A therianthrope is a (formerly purely) human being who has obtained the ability to change partially or entirely into an animal by means of shapeshifting, rather than magic, faithcraft or genetic manipulation.
The term comes from the Greek therion, "wild (implicitly mammalian, which coincidentally, most weres are) animal/beast" and anthropos, "human being". As such, a literal translation would be beastman or beast person, rather than were. During the Long Watch, therianthropes were often referred to as werebeasts, but this has largely fallen out of use since the early two thousands, though it is still used in a derogatory fashion. Most were view it as condescending, because it implies that not only are they feral in temperament, but that their animal self is dominant over their human one. This is one of the worst scenarios for a were, as it implies lack of discipline and self-control, ultimately resulting in "their beast", as it is often referred to, taking over. While weres sometimes lose themselves to their beast, in situations of great excitement or stress, it has not been proven to be permanent, because weres who spend extended periods in such a state are usually put down before an attempt at recovery can be made.
The origin of weres is heavily debated, not least of all by themselves, because it is fractal, rather than singular, as postcognition proves. Since, before the Shattering, mundane humans could only come in contact with paranormal entities or places if they expected it, and usually how they expected it, the visions of the past revealed to poscognitives tend to suit their expectations.
Nevertheless, it is agreed that weres did not evolve naturally; they do not share a common ancestor, but rather, each "type" of were likely springs from an individual or group. There are four major schools of thought in regard to the origin of weres.
The first, and most common, hypothesis postulates that the first weres were turned by "infected" animals, bearing a physical or metaphysical illness. According to this hypothesis, the first werewolf was bitten by a wolf, the first werewasp was stung by a wasp and so on. Some believe these animals were carriers, but did not present symptoms, in the sense their intelligence was animalistic, their physical prowess mundane, and they could not shapeshift. Others believe they possessed all the capabilities of modern weres, save the ability to turn into humans, which fuelled their jealousy and led them to infect mankind. Weres who view their transformation as a blessing disregard this idea, as they do the one that the animals were cursed by the pantheons or ancient mages.
This ties to the second hypothesis, which claims weres are the result of the gods cursing primitive mankind for its wickedness, either directly or indirectly. Weres who dislike vampires bristle at the comparison, even if they dislike their therianthropy.
The third hypothesis states weres are actually a result of self-directed evolution, that primitive humans, or their ancestors, sought to emulate animal traits in order to better survive in the wild. This is largely seen as implausible, and nonsensical at worst.
The fourth and final hypothesis states weres are the result of humans mating with animals, and their hybrid children multiplying. Some Christian proponents latch on to this phrasing, pointing out links to Yahweh's command to be fruitful and multiply, which they believe was directed at humans and animals, rather than to each species; or to the Serpent's Seed Theory, that Eve mated with the Serpent in the Garden of Eden, and their descendants have battled those born of her and Adam over the millennia, with human history being the result of this clash. According to them, weres all descend from the Beast.
The members of these secondary schools of thought hate each other with a passion, seeing each other as blasphemers and monsters, and everyone who does not follow the fourth theory considers them deluded at best. Most weres are resolved to remain as human as possible, and see the idea of zoophilia as a betrayal of their ideals, not to mention disgusting. Equivalent to a healthy human sleeping with a disabled person, perhaps. These sub-groups claim the human/animal couplings could have been done in the name of survival, out of spite or as the result of a curse (or blessing, depending on the were asked).
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Mages who turn into animals, genetic shapeshifters and people who tap into divine power to change form are sometimes mistaken for weres, mostly by mundane humans, but all it takes is the touch of silver to reveal the truth, in most cases. Of course, a non-therianthrope shifter could simulate the burns and pain, if they were skilled and determined enough. Weres are mostly ambivalent towards them, although some look down of them as "werefakes". Naguals and totem shifters are examples of such "pseudotherianthropes", as are kitsune, zmei and certain dragons.
Contrary to certain speciesist rumours, afflictions such as hypertrichosis and zoanthropy (or clinical lycanthropy, though techincally therianthropy would be more accurate) are not caused by having were ancestors. Weres are, genetically-speaking, extremely stable. Upon being turned, all diseases, missing limbs, excess flesh, tumours and the like are removed; weres cannot remain or become obese after being turned.
Therianthropy is interesting in terms of immortality compared to vampirism, because, whereas vampires physically remain at the age they were turned unless they shapeshift (vampire children are rarely able to mature, let alone in a healthy manner, which is why turning children is illegal across the world), weres grow older and stronger if turned young, until they reach their physical prime. Elderly human turned weres do not become younger, though they are cured of all afflictions. It is thus said that therianthropy is more "indulgent" than vampirism. It can be passed on through scratches, bites, stings and blood or tissue donations, though the children of weres are born human.
Weres do not require sustenance, air or rest. They are immune to direct esoteric effects, and capable of regenerating from anything, except wounds inflicted with silver, which causes immense pain (were pain tolereance allowing them to ignore such flesh wounds as dismemberment, decapitation and disembowelment, at once). Silver weapons affect weres as they do mundane humans, but are not poisonous. A were whose limb is grazed by a silver bullet will be left with a scar and dull pain, but will not die, Should they be shot in the head, for example, however, they will die, though not because the silver will spread through the body and burn out impure genes, unclean spirits or the like, but for the same reasons a human would die from a headshot.
No paranormals besides mages and (human) psychics can be turned into weres, and, as magic depends on harmony between the body, mind and soul, mages have difficulty casting once turned, due to their focus clashing with their new instincts. Weres are unlikely to awaken magic for the same reason. Psychics face similar difficulties, but, as they have only started being born in larger numbers in recent years, there have only been a handful of psychic weres throughout history.
Weres share the instincts and urges of "their" animals, and (no pun intended) often ape their behaviour, even while in human form and not meaning to. This varies by gender as well. For example, werewolves are social animals, so to speak, while male werebears are loners, rarely spending time with other werebears. Depending on a were's self-control, these instincts can be just that, or a "loud subconscious" that mimics sentience or sapience, and often pushes them to listen to it, or tries to take over their minds. It tends to become more and more powerful the deeper a were taps into it, being roughly as powerful as the human mind in hybrid form and dominant in animal form, which is believed to be the reason weres cannot speak in said form.
Weres vary in power, speed and durability according, seemingly, to how large their animal is, though there are some exceptions, the most egregious being those weres who turn into supernatural animals.
Most invertebrates, amphibians, smaller fishes reptiles, birds and mammals are hypersonic and able to fragment multi-storey buildings in one strike in human form, and thousands of times faster than sound and able to pulverise tens of billions of tons of rock in hybrid/animal form.
Larger fishes, reptiles, birds and mammals (wolves, lynxes, brown bears, deer, dolphins, etc.) are also hypersonic in human form, though strong enough to destroy city blocks; their every blow is equivalent to tens of tons of TNT. In animal forms, they are thousands of times faster than sound and can vapourise mountains.
Werecattle, moose and polar bears can destroy countries in human form and reach relativistic speed, undergoing redshift and bending spacetime upon approaching light (unless, of course, they choose to negate the environmental effects). In animal forms, they can move as fast as light and shatter continents like glass.
Werecrocs, hippos, rhinos and great whites are as strong as fast as werecattle in human form, and able to destroy the moon while moving nearly five hundred times faster than light in animal forms. From this point on, stronger weres are as powerful in human form as those in the previous category are in animal form, and as fast.
Werephants (short for were-elephants, a shortening similar to wereverines for were-wolverines), orcas and smaller dinosaurs are able to shatter Earth in animal forms.
Weredinosaurs are believed to be the result of the ancient reptiles surviving until the emergence of mankind to turn them by the proponents of the carrier hypothesis.
Larger weresaurs, sperm whales, megalodons and paraceratherium are able to disperse ice and gas giants and shatter their cores in single blows.
Blue werewhales are famous their ability to snuff out sunlike stars with just the water they generate inside themselves, shot through their blowholes as jets. Physically, they can destroy blue giants.
"Mystical" weres, such as gryphons, dragons and rocs can destroy the largest of stars with ease, and often possess esoteric abilities that put them even higher above their "mundane" counterparts than their physical prowess.