What shaped your opinion of werewolves?

Moon_Lover · Post by **Moon_Lover** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 2:57 pm

Of course, there are plenty of things that would be shown in the human world regarding werewolves, but what specifically, whether public or personal, shaped your opnion?

In my case, Goldenwolf aside, one of them would be the following:

http://doc.furvect.com/Stories/Happygun/thewoods.html

If I ever remember, I'll post the other one.

Morkulv · Post by **Morkulv** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 4:39 pm

Vuldari · Post by **Vuldari** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 4:43 pm

Wow...what a question.

I'm not sure if I could really sum it all up very easily.

As I have said before, I am most fond of the werewolf for it's metamorphic qualities, and therefore am most drawn towards representations of the werewolf that focus on that aspect of the change from human to not-human, the emotional struggles that are caused by it, the sensations born from it, and the changes of lifestyle that occur for one that is forced to exist in more than one form.

I do not define my perception of what the creature is based on any perticular legend, artist, author or film-maker, but instead recognise bit's a pieces that I like and dislike from each representation I see and attempt to assemble them together in my mind.

I am quite fond of the charisma of Natural Wolves, and Canids in general, and therefore favor those representatons of the creature that emphisise the aspects of actual WOLVES, and not merely wolf-like qualities.
(...but I do not reject those that are otherwise either...)

I am shaping my OWN opinion of what kind of Werewolf would be the most interesting to me...and that opinion gradually changes every time I am exposed to a new idea I like that I had not considered before.

However...as I allready said...I can not name any one single defining influence. The interest started within myself as a facination with trans-species metamorphosis, and drifted towards werewolves only after I noticed subtle parallels with what I had allready been thinking about in All different Incarnations of the Creature that I saw.

Shadow Wulf · Post by **Shadow Wulf** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 5:10 pm

I agree with both Vuldari and Morkulv, this is quite a question.

I dont have a definite shape of my oppinion of werewolves since it keeps on changing from time to time just like Vuldari's. I use to think that werewolves must be slimmed but now I really like them muscular. I use to always think that werewolves had to have hairs all over and have very wolfish heads, that changed when I saw the underworld werewolves and I immediately fell in love with the design, then I thought "there really doesnt have to be a certain standard for what a werewolf should look like, I mean there is but it doesnt have to have completely wolfish heads or have a tail or have to fur comletely all over the body. I am welcome to all sorts of werewolves designs.

Before I leaned more to slim werewolves and now I am more into muscular and fit, I guess cause it shows the power of the werewolf. Thats probably why I like werewolves aswell, their perfect muscular bodies (sometimes imperfect) and such great strength, able to turn into a beast, something that totaly not human, which I love, Ive always loved all these mythological creatures, it fascinates me. I wish I wasnt even human sometimes which sounds weird.

As I keep looking at other peoples designs and if it meets to my liking, my oppinion starts to change.

Kzinistzerg · Post by **Kzinistzerg** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 6:18 pm

well, science. In a story I can accept any internally consistant and generally not too outrageous explanation (no backwards knees or I kill someone). IN my own stories I'd go for a more scientific and less magical component but anythign goes, really. I just don't like the nasty-beast aspect. Phoenix Enchained feature werebeasts that re actually pretty much shapeshifters which have a specialise dother form, rather than weres.

Focrow · Post by **Focrow** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 6:45 pm

Well, Hollywood formed the idea of the half-human-half-wolf, as far as I know. And if it didn't, than at least it promoted it. We all know the reasons for this ;)

So I'd say, 50% of my opinion has been shaped by Hollywood. The mass of anthropomorphic (furry) so-called art shaped another good portion - in a negative way. Because it made me see, that all of this anatomical desasters just looked extremely wrong to me and made me think about what seems right to me. All I need to do now is to draw or model my idea of a better werewolf. I only need to learn, how to do it *gg*

So Hollywood has given the 'blueprint', the furry community showed me, how not to do it (all just my opinion, before anyone attacks me because of this sentence), and I tried to fill in the gaps, so to say.

BlackWolfDS · Post by **BlackWolfDS** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 7:26 pm

Wolves. That's what I think of when someone says werewolf. The bipedal type of werewolf was something I never liked before but as time progressed, I changed and my views have changed a little. I still prefer the four legged werewolf over the two legged.

As for where my veiws came from.....I think they came from my admeration of real wolves. I had never thought about werewolves or the possible types until Van Helsing came out. Once I saw that, I was fixed on them. The thought of a man or woman changing into a wolf was interesting. After that, I started reading books and watching some werewolf movies. Those books and movies expanded the possibilities of what a werewolf could be. I had always believed a werewolf to be a really hairy person when a full moon came out, when in fact, they can be what ever you think of them to be.

Then came the understanding of how a werewolf must precieves there own life. Is changing painful? Is it scary? Is it a curse? Is it a gift? How do werewolves live? Are they like humans in more way than one? How do they think? Do they have a normal social life? What rules must they follow? How much ability do they gain over their shapeshifting? What exactly happens when they change? Do they get along with wolves? Do they function better as individuals or in packs?

As you can see, I could go on forever.

All these questions I have will never be answered and THAT is what I like about werewolves. They are mysterious and will always be mysterious.

Wow I kind of went off topic, but oh well, I was on a roll

Well anyway, that's how my opinions, well I think anyway, might have been formed.

geekboy1500 · Post by **geekboy1500** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:15 pm

*gg*

(WHAT THE HECK DOES THAT MEAN AHHHHHHH

)

Ok on topic I would have to say that soon after I joined this board Scott Gardner's "Lycanthrope I" and Singularity formed much of my ideas about lycanothropy . The story at the beginning of the thread was interesting, and I could see this, but i dissagree with the idea that moonlight and silver affect a werewolf, (from a scientific standpoint).

deruty · Post by **deruty** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 9:10 pm

(GG= Good Game....Well in the game world it does, maybe its something different here)

Well originally I really didn't have much fondness of wolves. I prefered dragons (I still love dragons) how ever I looked for more...human counter parts. So what really lead me to werewolves was the transition between man and beast and at the time I always applied that to dragons (sorta stupid -.-). Then I watched "American Werewolf in Paris" it wasn't really the best movie ever, but thats what really opened the door for me to werewolves. I was soon facinated by these beastal creatures and their ability to take human and non-human forms. For about 3 months I read up on folklore and googled up a dozen different sites during my free time and later came to understand the concept better. Werewolves intially seemed liked monsters to me and I adored that fact, but recently the mysterious nature of the wolf itself. Its quiet and secretive aura and its unique behavior, All these things somehow reminded me of myself (I'm sort of a loner/anti-social kind of guy :/)

So basically my original view was a monster much like a dragon which was powerful and had the ability to shift between man and beast, but now I see the characteristics of a creature with the attributes of a wolf and its misunderstandings as well.

Vuldari · Post by **Vuldari** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 10:31 pm

geekboy1500 wrote:
*gg*
(WHAT THE HECK DOES THAT MEAN AHHHHHHH )

See...I'm not just making it up...people use that, but it is never clear what "g"s are supposed to mean.

...it's like a totally different net-dialect.

Focrow...please explain *gg* to us so we can finally put this mystery to rest.

Moon_Lover · Post by **Moon_Lover** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 12:27 am

GG Good Game
GG Gotta Go
GG Georgia
GG Guernsey (country code, top level domain)
GG Geography
GG Governor General
GG Great Game
GG Garden Grove (California)
GG Gamma Globulin
GG Girl Guides
GG Gas Generator
GG Gatling Gun
GG Gravity Gradient
GG Grenadier Guards
GG Great Gross (Old English for 12 gross)

Take your pick.

Okamiotoko · Post by **Okamiotoko** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 1:42 am

There is also QQ, which is suppose to look like this Q-Q, which is suppose to be a face crying. Therefore, when you tell someone to "QQ" it means "why dont you cry about it". CAUSE KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!

....*ahem* I digress

As to the topic: Personal perpective and bias, mainly books, movies, and different peoples opinions. Also art.

Focrow · Post by **Focrow** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 9:44 am

LOL! Sorry, on German boards and German chatrooms it only has one meaning: *g* is a grin and *gg* a wide grin.
Maybe I should stick to the emoticons here, since they are just awesome

Jamie · Post by **Jamie** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 11:13 am

Early on, it was mostly children's books and TV shows, plus "Operation Chaos" by Poul Anderson and "War for the Oaks" by Emma Bull, plus "Teen Wolf" (the movie and the cartoon) and "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man." I was never allowed to watch real horror movies. So, early on, I had a more positive view. And then I became a voracious folklore addict, and found that less than half of all legends depict werewolves as murderers, so that also tended to color my view of werewolves as having more positive qualities (or at least, more possibility of them) than the typical horror stereotype.

Vuldari · Post by **Vuldari** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 12:22 pm

Focrow wrote:LOL! Sorry, on German boards and German chatrooms it only has one meaning: *g* is a grin and *gg* a wide grin.
Maybe I should stick to the emoticons here, since they are just awesome

...ahh...that explains it. German 'net-speak'.

Thank You Focrow.

Scott Gardener · Post by **Scott Gardener** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 6:34 pm

Before my official interest in werewolves began back in 1987, I had a few pre-influences. I've hunted high and low for the name of a short story I read back in late 1986. I saw The Company of Wolves, the only werewolf movie that actually scared me per se. The Howling startled me briefly, but I didn't see it until later, and was by then more actively interested in werewolves. My image of werewolves back in 1987 prior to my taking an active interest was that of a person becoming a full wolf rather than a hybridized creature. I remember once briefly picturing myself as one, but putting the image aside. It would be back with a vengence soon afterwards.

I saw Teen Wolf (of all bloody things) on its network TV premiere on May 4, 1987. That's what sparked my interest and started a daydream that 70 versions and 19 years later is my novel. I adopted at first the old-school "Wolf Man" look, though I got over it after seeing The Howling, which quickly prompted favoring the more familiar Gestalt form look. (Actually, when I designed my werewolves back in 1987, I came up with a five-stage shifting format that was not unlike the one White Wolf published in Werewolf: the Apocalypse six years later. By 1993, my own werewolves were smooth shifters without fixed stages any more.)

The 1990s saw revisions in which I strived for greater realism. Jack Nicholson's role in Wolf pointed out to me the emphasis on enhanced sensory experiences. I phased out full moon and silver from my storyline werewolves because of my efforts to design what I felt was a scientifically believable virus (or virus-like genetic modifier). Medical school influenced a lot of this; it pointed out just how much work and difficulty shifting would be physiologically. But, I still couldn't give up the dream. And, I still think it's theoretically possible to do, even if I can't believe it's likely to have been done.

More recently, I've redoubled my focus over the past six years on the emotional experience, getting through the disbelief and remodelled sense of reality. I've also polished my mental image to resemble more real wolves.

Rhuen · Post by **Rhuen** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 1:54 am

My view of the werewolf oddly it seems was shaped strickly by my imagination. I had this mental image of them and no movie, book, or art, or anything else has yet to give me it.

Interestinly I was surprised when I saw the Goldenwolfen site. it came very close to the physical side of what I had pictured. Although the characteristics did not.

MoonKit · Post by **MoonKit** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 3:36 pm

Im not sure what shaped it but 'Blood and Chocolate' and Goldenwolf helped.

Moon_Lover · Post by **Moon_Lover** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 4:16 pm

While most of the material here is good, I'll try and respecify: many of us have had an idea of wherewolves from a fairly young age, or when first heard of. Now this doesn't necessarily mean that this was the first impression that we got, just an introduction. With this, an idea of a werewolf was formed.
Now, what I am asking, aside from the image of a werewolf that you personally have, is this: what helped "fine tune" that image?
Specifically, what aspect of art (drawings, literature, etc) added detail to that image, whether human, gesalt, or full wolf?
(I'm not sure if this will come across correctly, but it's closer...)

Border Walker · Post by **Border Walker** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 4:50 pm

Many things shaped my opinion, and most are what I have experianced in Life. However, most is from my Very own imagination.

sometimes, I will See a Movie about Werewolves in a way, and then I will See it better in my own mind, or maybe the aftermath of the movie. I've more or less always been interested in the Whole Shape Shifting Idea in general, so I always thoght Werewolves were Unique to how we pictured them. Hollywood may more often than not picture them as blood thirsty Killers, however, there are those that are not, but those are usually still blood thirsty Killers in thier werewolf Form. This I could not etierlly agree with, and believed it was more plausible for Werewolves in thier Werewolf form to be more... meaner maybe, but Blood thirsty Kilelrs, unless the person allows them to become it, is Just not possible in my mind.

Then came the internet. I was able to view more art and such with ease, and as such, I became even more entranced by it and my veiw was even more fine tuned. things Like webcomics Such as Alpha luna, and Black tapestries, helped me refine how I saw Werewolves.

So, I'd say, the internet.

Anubis · Post by **Anubis** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 8:33 pm

That's a good question,

What influenced my idea of a werewolf is a mixture of The Pack and Golden wolf (which i haven't see her here in a WHILE!) Before i joined the pack i thougt the werewolf was the full moon chaging man eating monster, but i learned a werewolf can be more than that.

Fenrir · Post by **Fenrir** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 8:35 pm

mine is based on my own oppinions and imagination, that's it. It just sorta came together in my head.

Shadow Wulf · Post by **Shadow Wulf** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 10:26 pm

Fenrir wrote:mine is based on my own oppinions and imagination, that's it. It just sorta came together in my head.

I never really seen your idea of a werewolf Fenrir, mine clueing me in.

Vuldari · Post by **Vuldari** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 10:29 pm

Moon_Lover wrote:While most of the material here is good, I'll try and respecify: many of us have had an idea of wherewolves from a fairly young age, or when first heard of. Now this doesn't necessarily mean that this was the first impression that we got, just an introduction. With this, an idea of a werewolf was formed.
Now, what I am asking, aside from the image of a werewolf that you personally have, is this: what helped "fine tune" that image?
Specifically, what aspect of art (drawings, literature, etc) added detail to that image, whether human, gesalt, or full wolf?
(I'm not sure if this will come across correctly, but it's closer...)

I "Fine Tune" the details for myself, thank you very much...

...just like how people like GOLDENWOLF defined thier own "Fine Details". No one told them how to do it. They made it up themselves.

But...if I were to name one single source that has had the greatest influence on my ideas of what a werewolf is, I guess I wasn't entirely truthful with my previous statements. There was ONE...

...it would have to be the old classic film "The Wolfman"...even though I have never actually seen it.

From that story, I got the idea of the struggle of being forced to transform against ones will into a creature called a "Werewolf" durring every full Moon, and that it would be something that would be frightening to the person who is being transformed.

Beyond that, all my ideas of what a werewolf actually IS have been defined by my own ideas and preferences of what would be the most interesting to me.

Naturally, every time I encounter somone elses version of a werewolf that has features that are compatable with or the same as my own, I become a fan...but I do not let those other peoples versions make my own ideas shift towards thiers and mirror that other version from that point forward.
(...exept that One...)

From the very beginning, I have had the situation of the "WolfMan" creature and the exact form of a natural Wolf in my mind as the end paremeters of what constitutes a werewolf, with niether being considered the definate "TRUE" in and of themselves.

(Likewise, creatures that stray too far from either base, without good excuse, cease to fit the definition of a werewolf to me...though I make exeptions for examples that mirror pre-hollywood legends.)

My mind allows for all different variations that share associations and common traits with both as being werewolves.

Not GoldenWolf, not Underworld, not WhiteWolf, not Darkstalkers, nor any other popularized version = "My Idea of a Werewolf"...

...they all merely fit within the requirements to me.

"Werewolf" is a category...and entire range of creatures to me, and I view them all at once with equal standing.

My "Fine Details" do not exist. They remain indefinately 'open to interpretation'.

...which ones I LOVE and which ones I HATE change regularly, depending on what I am in the mood for at the moment...

RedEye · Post by **RedEye** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 10:45 pm

What shaped my interest in Werewolves?
Well, I was involved in the 1970's attempt to reintroduce the Buffalo Wolf, (Canis Lupus Nobilis) and spent a few weeks among them face to... And I did learn Wolf "Manners". After that, it was a matter of being in love with these Animals, and seeing a Werewolf as an improvement in the Human species.
There was also some 80-grit sandpdper and several rasps...

Bottom line here is I don't see Wolves as animals, I see them as an alien, primative people with better social skills that I'll ever learn on my own...