| “ | Rayne: "He's a Löwenmensch."
Mia: "What the hell is a Löwenmensch?" Rayne: "It's part-man, part-lion." |
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| — Rayne, about the Löwenmensch|Wolves of War | ||
A Löwenmensch (German: "Lionhuman") is a shape-shifting feline species which is seemingly a "naturally" occurring supernatural species, as opposed to the unnatural aberration that is the Chimera or a mutation like the Kanima. Only one known Löwenmensch exists so far: Garrett Douglas, a former Captain in the Nazi German military and member of the Anenherbe unit, who was originally thought to be a Werewolf due to the similar features shared by both species.
A Löwenmensch functions much like a standard Werewolf in that they follow the same hierarchy in a pack, judging by the fact that Garrett was an Alpha with red eyes presumably packs and ranks, since Garrett is an Alpha. This theory is supported by the fact that, in the natural world, Lions operate in a pride, suggesting that a supernatural lion-shapeshifter like the Löwenmensch could function in a Werewolf pack and may even gain a power boost from being in one. However, since there is a lack of information about this species, this has yet to be confirmed to be true.
In legends, the Löwenmensch is half-lion and half-man, essentially a werelion. The legend comes from a figurine also known as the Lion-man of the Hohlenstein-Stadel, which is a prehistoric sculpture made from ivory that was discovered in a German cave of the same name.