Werewolves, also known as a lycanthrope, children of the moon or shape-shifters, are humans that have the ability to transform into large wolves at night, which is usually during a full moon.
There is so much lore surrounding werewolves, and in modern times we have adapted these to some very entertaining movies and stories, but one thing that is not always clear is a werewolf’s diet.
What do werewolves eat? In their wolf form, werewolves require fresh meat in order to survive. In human form, werewolves can eat whatever they please. However, you will not find a vegetarian werewolf since they aren’t able to survive on a meat-free diet.
Keep reading to learn more about the importance of meat for werewolves, what werewolves drink, and whether they can eat certain foods.
The Importance Of Meat For Werewolves
Just as vampires need blood to survive, werewolves need to consume meat to survive as well. Werewolves need to eat flesh to live, whether it is raw or cooked flesh, they need to eat meat.
If a werewolf does not consume fresh meat, they will grow weak, and can even lose control. If a werewolf loses control, they can go on a rampage and eat humans or anything else in their way.
When in wolf form, werewolves much prefer raw meat, and this is often in the form of animals such as rabbits, deer or birds.
Werewolves have great senses and reflexes and are incredible hunters. There is not much that can stand between a werewolf and its prey.
Following a typical diet during the day, when a werewolf does turn they will most likely find a wooded area and hunt. Getting in the way of a werewolf is dangerous, but it is not always fatal if the werewolf has just eaten.
They are most powerful during a full moon, and this is when they will be at their most dangerous. Werewolves can choose whether to shift or not and can shift at will, but when it is a full moon, they are more drawn to their wolf form, and more drawn to hunting and feeding.
Wolves in the wild hunt in packs, with an alpha, and while werewolves do not necessarily hunt in numbers, they do tend to live in packs and have one main alpha. It is thought that wolves living this way are more adapted to human society and are a lesser danger.
Can Werewolves Eat Chocolate?
This might seem like an odd question to ask, but every responsible dog owner knows that you should not feed your dog chocolate, as it is poisonous to them. This begs the question of whether or not a werewolf can eat chocolate.
The answer isn’t very clear, but with a werewolf weighing the same as an average human, and considerably more than a dog, they should be able to tolerate small amounts of chocolate without too much harm being done.
Chocolate contains theobromine, which is what is harmful to dogs, and what would be harmful to werewolves. When consuming chocolate, werewolves might become intoxicated and feel sick, but probably not to the extent that dogs would.
It is also important to note that werewolves have the ability to heal quickly, and their body will probably be able to heal any sickness they might feel from eating chocolate.
Werewolves will also likely have an aversion to citrus and citronella much like dogs, as even in their human form their sense of smell is heightened, and these might be overwhelming scents for them.
A werewolf in wolf form will probably not come across a bar of chocolate and take the time to eat it, especially when they are out on the hunt for some meat.
In human form, a werewolf will come across chocolate often, such as a chocolate bar, chocolate frosting, or chocolate ice cream.
Mixed in with other ingredients, it is possible that they will be able to stomach the chocolate, and whether or not they feel sick will depend on how much they eat.
What Do Werewolves Drink?
There is not much of a restriction on what werewolves can and can’t drink, and as they spend most of their time in human form, they will drink what most humans drink.
As long as their beverage does not contain chocolate or silver, werewolves can drink anything during the day, and follow the ordinary hydration habits of a human.
When it comes to alcohol, it could be quite difficult for a werewolf to become drunk. Their cells work to heal the body at a rapid rate, with super-healing being one of their characteristics. Because of this, it is nearly impossible for them to become drunk as their body is constantly fighting it off.
This does not mean that they cannot enjoy a few glasses of whiskey, and in modern pop culture, werewolves are often depicted as living in packs and gathering around bars and pubs where they all sit around with a beer in hand and discuss their next pack move.
Water, soda, wine, all are fine for werewolves to drink. If they did want to get drunk, or even slightly tipsy, they would have to drink copious amounts of alcohol to get there!
Do Werewolves Drink Blood?
Werewolves do not go out looking for blood but instead consume blood mainly from eating the raw flesh of humans and animals. The blood goes hand and hand with the meat they consume and probably tastes delicious when they are in wolf form.
There is not too much lore surrounding the idea of werewolves drinking blood, except in Greece, just before the 19th century.
The Greeks believed that if the corpses of werewolves were not destroyed, they would come back to life, taking the form of a wolf or a hyena. These wolves or hyenas would then prowl the battlefield and drink the blood of dying soldiers.
A similar belief was held in rural parts of Germany, Poland, and Northern France. Villagers believed that those who died in mortal sin would return back to life as blood-drinking wolves. These undead werewolves would be human during the day, and then a blood-thirsty wolf at night.
They believed the only way to stop these blood-lusting wolves would be to decapitate them and then have them exorcised by a priest. The head would then be thrown into a stream and the weight of its sins would weigh it down.
Vampires are often linked to werewolves, especially in areas such as Bulgaria, Serbia, and Slovenia. In Serbia, vampires and werewolves are collectively known as vulkodlak, and werewolves would be disposed of the same way as vampires would.
This does draw some similarities between the idea of vampires surviving off of blood, and the idea that werewolves might have a lust for blood as well.
When it comes to werewolves, it is more likely the lust for fresh meat, and for the hunt, that contributes to them drinking blood, but with the importance put on the eating of flesh, especially when it is raw.
Related Questions
How does a person become a werewolf?
In most literature, a person can become a werewolf through disease, bite from another werewolf, or from a witches curse.
Lycanthropy, which is the werewolf’s curse, is a disease that originates from an unknown origin. This is transmitted through the saliva of a werewolf. Just one bite from an infected werewolf is all it takes to turn a normal person into one, and the bite will leave a lifelong scar.
Once a person is bitten by a werewolf, they will experience their first transformation within the next full moon, and they will have no recollection of who they are once they do turn into a werewolf, until they transform back into a human.
What are werewolves’ weaknesses?
Werewolves are known to be susceptible to silver. This idea was first introduced in the 20th century, but it is considered to burn the skin of a werewolf, and act like mercury to a human and cause poisoning.
One of the most common ways to kill a werewolf is with a silver bullet through the heart.
Wolfsbane is a herb that is considered poisonous to werewolves as well and can greatly weaken them and even cause death if consumed in big quantities.
The Diet Of A Werewolf
The diet of a werewolf is fairly similar to a wolf living out in the wild. Werewolves need to consume fresh meat to stay alive, and if they go for too long without fresh meat, they will go into a craze and attack anything they come across.
As most of their time is spent in human form, werewolves can consume pretty much everything a human can, but when in wolf form, they have an insatiable lust for fresh meat, and sometimes there is nothing that can stop a wolf from going after his prey!
