Domestication of Werewolves a Sign of Acceptance of Real Wolves?

In my last entry, I took a brief look at the of werewolves no longer as creatures that go bump in the night, but as friends--very cute and cuddly and very sexy. Is there a deeper meaning to the domestication of these werewolves? Are werewolves no longer the "Big Bad Wolf" because of the acceptance of real wolves as more gentle, docile creatures that are more about family structure than random and viscious killing?

In 1995, wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park after much debate and controversy. That controversy still continues today, but that's a topic for another blog. Despite the controversy though, wolves have been embraced by a large number of people. Wolves can be seen everywhere. On coffee mugs, t-shirts, paintings, figurines, etc. Wolves are the new "it" thing. They are the number one draw for visitors at Yellowstone Park. And, science has proved that they are needed. They are an integral part of the ecosystem. They have ceased to be the "Big Bad Wolf" that stalked Little Red Riding Hood or blew down the Three Little Pigs' house.

What does this all mean for werewolves that stalked the silver screen and terrorized the countryside? Well, we get characters like Jacob Black from Twilight. Werewolves are suddenly a protector character. Strong, intelligent, capable of their own greatness, they have transformed themselves from the antagonist to the protagonist; the villian to the hero. Is this because of the plight of real wolves? Are these two creatures fates entertwined? The evidence seems to point to yes. And if that's the case, then perhaps the continuation of these "nice" werewolves will only help to improve wolf relations in their continuing struggle for life in the western states.

Werewolf: Friend or Foe?

Werewolves have been in folklore and stories for centuries. In fact, no one is really sure where they originated. They've popped up in Greco-Roman myths, Norse mythology, medieval writings and children's fairy tales. There are hundreds of instances of them littered throughout history; however, there is no definitive text on these creatures. I wasn't until Lon Chaney Jr. sprouted fur under the full moon in the 1941 classic The Wolf Man that werewolves finally had a definitive resource. It's intriguing that werewolves would end up being defined by the "silver" screen.

Anyways, that movie set the standard for many many more lunarly challenged individuals. Werewolves soon were rivaling vampires for the top monster spot in monster movies. They were ferocious, deadly, human and not. The beast mentality with human intelligence was a fearsome thing. Movie after movie featured people being slashed apart and eaten by razor sharp claws and teeth. And let me tell you, watch enough of those movies and even the most stalwart individual will be jumping at rustling bushes.

So here's the question... When did the werewolf go from being feared to now being hailed? When did they go from being creatures of nightmare to creatures of lust? Walk down the romance aisle of barnes and noble and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about. And then there's the Twilight series. Team Jacob... Good grief. Who decided that werewolves weren't scary anymore? Who decided that they were gentle and you should look into adopting one from your local shelter (don't forget to spay and neuter)? After all the witch hunts throughout history, after all the ideas of lycanthropy associated with serial killers, after all the bloody movies... What happened?

Now don't get me wrong, I enjoy both sides of the fence. I'm the first to go see the new bloody werewolf flick, but I'm also an admitted fan of the more human werewolf, but I still like them with teeth. Removing the danger from werewolves removes their fascination.

So... Friend or foe?

Perhaps the moon will tell...

Welcome

Welcome to my blog... my place for musings, thoughts, stories and poetry. I may become slightly random, as my mind is slightly random... and a little warped if we're being completely honest.

Anyways, sit back and relax and enjoy my random musings :)