Historically the werewolf was thought to be a witch that by use of her powers, potions, or assistance from the Devil had turned herself into a wolf. I can't think of a modern werewolf story in which werewolfs are in any way related to witches. The most common cause of modern lycanthropy is kinda of like a disease. Most modern werewolfs can pass on lycanthropy through biting a human or bringing a human into contact with their blood, such as making a person drink their blood. This is very different from the historical mode of lycanthropy which was thought to be aquired through the aforementioned witches powers or from the Devil himself.
In some instances modern werewolfs are seen as not being monsters. There will often be one person who will view them as a "normal" person even when they know that they are a werewolf. This is very different than the historical view in which werewolfs were always seen as being evil, they were directly linked to the Devil. This kind of thinking still exists today though. Even when someone thinks of werewolf as not being a monster other people aren't so open to the idea. These people normally tend to see the werewolf as a monster no matter what the werewolf does. I think that this stems for peoples fears of what accepting a werewolf as being good or as a person would do to their idea of what a person is. Right now we have a line between what a person is and what an animal is. Werewolfs tread that line as was discussed in class. If someone is to accept a werewolf as a person then they also must accept that a person can be animal like and that's a scary thought.
I don't have a specific example for what I have described in a previous paragraph. I've seen a werewolf story like this though I can't remember where it was from. A similar example would be the Supernatural episode "Heart" (SPOILERS) In the episode the main characters Sam and Dean discover that a girl they meet is in fact a werewolf. Instead of killing her immediately they try to help her by curing her of her lycanthropy. Instead of seeing the werewolf as a monster that needed to be killed they saw her as a person that needed to be helped. However in the end it the girl was unable to be cured and had to be killed. This relates to the historical werewolf that were essentially pure evil.
I have the same impression about werewolves/witches in today's pop culture as yours. I totally agree that werewolves are normalized and they are just like one of us. I like how you used the supernatural example. In the past, werewolves was perceived as pure evil and dangerous. However, we think it is the right thing to save the infected girl from her lycanthropy in the supernatural episode. We definitely have changed our perspectives towards werewolves.
ReplyDeleteThe idea that lycanthropy is a disease is an interesting one. I find a lot of books and movies seem to present lycanthropy as a genetic thing, or a gift passed down through families who have always been werewolves. Also there is some times where lycanthropy is protrayed as a curse on a family, which implys or directly involves witches. So maybe it is a disease, or maybe it isnt? If it is a disease, when what was the origin of the disease? And why is it not widespread and spreading fast? Why would it still be an underground thing in the world after so many centuries? Perhaps it was a gift bestowed upon someone and when others discovered it, they desided they were sick with it, delacring it a disease, which then led to the spread of such an idea?
ReplyDeleteI think the change to werewolves are people in need of help rather than monsters needing to be put to death is really interesting. The first thing that comes to mind is Remus Lupin in the Harry Potter series, as it is revealed that he had been a werewolf since his childhood, having been infected with Lycanthropy as part of another werewolf's revenge against Lupin's father. Mostly that is because you learned his closest friends illegally taught themselves a way to transform into a different animal at will, and supporting him during this. It also becomes interesting that when his friends are no longer available to help him, a former classmate his friends tormented began to create a potion each month that would prevent his transformation, and keeping his condition a secret.
ReplyDeleteIt also strikes me as an interesting parallel to the horrendous treatment psychiatric patients received for a shamefully long time. It was a more recent movement in the United States, with large reforms beginning in the 1960s, moving away from asylums and institutions with cruel conditions (I originally intended to include examples, but thought the nature of conditions isn't something people may be ready to see, so search at your own risk) to far more humane treatment and a focus on helping patients. This is still an ongoing process, and a lot of work is being done to promote better understanding and reduce stigma of mental illnesses, and it seems fitting to me that the changing perceptions of werewolves reflects the perception of mental illness.
It does seem like we are much more understanding towards the plight of the werewolf nowadays. The way you described lycanthropy as a disease is why I call it a plight. The blame has been somewhat lifted from the werewolf themselves because we no longer see it as their decision to become a werewolf. Maybe it speaks to the fact that we have become more secularized. We no longer feel the need to separate man from animal because the belief is more tied to the religious idea of the superiority of man. If a man is essentially an animal then it makes the werewolf a more understandable figure
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your blog, I believe I am the kind of people that believe werewolves are not human and they are still scary. I watched a few episodes of werewolves and some movies like Twilight, but when the werewolves character comes out, I was always afraid that that character will turn to be crazy and hurt his human friends. But still, I believe werewolves could be friends with human when they are "human-like" in days (except the full moon night). Also I believe werewolves are not some witches used evil power that turned to, they are something like vampire, the kind of human like living being but just not human.
ReplyDelete