Werewolves » legend

Werewolves In Films

admin — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 13:59:33 +0000

Mankind has been fascinated with werewolves for many centuries. A werewolf, which is also called as wolf man, is a person who changes into a wolf, typically when there is a full moon and returns to human form by day. In most folk tales, the werewolf was characterized as a demon, a part of Satan’s army of darkness. Werewolves are often gifted with extra-human strength and senses, far beyond those of both wolves and men.

According to legend, silver objects such as silver arrows and silver bullets can kill werewolves. When a werewolf dies he is returned to his human form. The idea of werewolves has always intrigued fiction writers and Filmmakers. Human beings have always been curious about werewolves. They have been one of the most intriguing subjects of literature, television shows, and movies. They have been romanticized, criticized, condemned, and vilified for hundreds of years. Filmmakers and writers have been using them to entertain and terrorize people for years. The werewolf genre is one of the most favorite and most famous genres for horror and monster films.

Thousand of movies have been made on werewolves over the years. Some of the famous werewolves movies are: – An American Werewolf in London (1981), Bad Moon (1996), The Boy Who Cried Werewolf (1973), The Howling (1981), Gingersnaps (2000), Underworld Evolution (2006) and there are thousands more. So, Hollywood has been making movies on this topic for years and I am quite sure Hollywood will soon be making more of these werewolves movies.

Recently, some of the television shows and movies have portrayed female werewolves. Yes, female werewolves do exist in art and literature, but they just aren’t as common as the male werewolf. I am quite sure Hollywood will soon be coming with many movies including female werewolves. With the Introduction of computer graphics in cinema the werewolves can be made look more interesting and fascinating.

Werewolves in Literature

admin — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 13:58:49 +0000

The idea of the mythological, or mystical has always been a source of inspiration for literature. The reader is automatically drawn to something outside of their individual reality – we are attracted to the strange the obscene, the horrifying and the unknown. Throughout history legends have fed off of our fears – the subjects of which send children under their covers and weave themselves through folk culture.

One of the most well known and culturally pervasive of these legends is the werewolf. The idea of a half wolf half man creature is seen as early as classical Grecian literature, and continues up through today with authors like Stephanie Meyer. Although the characters range from horrifying beasts to friendly companions there is a general continuity among the creatures – they are all strong, powerful, and anamorphous. Traditionally they are also associated with a lunar cycle and only change during a full moon. Also most werewolf legends agree upon the idea that the condition is passed through the bite.

However, there are outliers that insist that it is contracted through drinking water out of the footprint of an animal, wearing a wolf skin belt, or drinking specially prepared beer. Because this is a mighty beast, dangerous to both friend and foe, it of course also has an element of weakness, most notably wolfsbane, but also silver (which burns the creature from the inside out). They are not, like vampires, effected by religions icons such as crucifixes or holy water.

Regardless of the historical traditions or cultural similarities, there is undoubtedly an interest in these creatures that spans centuries, if not thousands of years. It is something that is continually reinvented, and seems to if not directly, as least encourage sympathy from the reader. The werewolf does not seem to be as brutal as the vampire, it does not sleep in coffins and drink blood, it is more a misunderstood outcast. Someone who did not want to become what they are, and are now suffering for their condition. They do not necessarily prey on the weak and beautiful, but are instead cursed by the moon and forced into an unwilling state.

This idea is especially encouraged by modern fiction, especially teenage focused novels such as Harry Potter, and the Twilight series. Where these mythical monsters are also friends and mentors. The werewolf draws the attention of the reader. It provides a humanitarian aspect that we sympathize with, but at the same time repels us with its destructive tendencies. We are sucked in and spit back out, and really.. What else could you want out of a legend?

How To Kill A Werewolf

admin — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 13:58:09 +0000

Werewolves or lycanthropes are mythical man-beast hybrid creatures that exist in the legends of many different cultures throughout the world. The transformation has been said to occur for many different reasons and in many different ways, but the most common form of the myth in horror stories today is the man who changes into a wolf or wolf-like beast on every full moon and who can turn others into werewolves by biting them.

A werewolf traditionally possesses supernatural strength and augmented senses as well as the natural hunting instincts and weapons of the wolf, like menacing jaws and claws. Therefore, they are formidable monsters and very hard to kill. One of the most ancient talismans against lycanthropy is the herb wolfsbane (said to have grown from the saliva of Cerberus, the three-headed dog guardian of the Greek underworld, when Hercules brought him up to the surface world). Other herbs that legends say are effective as werewolf repellents include rye, mistletoe, and mountain ash (rowan).

Werewolves are not affected by religious symbols like crucifixes and holy water (unlike their counterpart monsters, vampires), but in modern fiction, they are vulnerable to weapons containing silver, such as silver bullets or silver blades. The silver bullet is the most iconic anti-werewolf weapon, but in many stories, anything silver causes agonizing pain if it touches the beast. Therefore, to be most certain of killing the monster, a werewolf hunter should carry good quantities of wolfsbane, rye grains, mistletoe, and mountain ash leaves or wood, and be armed with a variety of well-made silver weapons.

Since it is likely that a werewolf will overpower a human in close combat, it is essential to have a gun or two custom-designed to shoot silver bullets at a long range; once disabled by the gun, the werewolf can be finished off if necessary using a sword or axe with a silver-plated blade.