Lycaon and Werewolves

The most popular rendition of the story of Lycaon is about his deceit of Zeus. He served him the roasted flesh of a guest from Epirus in order to see whether Zeus was truly omniscient. In return for these gruesome deeds Zeus transformed Lycaon into the form of a wolf, and killed Lycaon's fifty other sons with lightning bolts. The reason he was transformed into a wolf was to embody his savage nature into that of an animal. 

I draw this comparison first by the name of Lycaon. Werewolves suffer from a disease known as lycanthropy. It is derived from Lycaon's name. Second, these creatures are supposed to be savage in nature, and are cursed to seek nothing but bloodshed. 

The picture to the left is from 1512 as drawn by Lucas Cranach the Elder. It depicts a werewolf attacking a home and slaughtering many people.