The Wild but Wonderful Werewolf

The Wild but Wonderful Werewolf

Despite the traditional portrayal of werewolves, Blood and Chocolate exposes a more positive and relatable representation of the universally infamous creatures. Through Vivian’s insider perspective of the “wolf pack,” Annette Curtis Klause allows the reader into a world where the werewolf is not just a ravenous beast, but a truly complex being. Although the werewolves’ “animal” side is portrayed, their human qualities are present more than ever. This allows the reader to sympathize with them and therefore reduce any negative judgments of the werewolf community that have been previously reinforced through movies, literature, and historical evidence.

The idea of a werewolf makes many think of an evil outcast type of creature. The werewolf is traditionally viewed as a beastвЂ"one that kills for pleasure. Not only are they portrayed as a ravenous animal, but they are considered monsters. They are social outcasts who have no companions of their kind. They are lonely, isolated creatures who let the beast within take control of their human part. In fact, they are not classified as humans at all. Technically, they are part human, part wolf, but from the perspective of society, they are all monster.

Such perspectives of werewolves come from ancient myths from all over the world. Werewolves are not merely a creation of the media. Although there are Hollywood versions of the monsters, werewolf stories date back for centuries. Like the fear of witches during the Salem with trials, there was an actual fear of the existence of werewolves on almost every continent during the Middle Ages (Garden 19). This fear of lycanthropy continued to grow as time went on.

Lycanthropy is a term used to describe the transformation from man to wolf. However, it is also used to describe a medical condition in which a patient imagines that he or she can transform into a wolf (Ashley 15). For the sake of our purposes, the term is used to describe the literal shape shifting of humans to wolves.

In Ireland during the Middle Ages, townspeople believed that lycanthropy ran in families, and in France, werewolves were thought to be “cursed by witches or possessed by demons” (Aylesworth 34). Some people even claimed that you could become a werewolf if you displeased the church. It was believed that if an individual were excommunicated, he could become a werewolf for three or seven years (36). Italy has its variety of werewolf tales as well. Different towns in Italy had specific traditions and beliefs as far as the existence of the terrifying creatures. Many towns believed that one became a werewolf if born on Christmas (39). Werewolf myths existed in many more countries and regions such as Spain, Russia, Hungary, Germany, Asia, and Scandinavian countries.

Although tales differ around the world, one thing is certainвЂ"there was a realistic fear in the existence of werewolves. Certainly this fear caused the believers to view werewolves as malevolent beasts, especially since they were often considered Devil worshippers. Many tales tell us that werewolves had made pacts with the Devil and they were destined to wander villages terrorizing its citizens. Others said that werewolves were really witches who did the Devil’s bidding (Garden 12). Clearly, there is a negative connotation when referring to the Devil, therefore reiterating the negative portrayal of werewolves throughout history.

However, werewolves were not just an irrational fear of church-going villagers. There have been countless trials of individuals who claimed to be werewolves. There have been sightings, mysterious murders, and direct confessions to consider.

The first werewolf to appear in France was known as Jean Grenier, who was the son of a poor laborer. Jean had an odd appearance and looked strangely like an animal. He had small deep-set eyes and protruding canine teeth. His black nails were pointed and his body was heavily covered with thick red hair. At age 13, he bragged to a little girl that he had sold his soul to the Devil, who in turn gave him the power to transform himself into a wolf. He boasted that he had killed many dogs, but that he craved the flesh of little girls the most (Baring-Gould 63).

During his trial, Jean admitted to killing and attacking many children, including the devouring of an infant. The wounds that Jean had claimed to inflict on the surviving children coincided with the children’s injuries and descriptions of the incidents. The court believed that Jean had hallucinations due to his lack of “education and moral development” (Baring-Gould 67). As a result, he was sentenced to imprisonment in a Bordeaux monastery to be educated in proper morals and religion. Immediately on arrival, Jean fell on all fours and ran recklessly around the gardens. He found a raw, bloody animal and devoured it instantly. Jean wasted away in the monastery, becoming virtually unresponsive. He died at age 20 (62-68).

Jean’s horrific descriptions depict the scary nature of werewolves. It is easy to see why villagers would be terrified of the existence of such a creature, especially because of his dissatisfied taste for human children. This aspect of the story shows that werewolves were admittedly man-eaters. Not only that, but they actually desired and craved the taste for human flesh. Jean Grenier certainly admits this hunger, but he is not the only case of a “real life” werewolf.

Peter Stubb is perhaps the most well-known case of lycanthropy in Europe. Stubb was supposedly given his wolf-skin by the Devil himself. He was to roam the country and prey upon men, women, and children, but he craved the taste of women in particular. Villagers feared him and pursued him for years. Finally they sighted him as a wolf and managed to capture him despite his attempt to escape. Stubb admitted to his crimes and to his existence as a werewolf. He was beheaded and died a slow torturous death as his punishment (Aylesworth 48-49).

There are many more cases throughout history that point to the actual existence of werewolves, but whether werewolves do or do not exist is not the point of discussion. Rather, these myths and trials serve to represent the negative portrayal that werewolves seem to have acquired. These historical events seem to form a foundation for the universal portrayal of werewolves as an evil creature.

Klause, however, helps eradicate the suggestion that werewolves are evil. Her protagonist, Vivian, exemplifies the true nature of werewolf kind. Vivian’s pack not only look and act human, they participate in everyday