Therianthropy refers to mythical creatures that are part human and part animal. It includes werewolves, gods like Anubis and Horus, and shapeshifting humans who can take on feline or canine appearances. In some New Age communities, a therianthrope is a person who believes they are part animal in spirit. Clinical therianthropy is a rare condition associated with profound psychoses.
Traditionally, a therianthrope is a creature of myth and the imagination. The word comes from therianthropy, which comes from the Greek words therion, meaning beast, and anthropos, meaning man. In common parlance, therianthropy can refer to a few different things.
The first definition has to do with the ability of some legendary humans to transform into animals. Werewolves, werecats, selkies, and wendigos are prime examples. The second meaning refers to a state in which a deity or other supernatural creature may be part man and part animal in appearance. Gods like Anubis and Horus, as well as creatures like mermaids and centaurs, can fall into this category.
Therianthropy also has more specific branches. Lycanthropy which includes werewolves and all other versions of wolfweres, cyanthropy which refers to men who can transform into dogs as commonly found in Chinese myths, and ailurathropy which concerns shapeshifting humans who can take on feline appearances, they are all forms of therianthropy.
The word therianthrope, however, is often used outside of this traditional context. In some New Age communities, for example, a therianthrope (also called therian) is a person who adheres to the neo-pagan belief that they are part animal. A New Age therianthrope does not actually have the ability to morph and will not show evidence of animal body parts in their natural, surgically unaltered state. Instead, he believes that as therianthrope, his spirit is part animal. The New Age therianthrope also claims to possess a certain type of animal energy that differentiates him from normal human society.
In a therianthropic community, proximity to particular animal species, “primitive” emotions, a deep appreciation of nature, and a different, more instinctive worldview are all seen as evidence of therianthropy.
There have also been documented cases of clinical therianthropy, in which a patient may develop delusions that they are part animal, or shapeshift into an animal. These delusions are often associated with profound psychoses.
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