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For those who never heard of them, werehyenas are creatures found in folklores from various regions in Africa, including Ethiopia.
In Ethiopia, the ability to transform into a hyena is known there as "buda". In Ethiopian folklore, wizards, witches, and blacksmiths to a less extent, are thought to have the buda; the buda is caused by the vice of envy, and is inherited from a witch, a wizard, or a blacksmith's paternal lineage. The buda is used to pass off as a hyena and hide oneself's human form, while attacking other humans; it's thought, in Ethiopia, that talismans and priests can defeat werehyenas, though they occasionally resist exorcism practiced by priests. In Ethiopia, the belief about werehyenas and the buda was just to justify the persecution of jews, them having been accused of eating human corpses.
Its actually a quite common sentiment across various cultures, as smithing us basicly magic and/or alchemy to outsiders.
Because forging metall is a very specialized and rare skill which takes a lot of knowledge. Especially in times without thermometers or modern ovens where you somehow have to guess that your forge now has the correct temperature to change and purify metalls. And they produce talismans, bronze mirrors, goblets abd else used in religious or magical processions. Not to mention the various toxic fumes and else it may produce.
And smiths won't share their buisness secrets either, so its very mysterious overall
IIRC theres also a connection to antisemitism against Ethiopian Jews (Beta Israel), who were stereotyped as metalworkers and commonly accused of hyenanthropy.
AFAIK, it is because historically metalwork required specific knowledge, which smiths were not keen on sharing even with their apprentices, as it would create unwanted competition. So, a regular person might've seen them as some sort of metal mages, powerful and mysterious, but prideful and avaricious.
Also, fun fact: in Russian language a word for "insideous/cunning" (коварный) is (probably) derived from an archaic word for "a smith" (коварь).
Metalworking in the ancient world is often treated as similar to magic or alchemy. It was defined by trade secrets passed down through esoteric traditions and provided a level of technology otherwise impossible
It kind of made sense as in that time, the art of blacksmithing itself is seen as a sort of sorcery art
Literally creating and forging new materials out of rocks and raw materials is kind of magical for the common people. It is sort of seen like pagan alchemy
Even blacksmithing in many cultures are tied to outright divine right, like the trope of the Smith God
So Blacksmiths are on the same category of Witches and Wizards
To add to what other people said, all professionals were seen as possessing supernatural knowledge. Won't speak for other cultures, but in Slavic folklore smiths, stonemasons, builders, woodcutters, veterinarians, shepherds, musicians, millers and beekeepers were all though of as at least a bit of sorcerers.
It's like that adage that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic
Correction. It wasn't only just Jews. But just general outsiders, usually of commerce and merchant backgrounds. Like any blacksmith in Ethiopia were seen as suspicion of being secretly as a "Buda" in those times
Interesting. The only non-wolf Werecreatures I heard of before were Werecrocodiles from The Elder Scrolls. And Weretigers from some old, half forgotten Anime.
Honestly i played as a werehyena nation in a victoria 3 mod didnt know there was a mythology of them next time you are going to tell me about the cheetahs girls.
Its that one but modded it was the realms of exether mod, instead of being in the real world 19th century its in a fantasy world during a magical and industrial revolution pretty if you like grand strategy and history.
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