#howling curse | lycaon | ;

[ekleipsi]

--- It's grey sweatpants season and if you think he doesn't own at least three pairs, you're sadly mistaken. He wears them, he wears them often, and he wears nothing else but them, when he's home. You're welcome.

[stayecstatic]

WK 7 - WEREWOLF

You’re sitting in the deep forest. Your family took you on a camping trip, so you have the opportunity to look at the night sky. You notice it’s a full moon this time. You think to yourself, “that looks amazing.” Then you hear something in the distance. A howl coming from the deepest parts of the darkness. The noises get closer and closer. Rapid footsteps clashing against the leaves. Then there stood a werewolf, with the intention of eating you alive and dragging your body across the dense forest. In this blog, we will see how one full moon can change someone’s instinct for survival.

Werewolves, or “lycanthropy” dates back to thousands of years across various cultures. The earliest legends appear in ancient Greek and Roman mythology. In Greek myth, King Lycaon was transformed into a wolf by Zeus as punishment for serving human flesh to the gods, giving rise to the term “lycanthropy.” In medieval Europe, werewolf legends took hold with the belief that people could transform into wolves through witchcraft, curses, or by donning a wolf skin. Fear of werewolves led to hunts and trials, much like witch trials, especially during the 15th to 18th centuries. Modern werewolf stories, especially through literature and film, have evolved to depict werewolves as humans cursed to transform uncontrollably during a full moon, symbolizing the inner struggle between civilization and primal instincts.

Possible sightings of a monsterous werewolf do exist, let’s see a story about them…

“Not a local legend, but a family story. My grandmother swears up and down that one night decades ago she drove past a giant bipedal dog-creature. We all call it her werewolf story.

Apparently it was late at night, she was driving through a rural area from her nursing shift at the hospital, and she thought she saw a big black dog off the side of the road. She loves dogs, so she slowed down to see if she could call it over, but when she got close it stood up on two legs and was at least as tall as a person. Claims it stared her down as she sped off in absolute terror.

Personally, I’d put my money on a black bear. She’d recently moved from a state with no bears at all, so I can see how someone exhausted from a long night shift who’s never seen a bear in person might mistake one standing up for a terrifying man-dog creature in the dark. But childhood me definitely thought my nana saw a real werewolf. Not a local legend, but a family story. My grandmother swears up and down that one night decades ago she drove past a giant bipedal dog-creature. We all call it her werewolf story.”

Who knows? Was it a black bear? Or was it the night’s deadliest predator? You decide.

Bloodborne is a dark action RPG by FromSoftware, set in the haunting, Gothic city of Yharnam. Players assume the role of a Hunter, drawn to Yharnam in search of a mysterious remedy. They find the city plagued by a terrifying, bloodborne disease that transforms its citizens into monstrous beasts. As they delve deeper into the city’s twisted secrets, players face grotesque creatures, eerie landscapes, and powerful bosses inspired by cosmic horror and Lovecraftian themes.

In Bloodborne, werewolf-like creatures play a central role in both the game’s atmosphere and lore. Known as “beasts,” they are Yharnam’s inhabitants transformed by a mysterious plague that spreads through the city’s blood-based rituals. These beasts, twisted and feral, embody the terrifying results of humans succumbing to their primal instincts under the influence of tainted blood.

There are different types of werewolves in the game…

Scourge Beasts: These are Yharnamites in an early stage of transformation, retaining some human features but developing elongated limbs, fur, and snarling fangs. Scourge Beasts are fast, brutal, and roam the streets, often in packs.

Lycans: In more advanced stages, some citizens take on an even more monstrous, wolf-like form. These creatures are larger, with skeletal frames, claws, and complete loss of human characteristics.

leric Beasts: Larger boss-like enemies, such as the Cleric Beast, represent extreme transformations. These were likely former clergy members who used blood rituals in their practices, mutating them into massive, grotesque beasts as a result.

The werewolf-like beasts in Bloodborne symbolize humanity’s descent into monstrosity and the consequences of playing with forbidden blood. Their existence ties into the game’s themes of hubris, as Yharnam’s citizens, in their obsession with healing and immortality, rely on blood that ultimately corrupts them.

Twilight (2008) (I hate these movies) is a romantic fantasy film based on Stephenie Meyer’s novel of the same name. The story follows Bella Swan, a teenage girl who moves to the small town of Forks, Washington, and falls in love with Edward Cullen, a mysterious and brooding young man who she soon discovers is a vampire. Despite their intense attraction, their romance is complicated by Edward’s vampire nature and his struggle to control his bloodlust around Bella.

In Twilight, werewolves are introduced as shape-shifters from the Quileute tribe, a group of Native American protectors who can transform into wolves. Though they are not traditional werewolves, they embody the werewolf spirit, taking on the role of guardians and protectors against vampires. The werewolves’ abilities are triggered when vampires pose a threat to their tribe or territory, leading to their transformation. Unlike classic werewolves, these shape-shifters can transform at will rather than only under a full moon. Their transformations are tied to emotional control and are often triggered by anger or intense emotions. In wolf form, they are larger and stronger than natural wolves, with heightened senses and enhanced speed. Each werewolf has a distinct look, reflecting their personality and status within the pack. The pack, led by Sam Uley, includes Jacob Black, Bella’s close friend, who later plays a significant role in her life and the overall story. Werewolves have a deep connection with one another, communicating telepathically in wolf form and sharing a strong pack bond.

The werewolves have an ancient rivalry with vampires, fueled by past conflicts and their role as natural protectors of humanity. This rivalry complicates Bella’s relationship with Edward, especially as Jacob and the pack become more protective of Bella.

Here’s an example of Jacob’s transformation. I’d rather not going about this corny movie anymore

To close this blog off, I never really looked into werewolves. I always knew fictional people transformed into them when it’s a full moon. My first ever time seeing werewolves was from when I watched Twilight when I was younger. Even when I was younger, I hated that movie. I’m not sorry. It’s probably the only romance movie I won’t ever watch again. I’d rather watch The Titanic. Honestly, turning into a werewolf when it’s a full moon it’s a great concept. It also makes a lot of sense. I always thought werewolves and wolves were the same thing, but one is clearly much realer than the other. Wolves and other wild animals is probably the reason why I don’t like camping outside. Werewolves are a fun and interesting concept such I’d explore more.

The next time you go outside in the middle of the night, look up in the sky.. it might be a warning of what’s next to come for the rest of your life.

[animehouse-moe]

Shangri-La Frontier Episode 3: Black Wolf Nightslayer

This show's so consistent through three episodes that I feel like I don't have anything new to start with. The action's banging from start to finish, the humor hits really well in just all the right moments, the animation is incredibly solid throughout, and the worldbuilding is top notch. It's damn good, and I'd even say it's getting better and better the further that we get into it, so I have lots of little details I want to talk about.

So, where to start? Maybe with the fact that about six minutes of the episode is action? Yeah, a pretty insane number considering it's the third episode and this isn't some sort of final or last fight with the boss. Even crazier is that they animate this massive wolf in 2D. No CGI or anything, just a damn good looking 2D wolf, with a surprising amount of full body shots.

Let's rewind though for something fun. For exposition we return to our pair of "noob" gamers as they talk about Rei's in-game character and the "lore" behind her clan. First of all, it's a great angle to use for exposition. Placing the onus on explaining it to a new player is far smarter than any sort of vague reasoning. Second, I really hope that this pair of characters will continue to be our source of explanations as the series goes on. Gimmicks and recurring jokes are something that I feel will work really well with this series so keeping the characters the same would be a fun little side story to add.

Anyways, the actual worldbuilding to come from this exchange. At this point in time we know that there's currently 7 known Unique Monsters, labelled as Colossi, in the game. From that, seven different clans have appeared to try and take them down. Now, we don't know if each is dedicated to a unique colossi or not, but most of the emblems are in fact unique, and speak to the fact that not all "monsters" are "inhuman". They're obviously not normal humans, but they would not be classified as beasts.

Okay, now we're at the wolf fight, and man there is a lot of detail here. And I mean a lot. The way that the wolf fights is so intelligent. Much like the Ravenous Python, it doesn't expose its full kit off the bat with Sunraku. But it's also not "saving" it for later.

What it's doing is testing Sunraku. How can I say that with confidence though? Well, just look at how it employs its kit. It has a paralyzing howl that it could have used to kill Sunraku immediately if it wanted to, for one. But that's the second to last move it uses on him.

Similarly, it engages with Sunraku in a head on fight to start, but as Sunraku consistently lands hits on it, it changes up tactics. It uses invisibility/teleportation. The exact mechanism I'm not 100% certain on, but a general overview would be that during the invisibility, Lycaon can't interact with anything, and it's not instantaneous movement from one point to the other. So it's more like a dimensional slip maybe?

And last but not least, the taunt/feint. It sees the calibre of fighter that Sunraku is and essentially invites him in saying, "cmon, take the shot where you think you should, you can do it". Before Sunraku can gouge out an eye though, Lycaon blocks his attack and swiftly dispatches him.

A wildly intelligent monster, no? Well, maybe "monster" is a bit of a misnomer for a beast carrying the name "Lycaon". In Ancient Greek mythology, Lycaon was originally a human, believe it or not. It was only when he angered Zeus by offering human flesh (the flesh of Lyacon's own son) to see if the God could tell the difference that Lycaon was transformed into a wolf.

Anyways, the nail in the coffin for the incredible intelligence of this creature, Lycaon's Curse. It's essentially a mark that commends the ability of the fighter, and restricts them until they can beat the beast itself. Very very cool stuff. Though, I should say the point about Lycaon recognizing Sunraku isn't mulled over until after the fact, but immediately viewers are able to grasp the reasoning behind the curse.

Moving forward, the keen-eyed in the opening for Shangri-La Frontier will recognize a familiar face (or two) in this episode: Emul and Vysache.

This part was very very interesting to me, because clearly, Emul is meant to be party member to Sunraku (given the opening), and this sequence immediately confirms that Vysache is meant to train Sunraku. I mean, the use of the Vorpal Choppers and the idea of duality exists comfortably in Vysache and Rabituza's style. What an incredibly interesting idea to follow through on, I'm incredibly curious to see how it ends up.

And this part is also where the episode ends. This series is really good at leaving off in very very interesting points that make me incredibly anxious to see where we go in the next week. I don't think there are many series out there that can entice viewers with a world as large as their imagination and do it as well as this. We only know of two towns and a handful of monsters, but the scope of the world feels like extends so far past it that you can't begin to fathom it.

I'm incredibly glad that C2C is the studio behind the series, and even more grateful that we're getting 24 episodes for it right out of the gates. There's just too much I want to know, too much that I still need to see. And then I remember we're still only 3 episodes in. What will this series look like in 12, in 24 episodes? Just such an engaging anime.

[sweetwolfcupcake]

The Forest: Old Tales

The Forest: Beginning Masterlist

****

(Y/n) could hear the professor’s muffled voice as she brisked-walked towards her lecture hall, she was late. For the second time in the week, and if she would keep up the record, Mr Murray would not be kind to her.

“There have been a number of records of the legend and—” 

The door opened with a dramatic squeak, making the professor pause and look down at her. (Y/N) cursed herself for being too swift. 

“Um, good morning, Professor.” she sputtered out before making her way toward one of the empty seats. 

The room was awfully quiet and each step seemed to echo, turning her more self-conscious with every step she took.

Thankfully, Mr Murray made no comment, in fact, he declared the text and page for her. She hastily took out the book and opened the page.

Lycanthropes

Mr Murray cleared his throat and resumed “So, there have been a number of records found, mentioning these beings. See, there are more definite timelines about Dracula, or vampires- blood-sucking, dead creatures. Lycanthropes, however, have a kind of more muddled up records of their origin and legends. However, the earliest, ancient legend goes back to Greek mythology.”

He took a pause and switched on the digital screen and switched off the lights. The screen showed a lycanthrope howling on a full moon night. The image was grotesque, sharp teeth resembling a typical wolf protruding out, but they were bigger, the creature was baring its teeth as it stood on two feet, body covered in fur but having the outline of that of a man. A giant form looming over.

 “They are also known as werewolves. And while most of the modern times fiction describes them to be fully able to turn into wolves, the ancient legends describe them as part man, part wolf-like giants that fed on livestock and even humans.”

 Professor Murray clicked on another picture, showcasing a painting of the Greek god Zeus.

“According to the legend, Lycaon, the son of Pelasgus, angered the god Zeus when he served him a meal made from the remains of a sacrificed boy. As punishment, the enraged Zeus turned Lycaon and his sons into wolves.” 

The slide changed to another one. It showed two werewolf figures, half-turned, but one bigger than another.

“You see these two, the bigger one is a Lycan. Now, Lycans have been often mistaken as just werewolves. They are not. You see, in the Nordic folklore, there has been this confusion over the ancient werewolf legends as well. As mentioned before, Lycaon and his sons were considered the original ‘werewolves’. I believe they were not, You see, Lycans can be descendants of Lycaon and his offsprings.”

(Y/N) sat there, tensed as a stretched bow and gulped.

---++---

“Michael…” she whispered out, reaching for her friend’s hand. It was cold and shivering slightly, but his grip tightened. It did not feel right, they did not feel alone anymore.

“Michael…I don’t like it here anymore,” she whispered out to the frozen boy. She did not feel like it was only two of them anymore.

---++---

(Y/N) let out a sigh. Shaking her head slightly, she focused on the lecture.

“Now let us come to the facts.” 

he changed the slide once more, this time, it had pictures of humans with excessive body hair.

 “The Werewolf Syndrome or Hypertrichosis is a rare condition in human beings when they grow excessive body hair. Scientists point out that this rare condition might have been the prime source of the werewolf legend. You see, in the Dark Ages, people relied more on superstition and religion than science and rationality. So it is completely possible that the folktales have been inspired by such unfortunate individuals with the rare disease.”

 He paused before continuing-

“ There is also a rare psychological condition called Clinical Lycanthropy when one believes that he or she is a wolf or any non-human entity. This might have caused people to act like wolves and then we have the legend of Lycans and Werewolves.”

Mr Murray finally switched off the slide and switched on the lights. (Y/N) blinked at the sudden exposure but did not take her eyes off the professor.

“I will be meeting you next week. Until then, you can dig up more about Lycans and Werewolves, we can have a smoother discussion on our next class, okay?”

A number of “Yes, Professor” emerged among the students.

“Any questions regarding this?”

“Sir, I have one. There have been pieces of evidence in modern times as well, like giant wolves, carcasses of wolf-like creatures and all. You think they are genuine?”

Professor Murray smiled while picking up his books and notes 

“As a folklorist, my job is only to record the oral and ancient traditions and superstitions in order to help understand the civilizations that do not exist today, what are facts, what is science is in front of you, as any physical object. What is the origin of such bizarre folktales and legends, is what you believe. I know a few colleagues of mine who truly believe in fairies and elves. Assistant professor Maryline Evans is would be taking your classes regarding magical folklores this semester. You can ask her too.”

 (Y/N) could not help the smile at his words, that was the thing about Professor Murray, he would always let the students have their own space to grow- he would provide information and guidance, the rest was on the students.

“Other than that, you can always visit the Legend and Myths sections in Library Attic. Not many students visit the place. But that will help your curiosity. See you in the next class, have a good week.”

And with that, he walked out of the lecture hall.

—-----

The Section for Folkloristics was at the end of the library. And the University library was vast- truly vast. It was comparatively secluded and quieter. There were students sitting there though, some were her classmates, and others were seniors.

“Hi, (Y/N).” it was George, the ginger-haired boy, lean and tall, with rimmed spectacles and clean-shaven, always. His curls fell over his forehead- they were short, but under the sun, they looked good.

“Oh, Hi George, you are here for books on the Werewolf legend?”

“Yeh, it’s in the attic though, with all the supernatural stuff.” he replied with a nervous smile.

“Yeah, '' Mr Murray said. You found something?”

“No, I was um, looking for someone to accompany me there. The occult section is right there.”

Now it made sense. Poor George was squeamish. And for a moment, for a brief, bleak moment, he reminded her of Michael.

“Yes, um, it feels weird to go there alone. No one’s upstairs?”

George shrugged “Could not hear a creak, so…Let’s just go, we are only prolonging this.”

—-----

The attic was a secluded place, while the abundance of sunlight did filter through the massive windows, there was a certain heaviness that sat upon it, maybe it was due to the old lady sitting by the door that opened to the occult section- only students of Occult Studies were allowed there and all professors of course, but students like her and George could visit if accompanied by any Professor of another Student of the daunting but alluring course.

“Why does it look like a witch’s cottage?” George whispered to her

“Maybe because the attic hosts such stuff? They say that the Occult Section is blessed twice a day, I wonder what it holds.”

“We would need a professor to get in there. But honestly, I would let it pass.” George glanced at the door to the occult section. 

The lady sitting by the door eyed them curiously before shifting her attention back to the book she was reading. 

“Yeah, maybe you’re right. We should not meddle with things we do not know.” she added, looking around as they walked into the section holding books on superstitions, myths and legends.

Why would the section be placed with the Occult Section? There was enough space downstairs.

“Oh there it is, look, Nordic Folklore, Greek mythology of Zeus and Lycaon.” George was quick to find the desired section.

The books were wide and heavy and her shift at the bistro would not begin until five in the evening. She could use the spare hours to research.

“The wolf has a complex symbolisation in the Nordic world, see here, Fenrir, or werewolves are considered evil- Volsunga Saga has tales regarding the myth. Some pelts that could turn a man into a wolf for eleven days.” George pointed out from his notes.

“Mhm, but they also considered wolves to be symbols of protection and strength.” (Y/N) pointed out

“Yes, but it’s complex I guess. Hey, look here, isn’t he the famous folklorist who gave theories and pieces of evidence on werewolves and lycans?” George rose from his chair and walked up to get one of the books on the bottom shelf.

“Dr. Caden Backe? You know that many consider his theories false, right?” she was sceptical, but George shrugged.

“And there are many who follow his theories, including Professor Murray.” he pointed out.

“Professor Murray believes in his theories? I thought he was a skeptic.”

“He might be, being a folklorist, his duty is to study the folklores and folks, try to conserve the endangered communities and practices, trace back the folktales of the past, and extinct communities for the sake of anthropology, not believing in them.”

George was right, besides, there was no denying that no one had studied the legend of werewolves as deeply as Dr Backe.

“You know he was one of the first folklorists to declare that Lycans and werewolves are different?” George clearly knew much more than she did, and it reminded her that she needed to work harder on the course.

“No, I mean, we never needed to study the legend of werewolves before so…I never bothered.”

“It’s alright, I have always been a little curious, that’s it.”

“A little curious? George, you better help me with the course, I don’t know what will become of me otherwise.” she sighed out as she flicked the pages of the book

“Hey, chill out, nothing’s too much here. We can have regular study sessions here, you help me with the language and stuff. This semester we might need to present interviews- fieldwork, you know?”

Her shoulders slumped at that, “Don’t tell me!”

George only shrugged “It’s a part of the course (Y/N). Now C’mon, let’s get to work.”

“So, according to him Lycans are the descendants of Lycaon and his sons- they’re pure-blooded. Stronger, smarter, more in tune with their human side and can control when they shift.” (Y/N) read through the analysis while George took notes.

“Noted. Anything else?”

“Enhanced speed, sense of smell, sight. More in tune with the moon- what is it supposed to mean?”

George looked up and read through the notes. “Maybe, closer to the moon and more in control of their reflexes and emotions? Werewolves shift on a full moon night- they must, they don’t have any control in that…Lycans can control when to shift. Maybe Dr Backe meant that since they have better control of their reflexes, their animal-side, they share a deeper connection with the moon?”

“I’m still confused.” she was not convinced.

“Me too.” he admitted. “I guess we need to do a  thorough study regarding this. Or maybe speak to Professor Murray?” 

“You’re right. There is this book he has recommended. Regions are said to have supernatural mysteries and folklores attached to them. What if we get a hint there?”

“You’re right. Wait, let me get that.”

While George busied himself in pursuit of the book, (Y/N) continued to read through the passage.

Dr Backe had made some claims that the myth of Lycans was prevalent among the remote areas of the place she was in. The towns and villages attached to some ancient woodlands had folklore regarding the origin and life of the early Lycans.

There were some interviews and tales he had gathered from the locals as well. And according to one of them, Lycans were superior to werewolves and while werewolves’ mates were decided according to the natural smell they found the most attractive, and hence more compatible. With Lycans, it was a bit different. It was more of a…

“Soul connection?” she read out aloud.

She could not help it. It appeared all too bizarre for her. “Is he serious?” she thought out loud.

“Apparently, he believes in those findings.” George was back with the book, and with the thin layer of dust covering it, it had not been touched for long.

“Found it. Finally!” he sighed out.

The book had a fading green cover and the title- ‘Of All Enchanted Woods’ was printed in gold.

“Seems more like a fairy tale.”

“A grim fairy tale,” he commented before opening it carefully. The edition was that of two decades old and the yellowed pages gave away its waning life. 

But there was something about old books that appealed to (Y/N). The green cover was fading; it had once been deep, rich, shining green, like a dense, flourishing forest.

“Mostly they are forests so the title now makes sense. Have a look, see if you can find something. I’ll skim through Dr Backe’s book and make notes for both of us until then.” George offered.

(Y/N) nodded and took the book from him. There were some known regions to have rumours surrounding them and various tales associated with them. Popular regions were often crowded with Vloggers and other Paranormal/Supernatural Show Hosts.

Most of the forests had tales of elves and fairies, some even had paranormal associations. But one name in the index caught her eyes.

It was the woodland surrounding her grandparents’ little town.

****

I apologise if the depiction of the course of Folklorists is inappropriate, I admit I have almost no knowledge about the course, the choice of subject has been only for the convenience of the story plot.

Kindly treat everything here as pure fiction.

[freuleinanna]

lycaon's curse

even a man who is pure at heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms, and the moon is shining bright.

given how the game did nick dirty on account of making him a basic plot-explaining tool, I'm gonna go ahead and headcanon a whole lycaon-the-first-werewolf-related greek au for him and yes, there are curses, mischief, gods and goddesses

so, some history first. lycaon, an arcadian king, is considered to be the first werewolf, and though sources differ on what exactly happened, two things are clear:

he offered zeus a meal of human flesh;

as punishment, zeus turned him into half-man, half-wolf, to show his beastly nature. supposedly, the silver aversion is a part of the whole 'you shall never eat like a man again [that is, from a silver plate], but will feast like an animal instead' thing.

some sources say initially, lycaon wanted to gain the gods' blessings in order to restore the once-prosperous land, and zeus favoured him because lycaon built him a grand temple. however, lycaon became obssessed with the idea of worshipping gods to the point of making human sacrifices and killing visitors of his land.

anyway, look at this awesome art by Sirmaril7. the turning of lycaon. i'm in awe.

so imagine young nikolaos, a descendant of the great king lycaon, unknowingly carrying the curse in him. zeus being a vindictive bitch, he curses the whole bloodline (although it's also said that lycaon bit his 50-something children, so), yet the wolf curse does not reveal itself so many generations after.

nikolaos is a soft-tempered young man, hard-working and honest, and shining. he is what's called beautiful rather than handsome. his beauty, people say, outshines the sun itself.

apollo, the god of the sun and a son of zeus (who as we remember is vindictive bitch, so), is angry with nikolaos as no one dares to be superior to a deity. having uncovered the secret of nikolaos's legacy, he tricks him the same way lycaon tried to trick zeus.

you see, nikolaos is very much in love with abigaia, a kind-hearted, flame-haired girl who loves him just as much. on the day of their wedding, apollo comes down from the sky to bless the pair, and a whole marvelous feast appears, magnificent at sight, rotten with a dark twist within. unknowongly, nikolaos eats human flesh, and the moment he does, lycaon's curse returns.

nikolaos is transformed into a brutal wolf, a creature so monstrous it wouldn't dare to even see the light of day, not to mention outshine the sun. horror-stricken, the creature runs to the wilderness to bury itself in shadows.

let's not forget about abigaia, though. for days, she wonders the woods trying to find the trail of her lost lover, yet she's never closer than the yellow gleam of his eyes, too far away from her. nikolaos is so afraid to harm his beloved, he runs further and further. he does not trust the beast and is ashamed of his own monstrosity. grieving, he howls day and night, until even magical creatures avoid his presense.

abigaia makes an offering to apollo and asks him to lift the curse, yet he is adamant. a wounded pride does not heal easily. other gods do not intervene. to them, humans are but sparks of falling stars against the vast night sky, their mortal woes too insignificant against eternal life. finally, abigaia pleads the goddesses of the moon to oppose apollo and take the curse away. artemis, the hunting goddess of the halfmoon and a twin sister to apollo, refuses her plea. hecate, the magic goddess of the dark moon and a cousin to apollo, also refuses. but selene, the goddess of the full moon, takes pity on her.

selene weaves the threads of the curse and binds them to herself, taking apollo's power in their never-ending day and night, sun and moon confrontation. she makes it that for almost thirty days, nikolaos remains human as he's always been, but when selene comes to take the sky, she takes him with her. on those nights, nikolaos is to lose all humanity and run with the moon in his beastly form. to spare him the horror, she makes him forget the night.

and so nikolaos is able to return to his beloved abigaia, and their reunion is celebrated so, that even mystical creatures of the forests and rivers join them for festivities. nikolaos's bloodline continues, and abigaia gives birth to four strong, handsome boys. and everything is well.

when the boys come of age, they join their father for a run under the moon, and when he cannot run anymore, four wolf cubs repay his eternal gratitude to selene by taking his place.

[scaevolawrites]

FFF174 Monster Mash

This was written for @flashfictionfridayofficial WC: 828

Fred was making his way through the graveyard, one wet and sticky tentacle at a time. He didn’t really want to go, these things were nothing but fearmongering - and he knew how to scare and frighten humankind. He was Fred the Kraken for Lucifer’s sake! You’d think that would earn him some leeway, but no... every eejit and their ancestors had to attend these Monthly Monster Meetings. So here he was on his way to the Mausoleum.

Fred crawled his way over to the marble dwelling. It belonged to the Burton family and had been the venue since these meetings began - despite Fred’s multiple requests to move the venue closer to the shore. But Matilda Burton - or what remained of her - had vehemently denied them, citing she had made a promise to an old friend (what had been his name again? Howard Peter? Or something along those lines) to never leave Worcester. So Fred had to stealthily traverse the entirety of Rhode Island and half of Massachusetts just to attend this torturous meeting.

He made his way through the depths of the crypt and found his seat and the yew table, and greeted his fellow monsters. Carl the Giant Cockroach had somehow made her before him. Usually, this lazy ladybug was last to arrive. He was seated next to Elizabeth Coraline Frankenstein IV, the current head of the Frankenstein dynasty. As usual Howard Hyde, her right hand was standing at her shoulders, alert as ever. The fourth seat at the table was filled by Alphonse, who spear-headed the Vampiric Coven of New England and was thusly required to attend the meetings. Matilda Burton's half-decomposed head floated at the end of the table, jaw slightly ajar. Her skeletal appendages sprawled across the table. Behind Matilda, Fred could see descendants of Lycaon, members of Unseelie Courts, blights, sirens, and all manner of otherworldly creatures. He was so caught by the sheer number of creatures that had been amassed that it took a moment before Fred realized Matilda had begun to speak.

“…situation is quite grave, fellow cryptids. I have reports from multiple day dwellers that humankind has ceased being scared of us, we must form a plan to combat this development”- Matilda could say no further as a cacophony of shrieks, curses, howls, and other horrible noises were heard throughout the crypt.

“Poppycock!”, shouted one. “Blasphemy!”, added another.

It took some doing and a loose threat to be bathed in Holy Water, but Matilda managed to subdue the crowd of outraged and flabbergasted nightmares. “Unfortunately, it’s true. According to my intelligence operatives, humans have been found not only to tolerate the macabre but also to enjoy it. Iconic works like Nosferatu, Beetlejuice, and Chucky are now described as “comfort movies”. Even worse…” Matilda paused and her floating head bobbed slightly up and down as if she had gagged. “Even worse… some of the humans have taken a weird, disturbing liking to us. They seem to want to seduce us.” She turned to face both Alphonse and Fred. “Vampires and Octopuses seem to be especially popular.”

Silence filled the crypt, as the vampire and the kraken looked at one another, faces contorted in disgust. “They know monsters reproduce asexually, right?” asked Fred. “Like spores and mushrooms?”

“Especially vampires! It’s considered general knowledge that reproduce through offering blood”, shouted Alphonse, “Why don’t they know that?”

All eyes and every eye socket had turned to the pair. Even Burton herself had caught herself staring. “Ahem… well. As I said this is clearly a concerning development and we must make haste, otherwise this will be the death of frights, jump-scares, and nightmares everywhere. Does anybody have any ideas?”

Like fog on a frigid autumn morning, silence filled the crypt once more.

“Aeons of haunting humanity and none of you fools have any suggestions?”

Then a shill shriek sounded from somewhere. “I might have a solution”, said a banshee. “Why don’t we try the mundane stuff? The other week, I discovered by chance that my current victim is especially frighted by exams, especially French. So I tried to replicate it. And he never closed an eye that night! I upped the ante with unpaid bills and the state of the economy for the rest of that week. I’m proud to say he’s an insomniac now!”

Matilda looked at the banshee who was cowering slightly. “You mean that? He doesn’t sleep anymore? Be truthful!” The banshee merely nodded. Mathilda snapped her boney fingers, and a will-o-wisp appeared. “Kevin, I have a task for you. Go to Hell’s Corporate Division, and ask them to send me everything they have on the torturous nature of the mundane.” Kevin flickered, acknowledging his master, before sinking through the ground.

Matilda raised her head and spoke: “Hear ye rotten ones. The Mundane shall be the new Macabre! Go forth and spread terror alike!”

[Taglist: @lazy-bumblebee Send me an ask or comment to be + /-]

[tlbodine]

A Horror History of Werewolves

As far as horror icons are concerned, werewolves are among the oldest of all monsters. References to man-to-wolf transformations show up as early as the Epic of Gilgamesh, making them pretty much as old as storytelling itself. And, unlike many other movie monsters, werewolves trace their folkloric roots to a time when people truly believed in and feared these creatures. 

But for a creature with such a storied past, the modern werewolf has quite the crisis of identity. Thanks to an absolute deluge of romance novels featuring sometimes-furry love interests, the contemporary idea of “werewolf” is decidedly de-fanged. So how did we get here? Where did they come from, where are they going, and can werewolves ever be terrifying again? 

Werewolves in Folklore and Legend 

Ancient Greece was full of werewolf stories. Herodotus wrote of a nomadic tribe from Scythia (part of modern-day Russia) who changed into wolves for a portion of the year. This was most likely a response to the Proto-Indo-European societies living in that region at the time -- a group whose warrior class would sometimes don animal pelts and were said to call on the spirit of animals to aid them in battle (the concept of the berserker has the same roots -- just bears rather than wolves).

In Arcadia, there was a local legend about King Lycaon, who was turned to a wolf as punishment for serving human meat to Zeus (exact details of the event vary between accounts, but cannibalism and crimes-against-the-gods are a common theme). Pliny the Elder wrote of werewolves as well, explaining that those who make a sacrifice to Zeus Lycaeus would be turned to wolves but could resume human form years later if they abstained from eating human meat in that time.

By the time we reach the Medieval period in Europe, werewolf stories were widespread and frequently associated with witchcraft. Lycanthropy could be either a curse laid upon someone or a transformation undergone by someone practicing witchcraft, but either way was bad news in the eyes of the church. For several centuries, witch-hunts would aggressively seek out anyone suspected of transforming into a wolf.

One particularly well-known werewolf trial was for Peter Stumpp in 1589. Stumpp, known as "The Werewolf of Bedburg," confessed to killing and eating fourteen children and two pregnant women while in the form of a wolf after donning a belt given to him by the Devil. Granted, this confession came on the tail-end of extensive public torture, so it may not be precisely reliable. His daughter and mistress were also executed in a public and brutal way during the same trial.

Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? 

The thing you have to understand when studying folklore is that, for many centuries, wolves were the apex predator of Europe. While wolf attacks on humans have been exceedingly rare in North America, wolves in Europe have historically been much bolder -- or, at least, there are more numerous reports of man-eating wolves in those regions. Between 1362 and 1918, roughly 7,600 people were reportedly killed by wolves in France alone, which may have some bearing on the local werewolf tradition of the loup-garou.

For people living in rural areas, subsisting as farmers or hunters, wolves posed a genuine existential threat. Large, intelligent, utilizing teamwork and more than capable of outwitting the average human, wolves are a compelling villain. Which is probably why they show up so frequently in fairytales, from Little Red Riding Hood to Peter and the Wolf to The Three Little Pigs.

Early Werewolf Fiction 

Vampires have Dracula and zombies have I Am Legend, but there really is no clear singular book to point to as the "First Great Werewolf Novel." Perhaps by the time the novel was really taking off as an artform, werewolves had lost some of their appeal. After all, widespread literacy and reading-for-pleasure went hand-in-hand with advancements in civilization. For city-dwellers in Victorian England, for example, the threat of a wolf eating you alive probably seemed quite remote.

Don't get me wrong -- there were some Gothic novels featuring werewolves, like Sutherland Menzies' Hugues, The Wer-Wolf, or G.W.M. Reynolds' Wagner the Wehr-Wolf, or even The Wolf Leader by Alexandre Dumas. But these are not books that have entered the popular conscience by any means. I doubt most people have ever heard of them, much less read them.

No -- I would argue that the closest thing we have, thematically, to a Great Werewolf Novel is in fact The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. Written in 1886, the Gothic novella tells the story of a scientist who, wanting to engage in certain unnamed vices without detection, created a serum that would allow him to transform into another person. That alter-ego, Mr. Hyde, was selfish, violent, and ultimately uncontrollable -- and after taking over the body on its own terms and committing a murder or two, the only way to stop Hyde’s re-emergence was suicide. 

Although not about werewolves, per se, Jekyll & Hyde touches on many themes that we'll see come up time and again in werewolf media up through the present day: toxic masculinity, the dual nature of man, leading a double life, and the ultimate tragedy of allowing one's base instincts/animal nature to run wild. Against a backdrop of Victorian sexual repression and a rapidly shifting concept of humanity's relationship to nature, it makes sense that these themes would resonate deeply (and find a new home in werewolf media).

It is also worth mentioning Guy Endore's The Werewolf of Paris, published in 1933. Set against the backdrop of the Franco-Prussian war and subsequent military battles, the book utilizes a werewolf as a plot device for exploring political turmoil. A #1 bestseller in its day, the book was a big influence on the sci-fi and mystery pulp scene of the 1940s and 50s, and is still considered one of the best werewolf novels of its ilk.

From Silver Bullets to Silver Screens 

What werewolf representation lacks in novels, it makes up for in film. Werewolves have been a surprisingly enduring feature of film from its early days, due perhaps to just how much fun transformation sequences are to film. From camera tricks to makeup crews and animatronics design, werewolf movies create a lot of unique opportunities for special effects -- and for early film audiences especially (who were not yet jaded to movie magic), these on-screen metamorphoses must have elicited true awe. 

The Wolf Man (1941) really kicked off the trend. Featuring Lon Chaney Jr. as the titular wolf-man, the film was cutting-edge for its time in the special effects department. The creature design is the most memorable thing about the film, which has an otherwise forgettable plot -- but it captured viewer attention enough to bring Chaney back many times over for sequels and Universal Monster mash-ups. 

The Wolf Man and 1944's Cry of the Werewolf draw on that problematic Hollywood staple, "The Gypsy Curse(tm)" for their world-building. Fortunately, werewolf media would drift away from that trope pretty quickly; curses lost their appeal, but “bite as mode of transmission” would remain an essential part of werewolf mythos. 

In 1957, I Was a Teenage Werewolf was released as a classic double-header drive-in flick that's nevertheless worth a watch for its parallels between werewolfism and male aggression (a theme we'll see come up again and again). Guy Endore's novel got the Hammer Film treatment for 1961's The Curse of the Werewolf, but it wasn't until the 1970s when werewolf media really exploded: The Beast Must Die, The Legend of the Wolf Woman, The Fury of the Wolfman, Scream of the Wolf, Werewolves on Wheels and many more besides.

Hmmm, werewolves exploding in popularity around the same time as women's liberation was dramatically redefining gender roles and threatening the cultural concept of masculinity? Nah, must be a coincidence.

The 1980s brought with it even more werewolf movies, including some of the best-known in the genre: The Howling (1981), Teen Wolf (1985), An American Werewolf in London (1981), and The Company of Wolves (1984). Differing widely in their tone and treatment of werewolf canon, the films would establish more of a spiderweb than a linear taxonomy.

That spilled over into the 1990s as well. The Howling franchise went deep, with at least seven films that I can think of. Wolf, a 1994 release starring Jack Nicholson is especially worth a watch for its themes of dark romantic horror. 

By the 2000s, we get a proper grab-bag of werewolf options. There is of course the Underworld series, with its overwrought "vampires vs lycans" world-building. There's also Skin Walkers, which tries very hard to be Underworld (and fails miserably at even that low bar). But there's also Dog Soldiers and Ginger Snaps, arguably two of the finest werewolf movies of all time -- albeit in extremely different ways and for very different reasons.

Dog Soldiers is a straightforward monster movie pitting soldiers against ravenous werewolves. The wolves could just as easily have been subbed out with vampires or zombies -- there is nothing uniquely wolfish about them on a thematic level -- but the creature design is unique and the film itself is mastefully made and entertaining.

Ginger Snaps is the first werewolf movie I can think of that tackles lycanthropy from a female point of view. Although The Company of Wolves has a strong feminist angle, it is still very much a film about male sexuality and aggression. Ginger Snaps, on the other hand, likens werewolfism to female puberty -- a comparison that frankly makes a lot of sense.

The Werewolf as Sex Object 

There are quite literally thousands of werewolf romance novels on the market, with more coming in each day. But the origins of this trend are a bit fuzzier to make out (no pun intended). 

Everyone can mostly agree that Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire was the turning-point for sympathetic vampires -- and paranormal romance as a whole. But where do werewolves enter the mix? Possibly with Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter books, which feature the titular character in a relationship with a werewolf (and some vampires, and were-leopards, and...many other things). With the first book released in 1993, the Anita Blake series seems to pre-date similar books in its ilk. 

Blood and Chocolate (1997) by Annette Curtis Klause delivers a YA-focused version of the classic “I’m a werewolf in high school crushing on a mortal boy”; that same year, Buffy the Vampire Slayer hit the small screen, and although the primary focus was vampires, there is a main werewolf character (and romancing him around the challenges of his wolfishness is a big plot point for the characters involved). And Buffy, of course, paved the way for Twilight in 2005. From there, werewolves were poised to become a staple of the ever-more-popular urban fantasy/paranormal romance genre. 

“Sexy werewolf” as a trope may have its roots in other traditions like the beastly bridegroom (eg, Beauty and the Beast) and the demon lover (eg, Labyrinth), which we can talk about another time. But there’s one other ingredient in this recipe that needs to be discussed. And, oh yes, we’re going there. 

Alpha/Beta/Omegaverse 

By now you might be familiar with the concept of the Omegaverse thanks to the illuminating Lindsay Ellis video on the topic (and the current ongoing lawsuit). If not, well, just watch the video. It’ll be easier than trying to explain it all. (Warning for NSFW topics). 

But the tl;dr is that A/B/O or Omegaverse is a genre of (generally erotic) romance utilizing the classical understanding of wolf pack hierarchy. Never mind that science has long since disproven the stratification of authority in wolf packs; the popular conscious is still intrigued by the concept of a society where some people are powerful alphas and some people are timid omegas and that’s just The Way Things Are. 

What’s interesting about the Omegaverse in regards to werewolf fiction is that, as near as I’ve been able to discover, it’s actually a case of convergent evolution. A/B/O as a genre seems to trace its roots to Star Trek fanfiction in the 1960s, where Kirk/Spock couplings popularized ideas like heat cycles. From there, the trope seems to weave its way through various fandoms, exploding in popularity in the Supernatural fandom. 

What seems to have happened is that the confluence of A/B/O kink dynamics merging with urban fantasy werewolf social structure set off a popular niche for werewolf romance to truly thrive. 

It’s important to remember that, throughout folklore, werewolves were not viewed as being part of werewolf societies. Werewolves were humans who achieved wolf form through a curse or witchcraft, causing them to transform into murderous monsters -- but there was no “werewolf pack,” and certainly no social hierarchy involving werewolf alphas exerting their dominance over weaker pack members. That element is a purely modern one rooted as much in our misunderstanding of wolf pack dynamics as in our very human desire for power hierarchies. 

So Where Do We Go From Here? 

I don’t think sexy werewolf stories are going anywhere anytime soon. But that doesn’t mean that there’s no room left in horror for werewolves to resume their monstrous roots. 

Thematically, werewolves have done a lot of heavy lifting over the centuries. They hold up a mirror to humanity to represent our own animal nature. They embody themes of toxic masculinity, aggression, primal sexuality, and the struggle of the id and ego. Werewolf attack as sexual violence is an obvious but powerful metaphor for trauma, leaving the victim transformed. Werewolves as predators hiding in plain sight among civilization have never been more relevant than in our #MeToo moment of history. 

Can werewolves still be frightening? Absolutely. 

As long as human nature remains conflicted, there will always be room at the table for man-beasts and horrifying transfigurations. 

--

This blog topic was chosen by my Patreon supporters, who got to see it one week before it went live. If you too would enjoy early access to my blog posts, want to vote for next month’s topic, or just want to support the work I do, come be a patron at https://www.patreon.com/tlbodine

[greekbros]

"greek-Bros: The Return of an Old Enemy"

Chapter 3: The Hunt Begins

As the wolf attacks continue throughout Greece, Olypmus's greatest huntress is hot on the trail of the beasts. Artemis, goddess of the hunt, the moon and Apollo's twin sister, had been following a trail of destruction from the 'wolves' since her first sighting in Delos, where she witnessed a pack of these 'wolves' dragging a man into a cave alive. This behavior was not something wolves do on a normal bases. She understood these things were strong, sizable animals that have been seen mostly at night. These were definitely something worth hunting down. Her search had recently taken her to forest near Mount Parnassus on the other side of Delphi, where she has found fresh tracks.

Hours had passed and all she could find was what looked to be the foot prints of something. It looked like elongated wolf prints with human like features, a small curve of the middle food, a mild arch and the depth of the print heavily betrayes the size and weight of these creatures. "....this....this can't right?" She muttered. She walked along the trail to measure the gait, to her surprise, the prints were longer than the gait of an average wolf and closely matched a human's stride. Artemis could also notice that the tracks didn't just have the trailings of quadripetal animals, but some of the track having only landed bipedal steps. This perplexed her, there hasn't been any beast she has encountered like this, a bipedal wolf? "What are these things? Is...this someone's idea of a sick joke?" She again muttered, "these can't be natural....even so....who would go out of their way to do this to an animal?". She continued on, trekking through brush and dense forest, to find more information on these....anomalies.

Artemis felt a deep sense of dread inside of her, the more information she gathered, only worsened the feeling; the fur she found had human hair entangled with it, she counted five claws instead of four for every marked tree and she traces of tattered clothes from people who've already disappeared. Nothing about this made any sense.

She could feel a chill down her spine, could have been someone or something watching her? Grabbing her bow and unquivering an arrow, ready to lock on to whatever was triggering her senses. She readied herself, preparing for what could possibly her end, aiming at what she felt was-"~hello" Hermes appeared next her ear startling her nearly to death, making her let go of her arrow that shot out somewhere off into the distance, with a yelp following closely after.

Artemis understandably, currently wanted to strangle Hermes, thus proceeded to do so. "YOU LITTLE BASTARD I COULD HAVE KILLED YOU OR WORSE THAT ARROW WOULD HAVE RICOCHET TO SOMEWHERE ELSE DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT COULD THAT MEAN!" she angrily screamed at him while grabbing him by the collar, shaking him violently.

As he was being shooken like a rag doll, "iM sOrRy I dIdNt KnOw!" Hermes tried to apologise.

As Artemis continued to teach Hermes a valuable lesson in "Archery Range Safety", it dawned on her that she heard something make a noise. She stopped for a few seconds and looked towards where she heard the sound.

"um.... Artemis?.....ugh what's wrong?" He asked. Hermes could see the focused stare Artemis was giving.

".... Hermes....did you hear something when I shot that arrow?" Artemis asked, she slowly let him go and side stepped to the direction of the where see saw the arrow go.

Hermes kneeled there, looking at Artemis do her thing, tilting his head in curiosity, he stands up quickly to follow hoping to see a glimpse of what could she be looking at. "Ugh..." He quietly exclaimed.

"SHUSH." She replied, as she walked to a bush between two trees, her expression was that of horrified discovery. "...by the...gods." were the only words she could muster to say.

Hermes scrambles to get a closer look, he lays eyes on what Artemis was looking at, just as horrified as his sister, he couldn't believe his eyes. "...it's...ugh..it's a wolf in people's clothing?" He loudly thought. He couldn't help but stare at the sight.

The two were looking at what appeared to be an amalgamation of a man and wolf, with clawed hands and feet, wearing what looked like tattered clothes from your average man, a short tuff for a tail and with Artemis's arrow through it's mouth as if it was shot mid scream. The creature was dead, purely out of dumb unfortunate luck it seemed to have been in the arrow's direction.

Inspite of Hermes's coping mechanism of joking about the situation, she knew this must have been what Zeus was worried about...."is...this Lycaon?......you know, that story he would tell us before bed. I knew it was a real story...but....this...is.. something else" she asked. Her mind was running with questions, she was aware Zeus had only done this to one person, could he have embellished his story?

Hermes looked at her with confusion, "um...well...if it was...he'd be...I don't know...dead...don't you think?" He again joked. "I mean he's dead but it's a little overkill don't you think?", Hermes was on a roll.

Artemis glared at Hermes, unamused, "yeah...but....dad said sometimes....when gods curse people, sometimes they can out live other mortals to get more out of the curse....but....this...thing is...." she gets a closer look at examines the body, "this... whatever it is...is actually around 20 years old" she estimated.

"Wait what?" He questioned.

"...and he probably lived as a fisherman, I mean he's got some rough looking paws but I know rope burns when I see them" she continued.

"sto-stop stop stop....you can tell all THAT?" He questioned even further, not believing Artemis could guess all that.

Artemis turns to him and shows the corpse's pawish hand, showing deep scars on it's palms. "Ugh yeah duh. I can 'read' you know. Reading isn't just book smarts you know." She scoffed. "ANYWAY. We need to tell dad about this." She took the arrow from the mouth of the beast man, carefully not to cut her skin on it's teeth. "It has some nasty teeth....is that....venom?" She looked at the bloody drool, it had a mild blueish color to it. Looking at her arrow she just freed from the corpse, she felt that she need to wrap it in something to prevent anyone touching whatever toxic saliva it had.

Hermes, busy watching Artemis, didn't notice the movement of the previously deceased man-beast's foot twitching. "So, who's going to bring the dead weight to dad? Cus well...I don't want to... touch...-" he slowly became distracted at the increasing movement of the body. "HEY Artemis I think you missed a vitals spot." He shakingly warned her. The body started to growl, twitching to stimulate more movement and twist it's previously stiffened neck, eyeing the two gods ferociously.

Artemis finishing off wrapping the arrow now looks up at the reanimating creature. Steps back, puts the arrow away and gets out a new one in a matter of seconds. She shoots an arrow at it, but the creature catches it in its claws and crushes it. It coughs up a little blood and stands up to roar at the two.

"KILL IT KILL IT KILL IT! " Hermes shouted, he was so terrified at the sight he actually was in shock and didn't move, for the first time in his life, he actually felt a little bit helpless.

As fast Artemis could reload her bow, the creature dodged and avaded every arrow she shot out. Having had fun with the two, the beast fleds on all fours into the thick forest howling triumphantly, escaping two of Olympus's fastest gods. "HERMES WHAT THE HELL! Why didn't do anything!" She yelled at him only to find his shaking, "Hermes are you ok?" She asked.

Hermes, still shaking, nods his head 'yes' and does a solute. Clearly, he isn't ok, but he survived and assumingly that is all that matters. "yeah. I'm fine." He lied knowing damn well that a wolf person coming back from the dead when it should have died from what clearly a "in-mouth headshot".

Artemis decides to help Hermes and embrace him in hopes of making him feel better, or in her own consolation, to get him to stop shaking before he faints. "It's ok buddy, it wasn't that bad." Pats his back, "but I'm going to kick your ass later for not helping." She tenderly assured. "We need to find dad.... he'll know what to do.... at least I hope he know about THIS." she hissed.

End of Chapter 3

[ekleipsi]

--- aphrodite, and

--- lycaon, have been added to the muse page!!

[missysmadhouse]

Full Moon Rising: Beware of the Big Bad Werewolf

Source: BBC News

Alongside vampires and zombies, werewolves have long been a part of everyone's favorite "things that go bump in the night." Werewolves have been stalking us in our nightmares (or dreams - however you like it) from the 1941 film "The Wolf Man" to 80's classics "The Howling" and "American Werewolf in London" to the Underworld series of the 2000's and beyond. Werewolf stories have evolved over the years from 1941's tortured Lawrence Talbot to rebellious, proud lycan Lucien in the Underworld series. Werewolves have carved their own niche in fiction, film and TV. What inspired tales of humans who morph into animals by the light of the full moon?

The first image of a human becoming a wolf is in the oldest known work of literature, The Epic of Gilgamesh, which dates back to 1800 B.C.E. in ancient Mesopotamia. Gilgamesh rejects a woman after finding out that she turned her former lover into a wolf. An ancient Greek myth, The Legend of Lycaon, tells the story of how Zeus turns Lycaon into a wolf after Lycaon serves him a meal made from the remains of a sacrificed boy. The Saga of Volsungs is a Nordic folktale about magical wolf pelts that can turn anyone wearing them into a wolf for 10 days. In the story, a father and son find the pelts and go on a woodland killing spree, which ends with a brutal fight between the two. The father dies and leaves behind a leaf with healing properties which the son uses to recover from his injuries.

Traditional folklore dictates that a human becomes a werewolf by being bitten by a werewolf, can only change during the full moon and can only be killed by a silver bullet. Over the centuries, folklore has provided many other ways a person could become a werewolf: sleeping outside during a full moon on a Friday, eating a combination of wolf and human meat, a witch's curse, being conceived during a new moon, drinking water touched by a wolf and eating certain herbs.

Many people associate the moon with werewolves. The origin of the belief that the full moon can cause all sorts of chaos is unknown. After being reinforced over the years, this belief has created an expectation of nothing but trouble during a full moon.

Source: Wikipedia; Illustration by J.W. Smith

There were, however, several cures for werewolves to rid themselves of their affliction. Some cures recommended by medieval medical practitioners included surgery, vomiting, drinking vinegar and bloodletting. Sometimes, these cures were the exact opposite, leading to the death of a patient. The alternatives to medicinal cures were an exorcism or a silver bullet.

Any being that's part of folklore has had gained fame or notoriety with a real person or event. Sightings and encounters with all sorts of beings have been reported throughout the ages such as vampires, sasquatch, fairies and lake monsters. The history of werewolves includes many cases of people who claimed to be werewolves.

In 14th century Germany, Peter Stubbe, a wealthy farmer, claimed that he owned a magical belt that turned him into a wolf and that, in wolf form, he had killed several people. There was a group of hunters who claimed that they saw him change from wolf to human. Stubbe confessed to 12 murders that were allegedly committed over a period of 25 years. Stubbe made his confession after being subjected to brutal torture. There was no evidence of any murders having committed by Stubbe.

In an odd little twist, Stubbe was executed on Halloween in 1589. He was beheaded, then burned at the stake. Belief in werewolves was common during the middle ages. The consensus was that werewolves were created by a witch's curse.

Three other confessed werewolves would meet the same fate. During the same time period in France, Giles Garnier, Michel Verdun and Pierre Burgot, in three separate cases, all claimed that they had an ointment that turned them into wolves, causing them to kill and devour children. They were all burned at the stake.

Let's return to Germany, home of the infamous Peter Stubbe. During the 18th century, a young boy was found in the woods exhibiting animalistic behavior. Dubbed "Peter the Wild Boy," he was unable to speak, walked on all fours and ate with his hands. The general consensus was that he was either a werewolf or raised by wolves.

"Peter" was eventually adopted as a "pet" by the courts of King George I and King George II. Current medical knowledge has been applied to Peter's case. Most likely, he suffered from Pitt-Hopkins syndrome, which was discovered in 1978. Pitt-Hopkins syndrome impairs speech, intellect, the respiratory system and can cause seizures and also affect facial features.

Two people who were born with hypertrichosis. Top photo: Barbara Vanbeck; Source: Medical News Today (Image Credit: Wellcome Images, 2014); Portrait by R. Gaywood, 1656. Bottom: Petrus Gonzales, the Wolf Boy of the Canary Islands; Source: Ashland Science

Many other conditions both physiological and psychological have contributed to the werewolf myth. Hypertrichosis is a rare genetic disorder that causes hair growth to the extent of giving a human being a wolf-like appearance. Lycanthropy is a rare psychological disorder which causes a person to have delusions of changing into an animal. Rabies has also been mentioned as a possible culprit contributing to werewolf folklore as well as food poisoning and hallucinogenic herbs (perhaps ingredients in a "werewolf" ointment).

The mention of food poisoning and hallucinogens makes me think of the theory that ergot poisoning led to the infamous 18th century witch hysteria in Salem, Massachusetts, which led to the execution of several alleged "witches." Ergot poisoning is caused by fungus that grows on rye as well as other types of cereals. In 1976, Linnda Caporael presented the argument that many of the characteristics exhibited by those who were described as "bewitched" in records of the trials, matched the symptoms of ergot poisoning (hallucinations, muscle contractions, psychosis, etc.). Besides an abundance of rye in the area, the climate would've caused conditions that could've produced the fungus.

Eating bread produced by tainted wheat may have caused mass witch hysteria in Salem. Food poisoning could have also created werewolves.

From the myths of ancient civilizations to contemporary pop culture, werewolves have captured our imaginations in many ways. Whether we love to hate them, hate to love them or long to embrace them, werewolves and other shape-shifters will continue to fascinate the dark side of the human imagination for many years to come.

- Missy Dawn

Sources:

"Werewolf Legends," August 21, 2018, History.com, by History.com editors

"Werewolves: Lore, Legend & Lycanthropy," by Benjamin Radford, LiveScience

[helreigns]

𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐒 𝐆𝐔𝐍𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐄 . (    ? ? ? ?    )  THE LYCAON .

* FIRST && foremost: his involvement with millenium was the result of extream brainwashing && an extream punishment-reward ( or rather, lack of ) system of conditioning. below you’ll see how he was enthralled && captured into the ranks of millennium. once again: he did none of the events in hellsin/g of his own volition. it was raw manipulation, control, && his breaking that led to him holding the title of CAPTAIN. 

* hans is a werewolf, the werewolf s spawn of the grandfather wolf fenrir && a mortal woman. this does, in fact, make him a beast of the apocalypse, not a god, but a herald of death && what many know as the “wild hunt”. his form was cursed at the very conception; half-beast, half-man s no law above nor billow would accept such an atrocity. because of this, he was trapped in the form of a massive spectral-wolf for hundreds of cycles, until he basked in the glow of the full-moon && awoke to the truth of his nature     the beast && the man are one      there could be neither one without the other. his form began to shift, gone was the beast, and born again under the pale moon: the man. he soon found that this was temporary. as the moon faded, the more he lost     the hunger, the bloodlust.. the cycle would not cease. 

* in millennium's quest to play GOD, they saught the realm of mystics, powers better left forgotten s they found a sleeping-ancient of a time long forgotten. it had the body of a beast, but the eyes of a man. in their hubris, they sought to tame this creature, but no brute force, nor damnable magicks could make the wolf-king bend. it wasn’t until they came to him with an olive-branch, gifting to him the opportunity to do the unthinkable && change his very nature of a divine beast, his physiology     warped and altered, but they did..something. every time he disobeyed, there was a pain, but it wasn’t pain, it was this..feeling without sensation. a raw numbness, the kind that starts off as a tickle on the skin, a lack of blood-flow     gradually turning to an ache, but then the ache stops and it all just stops. soon it felt like everything was falling, the lack of touch, the raw nothing inside his mind s a day felt like weeks, two began to feel like half-years. inside that mental hell that screamed to fight, because dying like a dog was better than living as a slave. eventually, the screams couldn’t form, the howls became murmurs && his mouth could no longer form the ‘ o ‘ to heave. eventually, it was true living death, && eventually..

                                                               eventually, he broke,  

[downwithwritersblock]

In Honor of the month of October, and my absolute favorite holiday; Halloween, I have teemed up with a special and amazing blog @quills-and-golden-ink to bring you all this! 

The Monthly Guide to Monsters! 

Twice a week during the month of October, we will be releasing a quick and friendly guide to help our fellow writers get to know some of the worlds most infamous mythological creatures.  

The guide will include basic information, history, how these monsters can be dealt with, and were you can find some examples of these creatures in the media. Pictures will also be provided, as seen above(let’s hope my other half is better at making title pages then I am).

 Each guide will also come with a creative aspect, like a prompt set or a short story specifically made to match the monster, for all your spooky Halloween needed inspiration.  For the rest of the year, we will be releasing one to two guide every month.

Monsters and Mythology are a large passion of mine, so I hope these guides can be just as helpful and fun to others as they are to me. 

So, Without further ado, I present; 

Monster Guide #1 The Werewolf 

Definition: A human being with the capability to shape-shift into a wolf, or a wolf-human hybrid. Also known as Lycanthropy. Often seen as being a curse or a disease, but that’s not always the case.

Description: Throughout history and media, Werewolves have been depicted in several different ways. Typically, they are appear as normal human beings and their inner wolf is not physically visible. In their animal form, things might differ. They may or may not be discernible from ordinary wolves, they might be seen as slightly larger or with different coloration's. Other tales show hybrid like creatures, often with the body and posture of a human and all the animalistic aspects(fur, claw, teeth, eyes, hunting instinct, etc) of the wolf. Ratio of human to wolf differs in hybrids as well. They might be 99? Wolf once they transforms, others might just slap wolf ears and a tail on a human and call it a Were.

Abilities: Besides the ability to shapeshift into their wolf form, Werewolves are also usually credited to have heightened, or animal like abilities as humans as well. They typically have heightened senses(sight, smell, hearing, etc) and are usually much stronger and faster than other humans.

Curing and Killing:

-Ancient greek and romans believed that good old fashion exhaustion could cure lycanthropy. The accused would be put through extensive and heavy physical work and test to exhaust the disease out of them. This was said to work because the alleged werewolf would always be weak afterwards.

-Medicine (Wolfsbane)

-Medieval folklore also believed in surgery and exorcism to cure lycanthropy.

-Some believed running nails or spikes through the hand could cure it

-In some Germanic regions, a werewolf could be cured simply by repeating it’s christened name three times

-In some folklore, all you had to do was give the wolf a good verbal scolding.

-Converting to Christianity or devotion to St. Hubert, the patron saint of hunting, dogs, and many other things.

-In many legends, blessed weapons could harm or kill werewolves

-Silver weapons were also known to harm or kill werewolves

History: Tales of werewolves are ancient, and common in many different cultures. The story's change a bit here and there, but usually the Lycanthropy root cause is a punishment for sin.  

In ancient greek mythology, there was Lycaon; A king of Arcadia that for some reason(changes frequently), fed the guts of one of his sons to Zues. As punishment for this act, Lycaon and all his other son were cursed to become a wolf. He’s sometimes credited with being the source or beginning of all werewolves.

Tales of werewolves are ancient, widespread, and flexible. A creature with much potential, and one you should not fear to make your own in your artistry. 

Some Werewolves spotlighted in Media, in case your looking for an October watchlist:

-The Wolf Man (1941)

-The Wolf Man (2010)

-Teen Wolf (1985)

-Werewolf of London (1935)

-The Howling (1981)

-Teen Wolf(2011)

-Being Human (2008)

Prompts:

1.“No! Uhuh, no! No! How many times do I have to tell you? No werewolves on the couch!”

2. “This. This right here. This is why I am a cat person.” 

3. “I prefer my werewolf's shirtless and on the cover of a romance novel, not covered in fur and blood and snarling in my face.”

4. “There is nothing like the feeling of the hunt, of chasing after something so helpless, watching it try so hard to live only for your teeth to be buried in it’s flesh and it’s life fading away under your hands moments later.  There is no better feeling then a successful hunt. It’s really too bad we can’t retain memories from our wolf forms. It means we have to go our of our way to recreate that feeling.” 

5. “Vampires have it easy. When they’re turned, they get to play dead. They drop off the face of the earth and pretend like they no longer exist. They get to hide in the shadows where they don’t have to face themselves. We don’t get that luxury. We still have to face the daylight, we have to lie to our loved ones, and we can still see the monster in the mirror.” 

6.”That is not a werewolf. I don’t know what the hell it is, but it’s not one of us.” 

I really hope someone out there enjoys this as much as I did while I was making it, and I really hope someone out there can put it to good use. If you did enjoy it, well then keep your eyes open for part two. Where there’s werewolves, there will always be....

[loretranscripts]

Lore Episode 3: The Beast Within (Transcript) - 6th April 2015

tw: murder, rape, death of children, bodily mutilation, cannibalism, graphic descriptions of violence, ableist language, disease, werewolves

Disclaimer: This transcript is entirely non-profit and fan-made. All credit for this content goes to Aaron Mahnke, creator of Lore podcast. It is by a fan, for fans, and meant to make the content of the podcast more accessible to all. Also, there may be mistakes, despite rigorous re-reading on my part. Feel free to point them out, but please be nice!

Ask anyone in the mental health profession about full moons and you’ll get a surprising answer. They’ll respond with something that sounds incredibly like folklore and myth. The full moon has the power to bring out the crazy in people. We’ve believed this for a long time. We refer to unstable people as “lunatics”, a word that is Latin. It’s built from the root word luna, which means “moon”. And for centuries, has operated under the conviction that changes in the luna cycle can cause people to lose touch with reality. Just ask the parents of a young child and they’ll tell you tales of wild behaviour and out-of-the-ordinary disobedience at certain times of the month. Science tells us that just as the moon’s pull on the ocean creates tides that rise and fall in severity, so too does our planet’s first satellite tug on the water inside our bodies, changing our behaviour. As modern people, when we talk about the full moon we tend to joke about this insane, extraordinary behaviour. But maybe we joke to avoid the deeper truth, an idea that we are both frightened and embarrassed that we even entertain. For most of us, you see, the full moon conjures up an image that is altogether unnatural and unbelievable. That large, glowing, perfect circle in the night sky makes us think of just one thing: werewolves. I’m Aaron Mahnke, and this is Lore.

Science has tried many times over the years to explain our obsession with the werewolf. One theory is a disease known as hypertrichosis, sometimes known as “wolfitis”. It’s a condition of excessive, unusual body hair growth, oftentimes covering the person’s entire face. Think Michael J. Fox in Teen Wolf. Psychologists actually have an official diagnosis in the DSM IV handbook known as “clinical lycanthropy”. It’s defined as a delusional syndrome where the patient believes they can transform into an animal, but the changes only take place in their mind, of course. Delusions, though, have to start somewhere. Patients who believe that they are Napoleon Bonaparte have some previous knowledge of who he was. I think it’s fair to assume that those who suffer from clinical lycanthropy have heard of werewolves before. It’s actually pretty easy to bump into the myth, thanks to modern popular culture. Werewolves have been featured in, or at least appeared in, close to 100 films in Hollywood since 1913.

One of the earliest mentions of something even resembling the modern werewolf can actually be found in the 2000-year-old writings of the Roman poet Vergil. In his Eclogue 9, written about 40BCE, he described a man named Moeris, who could transform himself into a wolf using herbs and poisons. About 50 years later, Gaius Petronius wrote a satirical novel called, appropriately, Satyricon, which I think is basically the equivalent of Stephen King writing a horror novel called “Frighticon”. In it, he tells the tale of a man named Niceros. In the story, Niceros was travelling with a friend, and when that friend suddenly took off his clothes, urinated in a circle and transformed into a wolf right before his eyes, before running off toward a large field of sheep. The next day, Niceros was told by the sheep-owner that one of the shepherds stabbed a wolf in the neck with a pitch fork. Later that day, Niceros noticed that his friend, now returned to the house, had a similar wound on his neck.

In the Greek myth of the god Zeus and an Arcadian king named Lycaon, Zeus took on the form of a human traveller. At one point in his journey he visited Arcadia, and during his time in that country, he visited the royal court. The king of the land, Lycaon, somehow recognised Zeus for who he truly was and tried, in true Greek form, of course, to kill him by serving him a meal of human flesh. But Zeus was a smart guy, after all, and he caught Lycaon in the act, throwing the mythological equivalent of a temper tantrum. He destroyed the palace, killed all 50 of the king’s sons with lightning bolts, and then of course cursed King Lycaon himself. The punishment? Lycaon would be doomed to spend the rest of his life as a wolf, presumably because wolves were known for attacking and eating humans, and he tried to serve human flesh. Most scholars believe that this legend is what gives birth to the term lycanthropy: lukos being the Greek word for wolf, and anthropos, the word for man.

Werewolves aren’t just a Greco-Roman thing. In the 13th century, the Norse recorded their mythological origins in something called the Völsunga saga. Despite their culture being separated from the Greeks by thousands of miles and many centuries, there are in fact tales of werewolves present in their histories. One of the stories in the Völsunga saga involves a father and son pair: Sigmund and Sinfjotli. During their travels, the two men came across a hut in the woods where they found two enchanted wolf skins. These skins had the power to change the wearer into a wolf, giving them all the characteristics that the beast was known for: power, speed, and cunning. The catch, according to the saga, was that once put on, the wolf pelt could only be taken off every 10 days. Undeterred, the father son duo each put on one of the wolf skins, and transform into the beasts. They decided to split up and go hunting in their new forms, but they made an arrangement that if either of them encountered a party of men over the certain size of seven, then they were supposed to howl for the other to come join them in the hunt. Sigmund’s son, however, broke his promise, killing off a hunting party of 11 men. When Sigmund discovered this, he fatally injured his son. After the god Odin intervened and healed him, both men took off the pelts and burned them. You see, from the very beginning, werewolves were a supernatural thing, a curse, a change in the very nature of humanity. They were ruled by cycles of time and feared by those around them.

Things get interesting when we go to Germany. In 1582, the country of Germany was being pulled apart by a war between Catholics and Protestants, and one of the towns that played host to both sides was the small town of Bedburg. Keep in mind that there were also still outbreaks of the Black Death, so this was an age of conflict and violence. People understood loss – they had become numb to it, and it would take something incredibly extraordinary to surprise them. First, there were cattle mutilations: farmers from the area surrounding Bedburg would find dead cattle in their fields. It started of infrequent, but grew to become a daily occurrence, something that went on for weeks. Cows that had been sent out to pasture were found torn apart. It was as if a wild animal had attacked them. Naturally, the farmers assumed it was wolves, but it didn’t stop there. Children began to go missing. Young women vanished from the main roads around Bedburg. In some cases their bodies were never found, but those that were had been mauled by something horribly violent. Finding your cattle disembowelled is one thing, but when it’s your daughter or your wife, well, it can cause panic, and fear, and so the community spiralled into hysteria.

Now, we think of historical European paranoia and we often think of witchcraft. The 15th and 16th centuries were filled with witch hunts: burnings, hangings, and an overwhelming hysteria that even spread across the Atlantic to the British colonies, where it destroyed more lives. The Witch Trails of Salem, Massachusetts are the most famous of those examples, but at the same time, Europe was also on fire with fear of werewolves. Some historians think that in France alone, some 30,000 people were accused of being werewolves, and some (hundreds, they say) were even executed for it, either by hanging or being burnt at the stake. You see, the fear of werewolves was real, and for the town of Bedburg, it was very real.

One report from this event tells of two men and a woman, who were travelling just outside the city walls. They heard a voice call out to them for help from within the trees beside the road, and one of the men stepped into the trees to give assistance. When he didn’t return, the second man entered the woods to find him, and he also didn’t return. The woman caught on, attempted to run, but something exited the woods and attacked her. The bodies of the men were later found, mangled and torn apart, but the woman’s never was. Later, villagers found severed limbs in the fields near Bedburg, limbs from the people who were missing. It was clear that something horrible was hunting them.

Another report tells of a group of children playing in a field near the cattle. As they played, something ran into the field and grabbed a small girl by the neck before trying to tear her throat out. Thankfully the high collar on her dress actually saved her life, and she managed to scream. Now, cows don’t like screaming apparently, and they began to stampede. Frightened by the cattle, the attacker let go of the girl and ran for the forest, and this was the last straw for the people of Bedburg. They took the hunt to the beast.

According to a pamphlet from 1589, the men of the town hunted for the creature for days. Accompanied by dogs and armed for killing, these brave men ventured into the forest and, finally, found it. In the end, it was the dogs that cornered the beast. Dogs are fast and they beat the men to their prey. When the hunters finally did arrive, they found the creature cornered. According to the pamphlet, the wolf transformed into a man right before their eyes. While the wolf had been just another beast, the man was someone they recognised. It was a wealthy, well-respected farmer from town named Peter Stubbe, sometimes recorded as Stumpp. Stubbe confessed to it all, and his story seemed to confirm their darkest fears. He told them that he had made a pact with the devil at the age of 12. The deal? In exchange for his soul, the devil would give him a plethora of worldly pleasures, but like most stories, a greedy heart is difficult to satisfy. Stubbe admitted to being a, and I quote,  “wicked fiend, with the desire for wrong and destruction”, that he was “inclined to blood and cruelty”. Now, to sate that thirst, the devil had given him a magical belt of wolf skin. Putting it on, he claimed, would transform him into the monstrous shape of a wolf. Sound familiar?

He told the men that had captured him that he had taken off the belt in the forest, and some were sent back to retrieve it, but it was never found. Still, superstition and fear drove them to torture and interrogate the man, who confessed to decades of horrible, unspeakable crimes. Well-known around the town, Stubbe told his captors that he would often walk through Bedburg and wave to the families and friends of those he had killed. It delighted him, he said, that none of them suspected that he was the killer. Sometimes he would use these walks to pick out future victims, planning how he would get them outside the city walls, where he could, and I quote, “ravish and cruelly murder them”. Stubbe even admitted to going on killing sprees simply because he took pleasure in the bloodshed. He would kill lambs and goats and eat their raw flesh. He even claimed to have eaten unborn children, ripped straight from their mothers’ wombs.

The human mind is always solving problems, even when we’re asleep and unaware of it. The world is full of things that don’t always sit right with us, and in our attempt to deal with life we… rationalise. In more superstitious times it was easy to lean on old fears and legends. The Tuberculosis outbreaks of the 1800s led people to truly believe that the dead were sucking the life out of the living. The stories that gave birth to the vampire mythology also provided people with a way to process Tuberculosis and its horrible symptoms. Perhaps the story of the werewolf shows us that same phenomenon, but in reverse. Rather than creating stories to explain the mysteries of death, perhaps we created the story of the werewolf to help justify the horrors of life and human nature. The tale of Peter Stubbe sounds terrible, but when you hold it up to modern day serial killers, such as Jeffery Dahmer or Richard Trenton Chase, it’s par for the course. The difference between them and Stubbe is simply 400 years of modernisation. With the advent of electrical lights pushing away the darkness and global exploration exposing much of the world’s fears to be just myth, it’s become more and more difficult to blame our flaws on monsters. The beast, it turns out, has been inside us the whole time.

And Peter Stubbe? Well, the people of Bedburg executed him for his crimes. On October 31st, 1589, (Halloween, mind you) he was given what was thought to be a fair and just punishment. He was strapped, spread eagle and naked, to a large, wooden wheel, and then his skin was pealed off with red hot pinchers. They broke his arms and legs with the blunt end of an axe before finally turning the blade over, and chopping off his head. His body was burnt at the stake in front of the entire town, and then his torture wheel was mounted on a tall pole, topped with the statue of a wolf. On top of that, they placed his severed head. Justice, or just one more example of the cruelty of mankind? Perhaps in the end, we’re all really monsters, aren’t we?

Lore was produced by me, Aaron Mahnke. You can find a transcript of the show, as well as links to source material, at lorepodcast.com. Lore is a bi-weekly podcast, so be sure to check back in for a new episode every two weeks. And if you enjoy scary stories, I happen to write them. You can find a full list of my supernatural thrillers, available in paperback and ebook format, at aaronmahnke.com/novels. Thanks for listening.

[maverick-werewolf]

Random Werewolf Fact #9 - The First Werewolf

Throwing something like “the first werewolf” out there is a very big statement. We know werewolf beliefs existed well into pre-history - BC or CE depending on how you want to list your dating system. We have cave paintings from around 45,000 BP (Before Present; radiocarbon dating system) or so. So who or what was the “first werewolf?” We can’t really know. That’s lost to time.

Depending on what scholar you ask, you might get some different answers. But when it really comes down to it, in terms of what we think of as a werewolf today, who was the first recorded werewolf? Probably King Lycaon of ancient Greece. Pop culture has latched onto this idea, too - just ask Teen Wolf (the MTV show, not the original movie).

So what’s the deal with King Lycaon, anyway? Here’s how his story goes:

The Greek king named Lycaon ruled over the region of Arcadia, which is often considered a pastoral paradise, at least in Early Modern culture. Although most scholars refer to the version of this tale as retold in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, many variants of Lycaon’s story exist, one of which – told by the Greek poet, commentator, and grammarian Lycophron – says that Lycaon, as well as all his sons, and even all the other people of Arcadia were turned into wolves.

Ovid, however, tells a different tale: Lycaon doubts the divinity of Zeus when the god visits Arcadia. In order to test Zeus’s divinity, Lycaon attempts to feed him cooked human flesh and have him assassinated in the night. When Zeus realizes what Lycaon is doing, Lycaon tries to flee in fear.

But as he runs into the fields of Arcadia, trying to escape Zeus’s wrath, Lycaon is transformed into a wolf.

So just like Lycaon is possibly the first werewolf we still have on record, he’s also an early example of involuntary transformation with negative connotations. He even has his own detailed shift into his wolf form! Witness history’s first werewolf transformation sequence, as recounted by Ovid:

[Lycaon] howled his heart out, trying in vain to speak. With rabid mouth he turned his lust for slaughter Against the flocks, delighting still in blood. His clothes changed to coarse hair, his arms to legs— He was a wolf, yet kept some human trace, the same grey hair, the same fierce face, the same Wild eyes, the same image of savagery.

King Lycaon’s change, unlike some werewolves, seems to be permanent - although this wasn’t the case with many of the later tales of Arcadian werewolves, of which there are lots, and werewolves became adopted into their very culture (more on those later). There are werewolf tales as told by Greek and Roman authors such as Virgil, Herodotus, Pliny, Petronius, and many others, including Pomponius Mela and Agriopas.

Plenty of them are not necessarily considered a curse like Lycaon’s was.

King Lycaon is by no means the only werewolf of ancient Greece. I’ll cover all the others in the future. The Arcadians (the people of the land King Lycaon ruled) themselves were very heavily associated with werewolves and had lots of werewolf rituals, which will be the focus of another random werewolf fact. Same goes for Roman werewolf beliefs.

So if you didn’t think the ancient Greeks believed in werewolves, now you know - they certainly believed in them, and they had plenty! Not all of them were considered curses and/or malevolent like Lycaon, either.

(If you like my werewolf blog, be sure to check out my other stuff!

Patreon --- YouTube --- Wulfgard --- Werewolf Fact Masterlist --- Twitter)

[grevbacks]

BACK AT IT AGAIN WITH THE SECOND CHARACTER~ hello ! i’m admin petra ( *jack sparrow vc* BUT YOU HAVE HEARD OF ME ), twenty-one, operate in the cst timezone and go by she/her pronouns. i, like the rest of you, am an absolute HP H O E. a fun note: you can find me supporting maximum angst and problematic scenarios with deplorable outcomes ! i hope to plot and speak with you all soon; my IMs are always open ( as well as discord if desired ) !

* △ — the dark lord has targeted [ FENRIR GREYBACK ] ! the muggles say he holds resemblance to [ SEBASTIAN STAN ]. the [ THIRTY-FIVE ] year old [ CIS MALE ] was [ INDOMITABLE & TACTICAL ] before the war, but now have become [ BARBARIC & INSURGENT ]. though they were once a part of [ DURMSTRANG ], they now have taken up the position of the [ LEADER OF THE WEREWOLF ARMY ]. whispers throughout the ministry claim that the [ HALFBLOOD ] is actually [ A DEATH EATER ], but i wouldn’t report that to the daily prophet.

* law and order noise *

full moons, bloody hands, lone wolves, the colosseum, pompeii buried under meters of ash and pumice, the catastrophic event of mount vesuvius, a confessional aflame, gunmetal, winter’s barren tundra, vermillion stained canines, blinding fog, the howl before the scream, scarred flesh, black fur, a decaying forest, melting glaciers, a scratched leather trench coat, whiskey, black coffee, shadows.

fenrir lycaon greyback.

6′1 & demisexual & bulgarian.

for quite some time, he was the top of his class at durmstrang, and was expected to go quite the ways in the wizarding world. he also had an immense passion for the wizarding world’s creatures.

at thirteen, fenrir witnessed a werewolf attack his ten-year-old sister. though he defended her, he ended up bit in the process, and also witnessed his sister’s death.

at the next full moon, he wiped out the remainder of his family due to the curse.

for a long time, he despised what he was. the wizarding world made sure to place werewolves at the bottom of the totem pole, and eventually he decided he’d no longer allow his species to be placed low.

you can often find him skulking around knockturn alley with a few of his highest ranking wolves, including in pub where only werewolves may enter.

he does not fully support the dark lord -- nor does he hold the dark mark or support the purist movement -- but is a very valuable ally in which the dark lord requires. in exchange for fenrir’s aid, the dark lord considers him a death eater for the sheer purpose of keeping him in his inner circle.

fenrir hopes to achieve werewolf equality through the war, and has chosen darker means to obtain it. throughout his life, he’s been driven by vengeance.

he often attacks those who speak wrongly of his species ( consider why he attacked remus, due to his father saying that all werewolves deserved death, were vermin, etc ).

however, fenrir has also changed people of their own request as well as providing them an alternate route if death is approaching. of course, they must be a part of his army if they choose to accept. he’s been known to destroy anyone who dares defect.

the alpha of his pack, fenrir actually holds immense respect among the wizarding world’s werewolves. if you manage to befriend him, he’s quite the ally to have by your side.

HONESTLY THERE’S S O M U C H HMU ILY XOXO ADMIN PETRA

[typical-author]

Original Horror : The Lycaon Segment

Before There Was Time

Chapter 1 : The Punishment

Before I start off I want to make myself clear cause I will only say this once. I am Lycaon, the first werewolf, king of Pelasgia, or as you know it, Arcadia. I am an immortal among men. My Tales are from a time before there was light. Before the Angels were revoked and only some walked the land.

I had many women in my life and the reproduction of our kind was many more then that of a human these days. In my life I have had fifty sons, all respected and loved by me. My Father, Pelasgus, often worshipped and loved the Greek gods. His favorite however was Zeus, the god of thunder.  

The gods were  vengeful and made war with themselves. Curses were brought to man and so were testaments of sin. All around my kingdom were beasts that were once human but were punished by the gods… especially punished by Zeus.

While the gods tried to find the perfect being the made many creatures. These were beings made out of the image of the gods themselves. This they stuck with and some believed that my father, Pelasgus, was the first being to walk the earth as a man.

Many creatures lived on the planet. All made by the gods ranging from A. Athos to T. Typhoeus. All creatures had good quantities of traits, from swimming creatures that were part fish, to giants who could shake the land.

Although many people wish they were one of these creatures. They forget the fact that they are limited to certain aspects of the world. Humans were able to do just about anything they set their minds on.

If one being was to argue with the gods, the punishment would be twisted and derange. Not only were people part beast by creation. If you upset one of the gods, they would take the most fowl parts of their creations and turn you into it. That wasn’t all, in drastic cases they would even harm your children and your people.

Plagues and sin were tools that would be placed on you. I, unlike my father, did not wish to show fear towards them. One being, named Ishtar served the gods and placed a curse called “Lycanthropy” over people. This would turn a human into an animal and will forever be damned. This Ishtar was very powerful in my land and I have seen the curse happen to many people.

I often questioned rather or not the gods were all powerful. I seemed to possess a will to test them. So I studied my fathers work and went after Zeus himself. I killed his people as well as mine. Then I sent them to him in threats that he was not all powerful as he liked to think he was.

As time went by I felt the sky and the lightning grow. The bodies of deceased people angered the lightning God. I was not afraid but indeed curious to see how powerful this lightning god was. I killed more and more people. As I did I thought to myself and told my children that I will prove the divine Greek god was nothing more then a sham.

Then one day, Zeus showed up. My children were young men and within minutes they were all struck by lightning killing them. I fell to my knees in displeasure and guilt that this was my fault. I rose up to fight the one who did this but did not know if it was me. I to this day blame myself for the death of my children. This haunts me, and if I didn’t get so obsessed with trying to prove the gods as shams it would have never happened.

I was known what would happen to me. I was going to be turned into a beast unless I did something to prove I am a worthy human being. I ran from my village as the gusts of wind and rain grew stronger. I slid down an old path of now nothing but mud. I ran through thorn trees and by caves.

I then tripped over a fallen tree and heard a great howl. This was not one to warn people that this was beast land. This was loud and as I looked up I seen a giant beast in the form of as wolf before me. I could tell in his eyes that he too once was a human. He had been twisted into a beast on some wronging that could have easily been forgiven. That is what I wanted now more then anything. I wanted forgiveness and I wanted my people and family to not be harmed anymore.

He could not speak no words to my understanding. He only motioned me to follow him and together me and wolf ran into the woods. I ran as fast as I could compared to this four legged animal. I could see the sky lighten up and the winds calming down. I leaped in my run and felt like flying with the momentum of my pace.

Then the wolf slowed down and we crept into a cave. Here I could tell that no lightning would ever get in. Quickly though the sky grew dark and rain followed. I knew that I could not live in this cave forever. Still I tried.

I made a fire with twigs I could find. My friend, the wolf, came with food from outside. I spent days in the dark waiting for the punishment to pass by me. I hoped that I could go free with knowledge not to test them no more. I even grew a nice friendship with the other wolves in the area. They came and too helped me survive. The rain provided me with plenty of water and I had much to eat.

The summer came and I still feared for my life. For the first time in a while I felt safer. Then the heat stroke began. I had very little air in the musty old cave and I was running out of water. The warmth of my wolf friend was starting to haunt me. I then began to take small moments outside the cave to test if I was forgiven.  

Life fact seemed that I wasn’t. I began to head back to my kingdom to rule my people. I had good intensions and soon I hoped that the Lords would see it. As I went out of the woods I sensed something was very wrong. Then lightning came without any rain or storm clouds. In panic I was stunned still as a tree.

Before I knew it a bolt hit me and I was turned into a werewolf. I looked over to my wolf friend who has followed me to the village and for the first time I could understand him. He was punished by Ishtar and he was the first human to have ever taking beast form.

I went in defeat to follow my new family into the woods. As a went I lifted my legs to walk I felt a pain come over me like a lightning bolt hit me again. I can’t tell if it did or not but since that day I was able to take on human or wolf form. The first shape shifter.

I was punished by my people and cursed out of the land. So I spent years in the woods hunting for prey. I noticed that with two forms I had to eat twice as much. Each time I ate I would have to eat in wolf form and then human. It was like two beings in one.

From then on I associated with other werewolves who were not able to transform back into their former selves. I was the first one who could and I imagine this was the gods way of saying I was half forgiven.

Chapter 2 : Shape Shifting Wonders

Years as a wolf went by like century’s to a human. I would often switch into a man form to live amongst people. I however was followed by every wolf I had encountered. Nights would come where the people, from towns I lived in, grew frightened by the large packs howls.

With some people frightened, I was running out of places to live. The world was not as populated as it is today. I could hear the whispers of my sons in my dreams. They were telling me one was still alive. Every morning I did not know for certain if the dreams were true.

It wasn’t too long before I could look in a lake to see an aged man. Was it my destiny to die someday with this curse? Or was it my destiny to try and get rid of it. I set my mind to live as a human for the rest of my days. I will ignore the cursed full beasts forever.

Years I spent in villages ignoring the fowl animals that would follow with me. I was even once called a godsend because of the way they behaved towards me. Usually they acted in my time as warnings of curses. People of all types grew to understand that I was not a curse.

I would help build houses and temples for my fellow kind, both human and animal. I kept it secret when I would go out into the woods and feed the monsters food. This was my way of begging to not attack the fragile.

There was one wolf out of all of them that stuck out as my favorite. He was the one who greeted me when I was getting cursed by Zeus. I felt sorrow in his eyes and guilt for his wrongs. This was not a monster, but a repented, behaved animal. I named him Ian and I often would invite him in my home.

Year 13 came where I was not turned into a wolf form. I was an older, fairly rich man at best. I had strength and agility that most could not achieve. This allowed me to work harder and faster then the average Joe.

A night came on the 13th day of the 13th year. I was going to my bed to sleep when a fever hit me and my body began to cramp up. I had a slave in the other room that came in to check on me. She nursed me and sang sweet songs to me all night. Then the next day I couldn’t even walk. My body was cramped up in a paralysis state. That day something happened.

The animals which I took care of started attacking the village. I knew that they had sensed something wrong with me, I felt it. All I could hear during those days were screams from fragile creatures and growls from angry ones. These sounds haunt me to this day.

I heard a scratching at my door. My slave had run off and probably died from the raid. I was all alone and I felt like I was dying. The thump on the door would shake the house. Claws scratches could soon be seen as well as heard. The animal then got the door down and walked up to me.

It was Ian and he had a look of concern in his eyes. I heard his thoughts and I knew he came to help me out. The animal instinct in me was saying that I must turn into wolf form immediately. “I want to die a human” I screamed to him but I also knew that look in his eyes. It was the same look in my eyes when I looked in a pond. I was cursed and if I didn’t turn now I would forever be a monster.

I laid in bed with sweat beading down my face, or were they tears? Transforming was different this time. Instead of quickly becoming a wolf within a thought, I was slowly turning into different shapes.

Hair grew all over my body. My eyes grew bright green like a viscous creature. I grew the claws and teeth of a wolf but kept the hands and face of a human. It kept on hurting and the pain became so unbearable I felt my soul lift out of its body. For a second I felt liberated. Everything made sense and I was once again with my family. This good feeling quickly ended.

I found myself in the body of a wolf. A wolf being dragged by another wolf as animals from all over gathered around to see my paralyzed body. Slowly the each came with a piece of a fragile one. As I ate the body parts I couldn’t get the feeling out of my head that I lived and worked with these townspeople. Now what were they? They were a remedy for a monster.

Slowly I was able to lift myself up, barely able to walk on all fours after all these years of avoiding it. I looked around to see the pack of animals make their way to help. Some would crawl up beside me while others would take a nurturing act and lick me clean.

I felt ashamed being with the animals. I felt that I had been avoiding them for so long that I would not be accepted by them anymore. I was wrong. Ian started  off by bringing more wolves around me. They all howled as the night was now in front of us. The people in the town were all dead.

I went on a few  adventures with the animals. I would try every now and then to turn into human form but with no success. I knew that I had stayed human for too long and if I wished to exist as one “part time” that I would have to keep a balance of the two.

I then spent years as a wolf. Feeding on humans and other animals like a king. I grew quite a pack and many mystical creatures would beg for their lives to us. We didn’t care if they wanted to live or not in the end. Wolves who were once bottom feeders were now becoming feared.

I started to grow into an old proud wolf. Ian, who didn’t seem to age, would often come to me and invite me on hunts. We made a good team as we triumphant through all types of creatures.

Slowly during the years I felt like I could turn into a human again. It was then 13 years and 13 days that my being trapped as a wolf ended. I grew an attachment for being a wolf. I sometimes thought to myself when I seen a human that I would rather die as a wolf. I just felt like my years were over with.

At the night of the 13th year I turned into a human again by force. It was not painful but it did scare me when I looked into a pond. I found myself  to be young again like I was when I was first struck by Zeus lightning.

If I could not age as a human, could I age as a wolf? Was there any way to die now that I am the way that I am? I transformed back into wolf form to discover that myself again new fresh and young.

So I did a few experiments. I cut my throat in human form then transformed into wolf quickly. My wolf form was unscratched and so I turned back to human expecting to die. Of course I didn’t and the cut was not there. It was looking as if I couldn’t die. ‘This could be very interesting’ I thought to myself.

The Birth of a Star

Chapter 1 : Angels Torn Apart

Everybody has a power, and every power can have a high and a low. Everything has a weakness and a strength. In my days the earth’s glow was the only means to see before there was light. Most creatures were nocturnal and traveled in groups. Armies were made but they only served to fight those who trespassed on their land.

I didn’t care anymore. I crossed all the lines. I would travel and fight armies. After each defeat in one form I would transform and continue to fight in another. Then came a great rush in the clouds. All creatures and kind stood still as the heavens gave a message.

No longer will the gods rule over the world, and the world as we knew it was going to change. After all we have lived for, we now faced a challenge where some of us will be forbidden to walk the land. We faced mortality which should have made us all tremble and vomit from fear. Instead we just continued to watch the rushing sky as the message was gave.

Each rush of cloud there was a white and a night sky that seemed to collide with each other. There was a war and we on earth were going to be tested to survive. At one moment half the sky was bright white and glowed upon the earth and the seas. The other half was dark as night and had rushes of rain, hail, and thunder.

When it was all over there was a dreadful pain in the earth. Angels descended from the heavens and down into the earth. Most had battle wounds and were now colored as the night. Some baring black wings as opposed to the white dove wings that were more common. Each one that entered the underworld caused the world to shift and ache.

Then like a sparkle of twilight but brighter then that of night came a star. It came from the peak of the galaxy and slowly came towards the world. With this we earned the power of light. Some, who were still in trance, approved of the light. Others like myself walked away and only seen how it blinded us.

Its said that at Satan’s fall he took one third of the angels with him. Some of the angels were willfully walking away from heaven. Some angels were with similar sin as Him and Satan couldn’t be fully revoked without others who committed the same sin to be cast out as well.

So it went on for years. Now tests were thrown in as the true God came to claim his domain. A box was sent to a woman named Pandora which held 7 powerful gods of sin. If opened they would rule over land and we would be cast out if our souls became too evil. If you want to know more I would suggest you study the Greek mythology.

Now that the world was changing, creatures started to battle for no particular reason. Magic was slowly leaving the world. I would hunt in the night as a wolf and sell my merchandise as human in the day. Another secret of shape shifting is if you get tired you can transform into your other form and be wide awake. I had many perks to my life that I always am grateful for to this day.

After years of watching so called bad angels fall from heaven and to the underworld it finally ended. An Angel came down to me. I knelled in human form and she asked me a simple question. It was so simple that I still do not know the correct answer. She asked me if I liked being in wolf form or human form better.

I thought hard and then finally replied, ‘I am better off staying as I am cause of a divine plan. I’m not certain what that plan is, rather good or bad, but even if its bad to me, I know that the plan is good to another. It may be fate, destiny, or coincidence but a plan that is divine only serves as a purpose that must happen. There is no wrong or no right, and even questioning it will do no harm to its objective. I am what I am, and even though I can change I wish only to stay the same. I wish to stay as planned. How I am, both wolf and man.’

The angel smiled, laid its hand on me and said as I wish. When it left, wolves were permitted to stay on the earth. Other creatures were also permitted to stay. The others however were forced to battle in the coliseum. This battle arena was made for the gods under the one true.

Before, we lived with the Greek gods as servers to power. The God came and forced the lower Greek gods to human form on earth. They were no special then that of a normal human… expect their souls. Their souls still beamed from them and had powers very alike the ones they had when they were spirits.

Hard times they had trained and grew up as the strongest beings to walk the earth. Their stories are all told in detailed books, so I will go into the crisis they ended with. That in which was a coliseum that was built for them to prove their strength. It was here where they would fight to the death.

During this time a special garden was made and named Eden. From here mankind was made and fell. They did not get eliminated from the earth but they were not giving immortality. Instead they breed and concurred the world. I stayed invisible to them as I felt a great fear to be known to them.

After a while the mortals appeared appealing to the Greek gods, and then the demi gods were born. They held great power and for every god and demi there was yet another star born into the galaxy. After a while when great humans lived a great life and died, when they went to heaven a star was also made for them.

I watched patiently as all this revolution happened. I never aged and I lived far beyond any other creature over time. Thousands of years I would fight wars and concur armies. I never unbalanced my two forms. Never did I hold back and try to live only one life. I kept my secret safe and if anyone spotted me transforming I would have to mutilate them.

I never had any kids and I never left a person  bitten and live. If I knew that I could created more of my kind I think I would have done so earlier. During these days though I was into the hunt more then I was for the breeding. I collected hand made swords and other jewels for safe keeping. This allowed me to become rich in my later years.

That will be explained later though. I have seen the world through an immortals eyes. I still had my companion Ian who never left my side. The last of the ancient ones had died but the coliseum stayed active for many years. Hemit was the last man to fight in the coliseum before people changed their ways.

Its said that every now n then the gods of old come to earth to mate and watch over their loved ones. The darker gods however need to cheat the devil to even touch land.

I can’t imagine how it would be like to live under the earth. It seems to be a place with little room as dirt covers and surrounds you. It makes me think that all those fallen angels are just buried alive. Sometimes they bring the lake of fire to our land through volcanoes. This has destroyed towns, cities, and ruined many lives.

I wonder what had happened to make the angels fall from grace land to live in such a dark environment. Some in the later days say that Lucifer thought that he was higher then God and that is what the battle was about. I’m unsure, as I think it was a way to cripple and change the way we lived.

I walk towards the light this time. I am not nocturnal but I am still what is  referred to now as a monster. If only people knew that where I came from, unicorns, fairies, and all the beautiful things a kid can dream of was real. Why would turning into a wolf be so much different?

Chapter 2 : The Calling of Devils

With sin upon the earth and mortals falling for temptation a war begun again for the souls of mankind. It was a war no one wanted to happen but it did. God and the Devil were playing strategy games with the mortals on earth. They would test and force humans to pick a side and depending on which side they pick God or the Devil would win that “Chess Piece”.

I had won the war against the Greek gods it seemed to me. They have been removed from the earth and now only live off the prayers of the mortals. They can only intervene if their holiness is being challenged. For now I will simply live life with the blessings of never fearing Zeus again.

God came to test me as the devil smiled in hell. I am sure the devil thought I would quickly turn down god. Instead I turned on the devil unaccepting of his gifts. I also walked from God towards the night. I was alone and self rightrous but it was better then getting into the middle of the war.

As I walked away God shined towards me but the devil often intervined. New angels were being born but at the same time other devils spawned as well. The world often changed when good was winning the war. Other times during darker years the devil with his demons became an absolute.

As I walked the lands god smited me to test my soul. He could see a change imprinted into me. He smited me and sent me through days of wrath. During the nights the devil came to me as well. God, understanding that I was cursed turned from me. Without any mercy or pause, the devil tried to feast upon my soul.

Many people were cast out of the heavens and the mortals were becoming evil. Each mortal had a choice to be an angel or devil. If they accepted the will of god they became immortal with wings to always fly upon the earth. If they accepted the devil they were sent to the place I was currently... the tortures of the damned.

The devil rose towards me trying to rule upon my head. My soul glared wilder and more powerful then before. The soul was my core, it was given to me by my father, and his father. In essense it was traced all the way back to Alpha. To give it up was to give up your existence.

As the devil wrapped around my soul I refused him. I kept my soul and even spoke out loud that I would not give it to him. He bit into it, adding traces of himself to me. My body was shifting from human to werewolf. In the burst I had the lords turn away from me. It seemed that I could not be aclaimed.

The Devil thought fowl of my blood. My soul gave leave to the creators. I was cast out by both sides and I did not care. In this way I became my own alpha, setting laws for my own kind. I was not bound by good nor evil. I was undetermined and left for no one.

As the evil people grew new devils were increasing. They would take the soul of a mortal and turn it inside out. This often cause the mortal to grow mad. They became abominations known as demons. They were wild and out of control. They would often possess powers adnormal to any other. They were true monsters and the devils feed from them.

Evil was so bad that the world was destoryed by it. God saw the devils increase and the demons to be too awful for the earth. He burried them into the hell. They were like acid to the natural way. In the end God forced the devil to consume the demons. That only made the devil stronger. Many people missed their families. There was no hope for those who became evil.

If all was to become evil there would be no life. There would eventually be no evil for this fact. In the end the battle between good and evil was set to always be in motion. Life would exist to be delivered to death. There was a balance to the new creation. I knew I was no longer a part of the war that my kind was extinct.

I preyed on the evil devils that lurked upon the earth. I hated the devils more for the battering they did to women, to men, and to animals. They lived as a cancer and no one really knows that, not all devils have horns.

Many would kill merciless. Others would feed endlessly. Some would not do a thing and relied on good to help them. Devils often took pride in their sins. They would also breed to make abominations. I laughed and joked saying "their father was evil, why see what their children would be?" The devils still kept everything they had without giving anything back. Still they looked at good with envy as there nature was death.

I had many of these traits myself. The greek were born from an evil man and were only blessed by the mothers. I knew abominations all too well. Every time I feast I would have talks to my victims asking why they do the things they did. They could not kill me, so I was dominate.

Several nights went by and I was tested by the devil again. God came in and I was forced between the two. As I struggled to survive I would often switch forms. This upset the devil that I was turning him down. It also upset God for my will to be alone. The devil set a curse on me. He made it so I was my own alpha. That I lost my ability to have a father. I had memories of him, but I could not feel him in me.

That is the time I died and fully became my own being. I still refused all gods and devils who wanted me. I walked the earth alone feeding to my needs. My soul felt lonely at first. It felt as though I had no birth. I can't even begin to understand it. The being as was before was not the one I was from now on. I was alone with only the wolves accepting me.

They seen me anew with no alpha. The way things were before they always looked at me as a child. They now bowed and worshipped me more. I like Ian, would lead them to food. I would lead them to live. I wish that I felt my father inside my soul. To refuse the gods is to refuse yourself. To not choice between them is to choice only yourself.

I relearned how to function as being cursed left me with no forgivness before me. I learned to move my arms and legs, I learned to walk, and to talk. Still I have been damned and now I wish I was more submissive but I am not.

Making A Family

Chapter 1 : A New Species

As the night sky passes towards the west the sun rises in the east. It seems harder for me to see the night rest at all these days. The sun seems to just push it away without cause or warning out of the sky. Still in the next evening it spawns back to rest the people and comfort them to sleep.

The same goes for me with this gift or curse. I walk amongst the humans changing back and forth from animal to man. Rapid changes happen in order for me to feed my darker werewolf side easier. When I see an easy prey I transform and feed upon their flesh. This gift of immortality and endless life comes with only one cost. I must take that from a human which I then use as my own.

As I march along the outskirts of a noble town I see a man with his wife. He held her hand and she smiled as they entered their home. I looked at my fellow wolf pack which knew of my new desire to expand my family. I did not know what curse I would give if I was to have a child. I did not know if a mortal woman could even bare a child from a man of darkness like yours truly.

So like always we stormed into the town and ripped the flesh off of the people of the land. They would stab us and we would heal, they would shoot us with arrows but we would not be stunned. So the spree began while I stormed throw town, I bit the arm off of my meal while digging into the flesh to eat the really good parts.

My meal had grown cold and fully dead. My pack was also full so we began to head out and into the woods. The word would travel about a savage beast about which kills the young ones and nobles. So we would travel to a new location hunting other less aggressive animals.

As we were leaving I seen the woman and man from earlier. They died holding hands as the rest of their body was mauled to pieces. I grew angry looking at my wolf friends. I did not provoke a fight I simply turned into a human and took the rings off of their fingers. Then I walked away with sadness in my eyes that I knew I may be alone forever.

I walked the land as years went by. I feel the wet moist earth below my feet as the rain hit’s the ground. The green grows fresh but as the rain goes away the land dries up leaving the green to die too. I’ve walked the deserts, the forests, the rocky mountains.

The earth was like a memory that would not fade away. Sometimes I would see tracks in the ground where I have already been in the area. I ran away for days, nights, until I burst into human form and decided to live life as a human for a while.

The people enjoyed me in my local estate. I worked harder then most men and grew speed that no one could match. Many of the women were charmed by me but I loved then not. I seemed to have once again forgotten about my curse of lycanthropy. Some nights I would reflect back on my years and how they were filled with me being a killer.

When I was done patching a roof for a blacksmith a woman passed me by the street. I grew flashes of her in different scenarios where she and I would be making love. I would also see her on a table with many people around her as she was giving birth. Then the vision went out with me killing the doctors and nurses that helped in the labor. I more dreamed of my child in my arms running away from town then it was a vision.

Still curiosity killed the cat but cat I was not. I walked up to the woman who was dressed very proper for her day. She turned at me thinking I was a mugger but when she caught my eye she was entranced to my will. It seemed the gods were in favor to my gift of having a child.

She did not know what to say at first so we spent days together talking of the stuff the town had accomplished with my help. She then told me I was a great man worth to have her hand. I was bedazzled with the fact that she too had felt as I when we first met and still unto this day.

We were with child for months afterwards. She did not know of my secret but every night I would go out and hunt for my dinner as a wolf and bring back food for my human wife as well. One night I was met with my old pack who gave a message stating that if I was to not make a child as wolf that the pack would come into the town and kill my village along with my new wife.

For a while I had though about it. I knew the day was coming where my lack of decision making would be the death of my new family.  So I did what I had to do to protect my family. I ran into the woods taking off my clothes so I did not shed them when I transformed. I seen the pack and a woman wolf come up to me. I turned into a wolf and was forced to make love to her as the pack guarded the area from my escape and of other creatures coming to the area.

When the ritual was over I fled home taking my clothes back and getting dressed before the villagers seen me nude. Howls were heard as the beasts in the outskirts ruled me and had their way with me. I went to my human wife and held her in my arms unknowing if I should tell her what had happened. This was probably best to keep to myself.

So the weeks went by and on the 9th week of my incident with the werewolves my human wife was going into labor. The towns doctors and nurses all came into the house to make sure the baby was delivered properly. It was hard to see her go through so much pain but this was not my first child. I have had many children before I was cursed into lycanthropy. All of which I am sure are dead now.

When the head of the baby crowned out the doctors had worried faces and some were even thinking of deformity. I told them not to worry that the kid will be loved no matter what. The house laid under the full moon and in the back of my head I could hear the wolves in the outskirts celebrating the births of their children.

When the baby came out it was furred like a wolf but in the body of a human. The people in the room were ready to kill it before I shape shifted into a wolf and ripped them limb from limb. My wife was so shocked at what she had seen me do that I had no choice but to take the baby and run.

I ran up to the woods where I could sense the wolves. They too had delivered they’re young ones. I laid the baby down and turned in wolf form to hear what they had said. They did not have wolf like babies. Instead they had human skinned children all of them in which I was to take care of. I agreed only under one condition, and that was that they took care of the child I had brought with me. They agreed that the child was more wolf then human and could live off of the milk the she-wolf could give.

I had no idea what road I was heading down. All I knew is that I had 6 children who all seemed like perfect babies. Each day they reminded me of my old wife. I knew by now she was dead and the children was all I had left of her. Even though the children I had were not hers, they all gave me memories of her.

I am just a werewolf, Lycaon, king of Pelasgia, or as you know it, Arcadia.

Chapter 2 : A Call To Come Home

Each full moon was a nightmare as some of the children would shaped shift into wolves. I now owned my own town and had many servents. These people all had jobs taking care of myself and my animal pets. I kept the children secret from the servants but every full moon my doors would close. I had to feed them during those nights so I slayed a servant then fed my children the flesh.

People were growing corn, melons, and other orgainics. I was allowed to fully feed my human form to my hearts desire. As my servants died I would feed on them and let the werewolves who stayed loyal to me feed too. The child that was sent to the wolves to grow up lived in the outskirts. The wolves were sometimes rebelious but I was the one who determine who lives and who dies.

One night on a full moon, 2 of the kids turned into small wolves, 1 was born as a half wolf, another birthed another wolf, and another turned and did not age. The first two were normal in my wierd world. The other reminded me of the wolf child I sent to live with the wolves. I was surprised to see the child create the wolves. I could understand that the wolf was like a guardian. The other I did not know what to do.

Everytime the child would turn he would not age. Many years went by and the werewolves grew into young adults. Still this one child would not age. The two who fully turned into wolves were only able to during the full moon. Another was the same, while the one who made the wolf guardian was different.

The wolf guardian stayed active year round. Each time the kid wanted to he could go and pet the wolf and disappear into it. It was like the child and the wolf was one being. They could live for years and if they wanted they could return to any age. As long as the wolf and the child was not killed at the same time, they were immortal.

Two kids would turn into full wolf form every full moon. When they were young teens they lost the ability to turn at will. It seems like the full moon was the turning point so I studied the moon. Time went by and my children were growing up older and older. It came time when they would try to turn a human.

Rather it be for friendship or love, my children would try to turn another into the wolf pack. They enjoyed being with new people and after a while we grew in numbers. Each time the fullmoon came those who were bitten or scratched would come looking for us. It would prey upon the mortals and hopelessly live forever under my command. I was the alpha.

My children would want mates and increase our ranks that way too. It occured to me that the more we make the more we would feed. I talked to my kind letting them know that we must be careful with who we make our own.

We could handle no more then two new born each year. So while we went to hunt on the full moons we accidently cut or bite someone and unable to finish them off. When they did we let them return to their life. We would call them on the full moon and they would attempt to find us.

So we were a pack and a few wolves did not know what had happened to them. They would wake up on farms with hundreds of dead cattle all around. Each night they turned they would come closer to joining our pack. It was a good gamble when and where they would seek us out. When they did we would meet them all at once.

The urge to come join the pack was really serve. Many people would go insaine trying to find us. In the end we had to let them in and if they were to betray us... they would die. I knew I could trust my own blood as I could easily overpower them. If a mortal was given immortality they were my servents.

They were scared, wondering what they were. Still they knew life as they lived it was over. They had killed people and sometimes I would kill them. The baby that never aged was taken to a temple where we would leave forever."Lives by your flesh" was written on his grave.

Soon enough towns had devil slayers where skilled men would try to rid us of the land. They were not bad and I can't say they weren't a problem... but they never could kill my direct bloodline. I had skills and power no one on this earth had even seen. I lived from the begining and I will try to live until the end.

When we scattered around the world to search for those who were worthy, we found ourselves gather back into the area you call london. This land seemed perfect to us and to this day this is where we lurk the most. It's fine land is fun and people there are often werewolves. It is true though that we've lived in most of the world.

We live where all wolves live. Often know a wolf of any type is somewhat a werewolf. Rather it be in the northern snow where a man hordes wolves to push his slay, or a man in the wrong forest at the wrong time. Chances are you seen a wolf in your time. There is no telling if that wolf was human once.

So after so many times wanting to regroup we called it the callling to come home. Werewolves from all lands would eventually want to stop what they are doing and come join the big pack. If you were one of us you would find us or die.

Despite popluar belief silver is not the only thing that can kill us. You can chop off a werewolfs head, you can shoot him past the brink of self healing, but if you really want to kill us you use a silver bullet. I am cursed by it and even when I was younger I could not wear Silver. This trait has passed through to all my children.

As a great king I often fought to protect my title as unbeatable. Within times of over population I would go against groups of werewolves. I would push them and make them work. I would whip them into doing my will. They were to serve me and my children.

If any wolf would go against my will I could command him myself. If I willed it I could kill them within my mind. It was a power I have over all my kind, even my children, I can kill with a blink of an eye. The wolves who were forever turned increased but mostly lived on animal flesh. They spread into all regions of earth.

You may have killed a wolf, but if you manage to kill a werewolf, you would be dead in days. All werewolves will come after the one who seen our magic. Our secret is one of the best kept secrets of the world. You know stories but you don't believe in them. You know no magic.

Most of the time we'd be in human form. I liked the idea of being human. It is much more rewarding and easier to talk. Werewolves can read each others minds. When one of us is in trouble all around it werewolves knew what was happening. We all had a frenzy that allowed us to turn not just by full moon, but on protective command.

We worked on neighboring cities but often owned our own city. We did not like much housing. We often lived in the wilderness. Having a house in the woods, or a village with wildlife made the perfect life. We often fought on full moons where the servents would battle one by one to death. It is not in our blood to be calm. We are wild wolves and live a very wild life.

I was in a town when the scent of a woman catched my attention. She smelled like the most beauitful smell I ever could smell. Then one day I dug my claw into her back. She would turn the next full moon. Her need for human flesh would be unbearable. She will turn and come looking for the pack. It will take years to get use to everything and chances are you would die.

I took this woman as one of my many wives. They too would carry the curse of lycanthropy. I often believe there is nothing better then a woman who can never die. If you really ask me I believe woman is the best servent. No man is greater to me then girls. I often punished men but woman always knew their place.

So with all the werewolves increasing in the world we all remembered our old lives. On certain nights where there was no moon shining, we would all remember our old lives. It was then that I had time to myself. Other wolves did not bother us and it was a self reflection moment. Instead though I was left with an empty hole.

I had previously lost my old life due to a fight with the devil. During nights of shadowed moons I would get a chance to study the other wolves. I got to see them as prisoners and as kings. I did not do anything but gather all my money to a safe place away from my pack. I got to study and know the lives of all my other werewolves. I could read their minds and know what they did and who they were. I got to know if I could trust them or kill them quick.

During these nights if was another calling to come home. A chance to remember our past lives. The children we left behind, our wives we'll never see again. Friends and family fade away but in the trinkle of starlight we began to remember what it was like to be human.

The Good and Evil

Chapter 1 : The study of different packs

A great number of werewolves came into place. I felt as our numbers reached extreme amounts my power over them would break. A small pack I could lead just fine but thousands and thousands would drain me. We reached full captivity when alarmingly a bunch of new breeds went out and turned a couple hundred more. This broke my mental hold I had over them.

I was with my children in our city when the night started. I was fine and did not expect any betrayal at all. When I felt more join the pack my mind snapped and I fell down. It's like my muscles all stretched and I could not control my moves. It was too much power and I did not know how to control it. My children now knew that I was in clinical care. They also knew there was a mutany at foot.

"Do not fear father, for you have made me strong. I will lead my sword to your enemies heart. I will forever be your wall." they chanted as people of old often did. It seemed as though the newly turned wolves all decided that grunt work was too much to do. They wanted a war to see how far they could make it on their own.

So the werewolves were taking sides and it alarmed me how many choose to disown me. My children and their faithful servants did not leave me. Though some were very quick to question their loyalty. In the end the wolves who could not take human form turned as well. The woman were very loyal and kept in their chambers.

The two sides stayed parted for many months. My children were the only ones that I truely trusted. Our city was attacked on the following full moon. The outsiders revealed themselves to the world and many people spoke of our tale. People betrayed us and called it a cursed land.

Axl which was the oldest of my children lead his brothers, Lance, Samuel, Lache, Turner, and Gabriel all armed themselves with weapons. They went to protect my city in human form. Many of the wolves that could not turned were easy to kill. However the ones who could turn found their protective instincts to be overwelming in times of war.

As the numbers dided off my mind was healing and my body was easier to control. I wasn't in good health so the women demanded that I lay in bed with them to nurse me. Suddenly I felt great pain as the werewolves who turned on me went to make more. They were increasing quickly and started to invade the city themselves.

With each type of werewolves they decided to gang up on my children. The immortal, the guardian and the halflings all gathered on seperate sides of the city.

Chapter 2 : The Ice Age

To be continued The Sorrow In A Wolves Eye Chapter 1 : Over The Years Chapter 2 : The Last of Our Kind