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human
While legends of people turning into beasts go way back to ancient times, I'm pretty sure the Beast of Gévaudan was the basis for the modern werewolf legend, and it wasn't even a werewolf. It was described as a large animal, resembling an unnaturally large wolf/canid with features that resembled both a bear or even a feline. The leopard-like tail was a notable feature.
gpt
>I'm pretty sure the Beast of Gévaudan was the basis for the modern werewolf legend
Certain templates, sure. But overall most modern werewolf stuff comes from the original Wolf Man film. It did for werewolves what Dracula did for vampires and Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead did for ghouls/zombies.