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Shapeshifting, transformation or transmogrification refers to a change in the form or shape of a person. It primarily refers to:
- a change from human form to animal form and vice versa
- a change in appearance from one person to another
- a change in age in the person
Although shapeshifting is not believed to be scientifically or medically possible, it is a common theme in myth and a popular theme in science fiction and fantasy stories.
"Shapeshifting" often refers to characters who change form on their own, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, while "transformation" refers more commonly to externally imposed change of form, whether by magic or sufficiently advanced technology. However, there is no settled agreement on the terminology.
Shapeshifting in myth
Popular shapeshifting creatures in myths and legends are werewolves and vampires (mostly of European, Canadian, and Native American/early American origin), the faerie of Celtic folklore and the Leopard or Hyena men of Central Africa.
Shapeshifting to the form of a wolf is specifically known as lycanthropy, and such creatures who undergo such change are called lycanthropes.
Other terms for shapeshifters include metamorph, skin-walker, mimic, therianthrope, and were.
Examples of shapeshifting in classical literature include many examples in Ovid's Metamorphoses, Circe's transforming of Odysseus' men to pigs in Homer's The Odyssey, and Apuleius's becoming a donkey in The Golden Ass.
Notable shapeshifters in fiction
Shapeshifters appear in many fantasy and science fiction stories.
Notable shapeshifting characters include:
See werewolf for lists of fiction featuring werewolves.
In the story of Puss in Boots, the hero (a cat) tricks an ogre into becoming a mouse; he then eats it.
In The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, Gregor Samsa wakes up to find himself transformed into a large insect-like creature.
Many types of shapeshifters occur in Laurell K. Hamilton's novels in the Anita Blake series, such as werewolves, werejaguars, wererats, and even a wereswan.
Kimberly Rangel's novel Shadows follows the story of two people cursed to be werepanthers.
In the Harry Potter series, certain wizards, called Animagi, are trained in the art of shapeshifting. Animagi can only tranform into one specific animal, but no two Animagi become the same one.
D. M. Wind's novel The Others is about a group of shapeshifters from another dimension who can turn into any animal at will, though they usually take the form of either wolves or panthers.
Many of Jack L. Chalker's novels involve one or more transformations; he wrote an essay on physical transformation as a metaphor for various psychological changes, included in his short story collection Dance Band on the Titanic. This theme is used several times in the Jerry Cornelius stories by Michael Moorcock, as well as in works by Robert Sheckley, Nina Kiriki Hoffman and others.
The word "transmogrification" has been popularized by the transmogrifier used in Calvin and Hobbes.
The Transformation Stories Archive is an online collection of stories by amateur authors centered around transformations.
See also
External Links
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