therianthrope en · NOUN
Pronunciation
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰwer-der. Proto-Hellenic *kʷʰḗr Ancient Greek θήρ (thḗr) Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Ancient Greek -ῐος (-ĭos)? Ancient Greek -ῐον (-ĭon) Ancient Greek θηρίον (thēríon) Ancient Greek ἄνθρωπος (ánthrōpos) English therianthrope From Ancient Greek θηρίον (thēríon, “wild beast”) + ἄνθρωπος (ánthrōpos, “man”).
Meanings
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Any mythical being which is part human, part animal, or is able to shift between human and animal forms.
One appears to have a large beak while another has an appendage resembling a tail. In the language of archaeology, these are therianthropes, or characters that embody a mix of human and animal characteristics. […] The otherworldly nature of the therianthropes also raises the possibility that they are mythical beings, or manifestations of “animal spirit helpers” that are common in shamanic beliefs, according to the study.
2019 December 11, Becky Ferreira, “Mythical Beings May Be Earliest Imaginative Cave Art by Humans”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:Among the depictions are a black rhinoceros, the body of an antelope covered by a red line, two white animals with black stripes that may be zebras, and a therianthrope. The therianthrope (Figure 9.11) appears to have a feline body with human hind legs that may have been added after the original legs had faded somewhat (Wendt 1974:27).
2016, Carmel Schrire, Past and Present in Hunter Gatherer Studies, Routledge, →ISBN:
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Someone who identifies as a nonhuman animal.
Another is that I myself identify as Otherkin—a wolf therianthrope, to be exact—and I find this particular subculture to be absolutely fascinating.
2007 April 20, Lupa, A Field Guide to Otherkin, 1st edition, Stafford: Megalithica Books, →ISBN, page 18:Identifying as a therianthrope, Alex felt a deep, instinctive connection to wolves that shaped their sense of self and community.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| therianthropes | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Relateds
quadrobist · zoanthropy · chimera · therianthropic · therianthropism · otherkin · therianthropy
Synonyms
Translations (12)
fr homme-bête (any mythical being which is part human, part animal) · pl teriantrop (any mythical being which is part human, part animal) · es hombre bestia (any mythical being which is part human, part animal) · ru териа́н (any mythical being which is part human, part animal) · ja 獣人 (any mythical being which is part human, part animal) · ru человекозве́рь (any mythical being which is part human, part animal) · ru о́боротень (any mythical being which is part human, part animal) · fr thérianthrope (any mythical being which is part human, part animal) · de Tiermensch (any mythical being which is part human, part animal) · ru териа́нтроп (any mythical being which is part human, part animal) · grc θηριάνθρωπος (any mythical being which is part human, part animal) · de Menschentier (any mythical being which is part human, part animal)