The curse of the werewolf is a mythical and a prevalent theme in various folklore and horror traditions. It revolves around a person transforming into a beast-like creature, usually during a full moon. This curse is often associated with dark magic, supernatural forces, and unfortunate circumstances. According to legend, the curse of the werewolf can be acquired through several means. Some tales depict it as a hereditary affliction passed down through bloodlines, while others suggest that being bitten by a werewolf can transmit the curse. In some versions, individuals are said to have made a pact with the devil or have been cursed by a witch or gypsy.
When the werewolf finally does make an appearance in the last act, it’s Roy Ashton’s effects work that takes center stage. Having spent a great deal of time studying the physiology of wolves, Ashton brought his own unique sense of imagination to the design, crafting something monstrous and raw carefully stitched with humanity’s fragile thread.
It is approximately halfway through the picture that the young boy grows up and the film introduces its protagonist in the way of Oliver Reed s Leon Corledo. Born on Christmas Day, Leon Oliver Reed is the child of a poor serving girl raped by a mad beggar who himself was driven insane by a nobleman s cruelty.
In some versions, individuals are said to have made a pact with the devil or have been cursed by a witch or gypsy. The origins of this curse are diverse, but they all share the common element of transformation into a ferocious creature. During the transformation, the individual affected by the curse undergoes a physical metamorphosis.
Curse, Not Disease
So I already talked about ways to become a werewolf. This post is very closely connected to that one. One thing I emphasized is what I’m going to talk about this time – in modern popular culture, lycanthropy, the condition of being a werewolf, is considered a disease.
But in folklore, it was a curse. And it was only ever a curse. It was never considered a “disease,” or an “infection,” or a “contagion” to be “spread” or “contracted” somehow (all words you’ll hear used a lot in the overwhelming majority of modern werewolf media).
What’s the difference, exactly? Here, it’s this: as a disease, lycanthropy is a physical and mental biohazard anyone and everyone could potentially, and fairly easily, contract. As a curse, lycanthropy is something meaningfully and purposefully bestowed upon an individual or a family line and, at least relatively, unique to them. (That’s not to mention those folklore moments in which werewolves seem to essentially be their own separate race/species entirely.)
So where does this idea come from – it all started in the Early Modern period, aka the Renaissance. This is the time period during which werewolves may have first been considered anything approaching a disease. Because werewolves became associated with, and equated to, madmen – insanity. In the early years of the Early Modern period, as we progress from Late Medieval to Renaissance, we see werewolf accounts and court trials turning steadily more toward science and logical reasoning instead of magic and curses. And what better way to explain a werewolf than to declare them insane and be done with it?
And, indeed, this is when the term lycanthropy first came into common use, as mentioned in previous posts. It’s an ancient word in and of itself, and it was used a long time ago by Galen, among others. But the people of the Early Modern period took it up as a term to refer specifically to the mental disease: hallucinations that someone thinks they are, or are turning into, a wolf. (We refer to this as “clinical lycanthropy” today.)
However, this doesn’t explain how we go from an insanity sentence to a plague spread by bite, like a diseased animal. So how did we get THERE?
On all of that, we can blame – you guessed it – Hollywood. We’re going all the way back to The Wolf Man film from 1941 and its writer, Curt Siodmak. Siodmak came up with, and massively and irrevocably popularized, the idea of lycanthropy being spread by bite.
Almost certainly he picked this because of rabies, which is also – of course – spread by bite, and in a way, just another attempt to try to put in the effort of tying werewolves to some kind of science. And now we’ve seen pop culture latch onto this like everyone wants to marry it. And if not bite, it’s spread in some other way, all ways diseases and infections can be spread: biting, scratching, blood, sex, genetics… you name it.
Werewolves becoming a disease instead of a curse has sapped a great deal of meaning and purpose from the idea of being a werewolf and the werewolf’s very existence in a setting. Turning lycanthropy into a disease can be handled well (and indeed I am choosing to use and explore it in a lot of my own werewolf fiction, so I’m not saying it’s always a bad idea), but broad spectrum, it has turned lycanthropy from a meaningful curse into a common disease. Werewolves are now often little better than plague rats that need to be slaughtered en masse (sometimes with laughable ease – see the worgen starting zone in World of Warcraft, which is another entire topic for me).
There’s another reason why this is overall not a good thing. Werewolves being considered a disease has helped spread false ideas that wolves are disease carriers. This modern idea of lycanthropy as a plague has cost real wolves their lives and helped to solidify the medieval and Early Modern concept that the wolf is outright evil, a creature that deserves only to be killed to make way for humans to continue their progress.
Long story short – being a werewolf in folklore was a curse, not a disease. It happened for a meaning and it served a purpose. While I definitely am not opposed to exploring the idea of lycanthropy as a disease, it’s overall degraded the “status” of the werewolf in pop culture, and it only continues to do so as time passes… That, and it’s caused problems for wolves here in the real world, which is just not cool.
Now we’ve even carried the pop culture werewolf “spread by bite” over to pop culture zombies! And after this aspect of pop culture werewolves carried over to zombies, zombies have thus carried back over to werewolves in that werewolves have become more like zombies – a plague, contagious monsters dangerous only in hordes.
Zombies didn’t used to be a disease, either. Zombies were a curse, too, once, and now they’re largely a plague, whether they’re created by science or not. Even Resident Evil’s gotten halfway stuck on the idea, when it wasn’t before. In Vendetta we see a zombie strain spread by bite, and in the live-action movies, we get that, of course. And then Resident Evil 8 took it to the next level, making werewolf-zombies…
But if I go on about zombies and modern depictions of the undead, I’m going to go off on another tangent that belongs in another series of posts. And if I go on about Chris Redfield, we have another tangent entirely.
While the story takes its time getting to the meat and potatoes of its conceit, the purposeful, measured approach is one of the film’s greatest assets. As the young boy matures and goats begin to be devoured in the night, there’s a sense of mysticism and inevitability which accompanies the horrific proceedings. Culture, faith and conviction play an important role in the werewolf ’s curse — this is not simply a boy struck with some ailment, this is the culmination of a society’s dark past. This is humanity reaping the evil it has wrought.
They develop enhanced strength, acute senses, and an insatiable hunger for human flesh, particularly during the full moon. The transformation is often painful, with bones breaking and reshaping. This metamorphosis is usually accompanied by a mental change as well, with the afflicted person losing their human consciousness and giving in to their animalistic instincts. The curse of the werewolf has been depicted in numerous works of literature, film, and television. Classic movies like "The Wolf Man" and modern franchises like "Twilight" and "Underworld" continue to captivate audiences with their portrayals of these cursed creatures. Beyond horror, the concept of the werewolf has also been used as a metaphor for uncontrollable rage or the duality of human nature. In conclusion, the curse of the werewolf is a captivating and enduring myth that continues to intrigue and frighten people across cultures. Its origins and manifestations may vary, but the core idea of an individual transforming into a monstrous creature remains consistent. This mythical curse serves as a reminder of the power of fear, the fragility of humanity, and the allure of the supernatural..
Reviews for "The Werewolf Bite: A Study of the Mythical Transformation"
1. Sophie - 1/5 stars - I couldn't stand "Cairse of the Werewolf". The characters were flat and lacked any depth or development. The storyline was predictable and unoriginal, leaving me completely uninterested. The writing style was also choppy and lacked flow, making it difficult to follow along. Overall, I was highly disappointed by this book and wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
2. Robert - 2/5 stars - "Cairse of the Werewolf" had potential, but ultimately failed to deliver. The plot started off promising, but quickly became convoluted and confusing. The pacing was all over the place, with some parts dragging on for far too long and others feeling rushed. Additionally, the dialogue felt forced and unnatural, making it hard to connect with the characters. While the concept was interesting, the execution fell flat, leaving me unsatisfied with the overall reading experience.
3. Emily - 2/5 stars - I had high hopes for "Cairse of the Werewolf", but unfortunately, it fell short of expectations. The characters felt one-dimensional and lacked any real depth, making it hard to empathize or connect with them. The writing style was also quite lackluster and didn't bring the story to life. Moreover, the plot was riddled with clichés and predictable twists, making it difficult to stay engaged. Overall, I found this book to be underwhelming and wouldn't recommend it to fellow readers.
4. David - 1/5 stars - As a fan of horror novels, I was excited to dive into "Cairse of the Werewolf", but I was left sorely disappointed. The book had a promising premise, but the execution was poor. The writing was filled with grammatical errors and awkward sentences, making it hard to stay immersed in the story. Furthermore, the scares were lackluster and predictable, failing to deliver any real tension or fear. Overall, I found this book to be a letdown and wouldn't recommend it to others looking for a thrilling horror read.
5. Michelle - 2/5 stars - "Cairse of the Werewolf" had potential, but ultimately failed to captivate me. The characters felt underdeveloped and lacked complexity, making it hard to invest in their journeys. The pacing was also off, with long stretches of inaction and sudden bursts of action that felt disjointed. Additionally, the writing style was heavy-handed and lacked finesse, taking away from the overall reading experience. While the idea behind the story was intriguing, the execution left much to be desired.