Lessor Known Weres

[mau]

Undoubtably, everyone on this forum is a werewolf fan. Werewolves are popular in fiction, including movies, video games, and novels.
Yet there are other types of weres that people don't necessarily think about.
Like werecats! *shot* These poor weres are almost always overlooked by the media. Let's take Eragon for example. There was a werecat in the book, but in the movie they ignored that part of the series.
And then in the Hobbit, there was a werebear. But in the animated adapation, again, they didn't have the werebear in it!
I believe some video games have also portrayed werecats, and even wereboars. There was also Wallace and Gromit's Curse of the Wererabbit movie...but if you ask me herbavores shouldn't be weres. Where's the striking and fearful appearence of the big sharp fangs and that desire for flesh? Even if the weres are good, there's always that question of whether or not they can be trusted, or if they'll succumb to their natural animalistic instincts.
There's also weredragons, although I've heard of them, I havn't really seen any in any fiction. Unless you count Beowolf, but I think the dragon was more of a demon spawn than anything else.
So anyway, this is a discussion of the "other weres."

[mdupont15]

Wormtail from the Harry Potter saga is kind of a wererat

[Marcus]

Dragon's ability to shapeshift is fairly common. It tends to be more dragon to human, then human to dragon. So is that more a werehuman than a weredragon?

The werelepord is a very popular legend in certain countries, more so than the werewolf.

But you are right, Werewolves top the werefilm category. Not sure about the rat in harry potter, as he was more using transformation magic rather then being a true werecreature, so don't think he can count (or if he can than the two kids from The Witches would as well).

Would you say that the alien from The Thing would be classed as a werealien as it can shapeshift into other lifeforms?

[mau]

I read somewhere that "were" is actually another word for "Man." So when one says "Werewolf" it actually means "Man wolf."
So really, a "werehuman" is a bit contradictory.
I don't think Wormtail can be considered a wererat, I think Harry Potter explains the difference between werewolves and animagus which is the term they used to describe witches and wizards with the ability to take animal form, although I believe JK Rowling does make a note that it's the animal that chooses the person when they develop that ability.
Where are wereleopard's popular? Maybe in Asia and Africa?

[Werewolf]

Yeah i agree with you Mau on Wormtail. JK Rowling says in The Prisoner of Askaban that an Animgus is different to a werewolf because the witch or wizard choose to be one where as a werewolf has no choice. I blieve some are born with the ability (?) and those that aren't can develope it like James. Sirius and Peter did. You also retain your sense of idenity as an animagus where as a werewolf has no idea about it's human life and no problems with taking the life of a human if it wanted to. I wonder what mine would be.....