"Many a man who is pure in heart, and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfsbane blooms and the moon shines bright."

-Ancient gypsy proverb

The dark night is lit only by the full white moon. A man walks alone on a deserted wooded path, heart racing, fearful of the change he feels coming over him. Suddenly he stops and looks down at his hands. The bones begin to crack and move, growing larger as the fingers slowly extend into claws. Hair begins to cover his body as his face contorts into the fearsome visage of a wolf. With sharp teeth bared, the werewolf's transformation is complete. His howl pierces the dark night as his hunt begins.

The image of the werewolf as a man—beast transformed by an untamed wildness that drives it to hunt, kill, and feast on innocent human...