Werecreatures

There are several types of werecreatures in Trimanian folklore. The first are those cursed to involuntary change every full moon, as well as the night before and night after the full moon. They are called werecreature (werewolf, werebeaver and so on, depending on what they have been cursed to transform into). The transformation is very painful and make the werewolves dangerous and volatile, but not evil. It is said that they can be freed from the curse by a ritual that involves dressing them in human clothes and invoking the name of Svarog. The second type of werecreature is the Volkodlak They are spellcasters that through sacrifice to the Black Serpent are able to change form. They especially crave virgins and are often claimed as the cause when a victim of various atrocities are found. These can change into several forms, both animals like wolves or boars (but not bears) and inanimate objects, like a stick, a stack of hay or a stone. The third type also transforms voluntarily, but has no connection to the Black Serpent. He or she is called a shapeshifter (Hamnskiftare) These men and women have a special connection to nature and by Svarogs grace are able to take the shape of various beasts. The kniazi of Drevnedub claim their ancestry from one such holy man, The Master of the Woods who could change into a bear, and some of the Elders of the province also are presumed to have such powers

In legend, volkodlaks and shapeshifters often fight each other, but they might also be seen as the turning point of tales involving only other humans, with either one side gaining the aid of a shapeshifter in battle, or several villages banding together to hunt down a volkodlak. These legends are usually considered fairytales with a morale rather than depiction of actual events, and are frowned upon by the upper classes. Still, they are told by the church of Svarog and are quite popular in the north of the kingdom Not only wolves, but bears and foxes can be werecreatures. There are also some less common werecreatures, like the werebeaver