shapeshifting
Sign in to savethumb|Zeus turning Lycaon into a wolf, engraving by Hendrik Goltzius|upright=1.2 In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shapeshifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through unnatural means. The idea of shapeshifting is found in the oldest forms of totemism and shamanism, as well as the oldest existent literature and epic poems such as the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Iliad. The concept remains a common literary device in modern fantasy, children's literature and popular culture. Examples of shape-shifters include changelings, jinns, kitsune, vampires, and werewolves, alon
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40 sectionsContents
- Folklore and mythology
- Greco-Roman
- British and Irish
- Celtic mythology
- Norse and Teutonic
- Indian
- Armenian
- Philippines
- Tatar
- Chinese
- Japanese
- Korean
- Somali
- Southern Africa
- Native American
- South American
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Mapuche (Argentina and Chile)
- Slavic mythology
- Folktales
- Themes
- Punitive changes
- Transformation chase
- Powers
- Bildungsroman
- Needed items
- Inner conflict
- Usurpation
- Ill-advised wishes
- Monstrous bride/bridegroom
- Death
- Modern
- Fiction
- Film and popular culture
- See also
- Notes
- Citations
- Bibliography
- Further reading
- External links
thumb|Zeus turning Lycaon into a wolf, engraving by Hendrik Goltzius|upright=1.2 In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shapeshifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through unnatural means. The idea of shapeshifting is found in the oldest forms of totemism and shamanism, as well as the oldest existent literature and epic poems such as the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Iliad. The concept remains a common literary device in modern fantasy, children's literature and popular culture. Examples of shape-shifters include changelings, jinns, kitsune, vampires, and werewolves, along with deities such as Loki and Vertumnus.
==Folklore and mythology== thumb|upright=1.5|1722 German woodcut of a werewolf transforming