Provides a cultural history of the myths, magic, and meaning surrounding shapeshifters. Featuring an array of examples from history, literature, film, TV, and computer games, it explores our secret desire to become something other than human.
There is something about a shapeshifter--a person who can transform into an animal--that captures our imagination; that causes us to want to howl at the moon, or flit through the night like a bat. Werewolves, vampires, demons, and other weird creatures appeal to our animal natur…
"A brilliant reflection on the interconnectedness of all life"
The transformation of people into animals, plants, and stones is one of the most common and characteristic themes of Greek mythology, embodying as well some of the most mysterious and fantastic episodes in a mythology that is sometimes considered to be relatively realistic and l…
Representations of shapeshifters are prominent in medieval culture and they are particularly abundant in the vernacular literatures of the societies around the North Sea. Some of the figures in these stories remain well known in later folklore and often even in modern media, suc…
Representations of shapeshifters are prominent in medieval culture and they are particularly abundant in the vernacular literatures of the societies around the North Sea. Some of the figures in these stories remain well known in later folklore and often even in modern media, suc…