Werewolf Stories Are The Best
Love werewolf stories? Read on and find out more!
| The werewolf is one of my favorite horror characters. I’ve written a short story involving werewolves and
have incorporated the werewolf legend into a full length novel I’m
currently working on. The whole idea just fascinates me. A seemingly
ordinary guy that turns into a raving, brutal werewolf every month. As
a writer, there are so many things that I can do with a werewolf. The word werewolf comes is derived from the Old English word were meaning man. According to classic horror folklore, a werewolf is a man that can change into a wolf-like creature. |
- HORROR – Of course this is the classical usage for werewolves. A werewolf is a horrible creature that kills, maims, and destroys. I’ve even added my own brand of werewolf art below. Werewolves can be utilized in horror fiction just like vampires.
- ROMANCE – This genre is rife with werewolf stories also. It’s actually almost clichéd. The unlucky damsel that falls in love with the perfect man only to find out he’s secretly a werewolf. The movie An American Werewolf in Paris put a little twist on this formula in that the woman was the werewolf and the man was the unlucky damsel.
- SCIENCE-FICTION – Today’s literature often blends SciFi and Fantasy together. The Underworld trilogy involves werewolves, and has very strong scifi elements. And certainly there is no shortage of werewolves in fantasy fiction. My short story The Sickness is somewhat science fiction and involves werewolves. Both Stephen King and J.K. Rowling have used werewolf characters.
- MYSTERY/THRILLER/SUSPENSE – This is where the genres start bending and morphing. The fact is, most werewolf stories are going to be a thriller in some way. I remember there was an old Fox television series entitled WEREWOLF. I believe the main premise of the show was the werewolf character was being chased by a bounty hunter. That made for great suspense.
So...What About Werewolves Today?
Current beliefs, or modern folklore, generally holds that werewolves are usually regular men throughout most of their life. However, during the nights of the full moon, the afflicted man uncontrollably transforms into a wolf-like being. It is not very common these days that werewolves transform into real wolves, though several ancient beliefs suggest that notion.A werewolf typically is very strong, much stronger than either a normal man or wolf. A werewolf is generally portrayed as being savage and uncontrollable. Very often this viciousness would lead to the werewolf harming other individuals, even loved ones. Modern belief holds that anyone that survives a werewolf attack also becomes a werewolf.
Something very interesting is how much werewolf art and werewolf drawings have changed. Traditionally, since werewolves are basically shape shifters, werewolves changed from human to wolf. However, most modern artwork shows werewolves as being somewhat wolf-life. For example a wolf head with a humanoid body and covered with fur.
Another idea that has changed is the werewolf transformation. Classic stories depicted werewolves changing instantly but many modern stories put more emphasis on the transformation details.
Tales about werewolves go as far back as ancient Greece. While many cultures have shape shifting legends, the werewolf legend is almost exclusively European. In Greece werewolves were called Lycanthropos. In Germany, the werewolf was called Werwolf.
This is the basic life cycle for werewolves, in modern fiction. Someone is either cursed with the uncontrollable ability to transform into a werewolf, or they are attacked and bitten by one, thereby contracting the curse also. The werewolf then goes through life ashamed and afraid of the curse.
Some stories show werewolves having feelings for certain humans, usually those that are close to them. Inevitably, the werewolves run into the law and are hunted until death. Or sometimes they have to face an evil werewolf that is even more dangerous than the protagonist werewolf.
Nowadays, there is only one way to destroy these creatures, that being a shot through the heart with a silver bullet. This is also a modern addition to werewolf stories since werewolf stories have existed before the invention of guns and gunpowder.
Many recent adaptations of the werewolf legend follow a simple formula. While in its human form, werewolves are usually calm, caring, and frightened of his/her transformations. They very often go to great lengths to prevent harm to others. They are usually outcasts, either by force or voluntarily.
Werewolves have appeared in several books and horror movies, including a short story by the author of this article. This story will soon be available on audiobook. This book on CD will be with filled with various horror and fiction stories.
The following are a few examples of modern werewolfs stories in books, television, and movies.
Books:
The Talisman
by Stephen King
& Peter StraubThe Harry Potter Series
by J.K. Rowling
The Howling by Gary Brandner
Television:
Werewolf
The Munsters
Movies:
Teen Wolf and Teen Wolf Too
Wolf
An American Werewolf in Paris
Underworld
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