Therianthropy (from n. therianthrope and adj. therianthropic, part man and part beast, from the Greek theríon, θηρίον, meaning "wild animal" or "beast" (impliedly mammalian), and anthrōpos, άνθρωπος, meaning "human being") refers to the metamorphosis of humans into other animals. Therianthropes have long existed in mythology, appearing in ancient cave drawings such as the Sorcerer at Les Trois Frères.
The term therianthropy was used to refer to animal transformation folklore of Asia and Europe as early as 1901. Sometimes, "zoanthropy" is used instead of "therianthropy".
Therianthropy was also used to describe spiritual belief in animal transformation in 1915 and one source raises the possibility the term may have been used in the 16th century in criminal trials of suspected werewolves.
Therians are people who believe that they are, in whole or in part, a non-human animal. That is to say that part of their core being is a non-human animal, be it spiritually, mentally, et cetera. Unlike furry lifestylers, therians do not necessarily try to outwardly project their animalistic nature, nor do they choose their animal side. They consider themselves to be an animal within, and do not generally give it a name, or use it as a game persona.
Therians do not agree on the cause of therianthropy--some believe they are animals reincarnated as humans, while others believe their soul itself is a hybrid--some feel instead that their therianthropy is completely psychological, and others feel it is metaphysical, but not of the soul. It has been said that if you ask 4 therians what therianthropy is, you will get 5 different answers. The one thing that remains constant is that all therians feel there is part of themselves that is non-human.
Therians may also be called shifters, though this can be a contentious term as a growing number feel they do not actually change from one state to another, but maintain an equilibium between human and animal nature at all times. Therians who do not shift are referred to as contherianthropes.
Terms such as 'lycan', 'garou', or 'lupine' are scorned in most
parts of the therian community, because these terms derive from movies
or games. 'Were', 'werewolf', 'were-creature', 'were-animal', or
'animal-kin' are reasonably well accepted, but 'therian' is the
preferred term, at present. The term 'therian' is simply a short
version of 'therianthrope', which means 'animal-man'.
