“Tailless werewolves is only because movies” is my favorite thing I’ve heard here, largely on how false that is.
One of my favorite established and classic authors wrote a werewolf novel. Cycle of the Werewolf (1983) by Stephen King. You might’ve heard of him. Authors do not need to pay for costuming and animatronics, and he chose to have a classic werewolf with no tail. And he’s not the only one.
- 1896 - The Were-wolf by Clemence Housman
- 1951 - Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis
- 1977 - The Howling by Gary Brandner
- 1983 - Cycle of the Werewolf by Stephen King
I love how you say “they have always had tails”. If you don’t like movies, and don’t like books, let’s look at some oldschool stuff, shall we?
- 1512 - Woodcut of a werewolf attack by Lucas Cranach der Ältere
- 1524 - Lycaon, after Raphael by Agostino dei Musi
- 1589 - Engraving of Lycaon by Hendrik Goltzius
- 1722 - German woodcut of werewolf
Through literature, film, and folklore alike, werewolves have been depicted in a number of different ways. Tailed or otherwise. How the werewolf is depicted is up to the artist. In this case, Blizzard. And Blizzard’s lycanthrope - the Worgen - has been as it is since its creation. And through several remodelings as well, showing that they do not want to change worgen. Respect that.