Varulv (n.)
A legendary spirit being specific to the folk traditions of northern Scandinavia.
According to ancient folklore the varulv is a forest spirit, formed of the fusing between a human and a wolf, creating a creature that, although wolf-like in appearance, is neither true wolf nor true human. The creation occurs when a human is bitten by a varulv, causing the victim to become varulv in turn. The transition from human to varulv is said to result in a removal of human identity through memory loss, which according to certain traditions of the myth can only be restored when the varulv is called by its human name. If the varulv recalls its name, it can be returned to his or her former human self. If this restoration does not occur, the varulv will remain in its wolf-like state forever, as varulv are said to be immortal. Once the last living person to remember the varulv’s former name is deceased, the varulv’s fate is sealed forever.
Though most extant depictions of the varulv show them as fearsome creatures, they appear to have originally been considered protectors of the great northern forests. The myth’s origins are unclear, but it would seem they pre-date written language. The earliest written myths suggest that members of the community were given to the varulv as a spiritual offering to the trees; this offering would then allow the people dwelling amid those forests to do so successfully. One soul from each generation would be made varulv out of respect for the landscape; a sign of understanding that the human population dwelled there at the sufferance of older forces: the trees themselves. However, more sacrifices of the sort would need to be made in unusual circumstances, namely excessive destruction of the forest by human hands. Examples would include a population boom that required more wood be felled for extra homes or if devastation was caused by a human-set fire. To appease the forests, more members of the community – often, though not always, children – were sent to become ranks of the forest’s protectors as both apology and appeasement. In this way it was believed that a balance was established between the forest and the people who lived within its borders. These sacrifices were made only once the first snows of winter had arrived.
It is supposed that the ancient legends of the varulv formed the antecedents of the modern populist fantasy of werewolves.
See also: Kulning