OTHERKIN MYTHOLOGY: THE WEREWOLF LYCAON
Lycaon, the mythical King of Arcadia, Greece.
Now what was so great about him since he was nothing more than a King? Well, some sources claim he was the distant ancestor of all Werewolves, or in Otherkin case–Wolfkin. This living man could actually present a bloodline linked directly to that of the Gods.
The story of Lycaon, though, is slightly controversial which is why I have been dying to include it amongst our OTHERKIN MYTHOLOGY archives.
You see, in earlier writings, Lycaon being linked to lycanthropy was a very good and sacred thing. In later writings—most of which you will find littered all over the net and most books these days—his ability to become the wolf became his divine punishment. So that’s what I wanted to focus on, and hopefully, clear things up.
In the end, we will have to consider, was it the Gods that frowned upon Lycaon, or rather the Priests who claimed to serve them. Priests–men–have a bad habit of rewriting things to elevate the most powerful god of the times.
But first, let’s find out who Lycaon was . . . shall we?
As I said in the beginning, Lycaon was a mythical Arcadian King. In earlier works and worships, he is well recognized and honored for being linked to wolves. He is even credited for being the earthly incarnation of quite a few Wolf-Shifting Gods–such as Apollo ‘Lycaeus’ and Zeus ‘Lycaeus’.
Lycaon even had a temple–dedicated to wolf worship–located in the Lyceum (a Greek School) where the famous and well-known Aristotle taught.
Now notice above when I spoke of Apollo and Zeus, I added ‘Lycaeus’ to their names. Also known as Lyceus, it became a surname of certain deities. They would be worshipped inside a temple located on Mount Lycaeum in Arcadia. So think of it as a last name, like John SMITH or Jane DOE.
Back to Lycaon, though, who at one time, seemed to have the love of his people and Priests . . . had it all go downhill at some point.
Some sources claim he was a cruel King even when prior to that, he was cherished and loved.
Now either he was a cruel King to all, or he just managed to tick off a chosen few. That’s what I meant about the Priests above. In many cultures, we see where Priests will raise someone high until that someone stomps on their Gods toes. Or, if a King does something that the Priests don’t like, then BAM, their history is then rewritten. It happens not only with Kings and Queens, but with other deities as well.
When Lycaon went from being honored to cursed, his stories or myths became pretty fearful. And I think that’s the point–FEAR. I think the Priests or whoever wrote the next bit, wanted to make sure no one –god or man–challenged the supreme God again. And if they even thought about it, then they would have what happened to Lycaon to make them think twice.
Now for the crime Lycaon committed . . .
He is accused of trying to feed Zeus the flesh of a slaughtered child as a TEST. If Zeus ate the flesh, then he wasn’t as everyone claimed—all knowing and wise. If he didn’t eat it, then he must be as the Priests claimed–an omniscient God.
Apparently, there was reason for Lycaon to doubt as to whether or not Zeus was even immortal. I don’t think the ones rewriting the story meant for our minds to wonder there, but mine does.
My questions–was Zeus, in reality, a man of some sort, or higher King? I mean, the story does say that he came to Lycaon’s house for supper . . . something other Gods don’t really do. And after my thoughts go there, I can’t help but wonder if perhaps Lycaon had a point in doubting him . . . especially if Zeus didn’t suspect what was going on.
Then it would make since as to why Lycaon doubted this man–proclaimed God. Maybe Zeus was stepping on Lycaon’s toes or maybe Zeus was about to make Lycaon bow down to worship him. Who knows what raised the doubt . . . but the fact that the doubt was there is very important.
Serving him flesh, though, wasn’t test enough. Lycaon does more . . .
See, that night, Lycaon actually tries to kill Zeus while the questionable god was sleeping. (Yep, the God spends the night–raises brow.)
And apparently, he failed and had to suffer Zeus’s wrath afterwards.
The writers would have done a better job by saying Lycaon succeeded, but then point out that Zeus was immortal and could not be killed. They didn’t do that, though. They simply said that Lycaon tried and failed. That just makes the reader, ME, wonder once again—why did Lycaon doubt the God’s immortality?
Zeus’s Wrath
A very angry Zeus turned Lycaon into a wolf, and then killed fifty of the King’s sons with lightning bolts. Then, Zeus, the magnificent God, brings the slaughtered child Nyctimus back to life. Even odder, Nyctimus was said to be Lycaon’s son. Yeah, I guess they were really out to make him a monster if he would butcher up his own kid just to test a so-called God. And then again, maybe he was that much of a monster. We may never know.
The Moral of the Story
Don’t doubt your God. And if you so dare, beware for his vengeance will be horror.
Summing things up . . .
As I said before, the story raises questions. For one, turning Lycaon into a wolf as some sort of punishment doesn’t make sense to me when wolves were sacred and linked to too many Gods who could change into them.
Two, all the questions I stated above but one important detail that has yet to be said . . .
Lycaon’s supposed betrayal against Zeus was not written about until 1500 years later from when it supposedly happened. The horrible crime was said to have been done about 1500 BC, but the story wasn’t written until 2 BC – 8 AD by a poet named Ovid. Since then, the story of Lycaon’s offence and punishment has been a bit of a favorite.
But what can’t be changed or argued, is that Lycaon was recorded as being the mythical King who did have the power to become a wolf– with his own temple. Was he real or fiction? Only you can decide.
And that’s it for today folks. Maybe we will do another article on Lycaon again. Either way, keep watch for more articles!
Another version of the story can be found here:
Lycaon 2 is the impious king of Arcadia who sacrificed a baby on the altar of Zeus and thereby caused the wrath of the god to destroy the world. It is told that Zeus, wishing to put to the test the impiety of Lycaon 2 and his sons, came to them in the likeness of a day-laborer. And they, having slaughtered a male child, mixed his bowels with the sacrifices, and set them before Zeus.The god, disgusted, killed Lycaon 2 and his sons, or else turned Lycaon 2 into a wolf. According to some, the impiety of Lycaon 2 caused the Flood in the age of Deucalion 1. The sons of Lycaon 2 are said to have exceeded all men in pride and impiety, and that Zeus blasted them all with thunderbolts, with the exception of Nyctimus, who succeeded to the kingdom in the age of the Flood. SOURCE
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BRIEF RECAP: First, what are the Otherkin? In short, it is an umbrella term for those who believe they are part or have some relation to a Mythical or Mystical Creature. There are many kintypes–Wolfin, Angelkin, Demonkin, Vampkin, Dragonkin, and more.
Second, Otherkin Mythology is a series of articles I have written concerning the Ancient Gods and or Goddesses that could easily fall under the umbrella of Otherkin. I’ve been researching this fascinating subject for a few years now and thought, why not start posting my research? I am also writing a Young Adult Fiction Series, so keep your fingers crossed on that.
©C.H. SCARLETT
OTHERKIN MYTHOLOGY: THE HORNED GOD
Today’s Otherkin Myth is about the Horned God.
The Horned God or Cernunnos is one of Neopaganism and Paganism’s oldest deities. While they name might not reach as far back as Ancient Egypt, surely amongst the hieroglyphs we can find something similar or two.
But today I don’t want to take you that far back. I don’t even want to take you into Greece or tempt you with their similar deity, Pan or Rome’s Dionysus. I want to take you into the Middle Ages, especially since the Horned God has a sacred day coming up on the 18th of October–(see Mythical Calendar post on that day.)
The reason I am putting the Horned God on the Otherkin Mythology list of articles is because he was half man and half animal and the belief of him stretch far past Medieval times and has even survived ours. While descriptions vary, one thing is for certain . . . what he came to represent:
The forest, the hunt, the hunter, sacrifice, rebirth, strength, male and female equality, power, sexuality, vitality, gentleness, the sun, compassion, and yet masculinity.
He was not vain or egotistical. While he was strong and often a protector, he did not abuse his power.
The man of him represented that of the hunter, while the animal of him represented the hunted. Or sometimes, it could have been vice versa–in my opinion. The beast of him represented sacrifice, while the human represented life after death, rebirth and what came after.
At times, in most art, he is seen as the sun. Other times, he is hunting the moon—the goddess. He represents fertility, and at times, his horns represent the crescent moon–a symbol of the Goddess and the union between nature and man.
In Covens, often the High Priest will represent the Horned God by overseeing two of his duties–Guardian and Keeper.
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What are OTHERKIN?
BRIEF RECAP: First, what are the Otherkin? In short, it is an umbrella term for those who believe they are part or have some relation to a Mythical or Mystical Creature. There are many kintypes–Wolfin, Angelkin, Demonkin, Vampkin, Dragonkin, and more.
Second, Otherkin Mythology is a series of articles I have written concerning the Ancient Gods and or Goddesses that could easily fall under the umbrella of Otherkin. I’ve been researching this fascinating subject for a few years now and thought, why not start posting my research? I am also writing a Young Adult Fiction Series, so keep your fingers crossed on that.
©C.H. SCARLETT
OTHERKIN MYTHOLOGY: THE SHE-BEAR, BERSERKERS & BEARKIN
First, what are the Otherkin? In short, it is an umbrella term for those who believe they are part or have some relation to a Mythical or Mystical Creature. There are many kintypes–Wolfin, Angelkin, Demonkin, Vampkin, Dragonkin, and more.
Second, Otherkin Mythology is a series of articles I have written concerning the Ancient Gods and or Goddesses that could easily fall under the umbrella of Otherkin. I’ve been researching this fascinating subject for a few years now and thought, why not start posting my research? I am also writing a Young Adult Fiction Series, so keep your fingers crossed on that.
Today’s Otherkin Myth is about the She-Bear Goddess and the clan she brought into being called the Beserkers.
The She-Bear Goddess had quite a few names from various cultures. The Saxon’s called her Ursel or Horsel and then there was a version, later adopted by the Christians, called Saint Ursula, which probably came from the Nordic Clans.
Ursel, however, means She-Bear. The title She-Bear became shared by many a goddess. To name a few: Artemis Calliste, and Goddess Artio. There was even a constellation, the Great Bear, otherwise known as the Big Dipper. At one time, Artemis as the She- Bear was given credit for ruling all of the stars until Zeus came along and stole her credits.
Artemis She-Bear, even had an island given to her called Thera, meaning She-Beast. And her son, Arcas, the Little Bear, became so popular that Arcadians claimed their descent came from that of him.
A family by the name of Orsini or Ursini which were a European Clan, were said to have been ‘bear children’ and even carried the bear on their coat of arms. According to Barbara G. Walker’s book –The Woman’s Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets—A Paris Bishop named William of Auvergne claimed he knew the origins of the Orsini Clan during the 16th century. He said that the sperm of Bear was very similar to that of man’s. So to the Bishop, it was more than possible for a Bear to impregnate a human woman so that she gave birth to something in between.
Now, there seems to be some argument among those called the Nordic Warriors known as Berserkers, who rose in name of their Goddess Ursel, the She-Bear. Some claim these were simply mortal men wearing the skins and furs of bears. Others claimed that is true but a magic came over them, giving them the fury and strength of the great bear.
However, some say these warriors actually did turn into that of a Bearkin, (A kintype or Were or Shifter who became part bear) because there was magic or more afoot. Perhaps those pelts were part of some sort of ritual or spell. Or perhaps, they were not skins, but actually became the fur of the man wearing them? Perhaps they were Wear Bears or Shapeshifters?
Regardless of what they were, one thing is for sure…
Berserkers became famous for their rabid kind of battle frenzy for they had no fear of pain, no fear of dying. They were only interested in slaying and concurring their enemy—which they did very, very well.
©C.H. SCARLETT
OTHERKIN Mythology: Egypt’s Bast
First, what are the Otherkin? In short, it is an umbrella term for those who believe they are part or have some relation to a Mythical or Mystical Creature. There are many kintypes–Wolfin, Angelkin, Demonkin, Vampkin, Dragonkin, and more.
Second, Otherkin Mythology is a series of articles I have written concerning the Ancient Gods and or Goddesses that could easily fall under the umbrella of Otherkin. I’ve been researching this fascinating subject for a few years now and thought, why not start posting my research? I am also writing a Young Adult Fiction Series, so keep your fingers crossed on that.
Today’s article is on Ancient Egypt’s Bast, also known as Bastet. Interestingly enough, Egypt’s ancient gods and goddesses fit the mold of Otherkin more than we realize. In fact, nearly all of their pantheon seems to be part animal and part human.
Cats were very sacred in Ancient Egypt. Not only did they keep vermon down–which could easily cause plagues–but they also kept evil away. So it is of no surprise that Bast was considered to be the mother of all cats. Some would argue that cats were Egypt’s most sacred animals and when they died, they were embalmed with care and then taken to Bast’s great temple in the city of Bubastis to be entombed or buried.
For those who do not know, Bast was depicted as a woman with the head of a cat. Now was she some sort of Otherkin? Did she truly have the head of a cat or was this simply symbolic in some way? And why is Egypt’s ancient history so enriched with those who seemed more Therian then anything—half human and half animal?
Some history…
While Bast or Bastet has always been related to Cats, it wasn’t until around 1000 BC that she was depicted in this way. Up until then, she had the head of a Lioness, which is why many people link her to that of the Sphinx.
Bast was the daughter of Ra or Re–who happened to be the Sun God. So how did a Catkin Goddess be born of the sun? Well, she came by it honest, it seems.
When Ra destroyed the great serpent Apep, the sun god was actually shown as a Cat and not as the brightest star in our galaxy. So this presents a line of heritage for Bast.
Bastet, as cat, was protector of the moon and even gave birth to a half hawk, half human son who became god of the moon. She was also connected to that of fire, especially the fire that burned in one’s soul. She could be docile, loving and protective, but also fierce, who had no problems with slaying her enemies.
©C.H. SCARLETT
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