Editing Shapeshifting (section)

{{Short description|Ability to physically transform in mythology, folklore and speculative fiction}}
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[[File:Lycaon Transformed into a Wolf LACMA M.71.76.9.jpg|thumb|[[Zeus]] turning [[Lycaon (king of Arcadia)|Lycaon]] into a wolf, engraving by [[Hendrick Goltzius|Hendrik Goltzius]]|upright=1.2]]
In [[mythology]], [[folklore]] and [[speculative fiction]], '''shapeshifting''' is the [[ability]] to physically transform oneself through unnatural means. The idea of shapeshifting is found in the oldest forms of [[totem]]ism and [[shamanism]], as well as the oldest existent literature and [[Epic poetry|epic poems]] such as the ''[[Epic of Gilgamesh]]'' and the ''[[Iliad]]''. The concept remains a common literary device in modern [[fantasy]], [[children's literature]] and [[popular culture]]. Examples of shapeshifters are [[vampires]] and [[werewolves]].