As most horror film buffs know, a werewolf is a person who changes into a wolf-like creature when the moon is full. This is a myth, as most country-dwellers who know their folklore will tell you.
A real werewolf is said to be a large unidentified species of wolf which has no tail and is usually quite long; often more than seven feet in length, and the animal carries out most of its hunting at night when the moon is full.
But these strange creatures also go on the prowl most nights regardless of whether the moon is full or not. Most people have heard of the Beast of Bodmin Moor and the Surrey Puma.
But there is another violent creature roaming parts of the United Kingdom which has also killed people, and this animal is known as the Welsh Werewolf.
Records of an enormous wolf-like animal in North Wales date back to 1790, when a stagecoach travelling between Denbigh and Wrexham was attacked and overturned by an enormous black beast almost as long as the coach horses.
The terrifying animal tore into one of the horses and killed it, while the other horse broke free from its harness and galloped off into the night.
The attack took place just after dusk, with a full moon on the horizon. The moon that month seemed blood red, probably because of dust in the stratosphere from a recent forest fire in the Hatchmere area.
The locals thought the moon's colour was a sign that something evil was at large and the superstitious phrase, "bad moon on the rise" was whispered in travellers' inns across the region. In the winter of 1791, a farmer went into his snow-covered field just seven miles east of Gresford, and he saw enormous tracks that looked like those belonging to an overgrown wolf.
He followed the tracks with a blacksmith for two miles, and they led to a scene of mutilation which made the villagers in the area quake with fear that night.
One snow-covered field was a lake of blood dotted with carcasses of sheep, cattle, and even the farmer's dog.
The farmer was found locked up in his house in a terrible state. He wasn't harmed physically, but he was terrified. He had barricaded himself in after witnessing an enormous black animal that resembled a wolf ripping the throat out of his sheepdog.
The animal had then gone for the farmer, but he had managed to run into the farmhouse in time. He had bolted the heavy oaken door and hid under a table in the kitchen armed only with a pitchfork.
The farmer said the wolf pounded on the heavy oak door, almost knocking it off its hinges. The weird-looking animal then stood up on its hind legs like a human and looked in through the windows of the farmhouse.
Its eyes were blue and seemed intelligent and almost human-like. The beast foamed at the mouth as it peered in, then bolted from the window to commit carnage on the farm.
The church set up patrols in search of what was suspected to be a werewolf, and bands of villagers braved the freezing blizzards with lanterns, muskets and pitchforks in search of the beast, but only its tracks were ever seen.
Seven years later, two men walking across the Bickerton Hills in Cheshire saw something that sent them running for their lives.
They rushed into an inn and refused to continue their journey until morning. At dawn on the following day, the mutilated bodies of two vagrants were found in a wood just five miles from the inn.
The attacks by the large black wolf gradually died out, and the people of Cheshire and Wales breathed a sigh of relief.
But two centuries later, attacks by a large unidentified animal were reported again.
In February 1992, a national newspaper reported sightings of a strange bear-like animal that had been seen across Wales. In the north of the country, a farmer who had spotted the animal on the night of a full moon said he had afterwards found two of his lambs had been killed.
And in 2001 the local newspaper, the Evening Leader ran a series of articles about sightings of big cats, like a puma in Treuddyn, near Mold, and Bangor-on-Dee, near Wrexham. 
Taken from Tom Slemen's The Haunted Liverpool series of books published by The Bluecoat Press of Liverpool
your comments
If you are under 16 please do not disclose your surname.
We try to publish as many comments as we can but unfortunately, due to the volume of comments we receive every day, we cannot guarantee that all comments submitted will be published
Kev Baron, Newcastle
Werewolves can be people who are cursed or have survived a werewolf attack. If attacked by a lycanthrope (werewolf) you would not survive as they are savage beasts, it's possible that if you survive the curse could be passed on like rabies. Witches and warlocks and modern day black magic users can also put the curse on an unsuspecting person who they would obviously hate. Remember it's a curse and you cannot control the beast inside.
Wed Nov 12 08:50:07 2008
Jason, Wolverhampton
I believe anything is possible. If you look at the evolutionary table of life on earth it states that all creatures have evolved from the same gene pool. So it is plausible that a werewolf could exist. Now it may not be supernatural but a rare species that has survived, like other species (i.e Nessie, Bigfoot or Yeti). Watch monster hunters - this explains a little into the theory.
Wed Oct 29 08:24:45 2008
Rosalind, Virginia
I almost think anything is possible. I know we don't know every animal that exists in this world so who is to say something like a 'werewolf' doesn't exist. It's unlikely that the people reporting these sighting are all making them up. People were really frightened by what they saw. I don't think you can discount that.
Fri Oct 3 14:39:24 2008
Denise, Cheltenham
What about Jack Nicholson's experience that inspired his film "Wolf"?
Fri Oct 3 14:23:26 2008
Brittany Keller, Seattle
I love anything that has to do with the supernatural, but anyone who claims that these creatures exist needs VERY valid proof to convince me. Diseases I can accept, but for someone to actually turn into a wolf is an impossibility.
Fri Oct 3 07:57:42 2008
NatureLover
I also have been thinking too, I beileve that just like people, there can be good werewolves, and bad ones, just like people, and every other creature, animal, mythical creature, etc. So you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. And again, I may be young, but with all the things that happen in this world, and even at my home, with my mom in the emergency room, what if you knew a werewolf going through the same stuff, well you should care for them, and if I ever meet a mythical creature like a werewolf and they were going through a rough time, I would try to make them fell better. They are just like people, because there is good and bad, and they have feelings too!
Tue Sep 30 08:12:55 2008
NatureLover
I think it would be awesome if I saw a mythical creature like a werewolf! I may be young and some people consider everything really as a threat, so if people really saw one or any mythical creature you shouldn't tell the world. What if someone tried to make them extinct?
Sat Sep 27 09:30:11 2008
Kenny Jones, Chester
I recall reading a article about 20 years ago in the national papers about a man with protruding teeth and hissing like a wild animal getting arrested by the police. He was throwing these huge policemen around like rag dolls. One policeman was quoted saying he had the strength of 20 men. He was overcome by a dozen officers and taken to the local cells. In the morning to their amazement he was normal. He could not recall the night before and his teeth were back to normal!
Wed Sep 3 08:33:09 2008
Searcher from Texas
Nightwarrior you have a point. But, I think the full moon being the symbol for werewolves is only something movies make up. The moon's gravity does effect the Earth and her creatures when it is full. This includes more activity and stimulation of their brains.
Thu Aug 28 11:31:35 2008
Nightwarrior
Well, I've been looking at all the comments and not one of you would believe in runners (werewolves) even if you did see one as they don't look like anything portrayed in film, books etc. Full moons are not just the time for change, it's mainly meeting and mating times.
Mon Aug 25 19:33:22 2008
Searcher from Texas
Hey Orlando, tell me where you saw this transformation at. I live in Texas and I beliveve in werewolves. So tell me would ya?
Mon Aug 25 19:16:09 2008
Bently
I often have these "nightmares" of being on the hunt or chasing people and will often wake up confused, and strangley statisfied...
Fri Aug 22 07:52:05 2008
Drew
Reading through some of these messages is fantastic. Do some of you people actually think you're a werewolf? Really? That's hilarious! Seriously though, you should move out of your parents' house now. It's nearing your 40th birthday lol. Hilarious!
Mon Aug 4 10:10:49 2008
James
Hello there, I just read this article and found it quite interesting. A few years ago I was at a boarding school in Somerset, Shapwick village. One day me and friend went to the wood where we built a base. This was just after autumn and it was daylight. We kept on having weird feelings so we ran to where there was a footpath crossroads in the woods. When we looked up to the turning in the wood where the base was we saw 2 very tall creatures with no clothes and hair. It had a long snout and both were on their back legs sniffing the air. Me and my friend looked at each other. I said do you see what I see? The other man said yes and began to run away. I froze and this wolf creature looked at me and all of a sudden I ran. My legs just didn't stop. I know what I saw. I don't think it was a half man half wolf I think it was a creature of some sort and it was day light. I need someone to explain or help me to remember what I experienced. I know what I saw but my friend denied it and I was laughed at at school.
Mon Aug 4 09:40:06 2008
Tony, Australia
I do not believe or disbelieve but they said it in Jurassic Park "Nature will find a way".
Wed Jul 30 11:55:55 2008
John T. Collins, America
In most of the old stories the werewolves had made a deal with the devil in order to change shape and nowhere but in Hollywood does being bit by one cause you to change into a werewolf. Logically if a werewolf were to bite you it means to make a meal out of you and to inform everyone there had not been a bear in the British Isles for about fifty years when the first stories were reported, same thing for native wolf species and the more recent incidents cannot be explained away with bears or normal wolves.
Mon Jul 28 11:02:19 2008
Jones, Yorkshire
Werewolves could possibly exist via demonic forces, slightly off the subject but my uncle went to Australia around 20 years ago took a girl back to a tent where she became a vampire this is nothing to do with human geology but literally demonic forces. I believe these werewolves are the same thing.
Mon Jul 28 10:53:55 2008
Daen, USA
Really interested in speaking with those of you who claim to be werewolves. Being part Danish and Amerindian, my cultures are ripe with their tales. I've also always been a believer.
Thu Jul 24 08:48:45 2008
Amanda from Texas
To tell you the truth, I would love to find out if there was such a thing. I have studied werewolf myths for years and know every theory out there, but the more I read about this stuff, the more it leads me to the theory that humans and animals are not as different as we think. Normal wolves act like humans as much as monkeys, or elephants do. So with the many accounts recorded that say "it's eyes were almost human," maybe this is just a more advanced animal that we believe is a werewolf.
Wed Jul 16 09:03:45 2008
Mano from Mauritius
It might be possible that it was some unknown species, now extinct; maybe a crossbreed between a wolf and another canine species, or possibly a genetic malformation rendering the creature with different characteristics. Size proportion, and behaviour all different from those of his own species...this could be an explanation of the existence of the above creature. Obviously humans have not discovered every single living creature on the planet, for eg the coelacanth (a prehistoric fish) thought to have been extinct until recent sightings near Madagascar. The other alternative is that it could have been mistaken with another animal, bear for instance might correspond to the description above. Taking into consideration the high level of stress, intense fear and shock, their description could have been exaggerated, mostly based on what they had perceived...so long there has been no real proof or evidence of the werewolf.
Regarding the metamorphosis, so far I believe it was seen only in movies so I'd place the half man half wolf in the MYTH section.
Tue Jul 15 08:10:15 2008
Hidden
So much stereotypical noncence. The werewolf portrayed in this story is a werewolf of legend. The kind that angers me. Now growing up listening to tales of werewolves made me open minded to these kind of subjects, but the werewolves in the stories aren't even remotely close to the kin that walks the earth today.
Wed Jul 9 11:04:22 2008
The Walkin Dude
I believe this story is more of something that is a tale of bear attacks. I believe this by the fact that this creature has no tail, and the given size of it. Along with the fact that bears can stand on their hind legs.
Mon Jun 30 08:08:17 2008
Vernon, America
This is strange indeed to be engaging in a blog on this subject. I found this blog during a moment of curiosity that occurs from time to time "are there others like me?" I have held this secret since early childhood, before I knew about the myths and movies. I am a werewolf...for more than 50 years. No curse, no bite, just born this way. I am not evil, just want to live...so I fit in. And yes, physical transformation is possible, just not wise. If others are out there, I would like to know that I am not all alone.
Mon Jun 16 08:26:24 2008
Amy
If we let ourselves believe in mystical characters such as werewolves we have to be open to the possibility that much worse are real like murdering poltergiests, vampires and frankenstein. If people have seen things, good for them but nobody can judge them for their sightings.
Tue Jun 10 12:42:38 2008
ABI
Is it not puzzling that all we have are other people's words but not real tangible evidence. I believe in werewolves, I am scared what they could be up to...in secret.
Fri Jun 6 07:41:01 2008
Darren
I'm going to Bickerton Hills soon and I'm quite nervous now I've walked along Peckferton and have had this kind of thought in the back of my mind, maybe it's my survival instinct kicking in these kind of places bring it to the surface.
Mon Jun 2 09:33:52 2008
Malkyn from Thirsk
I've always believed in werewolves, vampires and other such mythical creatures. There is evidence against their existance and evidence for their existence. But something I have always found obvious which backs up the argument for their existence it if we look back in time before any civilisations were communicating, trading or even knew the others existed they all had images and stories of creatures like the vampires, werewolves, and even dragons but nearly every culture's imitation of them were very similar!
Tue May 27 09:15:16 2008
Holli from Buckley
Cant we all rest, we now have high security and much more education in science, so there is no need to worry, if the sightings suddenly appear again, we lock ouselves in and our animals until it dies down and make soldiers go out armed so that they can not kill it just sedate it and put it in captivity in the correct environment that it belongs in.
Mon May 19 08:54:10 2008
Dinith from SL
I'm sure werewolves do exist. There is enough sufficient gaps in some happenings that only a werewolf could fit. Plus, I think sightings stopped when the werewolf grew old and died. Plus... prove that it doesn't exist! lol!
Thu May 15 08:31:08 2008
Samantha from USA
I doubt that a person can transform, but I don't doubt that there are many undiscovered creatures out there.
Mon May 12 07:49:17 2008
Tank, Midlands
Can't beleive a majority believe they are or believe in werewolves. How amusing...
Wed Apr 30 08:36:41 2008
Rabid wolf, Cirencester
Guys, I know some of you don't believe in werewolves, but I do, and I think that they have some sense when they're in their "Lycanthrope" or "Saines Lupines" (pronounced Say-NEEs-Loop-in-is) form. I mean, and call me a nut if it soothes your scared minds, but I was doing midnight paintball, and my mate was scouting a bunker when he grabbed me by the collar and simply said "run for your life". You can probably imagine how shocked I was to see what happened next. So keep your eyes open but remember, any living creature has sense...
Tue Apr 29 08:49:34 2008
Lissa from America
Therians are mental werewolves. I myself am one. However, it is physically impossible for a human to shift from one species to another.
Mon Apr 28 08:24:05 2008
Rakesh, Singh from India
Well, it's a really interesting topic to debate on... and we all know the debate will go on and on. What exactly we know about werewolves... seems like all fiction and now facts.... but what if they really do exist... terrifying isn't it...who knows ... trust me, I would never want to have an encounter with these creatures even if they exist or not.
Thu Apr 24 08:32:06 2008
NightWolf from Nevada
None of you have it right. You all are debating 'is there, or isn't there'. Nobody truly knows the answer except for the few who have indeed had contact with one. That is like asking the question 'can we, or can't we' when you should be asking 'should we'. A true sufferer of lycanthropy or lupis will not step forward because of this debate. We are afraid you will do just as been discussed.
Wed Apr 23 08:20:20 2008
Kassie
Well, I must admit, if demons are real (they are very real), then who is to say werewolves aren't? It is possible that somebody involved in the occult could gain such powers I suppose. I don't believe in a genetic werewolf gene, though. It would be impossible for a person's DNA to mutate like that without a supernatural influence. I think that the "werewolf" sighting are most likely one of two things: a large breed of intelligent ape, or some type of canine.
SHILA LONGLAKE AMERICA: Enzymes do not trigger recessive genes. Enzymes lower the amount of activation energy required for certain reactions to take place. It cannot cause a gene to suddenly express its phenotype. As my mother has a PHD in microbiology I've been taught this since I was little.
Mon Apr 21 08:45:32 2008
Orlando
To all of you out there. I saw a man transform into a werewolf in the United States. Texas to be exact. I can remember it to this day and it has haunted me since then. I have seen an actual transformation.
Fri Apr 11 08:26:24 2008
Jack from Swansea
I was reading a magazine and it said that werewolves can't exist as to transform in such a short period of time would require energy equivalent to nuclear fisson! But if science can create chimaeras, couldn't one be a wolf-man?
Tue Apr 8 08:19:01 2008
Sheila Quinn
We live in Llanfachreth, near Dolgellau. We went to the forest there on April 4 2008, and saw a wolf! Has anyone else actually seen a wolf in this area?
Mon Apr 7 09:32:10 2008
L. Blood
Wolves, mankind, monkeys, dolphins, whatever all originally came from the same place. Now I know Darwin renounced his theory on his death bed but any man would if he feared hellfire enough. I as a non-believer but a respectful one can say that cryptids are probably real, we all in some way are connected to however life started and life itself is an odd mutation amongst the chaos of creation. Maybe the werewolf isn't that far from myth perhaps merely incredibly rare now after massive werewolf hunts throughout Europe. I feel akin to animals and many may feel I am insane, so be it that is your opinion. Werewolves, or wolves that have evolved to be able to walk upright, may not just be myth keep an open mind people can believe in angels, demons and gods, why can't we believe in unidentified animals that variations of things we are familiar with? Human kind is a very very blind race and are concerned with looking after what we've nearly killed off and don't pay much attention to what is around us. Science and myth are often best interwoven, we all evolved from the same sing specimen in someway. Perhaps that is the case with the werewolf.
Tue Apr 1 10:42:24 2008
Shadar,
Werewolves are the keepers of the earth and protectors of mankind. Who are we to judge what God has made?
Fri Feb 22 10:40:47 2008
kali=trouble, Wisconsin, USA
I believe there are a lot of things out there that are yet unexplained. Hey, anything is possible. I would like to mention the full moon theory though. I work in a hospital in the emergency dept and our busiest time of the month is three days before, the day of, and two days after the full moon. Strange things occur. If the tide changes with the the moon then who is to say it can't influence other things? I know I get edgy and restless during the full moon as well (of course that could be due to dealing with the crazies too... :) Anyway, I will not mock others who believe because I have seen impossible things. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it isn't there. Just because I haven't seen a werewolf doesn't mean I will write it off as impossible. Expect the impossible and you will never have a dull life.
Mon Feb 4 10:05:34 2008
Matt Lawrence, South East London
I'm pretty sure there is something out there, and more than one of these 'somethings'. But it's hard to believe a man/woman could alter their DNA to become a werewolf. I believe that maybe it's some form of evolutionary mess up, I mean, humans evolved to adapt to their surroundings, maybe wolves (after being around humans for thousand of years) evolved so they could combat there new threat, us. I would be interested in hearing your opinions.
Mon Jan 28 08:24:32 2008
Ash from Ireland
In relation to one of the comments made earlier, there is a mental condition called lycanthropy in which the sufferer believes they transform, although there have been no records of physical transformation in humans. I can't say I believe in actual werewolves although Hollywood loves to showcase the idea. I wouldn't believe it unless I saw it for myself.
Thu Jan 24 13:48:04 2008
David Hall
I don't believe it is at all in any way possible for a human to transform into a wolf. As a college student that has taken classes in bio chem, bio, and biological anthropology I can say that it would be impossible for a man to turn into another animal based on every single bit of scientific information we have. However, I do believe that there are many unknown creatures that inhabit this planet. Go into a tropical rainforest, place nets around the bottoms of trees and within one week you will find new species of insects, it has been done and proven to be true. I believe that the animals people report seeing are in truth possibly black bears or maybe even an unidentified subspecies of wolf (look up the yardley yeti), given the descriptions of some of the more plausible stories on this page. If you are interested in these types of things, and are reading this, I suggest looking into reports of unidentified giant apes. I believe these animals to be very real and so do many top primate researchers including Jane Goodall.
Tue Jan 22 08:46:54 2008
Shiloh
Well I have read stories about werewolves, watched etc, but can't we look at this in a scientific way, like if it (werewolf) is a human + wolf hybrid if nature created it how was it done, becuase scientifically I think it is impossible to combine two vastly different species together into a hybrid? If it was done & it exists, looking at the attaching pattern/gaps in attacks "maybe it can hibernate like a bear". I am not an unbeliever, nature could perform miracles sometimes. It might have a unique genetic structure.
Mon Jan 14 09:33:27 2008
Lee, Yorkshire
Ok, I belive in God just like the next guy. And had dreams of werewolves, and just normal gray wolves as a kid. I'm not sure if I belive in werewolves or not, but I know we're not alone out there. Oh, and by the way, if you run over an animal or annoy one which has rabies, there's no telling what it could do. But keep open-minded don't go the whole story, there's no telling where your mind could go!
Fri Dec 14 08:34:07 2007
Add your comments to this page here:
