Waswere

Waswere is a term used in various folklore traditions to describe a shapeshifting being akin to a werewolf or a person believed to transform into an animal, typically under the cover of night. The precise meaning and origin of the word vary by locale, and there is no single, universally accepted definition.

In regional stories, a waswere may be depicted as a human who can assume animal form, either by magical means or through a curse or possession. Accounts differ on the animal type, with wolf or dog forms being common, though other shapes appear in some traditions. Transformations are frequently linked to illness, misfortune, or moral transgressions, and restrictions against carrying or using certain charms, or seeking ritual remedy, may be described.

Scholars view the waswere as a folkloric figure that functions to explain dangerous behavior, disease, or social anxieties. The motif often intersects with broader shapeshifter narratives and with moral or communal boundaries, such as prohibitions on violence or violations of kinship norms.

In modern times, the term appears in the study of folklore and, less commonly, in horror literature and media, where it is used to evoke a cross-cultural werewolf motif without a fixed canonical form. Because the term is not standardized, variations abound and reliable, single-source definitions are scarce.