First on our list - the story behind the illustration above. The story of Sigmund and his son Sinfjotli.
People of old have always believed that skins, teeth and other parts of the animal are not only valuable keepsakes as trophies, but also because they are thought to retain the power of the animal. No tale illustrates this better than that of the Nordic Bearserkers - people who donned the skin of bears to gain the strength and ferocity of bears during battles.
The story of Sigmund and son involves not the pelts of bears, but of wolves. It seems that during their hunting travels, Sigmund and his son Sinfjotli came upon a hunters cottage deep in the woods. Finding it empty they decided to investigate. Inside, there were hunting weapons as well as the tools necessary for trapping animals. Also, there were many pelts - though featured most prominently by the hearth were two perfectly preserved wolf skins.
Out of jest, more than curiosity, Sinfjotli donned the larger of the two skins on himself and pretended to be a wolf. His father followed suit. Something strange and magical happened though, the skins closed upon themselves and Sigmund and Sinfjotli found themselves turned into wolves.
Driven by their newfound senses, the two wolves left the cottage and quickly came upon the scent of human beings. Surely enough they found two hunters sleeping by a roaring fire. Driven by hunger, they pounced the unsuspecting hunters quickly killed them and then proceeded to eat their fill as wolves do - until their stomachs were distended from their recent meal. Again in wolf fashion, they caught the scent of running water in the air and quickly washed down their meal with water from a nearby stream. This way of life would have continued were it not for the fact that one day Sinfjotli barred his teeth at his father over one of the kills. Meeting the challenge, Sigmund barred his own teeth and hackles raised, he quickly delivered a
crippling bite to Sinfjotli's throat. Sinfjotli lay on the ground bleeding and then apparently, Sigmund recognized the wounded wolf as being his son and a trace of humanity stirred within him. He laid down next to his wolf-son, whinning pitifully while licking his wounds. For hours, they remained there - and then as suddenly as the skins had closed upon them, they released their magical grips from them. Restored to normal, Sigmund and Sinfjotli burnt the skins who had temporarily robbed them of their humanity.
The Story of Niceros, the Slave
Few people witnessed the transformation between human and beast and back. Occasionally, someone would be privy to the act and still live to tell about it. Such was the case of Niceros - a Roman slave - who left his master's house one summer night to secretly meet with the woman he loved.
Shortly thereafter a soldier and friend joined Niceros for his stroll and together the two men walked the path leading them from an olive grove to a lonely cemetery. There the soldier took a momentary leave to look about while Nicero gazed at the pale yellow moon. Suddenly Nicero was startled by a low growl; he turned around and to his surprise, he saw the soldier stark naked in the moonlight - his tunic and sandals at his feet. Patches of hair crawled outward along his flesh turning into thick lustrous fur. His hands shriveled and grew stunted while his nails became dark and pointed. Then with a harsh cough, he doubled over and fell to all fours. Nicero's friend was gone, in his place - transfixed by his golden gaze - was a wolf.
Fearing the worst, Niceros did not move a muscle. However, the beast never did attack. Instead it raised its head and let out a mournful howl then trotted away.
Niceros was shaken by this event. His mistress reassured him that this improbable tale probably never happened, but this was to be dispelled the next morning, when the soldier was found dying from a fatal stab. He would not tell anyone how he'd suffered the wound even as he lay dying - but a farmer did report a wolf attack the previous night - and claimed to have mortally stabbed the beast.
Zeus and Lycaon
At the tip of the Balkan peninsula at the heart of an area called the Peloponnesus lies the land of Arcadia. At a time when gods walked the earth in pursuit of earthy pleasures, there lived a ruler by the name of Lycaon. He brought civilization to the land, built temples and instituted the worship of Zeus there. At first all was well with the world, but eventually Lycaon and his many sons grew arrogant and neglectful of their religious duties. Word of this got to Zeus who then decided to pay Lycaon a visit disguised as a peasant. Lycaon, a very perceptive man, saw through this disguise and lavished the stranger with gifts and extravagance. But he decided that nothing was too good for a god: For a meal befitting divine appetites, he slaughtered his youngest son Nyktimos and ordered him cooked to honor and prove his devotion to Zeus. The god recognized the meal for what it really was and swiftly changed Lycaon and his sons into a pack of wolves. As for Niktimos, Zeus restored him to life. He replaced one of his shoulders which had been
consumed in the grisly meal with a marble one - a trait which was passed on to his descendants. Nikitmos became the ruler of the kingdom of Arcadia.
The Curse of Ossory
Giraldus Cambrensis - the Geral of Wales - tells the tale of an Irish Priest who was approached by a talking wolf while on his way to Meath. The wolf assured him that he would come to no harm, but desperately required his services. "My wife" he said "lies dying in the woods close by". He pleaded for her soul to be saved through the sacrament of last rites. The priest agreed and followed the wolf through the thickets. The wolf went on to explain that he and his wife were the victims of a curse imposed upon the people of Ossory by Saint Natalis. The hex required that two people had to don wolf skins and live as such for seven years. Finally they arrived to where the female wolf lay dying. The male wolf reached down and nuzzled the female wolf's pelt
apart to reveal the withered torso of an old woman. With her last bit of strength, she confessed her sins and partook of the last rites - then passed away. The wolf thanked the priest profusely and took him back to the road from where he first solicited his help and promised that if he lived out the rest of his seven year curse, he would seek him out and thank him properly. The priest walked away a little shaken by the experience, but also satisfied that he had saved another soul in God's name.
Gathered from various sources by Wolf Pilot - Alpha Male ( alpha@shadowwulfs.com )
