A therianthrope is a human or a member of another humanoid race who, due to his or her genetics or a curse, can shapeshift into an animal, or into a half-human/half-animal. This is especially important to note as this is the defining difference between therianthropes and other shapeshifting creatures, like aguara.
If the ability is a result of a curse, therianthrope can shapeshift only during a full moon.[1] Silver is lethal to these individuals.
Following types of therianthropes are known:
- werecats
- wererats
- werebears, also known as berserkers on Skellige[1]
- werewolves, also known as lycanthropes
Known therianthropes
- Otto Dussart (werewolf)
- Vincent Meis[1] (werewolf)
- Anton the Bearded[1] (werecat)
- Anton the Younger[1] (werecat)
- Morkvarg[1] (werewolf)
- Berem[1] (werewolf)
- Little Red[1] (werewolf)
- Niellen[1] (werewolf)
Notes
- Despite their name, werebbubbs are not therianthropes. Were- part stands for were, an archaic term for male human. In original Polish edition, they are called bobołaks, and again the -łak has the elder meaning, coming from the Proto-Slavic lakъ, meaning skin. Bobołak is just one of numerous variants of similarly called creatures in several folklores, including Slovakian bubulak, Polish bobok, bebok, babok and babuk, Greek baboulas, Mediterranean babau, English bogeyman or bugbear, German Butzemann, Egyptian al-Bu'buand many others. Therefore bobołak can mean bogey-skinned or bogey-man.
Gallery
Werecat
Werebear
Werewolf