therianthrope

plural therianthropes

1. human sciencesAny mythical being which is part human, part animal, or is able to shift between human and animal forms.

   2 more examples

   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

   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

2. Someone who identifies as a nonhuman animal.

   Identifying as a therianthrope, Alex felt a deep, instinctive connection to wolves that shaped their sense of self and community.

   1 more example

   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

   Synonyms: therian