Halloween Monsters: Werewolves & Shapeshifters

Happy Halloween! October is possibly my favorite month of the year, and Halloween has a great deal to do with that. I thought it would be fun to do a little fact finding about the traditional Halloween monsters (werewolves, vampires, Frankenstein, etc.) and their evolution in folklore and literature.

Since every single one of my series (Fire's Edge, Svatura, Shadowcat Nation, Legendary Consultants) involve shifters or werewolves of some sort, you know I had to dig into the history of those creatures.

As I researched this topic, I found it very interesting that unlike vampires and Frankenstein almost every culture around the world has some type of transformation or shape-shifting mythology (typically with animals indigenous to the area). Many of these mythologies go back to antiquity.

In earlier history, shapeshifters were most commonly deities (gods or goddesses) with the magical ability to transform. In Japan they have Kitsune, a fox shifter who is typically benevolent but often a trickster. Korea and China have similar fox shapeshifter myths. In Africa, deities shift into lions or leopards. In South America they transform into jaguars. Some gods/goddesses in Greek, Roman, Norse, etc. mythology can choose their forms.

Another frequent myth seen for shifters in earlier history is humans who were transformed into something by a god or goddess as a punishment. In Greek mythology, Arachne was transformed into a spider. In Roman myth and Ovid’s Metamorphoses, King Lycaon was changed to a wolf by Jupiter (some attribute this as the beginning of werewolf mythology). But in these cases, the person changed had no power to return back to human. This theme continued in later European folklore. The Frog Prince and Beauty and the Beast both involve transformation into animals as a punishment.


Enter the Middle Ages where the werewolf mythology became prevalent. Most of the people executed for being werewolves in this time period were later found by historians to be serial killers. The werewolf mythology also closely follows witch folklore and persecution. In fact, shifter mythologies were not all that prevalent in North America until brought over by European colonists at the same time as they brought their fear of witches.

Based on what I could find, not a lot seemed to change about shapeshifter folklore for quite some time. Up to the 1940s (and even later) they were truly seen as monsters eliciting terror and revulsion. Early books and movies about werewolves have the happy ending being the death or defeat of the creature.

In my research, I couldn't find a specific trigger for the change in perception of shapeshifters and werewolves as monsters to the view of them today as sympathetic and even heroic. Even books written in the mid- to late-1900s still use a more classic example of shifters. For example, in C.S. Lewiss The Chronicles of Narnia, Eustace is shifted into a dragon but more as a learning moment or punishment, not at will.


I would argue that shapeshifters we see today both in literature and movies, unlike their earlier counterparts, become the hero of most stories in the last 10-20 years by changing these aspects:

• ability to change at will (rather than being trapped in the animal form)
• more reasoned thinking (more human attributes, previous monsters went total animal)
• usually good and are solving the problem (even if the problem stems from them)
• frequently have an entire subculture to support them / live with in peace
• more often than not, shifting/were-hood is not a punishment, but a lifestyle

What a change from the monsters they originally were. Right?

I've found this topic so interesting to research, I'll have to dig more on the psychology behind this phenomenon. My guess is that, like vampires, we've romanticized werewolves and other shapeshifters, giving them more human qualities, behaviors, and values. Dissatisfied by our human frailty, we are intrigued by the thought of what additional power assuming such a form could provide. It makes me wonder what the next 10, 20, even  100 years have in store for these fascinating and ancient creatures.

Why Do Fairy Tales Appeal?

It turns out researchers believe the origins of many fairy tales go back thousands of years, long before written history, and were passed down orally for generations. If you look at most classic fairy tales, what you find are cautionary tales--don't travel through the woods alone, don't take candy from strangers, look past appearance (both good and bad) to the heart of people, and, of course, never trust a step mother.

Just kidding about that last one. However, human nature being what it is, most people don't like to be preached at. So is the moral of the story what draws us? Or is it something else?

Most fairy tales involve a magical or mystical element or folkloric fantasy creatures like dwarves, dragons, fairies, and so forth. Perhaps it's that which captures our imagination. In more modern times, we've altered the endings so that most fairy tales have a happily ever after aspect to them. (Don't even get me started on The Little Mermaid.). So maybe that's it?

All I can say is that, personally, for me it's all of the above. I'm a paranormal romance writer--so magic, fantasy, and romance, combined with a positive message or something that we can all related to, and, of course, the HEA, and you've totally got me hooked.

What about you? Do you love fairy tales? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

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If you're a lover of fairy tales and legends, I have a new release coming January 29th (on preorder now) that I think you'll love!

Co-written with USA Today Bestselling author Nicole Flockton!

Modern-day King Arthur meets Snow White for a surprising happily ever after in this magical mash-up of legends and fairy tales.

GET THE SCOOP & PREORDER!

My favourite myths

Not Greek or Roman, though those have to be a close second, but the myths which always inspired me when I was growing up were the traditional stories and myths from the Anishinaabe (First Nations) people of Canada.

Probably, because it is part of my distance heritage.

One of my first memories of a child was being afraid of thunder storms (I love them now) and my father telling me about thunderbirds. Great massive birds who were protectors. He also led me to believe a thunderbird lived down in a massive storm sewer drain off Highway 2 in Whitby, Ontario ...but that's neither here nor there. ;-)

He also told me  the Inuk people believe that the Aurora Borealis is the spirits of those who passed on coming close to earth where they could see them happy in the next life.

I've always been fascinated by the legends of the First Nations. It's affecting my writing too. My current WIP deals with a witch and a warrior, but I can't say too much more about that! ;-)

This summer I get to experience a heck of a lot more of this culture as I travel across country with my family.

Not only Canadian First Nations people, but American as well. We're going to be passing through Little Big Horn in Montana and many reservations. Out West I'll have a chance to explore more during the 100th Anniversary of the Calgary Stampede.

I'm excited and looking forward to more inspiration as I travel across the country.

I hope to see a lot of these, as I will be north of 60 at one point:

Has any myth or folklore ever inspired you in your own writing?

The Terminator Legend & Me

So today I am going to talk about something near and dear to my heart and that is the Terminator movies and the legend behind them.  But before I do that, I’d like to first show you all this really incredible book trailer for a book called The Cain Letters and written by an author named Pierre Roustan.  It releases December 4^th, 2009 from Eirelander Publishing. 

Here is the summary:

All legends have beginnings— some are worth remembering -- others are better left to darkness.

When college student, Marcus Brennan, discovers an ancient book revealing the origin of vampirism, all hell breaks loose not just in his life but for the world around him. He is holding the ultimate weapon two master vampires desire more than blood. It is the weapon that will give them the power to rule not only the Vampire Nation but all mankind.

 

It is up to Alexandra Glade, fierce and radiant vampire hunter, and her team, the Berith Lochem, to find and protect Marcus in order to prevent the unthinkable…

 

… The awakening of Cain.

Next week, I may have a book preview video I can post here. 

Personally, I can’t wait to read this book.

 

Now, onto Terminator.  Ralph and I recently went to the movies to see the newest installment of The Terminator movie.  (We got a sitter and planned it weeks in advance; this is how two people with an almost two year old and an almost four year old who are pregnant with their third son go to the movies.)  Several weeks earlier, we’d set up the same scenario to see The Star Trek Movie. 

 

I know Terminator was somewhat panned by the critics but we really enjoyed it and I think, as a good friend of ours said, really the only thing wrong with it was that it came out two weeks after Star Trek which was truly exceptional and probably the movie of the summer.

 

Anyway, as per usual, I digress.  I was quite young when the first Terminator movie came out and, in any case, I think I saw T2 first but that is neither here nor there.  Over the years, I’ve watched the Terminator movies many times and enjoyed each and every one of them. 

 

Although I knew T3 was not the favorite of most fans of the series, I loved it. Why? Because Skynet finally won.  Does that sound nuts? Yup.  Let me explain.  In the first two movies, John and Sarah Connor (okay in T1 she’s not even pregnant with him yet but they talk about him constantly) fight to stop Skynet from doing what we are told Skynet has already done.  Even after they destroy it in the first one, it comes back in 2 to try again. 

 

I guess I kind of like the idea that sometimes the inevitable is inevitable and, for me, it was nice to see that John was finally going to become the man we are told over and over again he will be. 

 

I think this is a running theme in most of my works.  If my books have nothing much in common with each other, except for the fact that they all fall within the Fantasy/Sci Fi/Paranormal Romance genre, they share this common trait.  To be honest, it wasn’t until quite recently I wasn’t even aware of this myself.  But there is a character, maybe not the hero, it could be the heroine, and he or she has a destiny to meet if only they can become the person they were born to be. 

 

Now that I am aware of this, I wonder if I will continue to do it. Hmmm….

 

Perhaps another common thread is that each of my books has a little bit of a fight scene in them.  My critique partner once asked me how my husband felt about the fact that I was a little bit bloodthirsty? What can I say?  We get babysitters to go see the Terminator movies and once upon a time I recorded the Sarah Connor Chronicles. 

 

I’m still a girl who loves romance, multi-faceted as I think so many of us are.