/'wɪɾvʉlf/
In folklore, a wirvulfe also known as vulfe, ghost-fox, storm-wolf, talking-hound, fanged-man or howling-nymph is a shapeshifting canine, embodying the traits of a wolves, foxes and humans. Mostly seen as an alternative of the more common werewolf, though featuring key distinctions. The wirvulfe is a being that is equally human and canid at the same time, not a human who is turned in specific conditions. Said to posses the soul and sensibilities of both species.
The wirvulfe is often portrayed as a karmic trickster. Playing pranks on lost travellers in order to teach moral lessons. They are usually portrayed as guides or mentors in most legends. Although some cultures view their mischievous nature with caution, portraying them as beasts or villains best to be avoided.
Common traits of wirvulfes in fiction, depict them as altruistic highly sociable pack animals. They are consistently shown providing council to members of both human and canine groupings. They will also toy with or punish those who have done harm, notably tyrants and abusers, in a manner similar to most fae-folk legends.
Also common in wirvulfe fiction is an act of "turning" similar to that of the werewolf. Under the right conditions any canine or human can potentially become a wirvulfe. These conditions require the turning subject to be in the presence of a wirvulfe under a crying moon (waxing gibbous right after a storm) whilst already possessing the emotional and social traits of a wirvulfe. In such conditions the subject will become a wirvulfe through a transformation described as similar to the parting of clouds or mist. It should be noted that unlike a werewolf, this transformation is permanent and the wirvulfe is free to alter their form at will.
Descriptions of wirvulfes are typically of large canines with sleek or pointed features. Usually with reddish, grey or purple hued fur, although there are descriptions varying from these. In descriptions of wirvulfes presenting as human, they typically still display canine like traits, such as a "wolfish grin", long unkempt hair, squarish body shapes, deeper or gravely voices and animalistic behaviours.
Legends commonly portray wirvulfes prowling during storms or heavy fog. Often depicted as ghostly figures perfectly camouflaged into the water vapor. Because of this many stories portray their more fairy-tale aspects as the mist being a part of their form or magics. This extends to their scent often being described as a mix between petrichor, wet dog and wood smoke.
Many legends relate the wirvulfe close to that of the nymphs of greek myth. Sexual creatures, typically female, who tempt those of impure heart into treacherous situations. Similar myth sees wirvulfes as muses of sexual liberation, representing the border between primal urges and human reasoning. In most of the tales depicting wirvulfes in either of these manners, they are typically paired alongside powerful asexual or lesbian women such as Artemis.
In the modern era wirvulfes have mostly been assimilated into the public ideal of the werewolf, although most historians and cryptozoologists firmly believe there should remain a distinction.