Myths

[Kyte]

We are looking for legends around the world for the part one of Project Pawprint. Thus far, the few that have been on the chat, have come up with a few.
They are as follows:
~Nagas
~Kitsune/Inari
~Beast of Bray Road


What I need help with is legends of shapeshifters or even something that might link into therianthrophy from around the world. If you post something please let us know the area, the beast or creature/person, why are they important.
If at all possible please leave us a link as well. A picture would also be nice but that can be put on here or even emailed to me at projectpawprint@gmail.com

PLEASE! DO NOT USE WIKIPEDIA OR ANY FORM OF WIKIPEDIA.

[PhelanVelvel]

I think this legend would be useful. I'm trying to dig up more about it or more Native American legends with shape-shifting in them. This is at least a good real-world incidence how cultures would use animals in combination with their own identities. Basically, the Dog Soldiers of Cheyenne believed their group originated when a member of the Cheyenne sang and all the dogs of the village joined him in the tent, and as they entered the tent, they became people.

http://digital.library.okstate.edu/C.../v001p090.html

I'll link some more Native-American legends I find about kind of shape-shifting stuff.

http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Le...-Cherokee.html

That one is about a man who lives with a bear and lives like one and becomes like a bear himself, though he looks like a man on the outside.

http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Le...-Cherokee.html

Dude does something he isn't supposed to, turns into a river snake. :P

http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Le...gic-Caddo.html

This is a really nice and sad little story about a man who falls in love with a beautiful woman who is actually a buffalo who has undergone a magical transformation.

I'm sure there are many more legends of these kinds in that database, I'm just too tired to sift through them at the moment. :P

[Gryphling]

There is an ancient Greek myth about King Lycaon, who may be the first werewolf recorded. (note: "may." It's the first one I've found anyway, though of course there can be others that I simply don't know about.)

[Kaye Sweetbriar]

There is an ancient Greek myth about King Lycaon, who may be the first werewolf recorded. (note: "may." It's the first one I've found anyway, though of course there can be others that I simply don't know about.)

But I'm not entirely certain that Lycaon was a werewolf. I have a hard time constituting him as one, anyway. He was turned into a wolf as punishment by the gods, not necessarily a shapeshifter.

[IssoireLynx]

I'm collecting legends about shapeshifters too. Especially cats.

[Arual Enilorac]

I've heard that the Kelpie can shapeshift into a normal horse or a human with horse ears. (That's how they draw them in so they can drown them in lakes. xP)

[JPR]

I dont really have a link for it but there is the Native American legend of the Skinwalkers.

[House of Chimeras]

How about selkies (also spelled silkies)? http://www.orkneyjar.com/folklore/selkiefolk/index.html

A lot of the legends I’ve heard of about them often depict them as beings that once they're forced to live as humans only (because a human has stolen their seal skin) they often mourn and long for their seal forms again and will take any chance they get to return to the sea again.

[Entropy in Drag]

Aloiis pointed out the Rukai to me years ago... they're an indigenous people living in the mountains of southern Taiwan. They have a legend about their ancestors being led into their current lands by a clouded leopard and an eagle:
http://web.pthg.gov.tw/en/CP.aspx?s=1112&cp=1&n=10952

More sauce:
http://indigenous.pristine.net/peopl.../index_en.html

Aloiis' input and some more detail:
http://akhila.feralscribes.org/essays/folklore.php

[cheetah]

I'll probably be able to dig something up on werecats...

I'll look into were-lions of Africa, the Tsovo maneaters (I read on a site that some believed them to be reincarnations), jaguar warriors, the Mayan jaguar-growl instrument (Here, only stringed instrument in Mesoamerica), were-tigers...

That said, while I'm happy to help, I don't see how having a large variety of myths about shapeshifters right at the beginning of the documentary is going to be that helpful.