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View Full Version : The art of being a-were



drengnikrafe
2008-08-29, 03:55 AM
I figured this was as good a place as any to ask this question...

I had a thought the other day, and I wondered... if Lycanthopy is the adjective for being a were-creature, then what would the were creature itself be called if in the same vein? Lycanthope? Lycanthoper? Lycanthopist? I need help here!

Tempest Fennac
2008-08-29, 04:00 AM
It's Lycanthope (I've read a lot about the subject).

Gralamin
2008-08-29, 04:02 AM
I figured this was as good a place as any to ask this question...

I had a thought the other day, and I wondered... if Lycanthopy is the adjective for being a were-creature, then what would the were creature itself be called if in the same vein? Lycanthope? Lycanthoper? Lycanthopist? I need help here!

A Lycanthrope is technically a werewolf. A Therianthrope is a were-something, with the condition being called Therianthropy.

CASTLEMIKE
2008-08-29, 05:31 AM
Depends on the degree and method of shapechanging.

There are Hengeyokai animals capable of shapechanging into humanoids from Oriental Adventures.

There is the Jackalwere from the Fiend Folio

KevLar
2008-08-29, 06:53 AM
Lycanthropy is a noun, and it's the condition, as in "Your character has been afflicted by lycanthropy. Give me your sheet!"
Lycanthrope is a noun, and it's the creature. It means precisely "wolfman". (Lycos=wolf, anthropos=human)
Lycanthropic would be the adjective, as in "a lycanthropic plague is spreading!"

For animals other than wolf, using the were- prefix is just fine.

mangosta71
2008-08-29, 08:50 AM
So a werebear would be an ursatrope? Wait - thropos looks like Greek to me. Is ursa Greek or Latin? I can never keep the classical languages that I haven't studied straight.

Jayabalard
2008-08-29, 09:49 AM
A Lycanthrope is technically a werewolf. A Therianthrope is a were-something, with the condition being called Therianthropy.hmm, that still assumes that it's a human that's afflicted.

I've seen theriomorph/theriomorphic/theriomorphy used as more generic term.

KevLar
2008-08-29, 11:19 AM
So a werebear would be an ursatrope? Wait - thropos looks like Greek to me. Is ursa Greek or Latin? I can never keep the classical languages that I haven't studied straight.
A werebear would be a werebear. :smalltongue: Ursa is latin for bear and anthropos is greek for human, so I wouldn't make a word out of those two.

lupus, and man is homo. As for greek, combining the words arktos (for bear) and anthropos (for human) produces arktanthrope, which can't be pronounced by a sane human being, methinks.:smalleek:]

Therion is greek for beast or monster, so therianthrope would be a beastman. Hmmm...

Sstoopidtallkid
2008-08-29, 11:35 AM
lupus, and man is homo. As for greek, combining the words arktos (for bear) and anthropos (for human) produces arktanthrope, which can't be pronounced by a sane human being, methinks.:smalleek:]I pronounced it. :smallconfused:

Oh, wait...

Greenfaun
2008-08-29, 12:39 PM
A Lycanthrope is technically a werewolf. A Therianthrope is a were-something, with the condition being called Therianthropy.

That's etymologically correct but philologically incorrect. :)

Of course the issue is muddied by the small but vocal subgroup of the furry fandom trying to get everyone to use the term "therianthrope" as you do above. And hey, y'know, whatever, language is a living thing and should evolve. But still, even among most geeks (and especially in RPG's, not just DnD) lycanthropy is the general term for that whole turning-into-an-animal thing.

And anyway, to answer the OP:

What do you call a man who can turn into an eight-foot clawed man-beast and tear your arms off? Whatever he wants you to call him.