I want to thank Avis for sending this to me.
Most people have heard of werewolves, but few know of the ancient race of dog-headed men, better known as the Cynocephali. A Cynocephalus was essentially a man with the head of a dog. They could understand language but had no ability to speak. Though they are sometimes depicted in artwork as being civilized, they were by all reports savage beasts who lived to hunt and to kill.
While this may sound like just another mythical creature, there are very good reasons to believe that the Cynocephali may have actually existed. Above all of them, these dog-headed men were described in reports by famous explorers such as Christopher Columbus and Marco Polo!
Around 400 B.C. the Greek physician Ctesias wrote the following passages (translated to English from Greek), describing the tribes of Cynocephalus.
“They speak no language, but bark like dogs, and in this manner make themselves understood by each other. Their teeth are larger than those of dogs, their nails like those of these animals, but longer and rounder. They inhabit the mountains as far as the river Indus. Their complexion is swarthy. They are extremely just, like the rest of the Indians with whom they associate. They understand the Indian language but are unable to converse, only barking or making signs with their hands and fingers by way of reply… They live on raw meat. They number about 120,000.”
The great explorer Marco Polo mentions Cynocephali indirectly while describing his travels to the island of Angamanian:
“Angamanain is a very large Island. The people are without a king and are Idolaters, and no better than wild beasts. And I assure you all the men of this Island of Angamanain have heads like dogs, and teeth and eyes likewise; in fact, in the face they are all just like big mastiff dogs! They have a quantity of spices; but they are a most cruel generation, and eat everybody that they can catch, if not of their own race.“
No one knows for sure what happened to this small, but powerful race. It is believed that as the empires around them expanded they were killed off. Thave disappeared from human view.
One can’t help but wonder if this ancient race of dog-headed humanoids are related to the various types of semi-wolf, semi-human creatures such as the werewolf. When considering the history of werewolves, this little known creature may just prove to be a missing link in the mystery of their existence.
Source:http://www.gods-and-monsters.com/cynocephalus.html