On Lycanthropy Content . In Skyrim , it is an old tradition to rub canis root on the trees surrounding your house as a ward against werebear s . When I was young and stupid ( as opposed , I guess , to being old and stupid as I am now ) , I always had hoped to meet a werebear to see if they were as impressive as legend suggested . I would follow strange tracks in the woods until they disappeared , with no fear or even thought about what I would do after I had found my quarry . By Thorig ' s beard , I was lucky that my investigations were fruitless . When I did finally see a lycanthrope , it was not a werebear . It was a werewolf , the " common " lycanthope , which can be found in every part of Tamriel . My father was a priest and during the coldest part of the winter , he allowed the beggars and riffraff of Falcrenth to stay in the relative warmth of the cellar of his temple . We would even supply warm barley stew . My sisters and brothers and I actually enjoyed this bit of philanthropy , for in the cellars during the winter , it seemed there was a constant party . There were always travellers with interesting stories and eccentricities , and the atmosphere in the cellars was always light and friendly . Until that night . By an established tradition , the beggars who were sick or wanted rest more than food and companionship would go to the cots at the farthest , darkest end of the cellar when they could be assured at least relative quiet . We were enjoying a song , and my sister Gethessa was dancing to the amusement of all . The song ended , but a chorus continued from the darkness at the far end of the cellar . As drunk and incomprehensible as most of the carolers were , it took a minute for us to realize that the sound we were hearing was not singing , but screaming . No one was too concerned , for some of the older tramps often suffered from vivid nightmares . Nevertheless , one of father ' s priests went to silence the screamer and the moment he disappeared into the murk , we heard another sound . The snarl of a wolf . Then we heard the priest screaming as the original scream died off . " Werewolf ! " cried the old bard who had been leading the song . The cellar exploded into chaos . I was pushed out the cellar door into the snow with the first wave of panic , but I could see that some of the more brave ( or more drunk ) hobos were rushing into the darkness to do battle with the lycanthrope . They were all , of course , almost instantly killed . My father , upon hearing of his unwelcome visitor , sealed off the cellar after the last survivor of the carnage had left . A seasoned battlemage from the Falcrenth Mages Guild , who owed father a favor , went into the cellar and slew the beast . " Not too tough , " he said as he emerged , carrying the carcass with him . " Winter must have been tough on him too . " Despite his bold words , the blood on his face and chest did not only come from his foe . Werewolves do not revert to their human forms upon death , despite what legends will tell you . I had the opportunity to look at the monster ' s steaming body out in the snow before it was carried away to be burned . The teeth , clotted with the flesh of the beggars , were horrifying , but the claws shocked me even more . I have since seen live lycanthropes battle golems , atronachs , and other beings not harmed by mundane weapons , and concluded that they act as naturally enchanted weapons . Because the werewolf is the most ubiquitous of lycanthropes , the term lycanthropy has been used since ancient days to describe the disease that transforms men into half - beast , although lycanthrope only strictly should refer to men who change into werewolves . But that is semantics . There are certainly differences between the seven documented forms of lycanthropy in Tamriel , but more similarities . In Black Marsh and southern Morrowind , werecrocodiles stalk the swamps . Black Marsh also shares with the Imperial Province and the wetter parts of Elsweyr the vile presence of werelion s . Valenwood ' s werevultures are not found in any other province . The wereboar has found both the climates of High Rock and Hammerfell amenable . As I mentioned before , the werebear is the most common lycanthrope in Skyrim , and is also found in the northern parts of High Rock , the Imperial Province , and Morrowind . The werewolf can be found in every province . The seventh lycanthrope , which I have never seen but my trusted peers have assured me exists , is a wereshark that roams the oceans around Tamriel . I have spent my life categorizing and observing lycanthropes , but I sometimes feel that I am still a child trapped in a cellar in my attempts to understand them . I know , for example , that lycanthropy can be cured shortly after infection , but after that time , the victim is doomed . No one of my acquaintance has cured themselves after undergoing the first transformation . On the other hand , I have a colleague investigating a coven of witches in the Glenpoint foothills of High Rock who are rumored to have a cure . I remain dubious . Perhaps it is because they are doomed that makes lycanthropes so aggressive . I have removed the contents of a werewolf ' s stomach and found more remnants of roots and berries than animal flesh . My conclusion is that they do not need to attack and devour humans to survive . Yet , for some reason they do . Does lycanthropy drive them mad , or do lycanthropes feel the need to spread the disease as a form of procreation ? I do not know . I am not certain that any of us who are not lycanthropes ourselves will ever know . And then , of course , it ' s too late .