Wolves, Myth, and the Legend of
Wolf Boy
Blogger Book Fair Guest Post
For as long as I can
remember, I've loved mythology. The various ways society has interpreted life,
religion, and the mysteries of the Universe over the years fascinate me. As a
writer of paranormal and fantasy romance, I often find myself searching out
obscure myths with the hope of someday incorporating them into the worlds I
build.
One of my favorite
subjects is the wolf. Every culture views wolves a little differently, so there
are an abundance of myths and legends out there dealing with this majestic,
fierce animal.
In Finland, for instance,
wolves have long been hated. They've also had a bad rap with the Christian
faith, where they're often viewed as an enemy of man, or as a representation of
various sins and evils. And in the Hindu faith, Krishna created wolves at one
point specifically to frighten the Vraja into doing as he required.
Other faiths and people
have a much more positive view of the wolf. In Chechnya, Mongolian, and
Japanese myths and folklore, wolves are revered. And in Roman mythology, a wolf
was responsible for the founding of Rome after having saved Romulus and Remus.
In other areas of the
world, wolves fall somewhere in the middle. They play many roles and are viewed
in many different ways. This is nowhere as true as in the myths and lore that
sit at the center of Norse culture.
In Norse mythology, Odin's
most beloved pets were wolves named Geri and Freki. Odin fed the pair from his
table and took them everywhere with him. When Odin and the Æsir created man, they
sent Geri and Freki to teach them how to care for and love one another.
The warriors of the Norse
people were also said to be able to transform into wolves during battle, and
were better able to defend their people as a result. And, on the other end of
the spectrum, of course, sits Loki's son, Fenrir. According to Norse belief,
Fenrir is destined to kill Odin at Ragnarök after the twin wolves Sköll and
Hati devour Mani and Sol, the moon and sun gods.
The wolf myths of the
Norse people take center stage in my upper young adult series, The Ragnarök Prophesies, but oddly
enough, my favorite wolf legend doesn't come from the Northern people. It comes
from the Kiowa in a story called the Legend
of Wolf Boy.
The story tells of a
young boy who refuses to betray his brother by sleeping with his wife. This
angers the boy’s sister-in-law, so she traps him in a hole in the ground and
tells him that she will only release him if he agrees to do as she requires. He
refuses, so she leaves him there, tells his brother he died, and then returns
with her husband to their home.
Eventually, a pack of
wolves hear the boy crying in the hole and ask him why he’s down there. When he
explains what happened, the wolves rescue him. They raise him as one of their
own.
Many years later, the
boy’s people find him, and he tells them what happened so long ago. The wolves
then tell his people to bring the woman to them, and they kill her for the
wrong she committed against the boy and her mate.
You can read a version of
the entire legend here.
I love how accurately
this legend portrays the real-world behavior of wolves. Obviously, wolves
aren't running around chatting with people, but they are pretty amazing
animals. When wolves mate, they mate for life. A wolf is faithful to his or her
mate, and they're very much a "family first" species. In most
instances, the pack itself is a nuclear family unit, and they are very
nurturing of one another.
When a pack adopts a new
member, the new member is accepted into the family without reservation. While
adopted members tend to be young wolves, there are numerous accounts out there
of wolves adopting abandoned human children into their packs and raising them
as one of their own, too.
The Kiowa legend captures
this reality perfectly, I think. Not only do the wolves rescue the young boy,
but they reward his loyalty to his brother by adopting him. And years later,
when they come across the boy's deceitful sister-in-law again, they punish her
for her sins against their pack-mate as much as for her disloyalty to her mate.
The wolves in my stories are a lot like those in the
Kiowa legend. They're honorable, noble, and incredibly loyal. They're also
pretty scary when the occasion demands it, because, let's face it, nothing is
more frightening than an angry wild animal!
About the Author:
A.K.
Morgen lives in Little Rock, Arkansas with her husband, three dogs, and demonic
cat. She has a graduate degree in Criminal Justice and Law, and plans to save
the world some day. When she’s not writing, she spends her time teaching her
niece and nephews how to cause mischief. You can also find her dancing in the
grocery store, building a spork army, and fundraising for nonprofits close to
her heart.
FADE – The Ragnarök Prophesies:
Book One –
Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance
Summary:
What do you do when you realize nothing in your life is what
you’ve believed it to be?
When Arionna Jacobs loses her mother in a tragic accident, her world is turned
upside down. She’s forced to leave her old life behind and move in with her
father. Dace Matthews, a teaching assistant at her new college, is torn in two,
unable to communicate with the feral wolf caged inside him.
When they meet, everything they thought they knew about life unravels. Dace has
intimate access to Arionna’s mind, and something deep within her fights to rise
to the surface. They don't understand what's happening to them or why, and
they're running out of time to sort out the strange occurrences around them.
Their meeting sets an ancient Norse prophesy of destruction in motion, and what
destiny has in store for them is bigger than either could have ever imagined.
Unless they learn to trust themselves and one another, they may never resolve
the mystery surrounding who they are to one another, and what that means for
the world.
