Werewolf Facts

The Wawkalak

The Wawkalak is a Russian version of werewolf. He was punished by the evil ones who transformed him into a werewolf. He is very restless and cannot stay in one place. He is not social and avoids company. Russians call the werewolf an Oborot or bodark, meaning 'the transformed one.' A recipe to become an oborot suggests 'He who desires to become an oborot, let him seek in the forest a hewn-down tree, let him stab it with a small, copper knife, and walk around the tree and repeat the following incantation: 'On the sea, on the ocean, on the island, on Bujan"¦ then he springs thrice over the tree and runs into the forest transformed into an oborot.'

A among the White Russians. It is a man who has incurred the wrath of the Devil and is punished by beings transformed into a wolf and sent among his relations. The wawkalak does not harm his kindred but never remains long in any place.

A Wawkalak is a legendary Russian . Also known as vourdalak or оборотень. The wawkalak is a russian person; punished by the devil. He is unable to know when he changes. Many russians believe that neighbors and family of the punished man are unafraid of him. He only feeds on those who fear him. Although he changes into a wawkalak, his human counterpart is unchanged by the curse.

In Russia, there are actually two different types of werewolves, and they are very different indeed.

The first is known as the wawkalak. This type of werewolf has seriously angered the Devil and because of that, has been turned into a werewolf. However, wawkalaks were not considered to be evil, or even vicious. They would simply return to their village and lick the hands of the ones they knew to show their love for the people. Their friends and family would always recognize the wolf, and would feed him to keep up his strength. The biggest curse that the wawkalak would have placed upon him (with the exception of now being a wolf) was that they could not stay in any one place for too long because they would need a constant change of scenery. So, they would roam from house to house looking for food, shelter, and love. Aw, sounds kind of sweet doesn't it? Besides the whole pissing off the Devil thing?

The other type of werewolf that's known in and around Russia is the bodark. This type of werewolf was once a person, but instead of being made to transform into a wolf, the person who becomes a bodark actually wants to be one. To do so, they would need to run into the forest and stab a copper knife into a tree. Still holding the knife, they are then to repeat this chant:

"On the sea, on the ocean, on the island, on Bujan,
On the empty pasture gleams the moon, on an ashstock lying
In a green wood, in a gloomy vale.
Toward the stock wandereth a shaggy wolf.
Horned cattle seeking for his sharp white fangs;
But the wolf enters not the forest,
But the wolf dives not into the shadowy vale,
Moon, moon, gold-horned moon,
Cheek the flight of bullets, blunt the hunters' knives,
Break the shepherds' cudgels,
Cast wild fear upon all cattle,
On men, on all creeping things,
That they may not catch the grey wolf,
That they may not rend his warm skin
My word is binding, more binding than sleep,
More binding than the promise of a hero!"

Once the tree had been stabbed, and the incantation chanted, the person would then run off into the forest, changing into a werewolf as he did so. Whether or not these wolves would look for humans to feast on and harm is unclear.