American Werewolf

The American Werewolf in the World

Among werewolves, the American Werewolf is typically seen as a wilder, more reckless, bolder type of werewolf than those from other countries.  The American Werewolf does not have the reserve or patience of their European or South American counterparts, and tend to base their actions more on feeling rather then generations of decorum.  They typically do not let rules dictate their actions.  This is one reason why typically many of the werewolf sightings that are reported are from the United States.

Sightings – hoax or real?

Th American werewolf is however lucky in that most American humans do not typically believe in the true existence of werewolves.  A werewolf that shows himself to humans in the United States is often confronted with the reaction of disbelief.  Hollywood is such a big part of American culture, that Americans go straight to the idea that anything they are seeing is a Hollywood hoax or a halloween costume or a commercial bid for attention.  So the sighting is disregarded.  Meaning, although it is in the nature of the American Werewolf to flaunt the rules and expose him or herself for what he or she really truly is, it is unlikely this would cause the werewolf community to be exposed to humans.  In other countries however, sightings are often tied in with local legends that go back generations.  Legends that locals believe in as truth.  If a werewolf from another country were to show him / herself to humans as much as the American werewolf did, then werewolves would be in serious trouble of truly being believed in and being hunted. This means that in many ways the American werewolf leads an easier existence than most other werewolves.

History

The American Werewolf can most likely attribute its ancestry to Europe.  During the European colonization of the Americas, some European werewolves did come to the Americas.  They however were actually not the first when they arrived…the werewolf was already present and in local legends and beliefs.  In fact, the Native Americans had actually known of the werewolf and shapeshifters long before the European werewolves showed up with the colonizers.

AWIL

The term “American Werewolf” is very popular in Hollywood as it has been immortalized by the movie directed by John Landis entitled an American Werewolf in London (AWIL). The movie, which did much to bring the werewolf out of obscurity and onto the big screen, was directed by John Landis. It tells the story of an American backpacker that gets bitten by, and becomes a werewolf.