Day 5 and 6: Werewolves and Vampires
Due to obligations yesterday I wasn't able to post so I thought I'd give you a double team today, and hey why not tackle the two biggies together.
So most of you will have, I hope, heard of Vampires and Werewolves. Sadly this is probably because of awful so called "Dark fiction" which I am no great lover of. Let's put it this way; sexualising monsters is weird. Whether you believe in them or not Vampires equals necrophilia and werewolves equal bestiality. Uhh yeah, so deal. ;)
A werewolf, or Lycanthrope, is a human with the ability to transform into a large wolf or a therianthropic wolf. Therianthropic for those of you who are wondering is basically the metamorphosis of humans into animals, and as most werewolves are somewhere in between human and wolf, they fall into this category. Werewolf is an old English term coming from Were(man)wulf(wolf) much the same as Lycanthropy is derived from the Greek, lykánthropos.
The term Lycanthropy could also refer to King Lycaon who was turned into a wolf by the god Zeus in retribution.
The Werewolf mythos is generally regarded as European, however legends of shape shifting creatures are extremely prominent around the world.
So you want to go hunting werewolves? Fun for you. As I've said the countries widely regarded as 'werewolf' territory are mainly in Europe; France, Transylvania and Romania, an especially famous case occurring in Germany as well.
The idea that werewolves are only vulnerable to Silver weaponry is a distinctly 20th century idea, rising from the works of fiction in the fantasy and horror genre. Before this the werewolf was designated no specific vulnerabilities although my guess is it would have been regarded as more widely vulnerable, decapitation and if the worst comes to the worst, you could probably have killed one by burning it to hell. To be fair there's not a lot fire won't kill. Unlike Vampires, Werewolves are not thought to be subject to weakness of religious iconography.
It is widely thought that becoming a werewolf requires infection from another werewolf, although it was initial belief had it that wearing a coat made of wolf skin and rubbing yourself with a magic salve would be just as effective. Don't try that. Or if you'd rather, the church had it that Satanic deals were the cause of Lycanthropy. Don't try that either.
If by some bizarre turn of events you find that you are actually a werewolf, don't panic! There are ways around that. First off you could try exorcism, herbally using Wolfsbane or surgery, but I won't go into the surgery. It's kind of because I don't know what they did, but I'm not sure that I really want to.
Some writers theorise that werewolves are used to explain serial killings. Peter Stumpp, executed 1589, also known as the "Werewolf of Bedburg" is one of the most notorious cases of werewolf serial killing in history. His victims included pregnant women and children, whom he ate. Under torture he revealed he'd been practising black magic since he was twelve years old and subsequently made a deal with the devil allowing him to become a wolf like creature. He was then torn apart on a wheel and had his severed head placed on a pole as a warning against further crimes.
Vampires have had many guises and and forms over the years, the idea of creatures feeding from blood of others dates back to "prehistoric times" but the term Vampire did not come into existence until 1734, which presumably comes from the French, vampyre.
It is interesting to note that fangs were not originally a general feature of traditional forms of the vampire (Bar the ones that were truly monsters) and that the creatures themselves were traditionally bloated, purple and ruddy.
In many cultures it was believed a Vampire was created when a demon entered the body, indeed the two became synonymous. By burying a corpse upside-down and placing objects such as sickles in the grave, it was believed that the demon that the demon could be appeased, or the dead would be happy and simply not wish to leave the coffin.
Vampires have many weaknesses, in this sense making them inferior to their werewolf counterparts if we are to believe they are only harmed by silver. Vampires could be killed by decapitation, incineration (See KILL IT WITH FIRE), silver weaponry, the old tried and tested favourite; steak straight to the heart, and in some cultures increased exposure to sunlight, on top of that garlic, holy water and any kind of religious iconography are dangerous to the creatures. Like werewolves exorcism was also an option.
An 800 year old skeleton with an iron rod driven through it.
If shanking a vampire sounds like your kind of thing, head over to Transylvania Romania and Bulgaria. I hear they're nice this time of year.
Vampires have widely been portrayed in the media as suave, sophisticated villains. To anyone who truly likes vampires, I would highly recommend 1922's Nosferatu. Max Schreck's Orlok is a true monster and helped shape my own opinions of what makes a good vampire movie. Because unlike some recent releases this is a good vampire movie.
It is believed that Porphyria, a condition that makes the skin ultra sensitive to sunlight and very pale as well as promoting growth of the canine teeth may be one of the influences for modern views on vampires. For further reading on this please see "Vampire Forensics" by Mark Collins Jenkins, an excellent book.
Anyway here's some vamp Vs. werewolf action to finish off with,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JFZ1Ecq_0c
