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Alright, everyone knows what a lycan is right? Unfortunately, I know that at least 90% of people right now are thinking about a werewolf that they have seen in Underworld, or the wolf man, however the truth of what a lycan is goes much deeper then the 'glamorized' versions of today’s industries.
The word lycan comes from the term of Lycanthropy, which is the ability of a human person to transform, physically into an animal state, gaining the strengths that animal has to offer. This practice was used around the world by many aboriginal cultures, and past civilizations, where human people, for a varied number of reasons, were cursed or gifted with the ability.
For example:
In N. America, the shaman or warrior's of different tribes, had the ability to transform into animal form, they were referred to as 'skin-walkers' according to cultural tradition, and not to be confused with the movie, recently released, which again confuses the truth behind the term Lycan.
In Europe, the most common of the were-creatures was the wolf, however it has been noted, especially in the north, that the bear disputes the pre-eminence. In Greece and the surrounding area's the were-dog, was a very common representation of the Lycan, although some parts, through Turkey replace the dog with a boar. The exclusivity of the wolf comes in large part from the Romanian touch on the Lycan subject, from their mythological vârcolac and pricolici which were represented majority of times as a wolf like creature.
In Africa the gazelle, crocodile, hyena, jackal, lion and leopard, are all creatures referred to when speaking of were-creatures, and the power of 'shape shifting' is mostly attributed to the Boudas, a tribe of Africa, however not completely only to them, blacksmiths in Africa are considered to be blessed with this hereditary gift. Unlike in the S. Pacific islands, who believe in creatures called "were sharks" where the ability is sometimes attributed to children lost at sea, or adopted by a shark god.
As you can see, the idea that a Lycan refers solely to a "Werewolf" is consistently absurd. The above leads to the conclusion that the term Lycan is only speaking of a race. Like Humans, Lycans have many breeds... the equivalent of the human 'culture or skin difference'. I hope that this writing has helped to raise awareness beyond the undeterred thought of the simplistic 'werewolf' theme, and opened everyone up to the truth behind the race.
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