Shapeshifting

Shapeshifting or transmogrification refers to a change in the form or shape of a person. It primarily refers to either:

• a change from human form to animal form and vice versa, OR
• a change in appearance from one person to another

Shapeshifting to the form of a different species is specifically known as lycanthropy, and is frequently used in association with myths and legends pertaining to such creatures as werewolves and vampires. Shapeshifters appear in many fantasy and science fiction stories.

Other terms for a shapeshifter include doppelganger, metamorph, mimic, and were.

Notable shapeshifters

• Morph (Marvel Comics)
• Mystique (Marvel Comics)
• Odo (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)
• T-1000 (Terminator 2)

In the story of Puss in Boots, the hero (a cat) tricks an ogre into becoming a mouse; he then eats it.

Transmogrification is a theme used several times in the Jerry Cornelius stories. The word has been popularized by the transmogrifier used in Calvin and Hobbes.

See also

• Metamorphoses (by Ovid)
• The Metamorphosis (by Franz Kafka)