.

Then we have to consider the consciousness of the beast.  In some myths, a werewolf acts completely independent of the will of the man it previously was.  It acts on instinct and the drive to tear flesh and feed on blood and anything in its path.  In other myths (stories such as Bisclavaret) the wolf retains the consciousness of the the man.  It even acts in a friendly manner toward those who are his beloved. So can't we then choose to assign consciousness to the manner of transformation and perhaps the final form as well?

Just thinking out loud.

Zombie Werewolves! Food For Thought!

If a Werewolf bites a Zombie...does the zombie become a zombie werewolf? And then would the zombie werewolf eat only werewolf brains?

For that matter, would a werewolf have to bite the zombie in the first place?  What if a zombie ate a werewolf who happened to be in human form at the time?  If the whole contagion aspect depends on the transfer of blood or bodily fluids of some kind, does it matter whether the lycanthrope is actually a wolf at the time of contact?  It must be dark out if I'm asking these kinds of questions...

Peter Stubbe

      Doing a little Werewolf research and just read a fascinating account of a German farmer in the 16th Century who was also known as the "Werewolf of Bedburg."  Apparently, people were disappearing and only parts of their bodies were found, thrashed and masticated.  A group of men formed a hunting parting as wolves were thought to be the culprit and when they cornered a particularly large wolf, it calmly stood on its hind feet and became a man: Peter Stubbe (also Stumpp, and various other aliases, including Abal Griswold...go figure).  In any case, he was put on The Wheel and tortured and eventually confessed to the murders and cannibalization of some 15 or 16 people, one of whom was his own son who Stubbe admitted to dragging into the woods and cracking his skull open before eating the child's brains. 
     The entire account was recorded in a pamphlet that was subsequently translated into English.  The German pamphlets were all destroyed, but three of the English versions remain in various libraries in the United Kingdom.  The pamphlet details Stubbe's testimony in which he claims to have made a pact with the Devil, who gifted to him a belt made of wolf skin.  This belt is what gave Stubbe the ability to turn into a giant wolf and carry out his horrific deeds...
     More online all over the place, just thought I'd wet your appetite!
     Enjoy!