How did werewolves originate?

The belief in werewolves may be a relic of early cannibalism. Communities of semicivilized people would begin to http://www.answers.com/topic/shunning those who devoured human flesh, ostracizing them and classifying them as wild beasts. The idea that they had something in common with animals would grow, and the concept that they were able to transform themselves into http://www.answers.com/topic/veritable animals would likely arise. The oldest account of a man changing into a wolf came from Greek writings. Lycaon (from whom the term lycanthropy is derived) was changed into a wolf by Zeus, whom the unfortunate Lycaon had displeased.