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Pardon me if this post seems a bit scatterbrained, I’m in a bit of a rush.

I was thinking of the nature of the werewolf as a "monster", a man eating brute of a thing that this forum is seeking to shy away from and it brought me back to an old sub plot from a story idea I was thinking of. We’re all familiar with the concept of a man eater. The “typical” man eating animal is a lion or a tiger (or any large predator come to think of it) that’s become to old or weak to hunt and will resort to munching on local humans. Now, the following may or may not be an old wives tale, but it’s an idea I’ve slowly become enamored with, a theory that postulates that a man eater is the result of a predator that discovers that human beings are weak and easy prey, which brings me to the idea of werewolves as man eaters.

Basically my idea was that werewolves are naturally man eaters because they’ve been the prey. They resort to hunting local humans because they remember life as a human and thus remember that we are relatively slow, weak, and without a firearm unable to defend ourselves against them.

They don’t eat people because they’re evil and mindless, but because they’re hungry (I don’t think it’s a stretch to assume that the transformation takes a lot of energy that would probably need to be replenished quickly.) and they have no reason to fear us, because they know our strengths and weaknesses. As I mentioned before, the transformation leaves them weakened and in need of energy, humans are weak, slow, and there’s a lot of us, they have the experience of being us, so they know that they’re inherently more powerful creatures.

“Instead of wasting my precious remaining energy chasing rabbits in the forest, why not eat the screaming, annoying, hairless thing that I seem to remember as being relatively harmless?”

I’d like to do more research on the man eater phenomena, so admittedly this idea needs to be refined, but I think it’s an interesting idea.

I suppose it's possible... honestly though... they might actually remember:
That humans do have fire arms
have fire, which hurts no matter what...
and have a habit of running around wildly and making all sorts of noise in the middle of a busy street. {Ears+extreme hearing=OW!}

Predators do not want to be injured, so naturally, if a bigger predator is about, or if they could meet up with something that could injure them, it's likely they would avoid the situation.
Most need to be relatively healthy in order to hunt anyway...

But that's just my opinion though... so, anyone else have any ideas?

WerewolfKeeper3 wrote:I suppose it's possible... honestly though... they might actually remember:
That humans do have fire arms

Which may or may not be all that affective if the werewolf has regen or damage resistance. Even so the werewolf might remember that humans tend the panic easily and that may affect their aiming skills.

have fire, which hurts no matter what...
and have a habit of running around wildly and making all sorts of noise in the middle of a busy street. {Ears+extreme hearing=OW!}

A good hunter doesn't give his prey the chance to scream.

Predators do not want to be injured, so naturally, if a bigger predator is about, or if they could meet up with something that could injure them, it's likely they would avoid the situation.

Which is kind of the point of hunting humans, I doubt many humans could take on a werewolf one on one.


Also remember that a human being could also be a target of opportunity, there are a lot of us and a “newborn” werewolf might find himself in a heavily populated area with not a lot to eat. Also parreling the werewolf as a man eater theory.

those are all good points but i think it all depends on what kind of werewolf you picture in that scenario... a lot of topics seem to come down to that!

i can easily see how that would be a factor, although i tend to agree that they would probably remember firearms as well.. or at least enough to make them hesitate.. especially if they used a gun before!

Interesting idea. I’ve done a lot of reading about maneaters (mostly big cats, but wolves have turned up occasionally as well), and I think that would fit pretty well with the kinds that have limited to no memory of their human identity. Big cats often start killing when a random encounter with a human shows them that they can be easy prey. I remember one story about a tiger that was surprised by a man and killed him with one swipe of a paw in self-defense. It went on to hunt, kill, and eat seven people before it was shot. I can only imagine how much more frightening something as intelligent as a werewolf would be in a similar situation!

Yeah this works....but i would think that a werewolf would follow it's original instincts in this case. Someone sick, old, and weak would be the ideal prey. I mean....if everyone was on the menu then at that point humans would've already taken counter measures.......so the least inconspicuous kills would suffice. Homeless people, preferably the elderly.

I can think of a condition where a fully aware werewolf might become a man-eater, and it has to do with age.

Perhaps, the longer you've been a werewolf, as the years and decades drag on, your wolf half slowly influences more and more of your consciousness, subtly at first, until gradually the beast completely changes your outlook on life. You don't really find anything wrong with hunting and killing the old, the weak, or the sick anymore: after all, that is nature's lot. Are you going insane? Or is this your instinct talking? Your personality is more like a wild animal now than a civilized person... you've been a werewolf your whole life, and battle-worn, heavy with solitude, you've embraced the wolf fully: it's kept you alive.

You know exactly what you're doing as you sink your teeth into the old bum in the woods, but out here, everything is the same. Human or animal... out here, this is your territory, and it doesn't make a difference anymore.

Well, form my point of view, the "man eater" thing has just came from old stories, horror stories made to scare/entertain people. Think of long ago, around a campfire and they talk about a cute werewolf that will lick you to death, lol. The evilness must have come from stories. And even today, how many films about good non man eating werewolves are there?

WerewolfKeeper3 wrote:I suppose it's possible... honestly though... they might actually remember:
That humans do have fire arms
have fire, which hurts no matter what...
and have a habit of running around wildly and making all sorts of noise in the middle of a busy street. {Ears+extreme hearing=OW!}

Don't forget the most important part of all: humans are vengeful creatures. You never see deer or caribou turning to fight a pack of wolves -- they let the wolves pick off the sickly members of their herds and get the hell out of there while they're busy feeding. If a wild animal were to attack and kill a human, on the other hand, a team of specialists, or at the very least a volunteer army would equip themselves and head out with the intent of killing said animal (and any others they might suspect or that get in their way).

So no werewolf with half a rational thought left in his head after shifting would ever decide to hunt human beings. If they did attack another human, it would likely be more out of desperation/convenience (IE: they're starving and/or overcome by bloodlust and another human was the closest living thing around) as opposed to a tactful decision.

Terastas wrote:Don't forget the most important part of all: humans are vengeful creatures. You never see deer or caribou turning to fight a pack of wolves -- they let the wolves pick off the sickly members of their herds and get the hell out of there while they're busy feeding. If a wild animal were to attack and kill a human, on the other hand, a team of specialists, or at the very least a volunteer army would equip themselves and head out with the intent of killing said animal (and any others they might suspect or that get in their way).

Then the werewolf either lives or dies depending on how fit it is to survive, so that it can pass it's genes on. Law of the jungle.

So no werewolf with half a rational thought left in his head after shifting would ever decide to hunt human beings. If they did attack another human, it would likely be more out of desperation/convenience (IE: they're starving and/or overcome by bloodlust and another human was the closest living thing around) as opposed to a tactful decision.

You’re assuming that a rational human mind is in complete control here. Or at least one that operates on a similar moral and ethical standard as a human being.


On a sort of related note I've done some further thinking on the subject.

Imagine a being with all the raw instinctual drives of an animal, one that hasn’t been repressed by generations of civilized behavior, but this creature has all the memories and knowledge of a human being because it has been a human being. An animal with the intelligence of a man doesn’t necessarily have to think like a human being, only as good as a human being, concepts of morality and the laws of civilization may seem alien and illogical to an animal, even if it can comprehend them. A predator with all the knowledge of it’s human life but none of it’s human inhibitions would probably see no problem with killing and eating a human being.

Frightening concept, no?

Silveera-Ice wrote: And even today, how many films about good non man eating werewolves are there?

No films, but lots and lots of books. Pretty much the entire paranormal romance genre.

Oh, and there'll be a little film called "New Moon" coming out soon...

Berserker wrote:

Silveera-Ice wrote: And even today, how many films about good non man eating werewolves are there?

No films, but lots and lots of books. Pretty much the entire paranormal romance genre.

Oh, and there'll be a little film called "New Moon" coming out soon...

Gah, Twilight. That entire series makes me cry tears of pure rage.

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Bloodyredbaron wrote: On a sort of related note I've done some further thinking on the subject.

Imagine a being with all the raw instinctual drives of an animal, one that hasn’t been repressed by generations of civilized behavior, but this creature has all the memories and knowledge of a human being because it has been a human being. An animal with the intelligence of a man doesn’t necessarily have to think like a human being, only as good as a human being, concepts of morality and the laws of civilization may seem alien and illogical to an animal, even if it can comprehend them. A predator with all the knowledge of it’s human life but none of it’s human inhibitions would probably see no problem with killing and eating a human being.

Frightening concept, no?

No... not really...
Even if it had healing abilities, you pump enough lead into it, and it will stay down. Which is why most of the old horror movies suck: the werewolf ends up dead in the end... and it always seems to go after humans, who have groups of detectives to hunt down killers, military with a lot of big guns, and a lot of whom own fire arms, for some odd reason. One good shot to the head and it's done.

I'm not saying it's stupid idea, and I'm not trying to rip it apart ... I'm just saying it's been used before, and it's gotten old really, really fast...

WerewolfKeeper3 wrote: No... not really...
Even if it had healing abilities, you pump enough lead into it, and it will stay down. Which is why most of the old horror movies suck: the werewolf ends up dead in the end... and it always seems to go after humans, who have groups of detectives to hunt down killers, military with a lot of big guns, and a lot of whom own fire arms, for some odd reason. One good shot to the head and it's done.

This is a simple matter of storytelling, people like to see the underdog get out on top, after a vertible army of heroes fails to defeat the dragon and rescue the captured princess, who would expect a knight's squire to slay the beast? It's an old story, but it works because people like to see the hero survive and triumph when the chips are down.

Bloodyredbaron wrote:

WerewolfKeeper3 wrote: No... not really...
Even if it had healing abilities, you pump enough lead into it, and it will stay down. Which is why most of the old horror movies suck: the werewolf ends up dead in the end... and it always seems to go after humans, who have groups of detectives to hunt down killers, military with a lot of big guns, and a lot of whom own fire arms, for some odd reason. One good shot to the head and it's done.

This is a simple matter of storytelling, people like to see the underdog get out on top, after a vertible army of heroes fails to defeat the dragon and rescue the captured princess, who would expect a knight's squire to slay the beast? It's an old story, but it works because people like to see the hero survive and triumph when the chips are down.

True...

Bloodyredbaron wrote:You’re assuming that a rational human mind is in complete control here. Or at least one that operates on a similar moral and ethical standard as a human being.

*ahem*

Bloodyredbaron wrote:Basically my idea was that werewolves are naturally man eaters because they’ve been the prey. They resort to hunting local humans because they remember life as a human and thus remember that we are relatively slow, weak, and without a firearm unable to defend ourselves against them.

How would an irrational mind reflect on its previous life and apply itself to counteract it? An irrational predator would have zero regard for cause and effect and would just attack whatever is available, human or otherwise. But if a werewolf is rational enough to weigh all the pros of hunting humans, it should also be rational enough to recognize the cons.

Bloodyredbaron wrote:Imagine a being with all the raw instinctual drives of an animal, one that hasn’t been repressed by generations of civilized behavior, but this creature has all the memories and knowledge of a human being because it has been a human being. An animal with the intelligence of a man doesn’t necessarily have to think like a human being, only as good as a human being, concepts of morality and the laws of civilization may seem alien and illogical to an animal, even if it can comprehend them. A predator with all the knowledge of it’s human life but none of it’s human inhibitions would probably see no problem with killing and eating a human being.

Frightening concept, no?

Are we saying that raw instictual drives will override their own intellect which they have retained from their human half in certain situations? Such as a situation like the tiger that learned that it could kill humans. If that is the case I see how a werewolf could possibly get into the pattern of killing humans. But, in all honesty if they do retain memories of being human they will remember human beings petty nature. You kill one of them they kill as many of you as they can. And guns would be a big issue especially where the military is concerned. So, in answer no a werewolf probably wouldn't have a moral problem with killing and eating a human but it would have a practial one. If a werewolf did take up killing humans I can see how said werewolf might even be killed by it's own kind. Mainly because killer werewolf = lots of werewolf hunters/ vengance of some sort = more dead werewolves. Which seems to be more problem than it's worth in the end.

Uh-oh...
(oh no...)
{Both duck}

Terastas wrote: How would an irrational mind reflect on its previous life and apply itself to counteract it? An irrational predator would have zero regard for cause and effect and would just attack whatever is available, human or otherwise. But if a werewolf is rational enough to weigh all the pros of hunting humans, it should also be rational enough to recognize the cons.

Perhaps rational was not the right word to use, as it denotes that the werewolf in question is irrational which is not totally out of the question if the werewolf is newly changed mind you. A werewolf doesn't really need to choose humans as prey do to any logical deduction, perhaps it is simply attacking the nearest foodsource at the time without thinking two or three steps ahead. This is not uncommon, how many people do you know that act without thinking ahead?

Bloodyredbaron wrote: Perhaps rational was not the right word to use, as it denotes that the werewolf in question is irrational which is not totally out of the question if the werewolf is newly changed mind you. A werewolf doesn't really need to choose humans as prey do to any logical deduction, perhaps it is simply attacking the nearest foodsource at the time without thinking two or three steps ahead. This is not uncommon, how many people do you know that act without thinking ahead?

I can understand that concept but I think in the end that it would prove to be the werewolves undoing. Like I stated earlier other werewolves wouldn't allow a threat to their own survival exist even if it was another werewolf.

Done a little more refinement on the idea. How's this, werewolves don't just form packs because of instinct, but as a kind of "werewolf support group." A pack locates a newly infected werewolf and keeps him from "falling off the wagon" and loosing control, while watching each other's backs to ensure no one loses it and starts eating people.

However, if there is no werewolf pack in the area, then the conditions are right to create a "mean eater", with no others to help him learn to control himself, and maybe even no knowledge of what he's become, he continues to feed on humans until either a werewolf pack finds him or human hunters do. Most of the time the pack finds the werewolf and teaches him something about who he is and how to control himself while in wolf form, but sometimes either there's no pack around or they can't locate the guy.

When this happens...

Then the werewolf either lives or dies depending on how fit it is to survive, so that it can pass it's genes on. Law of the jungle.

Silveera-Ice wrote: Think of long ago, around a campfire and they talk about a cute werewolf that will lick you to death, lol.

PFFFF!!! Uhhh...People taste nasty. Really. Have your ever bit someone in self defense? Wait, first off, people smell. Yeah. I can even smell myself and distinguish the scent of my friend and other people. No, I'm not kidding. I just have good sense of smell. But back to my point. I can't see why any animal would want to eat us. Sharks only go for us because we splash like seals and land predators only eat us because we're easy prey and we're the only thing around...Werewolves would have to be really desperate to get rid of a body if they are going to eat a human being. Any idea how much relish one would have to buy to get through eating a human being? Ack! It might leave less of carcass if it wanted to make sure the person didn't come back to life as a werewolf, having been bitten and the possibility of survival being unknown. The traditional link as to why they might be seen as man eater if such a peaceful nature existed in them would be that they were trying to prevent the spread of the infection through eating the vital organs as a safe clause. That and the werewolf clearly has something screwed up in the head as a mental condition and his wires are crossed into doing such a psychotic act. Again, eating people is gross, like pork but more icky....especially if they are French....They really do rarely bathe. I've been there...Believe me.

Avareis wrote:PFFFF!!! Uhhh...People taste nasty. Really. Have your ever bit someone in self defense? Wait, first off, people smell. Yeah. I can even smell myself and distinguish the scent of my friend and other people. No, I'm not kidding. I just have good sense of smell. But back to my point. I can't see why any animal would want to eat us. Sharks only go for us because we splash like seals and land predators only eat us because we're easy prey and we're the only thing around...Werewolves would have to be really desperate to get rid of a body if they are going to eat a human being. Any idea how much relish one would have to buy to get through eating a human being? Ack! It might leave less of carcass if it wanted to make sure the person didn't come back to life as a werewolf, having been bitten and the possibility of survival being unknown. The traditional link as to why they might be seen as man eater if such a peaceful nature existed in them would be that they were trying to prevent the spread of the infection through eating the vital organs as a safe clause. That and the werewolf clearly has something screwed up in the head as a mental condition and his wires are crossed into doing such a psychotic act.

How much of the thread did you read? If you read all of it then you must have missed a few key posts.

They don’t eat people because they’re evil and mindless, but because they’re hungry (I don’t think it’s a stretch to assume that the transformation takes a lot of energy that would probably need to be replenished quickly.) and they have no reason to fear us, because they know our strengths and weaknesses. As I mentioned before, the transformation leaves them weakened and in need of energy,....

Also remember that a human being could also be a target of opportunity, there are a lot of us and a “newborn” werewolf might find himself in a heavily populated area with not a lot to eat. Also parreling the werewolf as a man eater theory.

Also remember that a human being could also be a target of opportunity, there are a lot of us and a “newborn” werewolf might find himself in a heavily populated area with not a lot to eat.Also parreling the werewolf as a man eater theory.

Big cats often start killing when a random encounter with a human shows them that they can be easy prey. I remember one story about a tiger that was surprised by a man and killed him with one swipe of a paw in self-defense. It went on to hunt, kill, and eat seven people before it was shot. I can only imagine how much more frightening something as intelligent as a werewolf would be in a similar situation!

Etc, etc...

When the chips are down, you'd be surprised what any living being will do to survive. Bad taste is probably not going to impede a werewolf if he needs to replenish all the energy he just used up transforming and he needs it now.