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What is a Shapeshifter ?
https://mythology.net/mythical-creatures/shapeshifter/
Any creature with the ability to undergo a drastic change of appearance is a Shapeshifter. Although they sometimes take monstrous forms, Shapeshifters are not always evil. They can be bloodthirsty, mischievous, helpful, or anything in between.
Characteristics
Physical Description
Naturally, its hard to pin down a Shapeshifter’s appearance. As individuals, their shape is constantly changing, and as a group spread across dozens of cultures, they have a wider variety of shapes than anyone could track.
Beauty is perhaps the biggest trend in their appearance. These characters frequently appear as radiant maidens or strong young men, whose beauty entrances anyone who crosses their path. Other popular forms are wolf-like animals and serpents.
Special Abilities
Shapeshifter’s are as diverse in their abilities as they are in their appearance. Even Shapeshifting, the trait which unifies them, is sometimes more of a curse than an actual magical ability.
In ancient mythology, shapeshifting is just one of the endless magical abilities used by god-like characters. In trickster folklore, shapeshifting is the characters’ only magical ability, but they combines so much cunning with their shapeshifting abilities that they are still a powerful force. In romantic fairytales, shapeshifting is a burden upon powerless characters, who have usually been tricked or cursed by a more powerful magical being.
Shapeshifters Across Culture
Eastern Folklore
Japanese, Chinese, and Korean legends are all crisscrossed with the pawprints of Shapeshifters that transform from foxes into beautiful maidens. These characters are usually evil, using their beauty to seduce and kill men, but occasionally one of the beauties will turn out to be an innocent romantic. Sometimes, Shapeshifters take other forms, such as snakes, cats, badgers, and raccoon dogs.
Indian and Tartar folklore favors Shapeshifters who change from snakes to humans. Again, these characters are almost always up to no good.
Greek and Roman Mythology
Seemingly all of the Greek and Roman gods were Shapeshifters, although some of them enjoyed changing their form more than others. Proteus, a sea god, became famous for his ability to flicker from one form to another to another when enemies pursued him. Zeus, the leader of the gods, used his talent at Shapeshifting for a nefarious purpose; he had a reputation for mistreating beautiful women, so he used Shapeshifting as a way to disguise himself when he approached a new victim.
The gods were also able to transform other people into animals and objects. Often, this sort of transformation was used as a punishment; the goddess Athena transformed a mortal, Arachne, into a spider because she had challenged Athena’s skill at weaving, and Zeus transformed another mortal, Lycaon, into a wolf because he tried to trick Zeus into eating.
