[J. Tithonus Pednaud]

Well, the answer to that question depends on how you define a werewolf. Every culture has shape shifting creatures of lore, though I suppose the modern definition of a werewolf is a man who is able to transform into a wolf and back to a man again.

The etymology of the word is debatable with Germanic and Old English being the most likely. However, predating the word, there are werewolf like monsters (men able to turn to wolves or lupin-like creatures) in myth and folklore as far back as 1500 BCE ( or even 2500 BCE if you count the beast-man Enkidu in the Epic of Gilgamesh – though he was a beast full time and requires a lose definition).

The first transforming myth on record is likely the Greek myth of Lycaon being turned into a wolf by Zeus. In different versions of the myth his offspring were able to polymorph between the two forms. In Histories, the 'first historian Herodotus writes of the Neuri, a Scythian tribe men able to transform into wolves. There is an account of an Olympic boxer named Damarchus who was purported to be a werewolf, likely he was simply a hairy Scythian or perhaps suffered from hypertrichosis. Later, in about 50 AD, Gaius Petronius adds the whole full moon transformation to the werewolf mythology. That addition is really one of the very few aspects to carry as law in the European version of werewolves.

It is important to note that the majority of these ancient werewolf myths had no real special critera for identifing or killing the afflicted. Also, it is important to note that the transformation was almost always a complete man to wolf process. The bipeal werewolf was not a common impression.

The whole development and evolution into European versions of the myth and governing folklore is likely tied to the role werewolves played in early Christianity – it being a punishment and overtly negative. For example Simon Magus, an early messiah alternative to Jesus, was allegedly able to turn into a wolf. St. Patrick transformed and entire clan of Scots into wolves, according to early Christian folklore, as punishment and the entire druidic connection to nature and wolves further outlined the process as negative and connected werewolves with pagan beliefs.

Just as standard practiced pagan rituals became witchcraft and evil. As a result, a lot of the old tradition means of identifying werewolves came to be heavily prejudiced against pagans and those who may have not fit into the Christian norm. For example, those with red hair were considered possible werewolves (as the Scots held on to a lot of pagan traditions) and those born on the 25th of December (previously a day of pagan importance before claimed by the Christians as big J’s B-day.

The line between pagan witchcraft and werewolf folklore became even more blurred as becoming a werewolf became a matter of choice and required a magical potion, balm or ceremony.

Of course, as all that was going on in English European folklore, different European, Asian and Middle Eastern cultures were adapting the werewolf folklore as well. All had different cannon to reflect the beliefs, ideals and morals of their individual cultures.

There are really no 'core' beliefs as quite literally they change from country to country. Not unlike the vampire myths.

Today, what we have is a mash of all that plus the Hollywood dogma.

I know far too much about this stuff, don't I?