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wolves-against-the-world · 10 months

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Lycanthropy and the Body in Medieval Europe

Sourced from: Riddarvold, Stian (2023): Medieval perceptions of the Other in an extranormal community: The Case of Cornelius Vogelsang. Journal of Lycanthropic History, 2(3).

The perception of Monstrosity and Otherness in Medieval Europe has been analyzed in literature from the Icelandic sagas (Merkelbach, 2014) to Beowolf (Fahey, 2019; Cavell, 2014). [...] The Army of the Night (Exercitus noctis) is not documented well, many documents being destroyed upon its dissolution in the 1300s. Despite this, there has been a recent uptick in research about this unique military and social structure. Exclusively consisting of lycanthropes, it was still largely governed by medieval perceptions of monstrousness contingent with human society. This study will examine the norms surrounding monstrosity and the body in a lycanthropic context and their enforcement through the documented court case against Cornelius Vogelsang. Additionally, interviews were conducted with three werewolves who witnessed the trial, which will be referred to as P, Z, and M.

The Army of the Night was a military unit founded and led by Emicho VI., also known as Emicho the Crusader (ca. 1050-2020), to aid the crusades. The Army of the Night is only scarcely documented in official church records, though Emicho appears frequently in the Gesta Francorum and Historia Francorum. He is described as a capable, if ruthless, military leader building a strike force apart from the main, i.e. human, crusaders. While the lycanthropic nature of that force is not named directly, Gesta Francorum indicates a level of disconnect between the fighting units, describing the Army of the Night as simply "strange" (prodigiosus). After the failure of the first crusade, there is a large hole in the documentation, with Emicho and his troops only appearing in fragments. For a more general overview see Vanderbilt, 1989.

Monstrosity and Monstrousness in the Army of the Night

In the Middle Ages, monstrousness was a metaphor as well as a real state inherently linked to the soul. Monstrousness as a whole was heavily confounded with race, disability, and marginalization in literature and was heavily linked to the body. It was assumed that wickedness or sin would show on the body, the damnation of the soul made flesh here and in the afterlife. Unlike in many Christian faiths today, the soul was not seen as separate from the body. The state of the soul was reflected on the body and vice versa. Another important component was the mind: Reasoning ability was assumed to be inherently human, while the monstrous only followed instincts. The damned were thus made monstrous by the rejection of their very existence as a thinking being.

In the period of the Army's assembly and operations, monstrousness was not seen as inherently damning, as in, it was reversible. Repentance could still save the soul.

As eldritch lycanthropes change on a molecular level, they were permanently made monstrous, and were thus damned by merely existing. However, the visible signs of lycanthropy progress with age, giving rise to the idea that there was a timeframe in which one could still reverse the process. (see document B26-3682)

[Fragment of latin text describing a transformation and the idea that there is a way to "save" a werewolf]

The timeframes vary between 30-100 years, which correlates with the lifespans of werewolves in the Army of the Night as estimated by my interview partners (transcripts in Appendix A-C).

Werewolf P was a high-ranking officer in the Army and worked closely with Emicho VI. In regard to the Army's concept of salvation, he stated:

"If they [the chosen recruits] survived the turning, they were brought into the camp. They were told it was a punishment for their sins - that it came directly from God instead of, hm, that they were just unlucky I suppose. [...] It was a sin to be a werewolf, and you became a werewolf by sinning, so unless you were saved before the beast took over completely, you would be damned forever. Of course people figured out that it was Emicho and his officers who were turning people, but the fear kept them in line. Turning someone without permission and hiding it was also punishable by death. Not that most lived very long. They thought dying for the cause could save them."

This idea was reinforced by a lycanthropic trait that has not been studied outside of folklore until the modern day. When dying, the body will take the shape that is most aligned with the phase of the moon. Calculating the moonphase for recorded battles shows that most were fought during half or new moon. A dying wolf would thus turn back to humanoid form and seemingly confirm that they had been saved. This of course was only true for wolves young enough to not show outward signs that a medieval person could pick up on. Once again, this reinforced the time pressure the recruits faced.

Burial, too, was contingent on their body's and thus soul's state.

[...]

The case of Cornelius Vogelsang

To show how monstrousness informed social relationships even within an extranormal community, I will now examine the court case against Cornelius Vogelsang, a member of the Army of the Night that was executed on the fifth of March 1218 on account of sodomy and heresy. What makes this case interesting is that it is the only one still preserved in some detail.

The person in question first appears as either Hussein ibn al-Rahmud or Hassan ibn al-Rahmad in the list of new recruits on the retreat after the disastrous loss at Hattin (1187). He was recorded to be 20 years old, which is not out of place in the Army of the Night. (See document A34-3442)

A supplementary interview with the werewolf Z confirmed that Vogelsang had likely grow up Muslim, but "he didn't like to speak of it". (Appendix B) The name Cornelius Vogelsang appears first in the Army's 1188 census alongside the older name. He seemed to have christianized his name in order to fit in with the Europeans. The appendix "Vogelsang" was apparently given in reference to his singing prowess. In between his recruitment and sentencing there is no surviving documentation of his existence or actions.

The trial commenced in early February 1218. The town cannot be identified conclusively due to damage to the parchment, but the record was found in the abbey of St. John in Alzey. While this abbey was only founded in 1290, it still points towards the trial taking place in the region.

Vogelsang was indicted on charges of heresy and sodomy. He was accused of preaching heresies to young recruits, such as lycanthropy not being a reversible curse, but a natural state of being. In a second charge he was also accused of sodomy with an unknown man that could not be identified in the course of the trial. Document A44-3448 describes the other person involved as "indictus" (unnamed), which implies that the identity was known, but the person was not to be charged.

[Scan and transcript of the page detaiing the court proceedings.]

Sodomy in this period was defined as any sexual act not intended for procreation. In the Army of the Night, this rule extended to all sexual activity, as siring children while monstrous was perceived as a major threat both theologically and realistically. This did not mean the werewolves did not seek out women, but by the decree of 1123, any offspring was to be killed as soon as possible. [...] The primary affront of homosexual acts was not its usually recreational nature, but the "perversion of natural law" of one person taking on the role of the opposite sex. (Hart, 1990) [...]

Vogelsang was described as a "large, blue man" with "shoulders like oxen and hands like shovels". Blue in this context refers to all darker colors and was often used in texts to also denote wickedness, possibly with a racialized undertone (Sigurdsdottír, 2018). The description of his strength also marks him as threatening. In the following paragraph, he is described as wearing his hair in the style of a woman, and his "beard [does] not hide his weakness". This description makes sense when connected with the accusations of an unknown witness, who claims to have found Vogelsang "subdued and taking the part of the woman", i.e. being the receiving partner.

Vogelsang was sentenced to death by burning, and his eyes were gouged out as to forbid him from seeing God's splendor. This sentence is notably brutal, as most other documented death sentences were either executed through beheading or a silver dagger to the heart. It is not too far-fetched to assume the sentence was meant to be a deterrent. The destruction of the body was a highly symbolic act. It proclaimed Vogelsang to be beyond salvation, thus he was considered to have lost his soul and the privilege of burial.

Assuming all accusations are true, Cornelius Vogelsang knew that the soldiers were being lied to, and tried to disprove or at least challenge the reigning narrative. With said narrative as his primary tool, Emicho had good reason to fear an erosion of his power.

Vogelsang's identity (in the modern sense) also made him vulnerable: While race was not conceptualized the way it is today, being Middle Eastern could have been a visible reminder of his status as a convert. Z, who described himself as a "half-gypsy", recounted several instances of prejudice because of his appearance being used to challenge his status as a Christian.

The last of my three interview partners, M, added a completely new and unknown perspective. According to him, while there certainly was "some political shit going on", the sodomy accusation had actually resulted from jealousy. The accuser had previously been rejected by Vogelsang, and the accusation had been revenge. (see Appendix C)

The only defending voice in the trial came from an unnamed officer, whose description has been erased, seemingly on purpose.

[Scan of a document that had an entire paragraph scratched out]

The remaining account merely states that he protested the sentence and was silenced by his superior, one Bishop Anghelescu. Despite the intervention, the officer was sentenced to whipping and being marked by claw, i.e. having a visible part of his body scarred. The nature of this punishment served to make his monstrousness - in this case supporting a sinner - physically apparent.

Monstrousness as a state of damnation-until-saved informed both the social structures of the Army and the identity of werewolves within the group. At the same time, these concepts were used by Emicho VI. and the Catholic church as a whole to enact control upon a highly organized and effective strike force. Monstrousness was tied to gender, sexuality, religion, and race. Deviations both voluntary and involuntary could be cause for punishment including death. The case Vogelsang illustrates this use of theology in the name of control and power, as enacted by Emicho VI.

#lycanthrope #werewolf #wolves against the world #worldbuilding #original character #academia #cornelius vogelsang #i rote this instead of my actual uni stuff

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harketspetter · 2 years

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How to Enjoy 'True North' if you haven't seen the movie.

If you are one of the folks who couldn't watch Stian Anderson's movie due to geographical restrictions or other issues.. you are not alone. Although it can be frustrating ( I can empathize), let us not forget the fact that before anything...they are musicians..and music is there for us..to hear. Let's work on what we currently have.

There are other ways to enjoy this beautiful cinematic masterpiece, that is True North which was released by a-ha on 21st October.

Go to your room, where you feel more secure, safe and relaxed ( like your bedroom or your balcony) ensure that you have a blanket , a sleep mask ( if you have it) and a comfy pillow with you. Take your earphones as well! Make your room slightly dim lit, and check if your room is conducive enough for you to relax and unwind after a long day. Once you are ready, hop into your couch or your bed, take a deep breath in - count till 5 in your mind as you inhale, hole and exhale. Then, close your eyes with the help of a sleep mask, place your earphones in your ears ( of course) and listen to all the songs in the chronological manner.

When your eyes are closed, you get to concentrate on stimulus that is present in front of you - music. When your world is blank and when the music is on- that's when you get to pay more attention to the lyrics, the sound production, beautiful arrangement by Arctic Philharmonic orchestra, Magne's heartfelt warmth in his lyrics ( and Pal's cynicism) and Morten's angelic voice that puts everything together in one beautiful harmony.

When you get to pay attention to the lyrics and the sound, it's time to imagine the movie- directed and filmed - by you. For next 50 minutes to 1 hour, let us put aside all the music videos and focus on how you are feeling and what images are coming to your mind? How is the environment around you? Do you feel you are in the studio, watching them perform? or are you on a boat, sailing through various fjords? Even if you weren't there for real? -- for a short while, whatever comes to your mind? Let's let it be. Something blue? green? Something chilling? like the tall, majestic mountains? blue sea, blue or white, dull sky? Imagine how Norway is...for you. Because you are there. ( please turn over)

Next step, explore what these songs mean to you? Use your imagination to understand how you feel and explore how you would like to express it and understand it ( remember, it can be completely different from the music videos). For example, 'I'm In' was all about taking a break, reflecting on how I was feeling and not giving up. I imagined hugging myself, curled up in my blanket, and all my influencing figures hugging me as well , telling me that my feelings matter. I felt it was okay to admit that I had a bad day'. One of my favorite imaginations was during 'True North' , I imagined myself sailing on the boat and just observing the fjords, the sea, the seagulls...for that moment, I felt I belonged in that wonderful, quiet place...it didn't matter to me that I wasn't Norwegian or even a privileged European. I still belonged in that place, where I felt happy, safe and calm - because I deserved it.

Also, take breaks if you feel overwhelmed, if you feel you couldn't get the imagination or a scenario you expected, it's alright. Take your sweet time and slowly appreciate what you are hearing for the moment. If you are repeating a song or the entire album, search for notes or elements you haven't noticed before

If you feel the song makes you feel safe, relevant , understood. It's your song. It is for you.

When you realize that the 'story' of True North can be depicted in a way that is relevant from you ( independent from the movie) , you will know that it's a beautiful album.

#aha #1980s #mortenharket #newwave #synthpop #magnefuruholmen #1980smusic #norwegians #mortenmonday #norway #true north

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myposhsharing · 1 year

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Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: NWOT Talbots Faux Silk Beige 3/4 Sleeve Lightweight Blouse Poet Sleeves Size 16.

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bentebing · 1 year

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ntabs343 · 2 years

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Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Ping Golf Mens Medium Black Tech Performance Polo Shirt.

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slashermary · 3 years

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i personally love to think that. ok if you accept the idea that cas and crowley had sex in s6. and then ostensibly cas’ entire life went to shit afterwards. the dying. getting dumped. slaughtering his brethren. having an ophelia moment in a river but his stubborn closetcase hamlet didn’t even get himself killed over it. rending a hole in time and space or whatever and killing republicans (cool and fun). but basically what i’m saying is like. what if cas thinks of this all as linear and is just like that line from the chr*stian girl in secret life of the american teenager. his life was ruined bc he had really great sex.

#only in this case cas’ dad didn’t die in a planecrash and he doesn’t say sex like sAx. anyways loved that show. fucked up<3 #and yes if they fucked in s6 it WAS good i know this.#but also. this is not true. and also cas has never done anything wrong and deserves to fuck as much as he wants. but also. fhsksl #anyways cas baby i love you and you should never feel guilt about literally anything ever🥰💕💕💕💕💕💕💕#anyways this IS nothing. i am drinking wine :)#caroline.txt #mine

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jewishevelinebaker · 3 years

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My one direction post has gotten into tr*dcath territory and so i went down a rabbit hole and found someone who said that jews are using abortion to chr*stian babies so isnt that fun

#aud.txt #ask to tag #antisemitism

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angelofseeking · 2 years

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brain dump

So, I work as a library clerk and spend a lot of time shelving books. Lately, it's gone from a peaceful repetitive task to one that allows me too much time alone with my thoughts. Today, I frequently thought about chr!stianity and it's relationship to my mom's increasingly conservative political views.

Recently, we had a conversation on the phone where she asked me if LGBTQ+ subjects should be taught to children in school. I explained to her that if I had had any clue that I was trans, I would've sooner been able to put a name to the feelings that made me depressed and suicidal for most of my life. She seemed to hear me and take my view seriously, to a degree. I didn't ask her if she agreed with me. I'm afraid what she'll say.

I did ask her why she wanted to know. Apparently there was a "knee-jerk reaction" from her sources to the idea of teaching about LGBT stuff in schools, and she wanted to know my viewpoint. I had hoped for a "you're right, honey, I believe you" but what she said was, "I don't think either side is right" and it doesn't sit well with me.

I'm becoming quite tired of my parent's inconsistency. I feel like I've never had a stable place to exist, in spite of the fact that they housed me and fed me and, I believe, did their best to raise me. They are both so broken by the systems they grew up in, but I'm tired of using that as an excuse. I would like to be content with the fact that I have the power to break that cycle. In spite of their example, I became more compassionate, with the strength to withstand the pressure of social expectations. I will not be having children to transfer my trauma to. I see the world as it is, and I am more conscious of the harm I cause.

My parents have been calling me by the correct name and pronouns for years. It took them some time to fully accept me. Taking testosterone seemed to be the turning point, which I think is unfortunate. A lot of people didn't take me seriously until I got HRT. It's sad that trans people have to do that. I was dismissed constantly prior to making these changes. Someone I once considered a good friend actually said to me that he wasn't comfortable referring to me as a man until I started looking like one.

I'm really fucking sick of being trans sometimes. Or rather, I'm sick of cis society. I'm sick of thinking about it. I don't care that I'm trans. I cherish the moments of peace where I can exist without awareness of my transness. I'm just a person. I don't know why I am the way I am, only that I put every last effort I could muster into being a woman and it just wasn't working out.

I'm also really fucking sick of being tragedy porn for cis people. I'm not "brave" -- I was never given a fucking choice. It was fight or die. I wasn't "born in the wrong body." I was born in my body, and I take a medication to make my body feel a little more normal. Being trans isn't a disability, deformity, or form of mental illness -- but is it any different when someone takes antidepressants to exist easier in their own head? Chr!stians love to say everyone has a cross to bear. This is just mine, I guess.

My mom was confused and dismissive when I first came out to her as genderqueer. She shut me down and made me feel like I was being hysterical. I have often called her my best friend, and we certainly have trauma bonded over surviving my dad. I used to let her define my reality.

I don't know when the turning point was. But there came a point when she took me seriously, and she called me by the right name and pronouns before I got on HRT. I think it came from a place of sincerity. We were close for so much of my life. We used to smoke weed together and hang out all the time. Then her disillusionment with the medical industry took her down the rabbit hole into Q An0n land and before I knew it she was donating money to the Tr/ump campaign.

It used to be kinda quirky when she talked about how the reptilians were feeding on our "loosh" (negative emotions), but now she fully believes the world is run by satanists and considers herself to be a right-wing conservative chr!stian. She's also a nudist, which I only mention because it doesn't seem very conservative to me??

The thing that worries me now is that she's becoming so deeply indoctrinated by it that she'll start to see me as some kind of misguided sinner. There's still a part of me that wants to believe she has more sense than that, but. lol Like, does she think that my "liberal" upbringing made me trans? In that same conversation about LGBT education, she asked me if I wanted to be a man because I was always imitating my dad. And I was pretty confused. When have I ever wanted to be like my dad? I told her I was always looking to her for an example, and wanted to be like her. And in spite of that, I felt that I was a man.

I hate that I have to talk about this. I wish I could put my thoughts together in a coherent way, and make some kind of point. But I don't know if I can change anyone's mind.

It doesn't matter how other people see me. I'm stealth at work. I probably don't have to be, but I just don't know how people would react, and I've already had some negative experiences with people in the workplace before. I think most people, when they find out I'm trans, they lean more towards the "Wow, I couldn't tell!" camp (which I also hate tbh) rather than the "So, you're not really gay?" camp.

I'm not brave. I'm scared and I'm tired. And I'm angry. I'm very fucking angry.

I've wasted enough time worrying about what other people think. I've been acknowledged as a man 99% of the time every day for the past five or six years.

I recently posted a thing on Facebook about gendered terms I'm comfortable with, and there seems to have been some misunderstanding. I've been out as non-binary for a few years as well. And I'm starting to really reconsider what that means for me.

It doesn't help that this past December, I shaved my entire body and put on a dress to attend my best friend's wedding as her maid of honor. To me, it wasn't a big deal. I had a fantastic time. I felt so pretty, and I enjoyed being gendered differently by people throughout the night.

I enjoy being a gender chameleon. When I'm dressed that way, I don't necessarily care if I'm seen as a woman? But I do think of it more as drag than conforming to femininity, necessarily. If you see me as a woman when I'm literally in drag, that is the fucking point. But if I'm binding and I have a full beard and I'm in a polo shirt and cargo shorts, and you call me a woman, you are going to look like a fucking idiot, and I'm gonna laugh in your face.

Being in a place of healing has allowed me to better understand how I see myself. I'm a gay man. I like having a beard and a deep voice, and I'm lucky enough not to feel shame about my body and the sum of its parts. I'm attracted to men in a gay way. I'm seen as a man by my partner, my friends, my co-workers, my neighbors, by the public who frequents the library where I work.

I don't care for standards of masculinity that prevent me from wearing make up, certain clothing, nail polish. I don't feel ashamed for being short or for sometimes feeling sad. I wish that I could express my gender in the way that I want, but men are not allowed to be soft or pretty, and doing so leaves me vulnerable to being verbally and physically assaulted. Not only that, but expressing my femininity also always seems to be interpreted as a "go ahead" to misgender me and take my decision to transition into question.

So let me be clear. I'm not a woman. In a greater, existential sense, I have transcended gender itself to see it for what it truly is. But if I had to choose (and I do, apparently) then I'm a man. Just think of me as a regular guy.

Cis people think they know what it means to be free of gender. But until you hop the fence, you just don't. Until you commit a gender taboo so unforgiveable that you realize you could run the risk of losing your job, you have no idea. They blithely regurgitate the mantra of "gender is a biological characteristic" as though women were meant to be hairless and men meant to be bastions of logic, free of the taint of emotion. You will never truly be free until you've watched yourself die and rebuilt yourself from the ashes.

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hanhduong188 · 3 years

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There are days like today, I know that I'm unwell and I need to rest. Toxic relationship makes me so exhausted, even it is not a really serious one. I only want to revenge , text Stian and call him a jerk, even I know that he and me didn't have anything serious and I already knew that he had another girl, but I jumped into the hole. I really want bad things will come to him, but revenge , hateful feeling only make my soul barren. I think I need to take a break and a sleep to water my soul again. And even I know that I should love myself, think positive, I can't avoid these negative thoughts because I am a normal person. After this stage I will be fine...

P.s Remembering about the picture of her on his story make me feel so annoying. He is not my style, but it is still hurt my ego, since he chooses her. I'm a priority , not a choice

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aliciabululu · 6 years

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Ahí dejo un listado de libros que me han facilitado el diálogo en el aula en torno a la diferencia, la diversidad y la autenticidad que cada persona trae consigo. Los protagonistas de estas historias son, ante todo, seres auténticos.

No me gusta unificar pensamiento a través de las historias, tampoco llenar el mundo de moralinas, eso es del S.XVI y nosotros ya hemos crecido¿no? .

Mi intención, siempre hay una, a parte de ofrecer una variedad estética y artística (literaria y pictóricamente hablando), es posibilitar un espacio para el diálogo y el debate en torno a las historias. Abrir la puerta a mil preguntas, olvidar que el mundo es normal y ponderado.

El listado incluye libros para todas las edades, desde infantil a secundaria. Arriba del todo se encuentran los clásicos y sobre todo los que mezclan historia con ritmo y humor en muchos casos. Conforme bajamos la vista nos iremos encontrando con libros cuyos dilemas ofrecen la posibilidad de abrir debates fascinantes en edades más avanzadas.

Por último, un pequeño apunte. En esta lista se incluye uno de los libro más conocidos sobre discapacidad “El cazo de Lorenzo”. He notado que en algunos centros escolares la manera de abordar la historia es desde la pena y la compasión ¿Acaso no nos estamos ubicando en un lugar de superioridad cuando nos planteamos esta mirada? Os invito hacia esta reflexión ¿cuál es tu cazo? ¿que podemos hacer con el para abrazarlo? ¿qué oportunidades nos brinda este cazo? ¿permite esta sociedad que mi cazo se mueva con libertad? ¿qué podemos hacer para facilitar el movimiento libre de los otros cazos? Evidentemente hay profesionales que facilitan la inclusión de la discapacidad en el mundo, logopedas, fisioterapeutas, psicólogas, educadoras, pedagogas y sobre todo familias. Pero me inclino a pensar que todos somos creadores de barreras y por lo tanto también responsables de su destrucción. Este listado está para al menos poner la mirada en ellas y abrir la panorámica de visión. Si se consigue habré dado con la piedra filosofal.

A continuación os dejo el listado detallado, para ampliar la información de cada libro solo tenéis que pinchar en su título.

Catalina, el Oso y Pedro

Texto e ilustraciones: Christiane Pieper

Editorial: kalandraka, 2001

¡ESO NO ES NORMAL!

Texto: Mar Pavón

Ilustraciones: Laure du Faÿ

Editorial: NubeOcho, 2014

Por cuatro esquinitas de nada

Texto e Ilustraciones: Jérôme Ruillier

Editorial: Juventud, 2005

Pequeño Azul, Pequeño Amarillo

Texto e ilustraciones: Leo Lionni

Editorial: Kalandraka, 2005

El charco del rey Olaf

Texto: Mar Pavón

Ilustraciones: María Girón

Editorial: Tramuntana, 2017

Los cinco desastres

Texto e ilustraciones: Beatrice Alemagna

Editorial: A buen paso, 2014

(Os recomiendo echar un vistazo a todos los libros de esta editorial espectácular, pero si buscáis sobre diversidad, en especial, a títulos tan maravillosos como “Desde los ojos de Lucas” o “Payasa en el parque”)

Ricitos de oso

Texto: Stéphane Servant

Ilustraciones: Laetitia Lesaux

Editorial: Juventud, 2014

El cazo de Lorenzo

Texto e ilustraciones: Isabelle Carrier

Editorial:Juventud, 2010

Estela

Texto: Pablo Albo

Ilustraciones: Miguel Ángel Díez

Editorial:Thule, 2007

Reseña (entre miles): https://www.elcultural.com/revista/letras/Estela/21681

Eduardo, el niño más terrible del mundo

Texto e ilustraciones: John Burningham

Editorial: Factoría K de Libros

(Parece ser que es un libro que se encuentra actualmente fuera del catálogo de la editorial, pero aun puede encontrarse en algunas librerías y sino siempre nos quedarán las bibliotecas)