Werewolves - Could they be real?

Continuing in the theme of "could they be real?" started with my Zombies article, and then my Vampires article, today I ask the question "Could Werewolves actually exist?" And if so, how?

This is an interesting topic to me because if you do research you will find a few differing opinions as to whether such creatures did exist and perhaps could again.

I say "did exist" because my research shows that ancient Greek's had a word for werewolves, as did Old English, Germanic and Old Norse.

Now, I'm not linguist, but to me you wouldn't think that you would find too many words for creatures, real or mythological, that span multiple cultures for many hundreds of years.

In other words, it is my belief that werewolves, or something similar, did roam the earth at one point.  But do they continue to walk among us today?

If you read any modern horror stories, particularly those involving vampires, you may learn that the werewolf was actaully created as a "protector" for the vampires.  They did the vampire's dirty work in addition to providing protection from various human threats.

Depending on what culture you are from, there are various ways to identify those afflicted with lycanthropy.  Despite being termed a mental illness, there are traits which are supposedly common among werewolves in human form.  From their physical appearance (low set ears, unibrows) to their mannerisms (the way they walk) to their apparent reaction to reverting back to human form.

Yet despite their appearance throughout the ages and cultures of the world, many still believe that Werewolves are mythical creatures that don't exist.  But again I ask - if such a creature is mythological, why are there recorded sightings spanning multiple continents and hundreds of years?

Now you might say something like "werewolves are like UFOs and Sasquatch - just because they've been seen by a few questionable people doesn't make them real."

Well the same can be said for your typical religious deity.  Just because you haven't seen God, doesn't mean you stop worshipping or questioning his/her existence does it?

Now I'm not pro or anti any religious belief, my point here is, just because you don't see it on a daily basis doesn't make it fantasy.  It just means that Werewolves have done a good job of integrating into our society and hiding, perhaps waiting for when they can rule the world?