Portraying how werewolfs are represented nowadays

Shayne Foskett

CG Art’s & Animation year 1

Chris Hunt

Word count:

Time Machine Essay

Introduction

This assignment will analyses critically on werewolves. I'm basing my research on

'twilight' the film . For it gives me information about how in the modern days have

changed the way the werewolves shape-shift, compared to the olden day myths.

In the olden day myths, people had believed that werewolves would shape-shift in

full moon light. But in 'twilight' our modern days they have made us believe that they

can change when they are showing stress.

Main Body

The myths and meanings behind werewolves:

The word werewolf is most likely to derive from two old-Saxon words, were (meaning

man) and wolf. A werewolf is also known as a lycanthrope, which in mythological or

folkloric human that have the ability to shape-shift into a wolf or even an

anthropomorphic wolf like creature. They were either under a curse or lycanthropic

affliction by a bite or a scratch off another wolf.

The transformation would only happen if there is a full moon, noted by the medieval

chronicler Gervase of Tilbury or even in the earlier times among the ancient Greeks

through there writings of Petronius.

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In the olden times people would also speak about werewolves could attribute

superhuman strength, speed and senses. Even though werewolves were believed to

be held as a European creature. The stories of these mythical creatures spread

throughout the world and became a tale to other places such as the Native

Americans who spoke deeply about these shape-shifting creatures.

Werewolves are always mentioned in modern day fiction such as films, books and

even television shows. From what myths have said that werewolves are only

vulnerable to silver bullets or they can even cause others to change by either biting

or wounding them. This is said in our old time shows that werewolves stance as a

dominant figure in horror.

Other meanings: The meaning term for lycanthropy is also referring to both abilities

to transform one into a wolf or to even act of doing. The word 'lyc' derives from the

proto-Indo-European root 'wlkwo' which means wolf, formally denotes the 'wolf-man'

transformation. There is also another term of saying a 'beast-man' which is called

therianthorpe, the word has also been linked to a classical mythology, Lycaon. The

king of Arcadia who was turned into a wolf in retribution for trying to serve his son to

visiting Zeus in an attempt to disprove the gods divinity.

Fig. 1 Lycaon Greek Werewolf

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The word lycanthropy is even classed as a mental illness that patients believed that

even both sex of the human has either transformed into an animal or behaved

accordingly. There is another ancient term for a shape-shifter between any animal

form is veripellis, for the English words tumskin and turncoat are derived, there is

also Latin, French, Russian and Old Norse word for werewolves.

History about Western Werewolves:

Men that change into wolves are found in the ancient Greek time and mythology.

There was a man called Herodotus, who wrote about that the Neuri, a tribe he places

at the north-east of Scythia. that people transformed into the creatures once every

coming year for several days and then they'd change back into a human form shape.

In the second century, the Greek geographer Pausanias had also related a story of

Lycaon, who could also transform into a werewolf and because of this he had ritually

murdered a poor innocent child.

Lycaon also did some bad things in his times like feeding human flesh to Zeus and

wanting to really know if he was a god or not. His transformation is no other then a

punishment for a crime, considered variously as murder, impiety and even

cannibalism.

What folks believed in:

In the European times folklore believed that humans, who have eyebrows

meeting in the middle, of the bridge of the nose, curved disgusting finger nails,

low-set of ears on them and a swinging stride. It gave off the identity of a

werewolf in a human form, the way of only finding this out was to cut the flesh

of the accused, that under he pretence the fur would be seen within the

wound. “In recent fiction the werewolf is represented as an involuntary and

even unconscious departure from the human, who is shocked when he learns

the truth about himself”(I.B.Tauris)

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But by a Russian superstition can recognise a werewolf by the bristles under the

tongue. Although an appearance of a werewolf is in an animal formed creature it can

vary from culture to culture, though it is most commonly portrayed as being

indistinguishable from ordinary wolves save for the fact that it has no tail but is larger

and has human voice and eyes.

The Swedish would believe that werewolves would only run on three legs and the

4th one would remain as a tail. When a werewolf has returned back to its human

form they believe that the human becomes weak, debilitated and undergoing painful

forms of depression.

They would also say in the medieval that werewolves known as 'Fennoscandian',

who were old, for example an old lady would possess poison-coated claws and even

had the ability to paralyse cattle and children with their gaze. In a tradional habit for

the Serbian vulkodlaks in the winter months they would strip off their wolf skins and

hang them all from the trees. They would even get hold of another vulkodlaks skin

and burn it just to release it from its curses. It was that bad that the Haitian would try

and trick poor mothers to give away their own children to volunteer by walking the

child in the night and ask for permission to take them away to which the disoriented

mother may either reply with a yes or a no.

How to get rid of the curse:

There is various ways to get rid of the curse of a werewolf. In the Ancient Greek and

the romans have believed in the power of exhaustion to get rid of the curse of

lycanthropy. The human with the curses of the werewolf would be subjected to a

very long period of physical activities in the hope of being purged of the malady. With

this fact many alleged werewolves would be left very weak and debilitated after

committing depredations.

There was also other methods used in the medieval Europe, traditionally they used 3

in all one was used to cure victims of werewolfism by using the wolfs bane, surgically

or even by exorcism. But many of the cures advocated by medieval medical

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practitioners proved fatal to the victims. They also believed in the Arabic origin which

they would strike the werewolf on the forehead or even scalp it with a knife. They

would also involve piercing the werewolves’ hands and nails.

They would do some less extreme methods as well like in German lowland they

would simply go up to the werewolf and call it by its Christian name three times and

in Danish belief they think if you scolder a werewolf it would get rid of the curse.

This has explained the olden times for how werewolves came alone, how they tried

to get rid of the curse and the bad things they did to their children thinking it would all

go away. But this is where I'd explain where twilight caught my eye about how in the

modern days they have made them shape-shift differently also how their life style is

a lot different.

Shape-Shifter:

A lot of people have mistaken werewolves as shape-shifters and are descended

from the ancient spirit warriors of the Quileute tribe. Back within the Native American

beliefs they have said the warriors and chiefs could leave thier bodies and wander as

spirits, communicating with the other creatures that live within the forest. They can

also hear each other’s thoughts but however, a change impacted the tribe members

hugely during Taha Aki's leadership and permanently changed their powers to

shape-shifting into massive werewolves. “If, as many religious teachers have

believed the body is only the vesture of the soul some men clearly have souls of

beasts” (D. Howison) very much representing that no matter how nice or in control

they have of their shape shift forms there’s still the odd one or two that would use

their powers not for good.

Appearance:

With a shape-shifters appearance it can vary in both human and wolf form. They

have a scary form which is described as enormous, jet black, as tall as a horse, but

thicker and much more muscular, with dagger-like incisors, and a grisly snarl like a

prolonged crack of thunder. This wolf form was even mistaken for a "bear".

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There is another form that has deep rusty-brown fur. In Eclipse, his fur becomes

shaggier than the other wolves' due to the fact that he allows his hair to grow to chin-

length. No other wolf has this appearance compared to others. In this modern term

they have explained it more and how they would look now than in the olden days,

they made them look all the same.

The "monstrous size" of these creatures is emphasized repeatedly. This links clearly

with the actual changes in the boys as well, which Bella notes, although she doesn’t

connect the two phenomenons until later. She describes the shape-shifters as "four

really big half-naked boys." As humans, they are between 6'0" and 7'0" tall, and after

phasing become bigger, more muscular, and harder in look and substance. Their

voices also deepen considerably. “Fear of what you’ll think of me” (B. Karg) is great

when relating to the whole of the Twilight series because both Jacob and Edward

both don’t want to tell Bella of their true forms encase of what she will think of them.

Fig. 2 Shapeshift Form

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The wolves become similar in their human forms, partly due to their appearances

(hard-muscled bodies, unusual height and cropped hair) and the synchronization of

their movements, so that they could be mistaken for biological siblings. the Twilight

series has made an impact it seems as people are now looking into the more

handsome side of werewolves much rather then actually thinking what werewolves

are supposed to look like or be represented as. For example Jacob (Taylor Lautner)

in fig 2 he seems much like a laid back chilled out skater kid that proberly just helps

out with little jobs around the house. But then in the next series of the Twilight series

you see him in fig 3 as short hair, ripped six pack and looking very much like a

model. . This very much gives away what has happened to today societies of the

views of a werewolf and it seems you might actually be better off becoming a

werewolf.

Conclusion

Over time we have seen that the word werewolf has been seen or portrayed

differently over time and that there is many view or ways in which the audience may

portray a werewolf to look like whether that be from one of the Twilight films or

maybe from another film. But technology has played a massive part within how

werewolf’s have been portrayed overtime due to the immense about of high quality

CGI that is being produced now compared to what it used to be and also as well

effects/ makeup artists have also improved not in technology but in better make up

practices which again improves on better more realistic looks when it comes down to

Fig. 3 Jacob Twilight 1 Fig. 4 Jacob Twilight 2

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the films, This has also aloud films to elaborate more on the wolfs emotions and

reactions to how they feel towards others, like for example if you was to have a

vicious werewolf and having a close up shot of him you would notice the rage in his

face, slimy mouth and razor sharp teeth, where in a more Twilight type approach

wolfs you see the true detail of CGI that has gone into it but also as well at times you

notice true werewolf expressions like you can feel as if someone is definitely in

control of this beast and there now as savage as there made out to be. How

werewolf’s have been portrayed over time as well with its funny to think now that

great CGI and great make up skills have made werewolfs go from savage beasts

into beautiful elegant wolfs in the space of one film.

Illustrations

Fig. 1, Lycaon Greek Werewolf, http://www.close-

upfilm.com/pictures/lycaon_greek_werewolf.jpg

Fig. 2, Twilight Jacob Wolf form, 2009,

http://www.cgsociety.org/stories/2009_12/new_moon/page02_img_03.jpg

Fig. 3, Jacob Twilight 1, 2008,

http://www.studentsoftheworld.info/sites/tv/img/27981_jacob1.jpg

Fig. 4, Jacob Twilight onwards +, 2008,

http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/8500000/HQ-JACOB-twilight-crepusculo-

8511492-410-724.jpg

Bibliography

I.B.Tauris (2006) (The curse of the werewolf: fantasy, horror and the beast within)

cultural context

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=_4BVWXNcNJoC&printsec=frontcover&dq=The

+curse+of+the+werewolf:+fantasy,+horror+and+the+beast+within&hl=en&sa=X&ei=

pxhrT476FqKt0QWsrYDFBg&ved=0CEAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Del Howison (2010) When Werewolves Attack: A Guide to Dispatching Ravenous

Flesh-Ripping Beasts

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=2mBNTDjbsxcC&printsec=frontcover&dq=history

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+of+werewolves&hl=en&sa=X&ei=9BRrT6-zBKHC0QWV-

KjUBg&ved=0CFAQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=history%20of%20werewolves&f=false