Taber’s Medical Encyclopedia defines
Lycanthropy as “mania in which a patient believes himself a wild animal, especially a wolf”.
In today’s society, we see
Lycanthropes all the time.
The following shows what a
Lycanthrope is.

According to “The Book of
Werewolves”, belief in transformation among North
American Indians is widespread. The following is a shortened version of a story from that book.

Another type of shape-shifter is the
Wendigo. The idea behind Wendigo’s are seen in the Algonquion nation.
Wikipedia defines a Wendigo as “a malevolent cannibal spirit into which humans could transform”.

All cultures in which the Wendigo is present believe that humans could be transformed into a Wendigo if they ever resorted to cannibalism.
The Wendigo has also become a stock horror character (like the vampire or werewolf). This is what some believe a
Wendigo looks like.

Not all North American Indian shape-shifters are scary.
Not all North American Indian shape-shifters caused harm to humans. The following are some of those examples.