Questions on the Nature of Lycans

I'm back to this forum -- it's been a while. College cam be a busy beast.

Anyways, I digress.

I've been looking through this forum recently to see what new topics were being discussed, and I've take some interest in the topics on the Lycans, the Otherkin that are supposedly an inspiration for the werewolf stories.

I already know that a Lycan are more physically powerful then a Vampire would, while a Vampire is more metaphysically powerful then a Lycan.

However, I do have a question on one aspect -- the nature of a Lycan's soul, other than it being an Otherkin:

How does a Lycan upkeep its physical strength?
(I assume that they use their metaphysical energy towards their strength unconsciously, hence why they would be metaphysically inferior to a Vampire and why the small specimens would still be physically powerful, though please correct me if I'm wrong.)

Where do the Lycans get the energy they need? Do they feed like a Vampire, or do they take it in from the environment like most humans do?

Finally, would the Otherkins that inspire the weretigers stories (from Asian culture) also be a kind of Lycans, or would they be something else?

I hope you all take care!

Nevermind on the first question -- I think I know the answer.

Basically, remember how the Asetian's soul is more ethereal and less connected to their physical bodies, resulting in their somewhat less physically powerful bodies? I think the opposite is true for the Lycans -- their soul is less ethereal and more connected to their physical bodies, which results in their more physically powerful bodies.

Woth this revelation, though, I propose a new question: If a Vampire is more spiritual and a Lycan is more physical, would that make humans be the in between of them, being the balance between the spiritual and the material?

Lycanthropes are metaphysical, not physical, beings. However, their metaphysical nature overlaps to a strong connection with the physical as enhancement of such senses and strengths. This makes them adept at various forms of survival, self-healing and regeneration, stamina, reflex and strength, also owning decent intuition and strong instinct if in a healthy state and integrated with their nature. This isn't to say they're more physical than humans or to comprise a polarity with vampires, as in many ways they relate to vampiric beings who can even in rarer cases share similar traits and vice versa. In fact, being otherkin creatures, a nature which is spiritual, only spirituality actually can unlock a full realization of their truer face of Self. So to say that they'd be less spiritual than humans isn't accurate, as most humans don't even know about spirituality in a genuine sense. Lycanthropes are naturally drawn to metaphysics.

Also I'm mostly comparing lycanthropes to other vampiric beings than Asetians or even Sethians, since these two latter are on a whole other playing field than most vampires and even lycanthropes out there.

However, this stronger connection with the physical doesn't preclude them from developing spiritually, as it's actually a metaphysical form of energy of their innate subtle system that does interact quite strongly with the physical, and it's not a one way street that goes merely into the physical as it can just as well making spiritual realization easier and far more powerful, more or less readily apparent to their mind, as they are indeed beings of metaphysics in my view... just different from vampires in general and geared in a different way. But this is not to say that they can't develop subtle abilities or magickal powers as it's very much within their scope as beings that may relate much to shamanistic or witchcraft approaches I think, just in a different than strictly traditional sense although it can vary depending on practice. There's indeed something I'm examining in that relation, though, but can't yet formulate to the best extent.

They can also manipulate this stronger energy connection to the physical side in the way of biological processes to easier handle survival or environmental situations, extreme weather, warmth, cold, etc., which isn't a non-spiritual practice in itself either as it makes use of metaphysical energy and strong metaphysical senses or abilities of manipulation, just not indeed as ethereally as a vampire but that doesn't mean they can't learn through practice to easier interact with far more subtler layers of reality, although I'd imagine that takes much more practice and doesn't come as natural and effortlessly for them as in general vampiric kin.

Hope this helps in some vein to elucidate some form of understanding.

I totally agree with you, Mystic (also, I heard great things about you!) -- I would also like to mention that I meant to say that the Lycans are still metaphysical beings -- sorry for the misunderstanding. I also like how you describe that the Lycans can still be spiritual and such -- thanks for saying that!

I'm still curious, though, on whether the Lycans have to feed like the Vampires do, or if they get all the energy they need like humans do.

On a side note, I wonder where the Lycans came from -- I already know that the Asetians came from Aset and that humans came from the Waters of Chaos (or what the name was -- I hope you know what I mean). Could the Lycans have came from a similar source?

Now that's a good question, I have no definitive answer upon the second and it's something I've been searching on for a long time. By far not an easy one. One of my best theories is simply a form of shamanistic or witchcraft transformation in older or even present days given the knowledge wasn't ever lost. It's such a theory however, it's hard to actually ascertain or trace to its roots and not see as pure fiction, but it's something that's often stayed with me so maybe a subconscious memory or intuition of some kind although far from anything that's proven. [...]

[...] We know stories of shapeshifting individuals have been around for a long time through various cultures, though, like the weretigers you mention in Asia. As for those, I don't know if they're the same otherkin creature or if it's not owing to some shamanistic practice rather than spiritual nature exactly, where the shaman takes on a certain form through certain practices that best align with their view of a predator animal in order to gain its strength, power and abilities in order to protect their tribe metaphysically from threats or from other tribes' shamans but which might carry over certain behaviors during the mental shift to the physical realm, but that's not very unlike actual lycanthropy however. Werewolves are quite specifically wolf-like, though, although not wolves exactly, in my view at least, but more beastlike creatures that resemble large humanoid wolf-like creatures in the astral I believe. Wolf can serve as a decent metaphor though.  

I think lycanthropes can feed quite a bit... and may sometimes even have low energy reserves in a vampiric sense and actually act out vampirically... which might even trigger their inner lycanthropic beast, that may feel like a form of metaphysical blood frenzy in those cases but it's energetic and blood mostly a metaphor. But, I don't think they need to feed as often as vampires, generally, or just considerably less. One thought leads me to think that they aren't as highly demanding in their subtle system as vampires at all but still there can be occasions when they have a predatory urge. Whether this owes directly to lower energy reserves or just their nature being in a predatory manner and could just use a little extra energy for metaphysical empowerment, instinctually, I don't fully know, but I do think forms of vampirism aren't totally alien to lycanthropic beings and they might have a far easier time to relate to it than humans which don't always share similarities to either. [..]

[...] Just a bit different from general vampiric kin, however, as it's a differently lived experience of life overall as conditioned by their subtle system and inner nature that gives a far different outlook on life. They're said to be rather wildly chaotic in natural predisposition and fiercely predatory or aggressive in a more beastlike manner rather than the archetype we have of vampires which is more in alignment with a different form of chaos as the more void-like realities of the far beyond, as is a good description that once stuck with me from somebody else's description. Now, maybe these can overlap in certain cases as I know of individuals who seem to either share characteristics from both sides or relate to both natures simultaneously in different ways so maybe they can hold certain mysteries or answers for each other, at least in some cases (not all, like most vampires that can't relate directly to lycanthropy for instance or even if there are lycanthropes that can't relate to vampirism, which I don't think is unheard of but I don't fully know as much of this is just what I've heard or seen around from different places and people that I can't metaphysically verify at present though, even if I could and had the chance).

Thanks for the response, Mystic!

In terms of the "feeding" portion of your reply, what you said actually makes sense.It would explain the notion of the "period of time when the person is a beast," and why it isn't often as a Vampire's feeding is.

Upon reflecting the "origins" question, I remember Victor saying that the Lycans may have originated around ancient Europe. If my memory serves correctly, there were two groups that used a werewolf-like methodology: the Goths, and the Old Norse. The Goths were a group of "wolf-warriors," as they were told, and the Old Norse had both "bear-warriors" and "wolf-warriors." With how you said that it was possibly a shamanistic form of transformation, could it be possible that the Lycans could of originated from either or both of those groups?

That's a very interesting idea but I can't say for certain at all. I wonder what Victor has to say in present days.