Shape shifting as a mythological, fantastical, illustrative or literary device is as old as dirt. It exists in ancient legend, poetry, children's literature, all forms of performance art, and modern diversions such as movies and computer games. Though there are a variety of ways in which shifts occur, shifts are clearly divided into (1) voluntary, and (2) involuntary. They can be shifts into human, nonhuman, or inanimate forms, and can include out-of-body experiences. The one critical issue is, "How physically real can they be?" Answer: Shape shifting can't be real, except in the case of a few color changing animals, and then it's coloration, not shape. EXCEPT, of course, in a virtual reality such as Second Life, or alternatively (or complementarily) in a controllable dream.
Voluntary shape shifting is just that: a voluntary transformation based upon some selfish motive. This may be profit, revenge, or, most importantly here, amusement - not necessarily in the form of a practical joke, but in the sense of obtaining experiences otherwise unavailable. (Prolly never done in SL.)
Involuntary transformation, on the other hand, is often the result of action by a deity, a curse, some evil being, an "infection," or use of a potion. The drama of dealing with this transformation - overcoming the curse, defeating evil, or receiving just deserts for irresponsible or malevolent behavior, makes for good storytelling. Iz why the stories, LOL.
MULTIPLE MYTHOLOGICAL TRANSFORMATIONS (or How complicated can it get?)
Transgender humans are a simple form of shape shifting in that they involve only a few "appendages" and represent only a matter of degree in other areas. Disguising one's gender may present one with opportunities otherwise unavailable.
Such shifting is common in mythology. For example, Zeus disguised himself as Artemis to get close enough to Callisto to take advantage of her.
The beautiful Callisto was a companion nymph of Artemis (aka the Roman Diana), all of whose nymphs took a vow of chastity. Zeus (aka the Roman Jupiter) was determined to have her, and, to evade the scrutiny of his wife Juno and get close enough to Callisto to seduce her, disguised himself as Artemis. He was successful, and of course Callisto got pregnant. The REAL Artemis, enraged by all of this, expelled Callisto from her group. Then either Zeus, trying to cover things up, or Juno, out of anger, turned Callisto into a bear, even though it wasn't in any way her fault. (*sigh... Typical.)
Callisto was a bear, but her son Arcas was of course human. He grew up, and became a fine hunter of bears. This was an obvious recipe for disaster, but tragedy was averted by Zeus, who turned them both into heavenly formations, Callisto into the constellation Arctos (the Great Bear - Ursa Major), and Arcas into the nearby constellation Arctophylax (the Little Bear - Ursa Minor).
In Second Life, so many follow the example of Zeus that it's hardly worth mentioning. Unfortunately, they don't have his abilities to remedy any unfortunate situations thus created.
Ancient myth shape shifting score: Deity -> Tranny -> Furry -> Human -> Celestial Body Hmmmmmmm...
LITERATURE
Puck or Robin Goodfellow, being a faerie, is a ubiquitous character in English and Celtic folklore. In Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, Puck is a minion of Oberon, the Fairy King, who sends him to obtain juice from the flower love-in-idleness as part of a plot to punish Titania. Puck makes mistakes, creates chaos, and his humorous mischief drives the play.
Shape shifting? Puck transforms Nick Bottom’s head into that of a donkey, so that Titania, the fairy queen, will fall in love with the beast and will forget about her little changeling boy, whom Oberon has other plans for. As for Puck himself...
“Through bog, through bush, through brake, through brier:
Sometime a horse I’ll be, sometime a hound,
A hog, a headless bear, sometime a fire;
And neigh, and bark, and grunt, and roar, and burn
Like horse, hound, hog, bear, fire, at every turn.”
A hog, a headless bear, sometime a fire;
And neigh, and bark, and grunt, and roar, and burn
Like horse, hound, hog, bear, fire, at every turn.”
Puck busily uses "love juice" to create chaos, and then restores order among lovers. The quote “Lord, what fools these mortals be!” describes the exaggerated silliness of their behavior Well... It wuz all a dream anyway.
Shakespearian shape shifting score: Devil -> Horse -> Hound -> Hog -> Bear -> Fire
Man -> Donkey
Man -> Donkey
Changeling Boy (Human taken and raised by faeries)
SUPERHERO AND OTHER ENTERTAINMENT-BASED SHIFTING
Insert your favorite superhero here: ________________. Superman and Hulk stand out, but almost all have transformational powers. I am not going into superhero abilities, simply because they are totally made up for the purpose of producing dramatic storylines, and there are far too many of them. I'm also not going into non-heroic transformations. There are literally dozens of tropes common in literature, television and movies. You know all of them... Hulking out, biological mashup (for example, The Fly), bitten by a whatever, "I just woke up that way," the 50-foot marshmallow, etc. So, ignoring the effect of changing clothes in a phone booth, let's examine the most common shift, therianthropy (from human to animal): wolf, dog, cat, etc.
THERIANTHROPY
Lycanthropy, or changing into a werewolf, is the best known form of therianthropy. The werewolf seems rooted in European folklore and myth, and in anthropology. But a human->wolf metamorphosis is common in Turkish and Asian legend, and all over the rest of world as well.
Cynanthropy, sometimes spelled kynanthropy, is chagrining oneself into a dog (weredog). This is the most common therianthropy after lycanthropy. Obviously one can't alternate between dog an human form, but the term also applies to ppl suffering from the delusion that they possess both human and dog anatomical features. Legends relating to dog-men seem to emanate from China and other areas of Asia, and focus on humans turning into dogs, dogs into people, and attendant bestiality. :=P
Ailuranthropes (werecats) are common in European and African folklore. A werecat may become a super-sized housecat. (I have one of these, inherited from my daughter, though I was told initially that it was merely a Bengal.) On continents where larger felines exist, legend also has them as lions or leopards, tigers, jaguars, cheetahs or panthers. (I refuse to digress into the neko experience: do it yourself :=P.)
Native American legend contributes skin-walkers, persons with the ability to transform into any animal they wish. A requirement of this transformation, however, is that they be wearing the pelt of the chosen animal. (I have seen some really nice rabbit pelts in SL, but I don't know much about bunneh transformation in legend. And I further refuse to digress into Furry Fandom :=P.)
LUCID DREAMING
So actual physical shifting is PROBABLY impossible (without drastic surgery or a virtual existence). But what about spiritual shape shifting? What about lucid dreaming?
A lucid dream is a dream in which one knows that one is dreaming. Furthermore, it's a dream that the dreamer can actively participate in and manipulate. Lucidity occurs when, in the midst of the dream, because of some clue or realization, the dreamer realizes that it's a dream. Though lucidity and dream control are not exactly the same thing, achieving lucidity will lead the dreamer to do things not possible in reality. The potential for adventure, fantasy, and transcendence is exciting and amazing.
You can even try this at home!!! (But don't hold me responsible for your health or happiness... :=P)
Good dream recall is the first step toward lucid dreaming. Without good recall, any lucid dream one has may be forgotten entirely. Some people keep notes on their dreams, though to me this seems a bit extreme. I'm not that scientific... Girls just want to have fun!
Many have noted that lucid dreams are common during morning naps, when you wake after about 1 or 1.5 hours. This is because we tend to remember dreams when we awake directly from REM sleep. (LOL, I knew I wasn't just lazy.)
Mnemonically Induced Lucid Dreams (MILD) occur immediately after waking up and before falling back asleep. Induction requires setting your alarm at intervals of 4.5, 6, or 7.5 hours.
Wake Initiation of Lucid Dreams (WILD) uses relaxation and meditation to induce a dream while maintaining consciousness. This is a great technique if you can master it. I found that it works especially well while at one's place of employment... Uh, nm.
Wake Back To Bed (WBTB) is ideal for beginners: Sleep 5-6 hours, get up for an hour, and then go back to bed.
And what are the benefits of learning lucid-dreaming??
Explore Alternate Realities.
Explore Alternate Realities.
Improve Your Problem Solving Skills - Solve problems on demand unhampered by conscious logic (LOL). Really, lotsa inventions were dreamt up this way.
Face Your Fears - Ask your boss what his problem is.
Create Confidence - Practice and rehearse your actions, and experiment with different outcomes.
Be More Creative - You might be the new Salvador Dali. Or you might write a werewolf story with a first person point of view.
