The number of people who think dire wolves are a fictional creature made up for Game of Thrones is infuriating.

@TheRascallyOne Have you heard the theory that werewolves in folklore originated from people who may have been afflicted with hypertrichosis and then contracted rabies from an animal bite?

@BlueMetalChick I never heard of that

@TheRascallyOne Hypertrichosis is a strange and rare medical condition which causes uncontrollable hair growth all over the body, even on parts of the face. It still exists today, but is easily treatable so you don't really see it anymore. But the thinking goes that perhaps the legend of the werewolf, or similar half-man-half-wolf creatures that behaved violently, came from a person who had hypertrichosis and at some point was bitten by a rabid animal. You've seen rabies before I'm sure. Imagine a person covered in long thick hair acting like a rabid dog. Sounds like the Wolfman, doesn't it?

@BlueMetalChick yeah you're right

@BlueMetalChick I’ve heard that vampirism was based on people with porphyria, who couldn’t go out in sunlight and apparently drank blood for its nutritional value and ease of digestion.