Essay 2-Vampires, Zombies, and WEREWOLVES…OH MY!
Since the dawn of time, even dating back to prehistoric times, we can imagine that ever since the first human beings made their beds, there have always been monsters lurking underneath them. We would like to think that such creatures don’t exist however discrediting such being would also, in turn, discredit our deepest and darkest fears. The truth in the matter is that these beasts are created from the embodiment of the emotions, actions, beliefs, and even the insecurities of individuals. These different ideas are translated through various cultures and are often portrayed through literature, media, and often times through stories and lore. The inspiration behind these creatures are generally eerie and dark emotions and behaviors, typically regarded as taboo to general society. We have witnessed our illusive past give birth to a plethora of ominous creatures including, ghosts, vampires, zombies, demons, and more. Each of these archetypes, once thoroughly understood, easily reflect popular stereotypes that were present during the time their creation. However, there is one archetype that is frequently referenced in the Horror genre, despite its mysterious inspiration. The archetype I am referring to is the werewolf. Although historians are able to place a date or time frame on specific early tales about beast in which match the descriptions of werewolves, there are a great deal of stories of these beasts and similar creatures terrorizing early civilizations in which the origins remain unknown. This causes speculation regarding when these beasts made their first appearances, or even where. Many individuals might even argue that the Werewolf is as ancient as the first Homo Sapiens, if not greater.
The Werewolf is regarded as a majestic beast but is not to be confused for a docile animal. On the contrary, the earliest known tales of these beings are bold and bloody, beyond one’s wildest dreams. A story originated in 1765 tells of an exceptionally large Wolf-Like creature that supposedly mounted an attack on the mountainous town in the southern region of France. This beast was known as none other than “The Beast of Gevaudan”. The wolf immortalized in this tale was said to have claimed the lives of over 60 victims in which included many women and children. It believed that the wolf also stalked and killed several different flocks of Sheep and Cattle. Low and behold, this story rapidly. In good time, it would appear that this story had its influences in every corner and crevice of the planet.
Regardless of how “fake” monsters appear to be as portrayed in media, there are always very “real” influences that are hidden within the hype. The werewolf, much like many of the other archetypes featured in horror, serves as a distinct symbol for a multitude of human behaviors and emotions. The most convenient way of approaching the werewolf archetype is to value the scope of this creature for what it truly is; an Animal. In regards to literature and film, the creators have often heavily relied on werewolves to represent the animalistic side of human interaction. Many early stories depict men undergoing anamorphosis in which they are transformed into a ferocious beast. When placed into perspective, this serves to play on the boundaries of human nature. Various characteristics such as lust, greed and sexual prowess are amplified and funneled into the image of something fowl and malevolent. Many of the earliest depictions of werewolves also were influenced by curiosity, adventure, and the intellectual inertia during this period of enlightenment. Virtually, the creation of this creature was driven by the imagination trying to make sense of our species wild and disproportionate history. Humans were just beginning to form rigid civilizations but curiosity proved to continually pressure the structures we set in place. We could either face the reality that the human race, despite having advantages over the animal kingdom, is not very different from the more primitive species, or we could ignore our short comings and shift the shade to someone, or better yet, something else. Unfortunately, humans took the easy way out and instead fabricated a brand new species, not familiar to any specific kingdom or phylum, to point their red hand at. However, it is interesting to note that many scientists, at least during the era of the creation of the werewolf, speculated the possibility that these creatures do indeed exist and that they simply have just flown the radar. I guess the true interpretation is left up to the skeptic.
In all honesty, werewolves do not deserve the negative wrap that they have obtained. They have been serving as illegitimate “scape-goats” for the actions of men, too afraid to own up for their own flaws and wrong doings. An episode of podcast called “Lore”, created by Aron Mahnke eludes on this concept. The particular episode, titled “The Beast Within”, goes on to the describe the misconceptions that contributed to the bad reputation that werewolves hold. The podcast describes the relationship between the lunar cycle of the moon and how it corresponds with extraordinary behaviors exhibited by humans. Many individuals, including a great deal of medical professionals, have tried to identify true links between the lunar cycle and manic behavior however no hard evidence currently exists. So far, the best explanation one has amounted to regarding this phenomenon involves unremarkable coincidences. However, in his podcast, Mahnke attempts to provide relief for many of the werewolf enthusiasts of the world by justifying the criminals behind the scenes of the mockery. Aron outlines much of the ancient roots of lore surrounding these beasts but the interesting part comes when he begins diving into the psychological roots. He explains that Werewolves served to justify many of the horrors of life during early times. He compares the gruesome acts depicted in werewolf tales to those of serial killers. He proclaimed that the flaws of those whom committed demented acts, such as those of murders and psychopaths, were deflected off of the actual beings and were blamed on so called ‘monsters” that supposedly didn’t exist. As it appears, humans couldn’t deal with the imperfections of their race, however someone had to take the blame.
Werewolves now take on a poor wrap as the savages or villains of the horror world. They are portrayed as being far more hostile and ferocious in comparison to the other monsters in the Macabre genre. All of the other monsters including vampires, zombies, and other creatures are all portrayed as being sophisticated, structured, and even more animated, with exception of the werewolf. Instead, werewolves are typically illustrated as primitive, animalistic, and often times stubborn as a rock. This characteristic play into the stereotypes of the human man. When we look at the inspirations for creatures such as vampires and zombies, we see easily personifiable characteristics, however when approached with all of the qualities that make up “the American beast”, we as a race find it easier to lie to ourselves than to face the facts and accept the consequences. I find it funny that the other animals we view as “inferior” to our species in the animal kingdom have openly accepted their short comings and have learned to adapt through evolution. On the other hand, humans still struggle to accept our existence. No matter how advanced our technology becomes, we as a people still remain subject to our primitive ways. We as a people are the real “beasts”.
Cherry, Kendra. “The 4 Major Jungian Archetypes.” Verywell Mind, www.verywellmind.com/what-are-jungs-4-major-archetypes-2795439.
Editors, History.com. “Werewolf Legends.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 23 Aug. 2017, www.history.com/topics/folklore/history-of-the-werewolf-legend.
Mahnke, Aaron. “Episode 3: The Beast Within.” Lore, Lore, 6 Apr. 2015, www.lorepodcast.com/episodes/3.
“Monsters of the Gévaudan : The Making of a Beast.” Google Drive, Google, drive.google.com/file/d/1yIVAVDoe1kSjTgkVsRts_wOx2rdOC5kO/view.
Radford, Benjamin. “Werewolves: Lore, Legend & Lycanthropy.” LiveScience, Purch, 30 Oct. 2012, www.livescience.com/24412-werewolves.html.
