Werewolf and wilkołak: The history of the monster and its unspeakable name

This article aims to examine the history of werewolves and the origins of their names in English (werewolf) and Polish (wilkołak). It explores the figure of the monster from multi­ple perspectives, beginning with its cultural background and the etymology of the beast’s name in Polish and English. The study presents a linguistic comparison of the English word wolf and its Polish equivalent wilk as a pair of cognates, analyzing their phonologi­cal, morphological, and semantic features. The findings highlight that as the perception of the beast has changed throughout history, its name has evolved as well. Since wolves were one of the most feared predators and enemies of Indo-Europeans, the animals as well as their names were associated with fear. This association likely explains why our ancestors believed in the possibility of transformation into these creatures and why their name was surrounded by linguistic taboos. Moreover, the analysis of the English word wolf and the Polish word wilk leads to the conclusion that these words are indeed cognates, both having developed from the same Proto-Indo-European root *ulkw-o-.