Therianthropy

'Therianthropy' is the noun/term used to refer to and explain the intrinsic experience surrounding one's non-human animalistic identity. It is the term that encapsulates the broader experience, while the term 'therianthrope' (someone who involuntarily identifies as a non-human animalistic creature) refers to the individual who experiences it.

Some therians don't know what causes them to identify as non-human, but it is commonly known and accepted that therianthropy in itself is not a choice. It is also agreed upon that a therian can not pick or choose their theriotype/theriotypes. And many (but not all) therians identify as currently living animals, though it is not uncommon to see therianthropes who identify as extinct animals (paleotherian), fictional creatures (fictherian), or even animals that are considered mythical (theriomythic). It is also relatively common and entirely possible for a therian to have more than one theriotype; individuals that experience this are known as polytherians.

Etymology and Pre-modern History

The word therianthropy existed well before the community first used it. The term originates from a portmanteau of Greek words, those being thirío [θηρίο] or thēríon [θηρίον], meaning beast. And Anthropos [ἄνθρωπος] or anthrópinos [ἄνθρώπινος], meaning human. So the term loosely translates to "animal person".

In historical contexts, the term 'therianthropy' is used to describe people in mythology and folklore who could shapeshift and become animals or were-creatures. One book raises the possibility that the term may have been used as early as the 16th century in the criminal trials of suspected werewolves.

"Between 1521 and 1600 several men were sentenced to death in court for "lycanthropy" or therianthropy (becoming a wild beast), and such cases were recorded into the eighteenth century. In fact, during one extended period some thirty thousand cases of werewolf possession were reported to authorities. In God's name, inquisitors sometimes hacked these people apart to search for the telltale wolf hair supposedly planted inside their bodies."

One of the first known written and published appearances of the word "therianthropy" can be seen in "The Religious Systems of China" written by J.J.M De Groot in 1901. The usage of therianthropy can be found on page 171 of Volume IV, Book II "On the Soul and Ancestral Worship, Part 1.

"The tale of Cheu Chen's slave shows a new feature in Chinese tiger-lore, which, like so many others, we find also in therianthropy elsewhere in Asia and in Europe, namely, that the change into a beast may be brought about artificially and wilfully by the means of charms, spells, and other instruments of witchcraft."

The terms 'therianthropy' and 'therianthropic' were used to describe spiritual beliefs surrounding animal transformation in a 1915 Japanese publication, "A History of the Japanese People from the Earliest Times to the End of the Meiji Era."

The term 'theriomorphic' refers to beings that have both human and animal features simultaneously, or have an animal form; an example of this is the Egyptian Gods. The term was also referenced in the first known use of the term 'therianthropy'.

The word "therian" also has a meaning within science and biology. Therian, in taxonomy, refers to a member of the mammalian subclass known as 'Theria'. This subclass consists of all marsupial and placental mammals and their extinct ancestors (it does not include monotremes).

Modern History

The first online presence of therians can be traced back to alt.horror.werewolves/AHWW, a Usenet group that was created on November 16th, 1992. And, a little under a year later, the discussions started to focus more on personal non-human identities (notably on the 7th of November, 1993).

The term 'therianthropy' was first suggested as a replacement term for 'lycanthropy' on December 13th, 1994.

"Perhaps the word lycanthropy is a bit confusing at this point. Anyone besides me heard of the term 'therianthropy' (sp) which is a more general term for lycanthropy?"

From there, the community expanded, and different members went on to create their own online groups, many of which are now defunct but have luckily been archived.

For more information, see Alt.horror.werewolves and History of Modern Therianthropy

Symbols

The therian community (and broader alterhuman community) use a wide variety of symbols to represent themselves. The symbol most often associated with the therian community is the Theta-Delta (seen below). It includes and represents all therianthropic identities.

See Theta-Delta for more info and variations

Standard Theta-Delta

Age Range

Therianthropes can be any age, and thus has no specific age range or limit, but most therians awaken and/or find the community when they're between the ages of 8 - 18 years old.

The term that's commonly used to describe older therians is 'greymuzzle', it's used to describe therians that are typically over 40 years of age and who have been awakened for a substantial amount of time. However, it is agreed that a therian can not assign themselves the title, it must be earned through hard work and contributions to the community. The AHWW established the rule that 'greymuzzle' is something other therians use to refer to an older member, but older members can not refer to themselves with the term.

Subcategories

There are many different subcategories within the therian community. Each describes and explains a different or varying experience a therian may experience, ranging from a therian's level of integration (which affects shifts), how many creatures a therian identifies as, and what levels a therianthrope identifies as a non-human.

Some of these include:

• Contherian
• Genutherian
• Theriomythic
• Fictherian
• Polytherian
• Holothere

For a full list, see the Terms Quick List

Common Misconceptions

See also: Common Misconceptions

"You must be born a therian"

A common misconception in therianthropy is that you must be born a therian. When you hear the word "become", you may associate it with the word "choosing", as the word implies a voluntary action. However, it neither implies a voluntary nor involuntary action, so yes, someone can involuntarily become a therian. Some of the reasons someone may involuntarily become a therian are imprinting during early childhood, or as an involuntary coping mechanism for trauma (not to be confused with copinglink, a non-therian identity where someone chooses to identify as an animal as a coping mechanism).

"Therians and furries are the same thing"

Furry is a term to describe someone who takes an interest or finds enjoyment in the concept of anthropomorphic animals/creatures. Therianthropes involuntarily identify as non-human creatures. The difference between the two is that one is an interest/hobby (furry), while the other is an identity (therianthrope). While the two don't inherently overlap, there are some who identify as a part of both communities.

"Therians are still normal humans, despite their identity"

Nope, being a therian means that you're not fully human. The whole definition of the identity states that a therianthrope "identifies as a non-human creature". The whole point of the identity is that therians are not 'normal people', however, they are still functionally human. And if a therian was to identify as a 'regular human', it would be the same as someone who's transmasc saying, "I am transmasc, but I still identify as a woman" (It is important to note that the comparison is used only for an easier understanding; therians are not part of the LGBTQ+ community). Many therians only identify as their theriotype in a non-physical way, however, that still means that they are not 'normal humans'. And holotheres/physical therians, who physically identify as their theriotype, are fundamentally even less human than non-physical therianthropes.

"Therians act like animals 24/7, and bark/hiss at people in public"

The majority of therians are private about their non-human identity and keep more animal-like behaviour under control while in public. Therians are still functionally human.

"Therianthropy is only spiritual"

The idea that therianthropy is inherently spiritual has been a common misconception in recent years due to the rise of "TikTok therians". And while many therians believe that their identity has spiritual roots, that isn't the case for a large part of the community. See psychological therianthropy for more examples of non-spiritual causes.