Halloween, that enchanting time of year when the crisp autumn air carries whispers of mystery and magic, is just around the corner.
Children everywhere eagerly anticipate the spine-tingling tales and spooky creatures that come to life during this bewitching season. Among the most captivating of these creatures is the fearsome werewolf.
How much do you know about werewolves? Did you know that in human form they look just like you or me? Legends of werewolves have been around for many years and throughout history. In this article, you will learn fun werewolf facts for kids and just in time for Halloween.
What is a werewolf?
A werewolf is a mythical creature. A mythical creature is an imaginary or non-existent creature that has human and animal-like features. A mythical creature is also said to have magic powers or superpowers that a regular human does not possess.
Werewolves are humans but turn into wolf-like creatures during a full moon.
What does a werewolf look like?
Most of the time, werewolves are in human form. In fact, you would never know if you saw one walking down the street unless, of course, you catch him when a full moon is approaching.
Werewolves and full moons
When a full moon approaches, the werewolf will feel and look ill. Little droplets of sweat will start to drip down its face and it will start to get weak. The werewolf will fall to the ground.
This is when the transition will start to take place. By the way, if you see this happening on the street, you should get away as quickly as you can. You do not want to risk getting attacked by a werewolf.
Wolf Form
Once the werewolf is on the ground, it will start growing long brown hair all over its body. The hair will be coarse and rough. The hair will rapidly grow all over its body, including its face.
The regular hair on their head will also change. It will grow longer and blend in with the hair that grew all over its body.
Next, the werewolf’s teeth will start to change. They will go from regular human teeth to razor-sharp wolf teeth. Werewolves have two long fangs, one on each side of its mouth. They use these fangs to tear into human flesh.
After the werewolf’s teeth evolve, their fingernails will begin to grow. They will become long and sharp like knives. Werewolves will use their nails to attack their prey.
Lastly, the werewolf will start to stand up. As he stands up, he will get superhuman strength. He will turn very muscular. His clothes will start to rip as his full muscular body will grow too big for the clothes he has on his back.
When the werewolf stands tall, the transition is complete, and he is no longer thinking like a human; he will have the mind of a hungry, bloodthirsty wolf.
Werewolf Characteristics
Once in wolf form, they are extremely strong. A werewolf has been known to knock down trees, push over cars and pick up and throw heavy objects.
Werewolves roam the streets and woods on nights with a full moon.
Werewolves have a great sense of smell and sight. They can sniff out prey from almost a mile away. Werewolves can see objects far in the distance.
Werewolves are athletic. They can take long leaps between 10ft-20ft. They can also run very fast. Werewolves run so fast that you can even see them at full speed. No one has been able to measure how fast they can actually run, but it is over 1,000 miles per hour.
Werewolves are solitary creatures, meaning when in wolf form, they prefer to be alone and not hang out with other werewolves. However, on occasion, werewolves will travel with other werewolves. A group of werewolves is called a pack.
Where do Werewolves live?
The thing about werewolves is they can live anywhere, it’s true. In human form, they look like well humans, so they fit in everywhere. They can live in your town, on your block, or even across the street from you, and you would never know.
You never know when one will be lurking around.
When they are in werewolf form, they tend to go to wooded areas where they can stay hidden. As much as you may be afraid of werewolves, they also fear you. They usually don’t want to hurt anyone, so they stay out of sight.
How do you become a Werewolf?
There are different theories as to why a human turns into a werewolf. Some believe that being able to turn into a werewolf is genetic; to be a werewolf, you have to come from a werewolf. Meaning if your grandpa was a werewolf, then your dad became a werewolf, and now you are a werewolf.
Another theory is that a werewolf bit you. Some say that the ability to turn into a werewolf comes from magic in their fang. Once a werewolf fang bites you, the magic transfers to you, and you will now turn into a werewolf.
Some believe a spell was cast on the human, causing him to be cursed. Others believe drinking water from a wolf footprint will turn you into a werewolf.
How do you kill a Werewolf?
The number one way to kill a werewolf is a silver bullet. A silver bullet shot into the heart will kill the werewolf instantly.
Not only do silver bullets kill werewolves, but any silver object that pierces the werewolf’s skin will kill it. A werewolf is very sensitive to silver.
So, what happens after the werewolf dies? Well, you are doing the werewolf a favor. Once it dies, it turns into a human with no more werewolf powers. It will just be a regular person, just like you and me.
Werewolves Facts for Kids
Hypertrichosis is also referred to as werewolf syndrome. It is a rare condition with unusual hair growth on the body. There are two forms of hypertrichosis. It is generalized when the hair growth is all over the body and localized when it is only in a certain area.
Lycanthropy is a rare mental health condition in which a person believes he or she is a werewolf and will display werewolf behaviors.
The word werewolf comes from the Old English words were “man” and wuf “wolf”. It translates to man-wolf.
Who was the First Werewolf? – Bonus Fun Fact
King Lycaon is credited with being the first werewolf. In Greek mythology, King Lycaon was the ruler of Arcadia. In the story, he tried to feed the God Zeus human flesh disguised as steak. Zeus was very upset that he would do that, turning Lycaon into a wolf and forcing him to roam the world forever.
I hope you enjoyed these fun werewolf facts for kids. If you want to learn about another mythical Halloween creature, check out our article on vampires. Click here for vampire facts for kids.
Downloadable werewolf coloring page below:
