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Shapeshifters: A History
There is something about a shapeshifter—a person who can transform into an animal—that captures our imagination; that causes us to want to howl at the moon, or flit through the night like a bat. Werewolves, vampires, demons, and other weird creatures appeal to our animal nature, our “dark side,” our desire to break free of the bonds of society and proper behavior. Real or imaginary, shapeshifters lurk deep in our psyches and remain formidable cultural icons.
The myths, magic, and meaning surrounding shapeshifters are brought vividly to life in John B. Kachuba’s compelling and original cultural history. Rituals in early cultures worldwide seemingly allowed shamans, sorcerers, witches, and wizards to transform at will into animals and back again. Today, there are millions of people who believe that shapeshifters walk among us and may even be world leaders. Featuring a fantastic and ghoulish array of examples from history, literature, film, TV, and computer games, Shapeshifters explores our secret desire to become something other than human.
The myths, magic, and meaning surrounding shapeshifters are brought vividly to life in John B. Kachuba’s compelling and original cultural history. Rituals in early cultures worldwide seemingly allowed shamans, sorcerers, witches, and wizards to transform at will into animals and back again. Today, there are millions of people who believe that shapeshifters walk among us and may even be world leaders. Featuring a fantastic and ghoulish array of examples from history, literature, film, TV, and computer games, Shapeshifters explores our secret desire to become something other than human.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published June 13, 2019
8 people are currently reading
486 people want to read
About the author
John B. Kachuba
28 books10 followersJohn B. Kachuba is the series editor of America's Haunted Road Trip from Clerisy Press and the author of Ghosthunting Illinois and Ghosthunting Ohio. He has also written other books such as Ghosthunters: On the Trail of Mediums, Dowsers, Spirit Seekers, and Other Investigators of America's Paranormal World, How to Write Funny, and Why is this Job Killing Me? (co-authored with his wife, Mary A. Newman, PhD).
John's short fiction and nonfiction have been widely published and he has received several awards for his fiction, including the 2004 Dogwood Fiction Prize.
He holds advanced degrees in Creative Writing from Antioch University (Yellow Springs, OH) and Ohio University. He has taught writing at both the University of Cincinnati and Ohio University. He is also on the faculty of the Gotham Writers Workshop.
John is a noted conference speaker and presenter and is a sought-after guest on many radio and television programs throughout the country and internationally.
John lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, with his wife Mary.
John's short fiction and nonfiction have been widely published and he has received several awards for his fiction, including the 2004 Dogwood Fiction Prize.
He holds advanced degrees in Creative Writing from Antioch University (Yellow Springs, OH) and Ohio University. He has taught writing at both the University of Cincinnati and Ohio University. He is also on the faculty of the Gotham Writers Workshop.
John is a noted conference speaker and presenter and is a sought-after guest on many radio and television programs throughout the country and internationally.
John lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, with his wife Mary.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
January 22, 2020
I don't get a lot of pleasure from writing a negative review of a book, and my policy is normally "If you can't find anything nice to say, say nothing." However, sometimes a book falls into the category of a title that is likely to attract people with similar interests to me, and I feel obliged to issue a health warning.
"Shapeshifters - A History" by John B. Kachuba is such a book. It is, in my opinion, a poor use of sixteen pounds.
The two best things about the book are the title and the front cover (a reproduction of an eighteenth century woodcut of a werewolf eating a woman).
Kachuba has set a very broad definition of "shapeshifter". He includes the gods and fairies that are able to transform themselves at will, and he describes humans who have been transformed as the result of a curse. The culturally most popular shapeshifters (werewolves and vampires) get a chapter each. But then the author drifts of into discussions of fluid gender. There is also an early chapter on people who think that they (or someone else) have transformed or shapeshifted, when they actually have not. Meanwhile, the werewolf and vampire sections are reprised in the guise of a section on popular culture and literature.
I think Kachuba may have been torn between writing two different books: one, a discussion of all aspects of the concept of physical and mental transformations; the other, a historical report of shapeshifters in folk tales and literature. The result is a book that feels like a collection of notes that have been thrown together but not planned, thought through, or edited. Thus there are paragraphs repeated across chapters, topics are returned to in different chapters, and there is no real flow to the book.
It is true that there are some nice facts dropped in here and there, such as the mention of the Surangama Sutra, an eight century Buddhist text that describes several categories of Chinese ghosts. And I was grateful for the reminder of John Locke's "An Essay Concerning Human Understanding" with its example of "The Prince and the Cobbler".
But there is not enough material to constitute a comprehensive account of shapeshifters, and despite its attempt to present itself as an academic book (with its title, index, citations, and references), this is not much more than a light introduction to the topic.
"Shapeshifters - A History" by John B. Kachuba is such a book. It is, in my opinion, a poor use of sixteen pounds.
The two best things about the book are the title and the front cover (a reproduction of an eighteenth century woodcut of a werewolf eating a woman).
Kachuba has set a very broad definition of "shapeshifter". He includes the gods and fairies that are able to transform themselves at will, and he describes humans who have been transformed as the result of a curse. The culturally most popular shapeshifters (werewolves and vampires) get a chapter each. But then the author drifts of into discussions of fluid gender. There is also an early chapter on people who think that they (or someone else) have transformed or shapeshifted, when they actually have not. Meanwhile, the werewolf and vampire sections are reprised in the guise of a section on popular culture and literature.
I think Kachuba may have been torn between writing two different books: one, a discussion of all aspects of the concept of physical and mental transformations; the other, a historical report of shapeshifters in folk tales and literature. The result is a book that feels like a collection of notes that have been thrown together but not planned, thought through, or edited. Thus there are paragraphs repeated across chapters, topics are returned to in different chapters, and there is no real flow to the book.
It is true that there are some nice facts dropped in here and there, such as the mention of the Surangama Sutra, an eight century Buddhist text that describes several categories of Chinese ghosts. And I was grateful for the reminder of John Locke's "An Essay Concerning Human Understanding" with its example of "The Prince and the Cobbler".
But there is not enough material to constitute a comprehensive account of shapeshifters, and despite its attempt to present itself as an academic book (with its title, index, citations, and references), this is not much more than a light introduction to the topic.
September 5, 2023
Marvelous and informative. And not just about werewolves. I especially liked learning about fox magic, skin-walkers, Big Owl Man, Deer Woman, shapeshifting dragons and star balls. A great resource book if you write horror or supernatural. Just reading the Index is incredible. Paula Cappa is an avid book reviewer and an award-winning supernatural mystery author of novels and short stories.
September 9, 2020
A topic I found so intriguing that I neglected to notice the author was a fucking ghost hunter until after I bought the book. A lot of research was done, and I appreciate that the book is global in scope. I’m not sure how credible any of the information is. There isn’t great critical or historical or anthropological writing in here. (Frankly an anthropologist or historian would be disgusted at how loosely the author treats time lines) This book is broad enough to spark the imagination, and would be useful to someone who wants to write a story about shapeshifters.
What I learned: The tlahuelpuchi is a blood sucking witch that likes to shape shift into a turkey. (A malevolent spooky turkey!) An early vampire book was called “Varney the Vampire.” The opposite of anthropogenic is theriomorphic. Lycaon is a werewolf myth by Ovid. Pucas are a Celtic shapeshifting faerie, Shakespeare’s Puck is one. Vampire is a Serbian word. Chaetophobia is the fear of hair.
What I learned: The tlahuelpuchi is a blood sucking witch that likes to shape shift into a turkey. (A malevolent spooky turkey!) An early vampire book was called “Varney the Vampire.” The opposite of anthropogenic is theriomorphic. Lycaon is a werewolf myth by Ovid. Pucas are a Celtic shapeshifting faerie, Shakespeare’s Puck is one. Vampire is a Serbian word. Chaetophobia is the fear of hair.
January 20, 2026
Exceedingly well-written and researched, Shapeshifters: A History is a must for Horror fans and Folklore enthusiasts. No wonder it was a Bram Stoker Award finalist.
October 1, 2019
Shapeshifters: A History by John B. Kachuba is a must-have reference book to shapershifters in different cultures folklore & fairy tales, with a separate chapter on Werewolf, Vampires, a chapter on shapeshifters in movies (Dracula, Harry Potter, etc.), books (The Hobbit, It, etc.). The References, Bibliography, Photo Acknowledgements are invaluable, additional references.
January 1, 2020
I like this book best when it presents a spray of myths across half a dozen countries in as many pages. I like it less when it gropes for the meaning of all those myths, even less when it races through half-digested pop culture to find examples, and least of all when it spins little bits of dramatic fiction that read like unintentionally comical pastiches. The irritations mostly fall away though and I was wildly entertained by the impressive collection of world lore on mutable form: women into seals, men into wolves, tanuki into railroad engines. Quoted in the text and IDed as a source, Montague Summers' The Werewolf is this little volume's best ancestor and I hope Mr. Kachuba's tome has as long and successful a life, whatever form it may assume.
October 24, 2021
This is probably about a 3.5 to me. It was a quick yet interesting read and well written. It touched on stories of shapeshifters throughout history and different cultures; it was heavier on European, American, and east Asian (especially Japanese) examples, but the rest of Asia, Africa, and Central/South America were represented. I did like his discussion of the evolution of shapeshifters in history: from gods and such, to shamans and other special or holy mortals, to personal intent or curses, etc. I'm not sure if that is a perfect framework, but it was an interesting view.
A warning for potential readers: the title, some blurbs, and the cover (a werewolf engraving) make this book seem to be about 'traditional' shapeshifters: people who turn into animals. This books includes that, but honestly as a minority. There are discussions as long or longer over gods or fairies being shapeshifters, internal shapeshifters, even gender and shapeshifting, plus shapeshifters in media. I like general folklore, so I still enjoyed the book, but as a werewolf fan I was disappointed, and I think other readers could be too if they don't look at the book description and contents well enough.
A warning for potential readers: the title, some blurbs, and the cover (a werewolf engraving) make this book seem to be about 'traditional' shapeshifters: people who turn into animals. This books includes that, but honestly as a minority. There are discussions as long or longer over gods or fairies being shapeshifters, internal shapeshifters, even gender and shapeshifting, plus shapeshifters in media. I like general folklore, so I still enjoyed the book, but as a werewolf fan I was disappointed, and I think other readers could be too if they don't look at the book description and contents well enough.
January 4, 2023
This book is about the history & belief in werewolves, shapeshifters, which includes vampires.
One of the reasons that I bought this book is due to my interest in werewolves, shapeshifters & the historical belief & fear of them, I love werewolf lore, folklore, mythology.
The cover of the book was another reason that I bought this book, it has a beautiful cover, I love the medieval depiction of a werewolf that was used for the cover of the book, it's realistic of what a werewolf would look like devouring a helpless human being that is their prey.
Belief in werewolves, shapeshifters, were-animals has existed for various centuries & in various cultures. Were-animals aren't mentioned as much as shapeshifters, werewolves, shapeshifting Shamans, witches etc.. There are various types of were-animals that are believed to exist.
There are various cultures that believe in werewolves, shapeshifters, beings/entities that take various forms, including animals, they mimic humans and prey on humans in various ways.
There have been many sightings of bipedal (a animal that can walk upright on two legs)/quadrupedal (a animal that walks on four legs, or uses it's arms/legs to walk with all their limbs) dogmen, werewolves in England, America and various other places in the world.
In Ancient Rome, there is the legend of King Lycaon, he was cursed to take the form of a werewolf for testing Zeus' omniscience by serving the roasted flesh of his own butchered son Nyctimus.
He did this to see if Zeus really was all-knowing which he is, Zeus was obviously greatly offended and disgusted by this so he cursed King Lycaon to take the form of a wolf/werewolf.
Even if there are problematic, questionable things that some Deities have done, I still respect them & I respect their wisdom/guidance.
I'm not saying that a Deity taking the form of a animal to seduce & rape a mortal man or woman, is acceptable behaviour because obviously it isn't. It is seduction, rape & beastiality.
It must of been difficult for the Greek Gods/Goddesses to show themselves to the mortal humans that believed in them, worshipped them which is probably why they took the form of a animal, to show themselves to a mortal.
Their true form would be too immense, powerful for a mortal to see, so it was easier to seduce and mortal they were attracted to, felt lustful towards in a animal form.
Seduction & rape are too different things though.
Why is there so much seduction & rape in the Greek mythology?
It's a bit disturbing how frequently it happens.
King Arthur was a infamous Celtic warrior-king that was eventually sadly killed by the
Anglo-Saxons.
He killed mythological creatures, with his sword known as Excalibur, that the lady of the lake helped him to find & he pulled the infamous sword out of a stone.
Odin (The All-father is the father of the Norse Gods & Goddesses in the nine realms, he wanders the nine realms dressed like a wandering traveler, he is very wise, protective of his children.
Odin gave up one of his eyes for wisdom/knowledge and hanged himself from Yggdrasill
(the sacred world tree, the tree of life and death)
He has his pets ravens Huginn (thought) & Muninn (memory), his horse Sleipnir
(a eight legged horse) and his wolves Geri & Freki.
I always see Odin (the All-father) with his pets/companions when I have visions of him & Norse Gods/Godesses when i'm in a deep meditative state during meditation.
Odin is a comforting, wise & protective Norse Deity, you don't have to have Norse blood to be a Norse heathen/ Norse Pagan, but at least 6% of people in England have Norse blood.
Native American beliefs in shapeshifting witches, entities, beings, elementals, Shamans practicing witchcraft
(medicine men & women that helped the people in the tribe with spiritual sickness, they helped people in the astral realm as well) wearing animal pelts, taking on the traits or spirit of the animal or possessing animals has always interested me.
They believe in beings called a Wendigo (a cannibalistic being that can possess a human, then thy suffer from wendigo psychosis and feel compelled, a compulsion to consume human flesh.
If they consume the heart of a human being, then they become the Wendigo, but it is a being/entity that is cursed to never feel satisfied or full after eating, it's hunger is never satiated)
There is a well-known case of a man named Jack Fiddler, an Oji-Cree chief & shaman known for his powers at defeating Wendigos was living in a cabin with his family, they were low on food and starving, the man was suffering from Wendigo psychosis & cannibalized his family, there was a source of food not far away from where he was living sadly.
People engage in psychotic cannibalism, ritualized cannibalism.
There is also the Skinwalker (the Navajo, Algonquin/other tribes believe in) which is a shapeshifting, Shaman witch that takes the form of animals, mimics humans to lure them away from safety.
It is spiritually harmful, it doesn't have good intentions & it's predatory.
It isn't spoken about, because it draws it's attention to you & brings it into your life, it is a being/entity, powerful Shaman witch that should be feared if you believe in them, weather you are a Native or not.
The Native Americans believe in animal spirit guides, animal totems as a protective symbol, animals have significance in various ways in Native American culture, they can be symbolic, a warning, or omen, or a sign from their Deities, like the Coyote spirit, or Mother/Father Deity they believe in.
Native Americans believe in shapeshifting, evil entities, beings, elementals, nature related spirits that protect the land.
I really hate how the author keeps referring to shapeshifters and Native American Shamans as just male, since shapeshifters are also female, a Native American Shaman can be a man or a woman.
The Japanese/Korean Kitsune is a female shapeshifter, some female Deities take the form of a animal. The author seems a bit sexist, in my opinion. Goddesses are just as important as Gods.
The Berserkergang behaviour of the Norse Berserkers after consuming a hallucinogenic fungi, is similar to possession in my opinion, due to their strength, rage, violence that takes over them, then they are enfeebled for one or several days afterwards.
The Berserkers wore the animal pets of wolves, bear and other ferocious animals to absorb the traits of those animals, I believe they were possessed by the animals they wore the animal pelt of, or the Norse Gods/Goddesses possessed them during battle.
There are various types and races of Aliens, but their shapeshifting abilities aren't really mentioned much. Angels, demons and entities also have shapeshifting abilities/powers, which can be used to deceive, trick people, to harm them, or to intervene and help or protect someone that is vulnerable, in need or in spiritual or physical danger.
One of the aspects of this book that I really like it is it includes various pantheons, from different countries/cultures, the European belief in werewolves, shapeshifters or their own version of a werewolf like the Southern American Cajun belief of the Rougarou, or the French Loup-garou.
The lore, mythology, folklore of werewolves has existed in the world, and in various countries/cultures for centuries.
I wish more books were like this book and included various pantheons, or the European belief, lore, mythology, folklore & the spiritual practices, occult related beliefs/practices related to werewolves, shapeshifters.
It's very interesting to me, a lot of urban legends, folklore, mythology, fables, fairy tales has a moral lesson, that is still relevant in the modern world.
I wish there was a similar book to this about Vampires, Witches, Warlocks etc..
One aspect of shapeshifting that probably won't be mentioned in this book is the spiritual aspect of transformation & shapeshifting in the astral realm, you can have a animal form, or any form you choose in the astral realm.
If you have the bones or pelt (skin/fur of a animal) you can absorb the traits of the animal, obtain the spirit of the animal or become possessed by it in human form during a ritual.
Shapeshifters can take any animal, human form or the form of a inanimate object so they can trick humans, deceive them easily.
I really like the descriptions of what people experienced, felt and saw when various people encountered a shapeshifter(s), there are various cultures/countries that believe witchcraft is real, that different types of magick are real. The description of the cannibalistic shapeshifter was really creepy. I don't think most people would be able to discern the difference between a human being and a shapeshifter that took the form of a human being, but one thing that would seem of about the shapeshifter is the way it behaves, because it mimics a human being.
The Skinwalker is a good example of that.
Various cultures/countries have their own version of a Shaman witch, that can physically or astrally shapeshift, they take on the traits o the animals and they ae possessed by them, in the same way any practitioner of witchcraft becomes possessed by a Deity during a ritual dance, celebration, spellwork/ritual. They obtain knowledge directly from the divine Deities they believe in and worship.
There are different ways to shapeshift, astrally, you can shapeshift and take the form of a animal, physically you can summon the spirit of the animal, and physically take their form while they possess you, and internal, psychological transformation/shapeshifting.
Shaman witches wear animal pelts, take on the traits of a animal, so that is a physical and internal psychological transformation/shapeshifting, either they are possessed by the animal they take the form of or they channel the energy of the animal during meditation and sacred rituals.
Shapeshifters are real, there have been hundreds of sightings of them throughout the world in various countries/cultures throughout history and in the modern world.
For anyone that doesn't know David Icke is a holocaust denier, I don't trust or want to to know the opinion of someone that denies that a disturbing amount of European Jewish people, including German-Jewish people, (500000) Roma (Romani) and Sinti were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators, the mentally/physically disabled, mentally ill, P.O.W'S, African American people or anyone gay were tortured and murdered. The Gypsies that were murdered is rarely ever mentioned.
It's disgusting to deny it actually happened, when it did happen sadly.
The portion of chapter 3 about Psychology and Cal Gustav Jung was really interesting, I wish there was a book about the psychological aspects of clinical Lycanthropy, shapeshifters and internal mental/physical transformation/shapeshifting.
Psychology has always been really interesting to me.
The chapters about the Fae/Faeries, Japanese shapeshifters/demonic beings or human spirits that became shapeshifters is interesting, there are various types of shapeshifters, beings, entities, elementals that can transform their form into a person, animal, or inanimate objects.
This is sometimes done to trick humans into helping them with a task, for them to be freed or because they had the evil intention to murder the human that helped them, to consume them.
They were lured by the shapeshifter in a attractive, appealing form to the human they attempt to gain the trust of.
Rarely is the ability of Vampires to transform/shapeshift into the form of a animal or the psychic powers & elemental powers they have.
Some Vampires were thought to rise from their grave via astral projection to feed on the blood & energy of the living while they were asleep, people are most vulnerable then, to psychic & astral attack while they sleep.
I really like the description of spirits, demons, shapeshifters from Japanese mythology & folklore, it's really interesting that various countries, cultures and pantheons have their own version of a spirit, being, entity, demon, or shapeshifter that can take the form of a person, animal, or inanimate object.
They have various purposes, motivations and the origin of their existence is sometimes unknown.
Norse, Greek, Japanese mythology, folklore is my favourite mythology, folklore about shapeshifters and werewolves, or beings & entities that can shapeshift into the form of a human, animal or inanimate object.
This is the only book I have read so far that says about the shapeshifting abilities of werewolves & vampires. I wish there was a book that would explain the supernatural, psychic and elemental powers/abilities that werewolves & vampires have.
Vlad Tepes (Vlad the impaler) the Romanian Wallachian prince was a hero/tyrant too his own people he is revered and hated by some people, but he will forever remain a iconic person in Romanian history.
Vlad and his brother Radu were given to the Ottoman turks, they were raped, so Vlad impaled his enemies which included his own people as a act of revenge, or when his sense of honesty, sexual morality was betrayed or he felt people in general were immoral in a sexual context.
While imprisoned Vlad the impaler impaled spiders, he always had the compulsion for impalement, but there s no historical evidence that he was a vampire or that he consumed blood.
He was decapitated, his head was taken to Constantinople as proof that he was dead, the rest of his body is buried at Lake Snagov near Bucharest or in a tomb in Italy, bur it hasn't been officially confirmed, though there is speculation about this.
He probably wouldn't have approved of the Hungarian Countess Elizabeth Bathory then, torturing, mutilating the victims in various ways which included biting the victims, bathing in their blood & murdering the virgin servant girls that were peasants and eventually the virginal female children of Nobility.
This continued until, Elizabeth Bathory was tried and convicted in 1611 of the torture, mutilation, murders of the virginal peasants/young women that were the children of Nobility.
Her intention for biting her victims, consuming their blood, bathing in the blood of virgins was to preserve her youth & beauty, I don't understand why she never tried to gain immortality, because she was vampiric, it always seemed to me like she would have wanted to be a vampire, or to be immortal.
There is lot of speculation about the number of victims, due to there being no official, accurate historical record of what Elizabeth Bathory did to her victims, but she shall remain infamous forever. She was walled up in her castle, and left there to die as a punishment, for what she did to her victims.
As a long-term fan of vampires, werewolves i'm offended by the author comparing Anne Rice's iconic character Lestat De Lioncourt to Twilight?
Your comparing Lestat to emotionally stunted, moody teenage vampires that can't even express their emotions properly and the sparkle in the sunlight?
They aren't even real vampires, they don't sparkle in the sunlight, they live a undead existence and the blood, energy or sexual energy from a living soul, a living person sustains them & their existence.
How are even in the same leagues as each other? Thee is no comparison at all.
I'm actually offended as a fan of Anne Rice, I think it's disrespectful, since Anne Rice sadly passed away.
How do you have the audacity to compare Lestat to fucking Twilight characters? 🤨😤🙄😬
Dracula's shapeshifting, elemental, psychic mesmerising powers, abilities and influence isn't even mentioned in any book about Count Dracula.
Not everything related to vampires is attributed to Twilight 🙄
There are far better written books, films, tv series including paranormal romance that are better than Twilight.
I have always wanted to know what inspired Bram Stoker to write about Count Dracula having these types of powers/abilities and influence over other people, it's always made me wonder if there was ever a occult aspect to his powers/abilities and influence and how he gained them.
I wish there was more information about this specific aspect of Count Dracula.
Dracula was a stage play (1924) before any Dracula ilm was ever made, Dracula was published in (1897) there is also a Dracula Ballet.
The German Nosferatu film based on Dracula, was restricted due to copyright infringement, so the descendants of Bram Stoker sued F.W. Murnau. Some copies still exist today, but otherwise they would have been destroyed.
Blood Ties and Midnight Texas, The Originals are vampire tv series based on a series of books, except The Originals, books were written due to the popularity of the series.
I wish this type of book would have included a further reading list of similar books, it would have been helpful to have a list of similar and interesting books.
I enjoyed reading the book, but I wish the medieval belief of shapeshifters was included in this books.
One of the reasons that I bought this book is due to my interest in werewolves, shapeshifters & the historical belief & fear of them, I love werewolf lore, folklore, mythology.
The cover of the book was another reason that I bought this book, it has a beautiful cover, I love the medieval depiction of a werewolf that was used for the cover of the book, it's realistic of what a werewolf would look like devouring a helpless human being that is their prey.
Belief in werewolves, shapeshifters, were-animals has existed for various centuries & in various cultures. Were-animals aren't mentioned as much as shapeshifters, werewolves, shapeshifting Shamans, witches etc.. There are various types of were-animals that are believed to exist.
There are various cultures that believe in werewolves, shapeshifters, beings/entities that take various forms, including animals, they mimic humans and prey on humans in various ways.
There have been many sightings of bipedal (a animal that can walk upright on two legs)/quadrupedal (a animal that walks on four legs, or uses it's arms/legs to walk with all their limbs) dogmen, werewolves in England, America and various other places in the world.
In Ancient Rome, there is the legend of King Lycaon, he was cursed to take the form of a werewolf for testing Zeus' omniscience by serving the roasted flesh of his own butchered son Nyctimus.
He did this to see if Zeus really was all-knowing which he is, Zeus was obviously greatly offended and disgusted by this so he cursed King Lycaon to take the form of a wolf/werewolf.
Even if there are problematic, questionable things that some Deities have done, I still respect them & I respect their wisdom/guidance.
I'm not saying that a Deity taking the form of a animal to seduce & rape a mortal man or woman, is acceptable behaviour because obviously it isn't. It is seduction, rape & beastiality.
It must of been difficult for the Greek Gods/Goddesses to show themselves to the mortal humans that believed in them, worshipped them which is probably why they took the form of a animal, to show themselves to a mortal.
Their true form would be too immense, powerful for a mortal to see, so it was easier to seduce and mortal they were attracted to, felt lustful towards in a animal form.
Seduction & rape are too different things though.
Why is there so much seduction & rape in the Greek mythology?
It's a bit disturbing how frequently it happens.
King Arthur was a infamous Celtic warrior-king that was eventually sadly killed by the
Anglo-Saxons.
He killed mythological creatures, with his sword known as Excalibur, that the lady of the lake helped him to find & he pulled the infamous sword out of a stone.
Odin (The All-father is the father of the Norse Gods & Goddesses in the nine realms, he wanders the nine realms dressed like a wandering traveler, he is very wise, protective of his children.
Odin gave up one of his eyes for wisdom/knowledge and hanged himself from Yggdrasill
(the sacred world tree, the tree of life and death)
He has his pets ravens Huginn (thought) & Muninn (memory), his horse Sleipnir
(a eight legged horse) and his wolves Geri & Freki.
I always see Odin (the All-father) with his pets/companions when I have visions of him & Norse Gods/Godesses when i'm in a deep meditative state during meditation.
Odin is a comforting, wise & protective Norse Deity, you don't have to have Norse blood to be a Norse heathen/ Norse Pagan, but at least 6% of people in England have Norse blood.
Native American beliefs in shapeshifting witches, entities, beings, elementals, Shamans practicing witchcraft
(medicine men & women that helped the people in the tribe with spiritual sickness, they helped people in the astral realm as well) wearing animal pelts, taking on the traits or spirit of the animal or possessing animals has always interested me.
They believe in beings called a Wendigo (a cannibalistic being that can possess a human, then thy suffer from wendigo psychosis and feel compelled, a compulsion to consume human flesh.
If they consume the heart of a human being, then they become the Wendigo, but it is a being/entity that is cursed to never feel satisfied or full after eating, it's hunger is never satiated)
There is a well-known case of a man named Jack Fiddler, an Oji-Cree chief & shaman known for his powers at defeating Wendigos was living in a cabin with his family, they were low on food and starving, the man was suffering from Wendigo psychosis & cannibalized his family, there was a source of food not far away from where he was living sadly.
People engage in psychotic cannibalism, ritualized cannibalism.
There is also the Skinwalker (the Navajo, Algonquin/other tribes believe in) which is a shapeshifting, Shaman witch that takes the form of animals, mimics humans to lure them away from safety.
It is spiritually harmful, it doesn't have good intentions & it's predatory.
It isn't spoken about, because it draws it's attention to you & brings it into your life, it is a being/entity, powerful Shaman witch that should be feared if you believe in them, weather you are a Native or not.
The Native Americans believe in animal spirit guides, animal totems as a protective symbol, animals have significance in various ways in Native American culture, they can be symbolic, a warning, or omen, or a sign from their Deities, like the Coyote spirit, or Mother/Father Deity they believe in.
Native Americans believe in shapeshifting, evil entities, beings, elementals, nature related spirits that protect the land.
I really hate how the author keeps referring to shapeshifters and Native American Shamans as just male, since shapeshifters are also female, a Native American Shaman can be a man or a woman.
The Japanese/Korean Kitsune is a female shapeshifter, some female Deities take the form of a animal. The author seems a bit sexist, in my opinion. Goddesses are just as important as Gods.
The Berserkergang behaviour of the Norse Berserkers after consuming a hallucinogenic fungi, is similar to possession in my opinion, due to their strength, rage, violence that takes over them, then they are enfeebled for one or several days afterwards.
The Berserkers wore the animal pets of wolves, bear and other ferocious animals to absorb the traits of those animals, I believe they were possessed by the animals they wore the animal pelt of, or the Norse Gods/Goddesses possessed them during battle.
There are various types and races of Aliens, but their shapeshifting abilities aren't really mentioned much. Angels, demons and entities also have shapeshifting abilities/powers, which can be used to deceive, trick people, to harm them, or to intervene and help or protect someone that is vulnerable, in need or in spiritual or physical danger.
One of the aspects of this book that I really like it is it includes various pantheons, from different countries/cultures, the European belief in werewolves, shapeshifters or their own version of a werewolf like the Southern American Cajun belief of the Rougarou, or the French Loup-garou.
The lore, mythology, folklore of werewolves has existed in the world, and in various countries/cultures for centuries.
I wish more books were like this book and included various pantheons, or the European belief, lore, mythology, folklore & the spiritual practices, occult related beliefs/practices related to werewolves, shapeshifters.
It's very interesting to me, a lot of urban legends, folklore, mythology, fables, fairy tales has a moral lesson, that is still relevant in the modern world.
I wish there was a similar book to this about Vampires, Witches, Warlocks etc..
One aspect of shapeshifting that probably won't be mentioned in this book is the spiritual aspect of transformation & shapeshifting in the astral realm, you can have a animal form, or any form you choose in the astral realm.
If you have the bones or pelt (skin/fur of a animal) you can absorb the traits of the animal, obtain the spirit of the animal or become possessed by it in human form during a ritual.
Shapeshifters can take any animal, human form or the form of a inanimate object so they can trick humans, deceive them easily.
I really like the descriptions of what people experienced, felt and saw when various people encountered a shapeshifter(s), there are various cultures/countries that believe witchcraft is real, that different types of magick are real. The description of the cannibalistic shapeshifter was really creepy. I don't think most people would be able to discern the difference between a human being and a shapeshifter that took the form of a human being, but one thing that would seem of about the shapeshifter is the way it behaves, because it mimics a human being.
The Skinwalker is a good example of that.
Various cultures/countries have their own version of a Shaman witch, that can physically or astrally shapeshift, they take on the traits o the animals and they ae possessed by them, in the same way any practitioner of witchcraft becomes possessed by a Deity during a ritual dance, celebration, spellwork/ritual. They obtain knowledge directly from the divine Deities they believe in and worship.
There are different ways to shapeshift, astrally, you can shapeshift and take the form of a animal, physically you can summon the spirit of the animal, and physically take their form while they possess you, and internal, psychological transformation/shapeshifting.
Shaman witches wear animal pelts, take on the traits of a animal, so that is a physical and internal psychological transformation/shapeshifting, either they are possessed by the animal they take the form of or they channel the energy of the animal during meditation and sacred rituals.
Shapeshifters are real, there have been hundreds of sightings of them throughout the world in various countries/cultures throughout history and in the modern world.
For anyone that doesn't know David Icke is a holocaust denier, I don't trust or want to to know the opinion of someone that denies that a disturbing amount of European Jewish people, including German-Jewish people, (500000) Roma (Romani) and Sinti were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators, the mentally/physically disabled, mentally ill, P.O.W'S, African American people or anyone gay were tortured and murdered. The Gypsies that were murdered is rarely ever mentioned.
It's disgusting to deny it actually happened, when it did happen sadly.
The portion of chapter 3 about Psychology and Cal Gustav Jung was really interesting, I wish there was a book about the psychological aspects of clinical Lycanthropy, shapeshifters and internal mental/physical transformation/shapeshifting.
Psychology has always been really interesting to me.
The chapters about the Fae/Faeries, Japanese shapeshifters/demonic beings or human spirits that became shapeshifters is interesting, there are various types of shapeshifters, beings, entities, elementals that can transform their form into a person, animal, or inanimate objects.
This is sometimes done to trick humans into helping them with a task, for them to be freed or because they had the evil intention to murder the human that helped them, to consume them.
They were lured by the shapeshifter in a attractive, appealing form to the human they attempt to gain the trust of.
Rarely is the ability of Vampires to transform/shapeshift into the form of a animal or the psychic powers & elemental powers they have.
Some Vampires were thought to rise from their grave via astral projection to feed on the blood & energy of the living while they were asleep, people are most vulnerable then, to psychic & astral attack while they sleep.
I really like the description of spirits, demons, shapeshifters from Japanese mythology & folklore, it's really interesting that various countries, cultures and pantheons have their own version of a spirit, being, entity, demon, or shapeshifter that can take the form of a person, animal, or inanimate object.
They have various purposes, motivations and the origin of their existence is sometimes unknown.
Norse, Greek, Japanese mythology, folklore is my favourite mythology, folklore about shapeshifters and werewolves, or beings & entities that can shapeshift into the form of a human, animal or inanimate object.
This is the only book I have read so far that says about the shapeshifting abilities of werewolves & vampires. I wish there was a book that would explain the supernatural, psychic and elemental powers/abilities that werewolves & vampires have.
Vlad Tepes (Vlad the impaler) the Romanian Wallachian prince was a hero/tyrant too his own people he is revered and hated by some people, but he will forever remain a iconic person in Romanian history.
Vlad and his brother Radu were given to the Ottoman turks, they were raped, so Vlad impaled his enemies which included his own people as a act of revenge, or when his sense of honesty, sexual morality was betrayed or he felt people in general were immoral in a sexual context.
While imprisoned Vlad the impaler impaled spiders, he always had the compulsion for impalement, but there s no historical evidence that he was a vampire or that he consumed blood.
He was decapitated, his head was taken to Constantinople as proof that he was dead, the rest of his body is buried at Lake Snagov near Bucharest or in a tomb in Italy, bur it hasn't been officially confirmed, though there is speculation about this.
He probably wouldn't have approved of the Hungarian Countess Elizabeth Bathory then, torturing, mutilating the victims in various ways which included biting the victims, bathing in their blood & murdering the virgin servant girls that were peasants and eventually the virginal female children of Nobility.
This continued until, Elizabeth Bathory was tried and convicted in 1611 of the torture, mutilation, murders of the virginal peasants/young women that were the children of Nobility.
Her intention for biting her victims, consuming their blood, bathing in the blood of virgins was to preserve her youth & beauty, I don't understand why she never tried to gain immortality, because she was vampiric, it always seemed to me like she would have wanted to be a vampire, or to be immortal.
There is lot of speculation about the number of victims, due to there being no official, accurate historical record of what Elizabeth Bathory did to her victims, but she shall remain infamous forever. She was walled up in her castle, and left there to die as a punishment, for what she did to her victims.
As a long-term fan of vampires, werewolves i'm offended by the author comparing Anne Rice's iconic character Lestat De Lioncourt to Twilight?
Your comparing Lestat to emotionally stunted, moody teenage vampires that can't even express their emotions properly and the sparkle in the sunlight?
They aren't even real vampires, they don't sparkle in the sunlight, they live a undead existence and the blood, energy or sexual energy from a living soul, a living person sustains them & their existence.
How are even in the same leagues as each other? Thee is no comparison at all.
I'm actually offended as a fan of Anne Rice, I think it's disrespectful, since Anne Rice sadly passed away.
How do you have the audacity to compare Lestat to fucking Twilight characters? 🤨😤🙄😬
Dracula's shapeshifting, elemental, psychic mesmerising powers, abilities and influence isn't even mentioned in any book about Count Dracula.
Not everything related to vampires is attributed to Twilight 🙄
There are far better written books, films, tv series including paranormal romance that are better than Twilight.
I have always wanted to know what inspired Bram Stoker to write about Count Dracula having these types of powers/abilities and influence over other people, it's always made me wonder if there was ever a occult aspect to his powers/abilities and influence and how he gained them.
I wish there was more information about this specific aspect of Count Dracula.
Dracula was a stage play (1924) before any Dracula ilm was ever made, Dracula was published in (1897) there is also a Dracula Ballet.
The German Nosferatu film based on Dracula, was restricted due to copyright infringement, so the descendants of Bram Stoker sued F.W. Murnau. Some copies still exist today, but otherwise they would have been destroyed.
Blood Ties and Midnight Texas, The Originals are vampire tv series based on a series of books, except The Originals, books were written due to the popularity of the series.
I wish this type of book would have included a further reading list of similar books, it would have been helpful to have a list of similar and interesting books.
I enjoyed reading the book, but I wish the medieval belief of shapeshifters was included in this books.
February 21, 2021
I picked up this book mostly with an interest in learning more about werewolves in history and lore. While I wouldn’t expect a book that’s less than 200 pages to be any kind of authority, this book is definitely more of a primer on the topic of shapeshifting.
I appreciated that the topics covered ranged from antiquity to modern, discussed real stories and fiction, and came from all over the world. I definitely learned about some shapeshifting entities that I didn’t previously know about, and it has prompted me to do more research of my own.
Since it is what I came to the book for, I was disappointed that the short chapter on werewolves felt especially lacking. I was disappointed that the rougarou only got a mention and was not connected to the Canadian Métis traditional story. Further, the inclusion and exclusion of certain information seemed wholly arbitrary. The werewolf movies mentioned were all the most obvious choices (The Wolf Man, American Werewolf in London and similar) with only a mention of Twilight for more modern iterations. This is barely scratching the surface! I can’t say that I learned anything new about werewolves from this book.
There is a (to me) strange amount of time put into the topic of vampires, which are not, at least primarily, known for their shapeshifting ability. I’m not saying they shouldn’t have been included, but a discussion of the vampire as a shapeshifter of sorts because it was originally human but now has only a human-like form is conspicuously absent. Additionally, the focus of the vampire chapter, along with lengthy mentions in other sections, did not seem primarily focused on the bat, wolf, etc., iterations but more on the blood-sucking and seductive qualities, the origination of Stoker’s Dracula from Vlad the Impaler (an oft-contested theory anyway), and how suspected corpses-turned-vampires were often dug up and burned or beheaded. Interesting, but I don’t think I’d consider these discussions to be on-topic.
I was especially intrigued to read the chapter “Fluid Shapeshifters, Gender, Sex and Identity,” but instead of offering any sort of in-depth or even compassionate look at gender expression it floundered around without giving many specifics and then mostly focused on cosplay. The chapter completely omits even a mention of drag queen culture, which felt like a miss.
In general, I wish the author could have done a bit less summarizing and a bit more analysis and in-depth discussion. For the most part, I took notes on figures or legends that intrigued me so that I can go on and do my own research. This is in part due to the fact that I found more than a few factual errors, leading me to be generally suspicious of the facts in general. (It is plenty clear if you have read the Harry Potter novels that this statement from page 163 is wholly inaccurate: “In their third year Transfiguration class, student wizards at Hogwarts learned how to become Animagi, that is, wizards—witches too—who can transform themselves into animals.” Wrong, Mr. Kachuba, wrong, and the following paragraphs about the series continue to boldly state inaccurate facts.)
For the most part, I found the book to be overly patchworky, a collection of interesting tidbits and summaries of legends or book and movie plots that constantly shifted direction without offering much of any analysis or true discussion. It is inexcusable to me that a nonfiction book would include factual inaccuracies that are easy to check, so it really does throw into question the accuracy of the book in general. While it wasn’t a total loss, I will keep looking for a better volume on the topic.
I appreciated that the topics covered ranged from antiquity to modern, discussed real stories and fiction, and came from all over the world. I definitely learned about some shapeshifting entities that I didn’t previously know about, and it has prompted me to do more research of my own.
Since it is what I came to the book for, I was disappointed that the short chapter on werewolves felt especially lacking. I was disappointed that the rougarou only got a mention and was not connected to the Canadian Métis traditional story. Further, the inclusion and exclusion of certain information seemed wholly arbitrary. The werewolf movies mentioned were all the most obvious choices (The Wolf Man, American Werewolf in London and similar) with only a mention of Twilight for more modern iterations. This is barely scratching the surface! I can’t say that I learned anything new about werewolves from this book.
There is a (to me) strange amount of time put into the topic of vampires, which are not, at least primarily, known for their shapeshifting ability. I’m not saying they shouldn’t have been included, but a discussion of the vampire as a shapeshifter of sorts because it was originally human but now has only a human-like form is conspicuously absent. Additionally, the focus of the vampire chapter, along with lengthy mentions in other sections, did not seem primarily focused on the bat, wolf, etc., iterations but more on the blood-sucking and seductive qualities, the origination of Stoker’s Dracula from Vlad the Impaler (an oft-contested theory anyway), and how suspected corpses-turned-vampires were often dug up and burned or beheaded. Interesting, but I don’t think I’d consider these discussions to be on-topic.
I was especially intrigued to read the chapter “Fluid Shapeshifters, Gender, Sex and Identity,” but instead of offering any sort of in-depth or even compassionate look at gender expression it floundered around without giving many specifics and then mostly focused on cosplay. The chapter completely omits even a mention of drag queen culture, which felt like a miss.
In general, I wish the author could have done a bit less summarizing and a bit more analysis and in-depth discussion. For the most part, I took notes on figures or legends that intrigued me so that I can go on and do my own research. This is in part due to the fact that I found more than a few factual errors, leading me to be generally suspicious of the facts in general. (It is plenty clear if you have read the Harry Potter novels that this statement from page 163 is wholly inaccurate: “In their third year Transfiguration class, student wizards at Hogwarts learned how to become Animagi, that is, wizards—witches too—who can transform themselves into animals.” Wrong, Mr. Kachuba, wrong, and the following paragraphs about the series continue to boldly state inaccurate facts.)
For the most part, I found the book to be overly patchworky, a collection of interesting tidbits and summaries of legends or book and movie plots that constantly shifted direction without offering much of any analysis or true discussion. It is inexcusable to me that a nonfiction book would include factual inaccuracies that are easy to check, so it really does throw into question the accuracy of the book in general. While it wasn’t a total loss, I will keep looking for a better volume on the topic.
August 21, 2025
DNF. So I don’t like giving any author one star for their work, but…This could have been a fascinating survey of world stories that illustrate and discuss the power of shapeshifting. Disappointingly, Kachuba takes on the ontological perspective of the “more advanced” Westerner who believes he has the higher intellectual ground and that anyone who believes that humans can physically shapeshift is less intelligent or prone to delusion.
There seems to be the assumtion that psychological shapeshifting is likewise unreal, an invalid experience for the psychonaut. Given this, there can be no fair discussion of the nuanced spectrum of shapeshifting, expanded states of consciousness, and spirit possession that cultures the world over continue to evince. Meanwhile a very small population of American and European scholars demand that their ontological perspective is authoritative.
His claim that “shapeshifting is a universal fantasy” for those who feel marginalized and want to escape reduces the rich cultural traditions he mentions to pathology. It seems that Kachuba has little to no direct experience with the so-called primitive cultures or people possibly prone to “hysteria” that he is representing. Furthermore, the work is not well cited and the references leave much to be desired in the way of direct representation of the cultures mentioned.
And don’t get me started on his gross misunderstandings of the gender spectrum and assumptions regarding trans and intersex lives, which dissolve into a weak and trivializing argument that transgender people are like everyone else in that they want to be another person because they feel in some way inferior. Which then leads to a lengthy discussion of mask-wearing, cosplay, and costumes. Ugh. I’m done.
There seems to be the assumtion that psychological shapeshifting is likewise unreal, an invalid experience for the psychonaut. Given this, there can be no fair discussion of the nuanced spectrum of shapeshifting, expanded states of consciousness, and spirit possession that cultures the world over continue to evince. Meanwhile a very small population of American and European scholars demand that their ontological perspective is authoritative.
His claim that “shapeshifting is a universal fantasy” for those who feel marginalized and want to escape reduces the rich cultural traditions he mentions to pathology. It seems that Kachuba has little to no direct experience with the so-called primitive cultures or people possibly prone to “hysteria” that he is representing. Furthermore, the work is not well cited and the references leave much to be desired in the way of direct representation of the cultures mentioned.
And don’t get me started on his gross misunderstandings of the gender spectrum and assumptions regarding trans and intersex lives, which dissolve into a weak and trivializing argument that transgender people are like everyone else in that they want to be another person because they feel in some way inferior. Which then leads to a lengthy discussion of mask-wearing, cosplay, and costumes. Ugh. I’m done.
July 9, 2021
An all around rather standard book that does what the title says: provide a history of shapeshifting. However the short length and vague definition of shapeshifting doesn't provide much depth for the vast variety of time periods and cultures it covers. I found the most interesting chapters about modern shapeshifting (namely cosplay, "vampire" communities, and the shift in what we consider the shapeshifting monster trope). Despite the effort to include the trans experience, I felt the author lacked the perspective to discuss anything relevant (Aka describing someone's sexuality or transition as their "issues".....really?). Also, the pop culture chapter felt like a list instead of the analysis I wanted. Overall just not enough time to get anything other than surface level description of events.
August 13, 2022
I was gonna give this 2, then the last 15 or so pages were little more than a glorified list. Neither a history of shapeshifters nor a particularly interesting take on shapeshifters. The authors definition is so poorly delineated that almost any change to corporeality suits the definition and there's no sustained argument for how thinking in this manner helpfully alters how we think about shape-shifting.
June 22, 2021
I wanted to like this more, and there were a few interesting chapters and insights. However, the comparison between indigenous and “advanced” cultures, and the frequent quotations of JK Rowling (😒) was enough for me to get the ick on this book. For the most part this seemed like the notes you would use to write a book, and not the book itself.
June 5, 2023
A wide ranging survey of shapeshifter lore from all over the world. Not just mythology and folklore, but from modern entertainment as well. An enthusiastic read, that at time makes you wish for an even deeper dive into some of the subjects - but with a comprehensive references section, it handily points the way for further exploration.
September 3, 2021
Fantastic resource for writers or students of the unusual. Broad coverage includes diverse global insights yet still accessible enough for anyone to find useful and interesting. Illustrations are excellent!
October 13, 2019
Amazingly comprehensive, covering vampires, werewolves, and their ilk in everything from myth and religion to popular culture. A must-have resource for those interested in such things.
October 19, 2019
Fairly introductory level but comprehensive in terms of what it covers. A good Halloween gift for someone.
August 7, 2020
3.5
An interesting read. Gives a lot of insight into shapeshifters, referencing history, entertainment, and lore around shape-shifting.
An interesting read. Gives a lot of insight into shapeshifters, referencing history, entertainment, and lore around shape-shifting.
September 30, 2020
An interesting introduction to how shapeshifters are viewed around the world.
October 1, 2020
Interesting first half, but the second half meanders into a list of 'monsters in media' seemingly without purpose.
March 29, 2021
Interesting book, if a bit scattershot.
August 10, 2021
Somehow, this is just not fun to read. So I gave up about 40 pages in.
January 19, 2024
It's a good book if you re looking about a vocabulary of folklore of shapefhifters around the world, on the last chapters though the author loses focus and indulges himself in a display of trivialities which everyone knows about vampires and shapeshifters in pop culture like transformers, power rangers and anything else you can imagine which makes the book a little boring if not annoying.
June 12, 2022
Not worth the cost. Definitely a library borrow. This was a rambling mix of ideas. The details were often hard to follow and it was not what the descriptions online were like.
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