Lykaon, the first werewolf
In revenge for the insults done to his goddess by Zeus, Lykaon set out to trick the god, and to prove he had feet of clay.
He invited the king of the gods to dine with him, and in preparation for the visit, Lykaon murdered his own son, Nyctimus, butchered the boy’s body, and had his slaves roast it, to be served at the feast.
On the day of the feast, the gruesome dish was served forth to the god, who knew immediately what he had done, and summoned a lightning bolt to smite Lykaon for his sins.
Knowing he was about to die, Lykaon used his final breaths to pray to Kybele, declaring his son a sacrifice in her name, and affirming his faith in her.
Furious that Zeus would dare to strike down her most devoted follower, when Zeus struck Lykaon down, she raised him up again in the skin of a wolf, who are sacred to her.
The touch of the goddess drove all men mad, and in the divine madness of his transformation, Lykaon turned on his assembled family and tore them apart.
Most died, but a few survived, forever tainted with the curse of Kybele’s divine favour, possessing the strength and ferocity of a wolf and the madness of one touched by the gods, and they passed this taint down to their children, and so to all Werewolves.
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