Were-bears are a race of were-beasts. This is a reference to the were-bears of King's Quest 7, the bear of KQ5, and likely the three bears of KQ3.
Background[]
They live in the woods between Daventry, Serenia and Eldritch, and throughout Serenia woods. They are vicious creatures.[1]
Were-bears are one of the common foods of the Well Dragons, along with lost travelers. ...or until they get tired of them.[2]
There are rumors that within the Serenia woods, on nights of a full moon, that a song heard trilling through the trees is from a were-bear luring travelers into the darkness. They are never seen again.
See also[]
Behind the scenes[]
The references to were-bears appear to be a combination reference to the bear in KQ5, and the were-bear in KQ7, and the three bears in KQ3.
If the player had freed the dragon in Chapter 1, Hagatha will mention that it might return once it got tired of eating of were-bears and lost travelers.
"Were-bear" is one of the options you can choose when Whisper writes the 'love-poem' for Graham to give to Hagatha (KQGS). The others include Wild snute, Owl, and Bridge troll.
Some of the references in chapter 3 may be from an unused lines, but are included here as they help with context of the information as a whole, and world building.
The reference to the eldest bear and barest elder might be reference to a were-bear (who lost all its hair when Valanice ran by) or the yeti of KQ3 and KQ5.