Tag: werewolves

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Hell Hounds

Hellhounds are demons or evil spirits that take the form of a dog.

Throughout history and in numerous cultures there are creatures known as hellhounds which appear in mythology, legend and folklore – sometimes as guardians of forbidden areas or as sinister loners that spread death and misery wherever they tread.

A Hellhound is not a demon that takes the form of a wolf – this is more accurately known as a Warg or Worg – as the two terms are likely interchangeable.

Hellhounds date back at least as far as Ancient Greece with the legend of Cerberus, the three-headed guardian of the Underworld. The fearsome beast appeared in one of Hercules’ twelve tasks and remains a popular figure in fantasy fiction.

In the British Isles, the ghostly black dogs – often of inhuman size – is an ancient and almost always warning of death. The creatures are embodied in legendary monsters like the Black Shuck which served as the inspiration for the Hounds of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle.

Japan has stories of the shapeshifting Kitsune, which were technically foxes. Koreans had an even more evil fox-spirit known as the Kumiho, which was almost always destructive, chaotic, and evil.

The Hellhound is a supernatural dog found in folklore. There is a wide variety of ominous and supernatural dogs occurring in mythologies around the world. The hellhound commonly has black fur, glowing red, or, sometimes, yellow eyes, with super strength or speed and ghostly or phantom characteristics, a foul odour, and sometimes even the ability to talk.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

The Bloody Chamber

Publisher’s Description

From familiar fairy tales and legends – Red Riding Hood, Bluebeard, Puss in Boots, Beauty and the Beast, vampires and werewolves – Angela Carter has created an absorbing collection of dark, sensual, fantastic stories.

Review

I read the classic The Bloody Chamber and Other Tales by UK author Angela Carter as part of a gothic literature course.

Carter retells many classic fairytales that the world knows from childhood or from wider readying. She tears away the layers of subtle coverings that have always made these tales feel slightly comforting but not quite innocent. The thrilling and horrific feminist retelling of Bluebead in “The Bloody Chamber”, the sometimes scary, mournful and honest retelling of Beauty and the Beast in “The Courtship of Mr Lyon” and the unique, sexually subversive retelling “Puss-in-boots” were just some of the unique tales transformed and transported in time and place but the true honesty of the darkness within the real fairytales is retained.

Final Thoughts

This gothic retelling of classic fairytales from Bluebeard, Beauty and the Beast, Puss in Boots and others was revolutionary for a feminist twist to some stories but also a brutal, horrific and sexually subversive culture to many of the tales. It is the classic fairytales reimagined in an adult world of their original settings with the veneer of sweetness torn away. Brilliant and terrifying. I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend it.

Conclusion

This is a classic for readers of fairytales – both retellings and reimagining. Carter tells these tales in a new and unique way which is horrific, honest and amazing. Highly recommend read.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Year Four Release

Year Four

Year Four, an anthology of dark drabbles was published on January 6th by Black Hare Press. Three of my dark folklore drabbles are featured and a flash fiction piece.

If you’re interested in purchasing an ebook or paperback copy of Year Four, more details are available here

Posted on by — Leave a comment

1920s Gothic Horror

My current work-in-progress is a gothic horror set in the infamous 1920s Razor Gang era in Sydney, Australia.

Some background on the Razor Gangs of Sydney. The more well-known lawless crime eras of Birmingham, Glasgow and New York had their own gangs and warfare on the streets.

In Australia, it was cities of Melbourne and Sydney that were rife with crime gangs controlling brothels, the ‘sly-grog’ of Prohibition Depression, illegal drugs and police bribery. From the 1920s to the 1940s, Sydney’s harbour-side streets were ruled by two women and their gangs: Tilly Devine and Kate Leigh. Both had their seperate illegal business focuses and things ran smoothly enough until members of the gangs started a bloody war with their weapon of choice: the easily come-by straight razor from any barber shop.

In the years of World War I and World War II saw many immigrants and refugees from war-torn Europe, the multicultural nature of Australian population swelled and my project imagines the supernatural beings that would have fled Europe amid the flow of mortal immigrants.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Celtic Dark Fantasy

I am in the final stages of editing my draft dark fantasy novel inspired by Celtic mythology and literature (Arthurian, Welsh and Irish Cycles) and LGBTQI themes.

In a portal fantasy where the gods, mortals and legendary Fae courts battle for dominance, the last of the sorceress and Fae bloodlines is lost. A struggle between the Fae Courts threatens to once again spill into the mortal realms where a crumbling stone wall bound by iron, blood and magic will collapse when the last of the witch bloodlines fades. Caught between the Fae Courts are two unlikely champions of the mortal realm – one is stolen into the Otherworld by deception, the other follows to save him.

The following images are inspirational only and don’t represent any specific character but inspire my writing concept.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Written in Red

Publisher’s Description

As a cassandra sangue, or blood prophet, Meg Corbyn can see the future when her skin is cut—a gift that feels more like a curse. Meg’s Controller keeps her enslaved so he can have full access to her visions. But when she escapes, the only safe place Meg can hide is at the Lakeside Courtyard—a business district operated by the Others.

Shape-shifter Simon Wolfgard is reluctant to hire the stranger who inquires about the Human Liaison job. First, he senses she’s keeping a secret, and second, she doesn’t smell like human prey. Yet a stronger instinct propels him to give Meg the job. And when he learns the truth about Meg and that she’s wanted by the government, he’ll have to decide if she’s worth the fight between humans and the Others that will surely follow.

Review

I read Written in Red by US dark fantasy author Anne Bishop.

Written in Red is set in an alternate world where the Others are feared predators and at the mercy of the much larger population of humans. Some of the Others have formed compounds or regions where mortals aren’t allowed and the rule of the Others is law. One such territory for the Others is the Lakeside Courtyard where werewolves, vampires, shapeshifters, elementals and ancient gods live surrounded by the human world.

The protagonist and gifted blood-prophet, a cassandra sanguine, Meg Corbyn flees the servitude of an institution and her controller for the unlikely safety and refuge of the Lakeside Courtyard.

Hired as the Human Liaison Officer in the Lakeside Courtyard by Simon Wolfgard who senses something both human and uncanny about Meg, he quickly becomes protective of her. The rest of the Others community adopt Meg as their own and soon rely on her visions for their very survival.

Final Thoughts

Written in Red is a unique paranormal dark fantasy that hinges on a dystopian world resembling our own but much changed – or only slightly similar. The effects of climate damage by humans are answered by the anger and deadly justice of the paranormal beings that control this dark, dystopian world. A place of harsh justice and barely simmering discontent. Bishop brings her world-building to life with a detailed history and vivid characters.

Conclusion

A must-read for those who enjoy solid world-building, a unique dystopian fantasy and paranormal characters. This is an exciting first instalment in a new series. Highly recommended!

Posted on by — 1 Comment

Scottish & Irish Werewolf Folklore


The Scottish Wulver

Unlike the French loup garou, not all werewolves terrorise humans giving into their blood lust. The Scottish wulver of the Shetland islands, just north of the Scottish mainland, is a benevolent werewolf.

The wulver was thought by the ancient Celts to be its own species between a man and a wolf.

Folklorist Jane Saxby wrote extensively about the wulver. It was described as being covered with short, brown hair with the body of a man and the head of a wolf. Unlike the typical werewolf, the wulver could not shapeshift and was considered a gentle, kind-hearted being.

The wulver was solitary, living in a cave dug out from a hillside. Unlike its western European cousins, it wasn’t aggressive as long as left alone. When it did interact with people and was known to be generous and helpful, particularly to those who were lost, guiding travellers to nearby villages and towns.

The wulver was often seen fishing from a small rock in the deep water known as “Wulver’s Stane/Wolf Stone”. The wulver was known to leave a supply of fish on the windowsills of poor families.

It’s been speculated that the wulver folklore may be based on a medical condition like hypertrichosis (‘werewolf syndrome’) characterised by excessive hair covering the entire body. Another belief is that the wulver is an immortal spirit protecting and watching over the lost and poor of the Shetland Islands.

The Irish Faoladh

Similar to the Scottish wulver, the Irish werewolf or faoladh, differs from the typical western European werewolves and the faoladh was often considered “good”.

The faoladh is a man or woman that shapeshifts into a wolf, and is often a protector or guardian of others rather than an unthinking, bloodthirsty creature.

Wolves were hunted into extinction in Ireland but the country was once called Wolfland up until the Middle Ages, due to the amount of wolves roaming there. They feature prominently in Irish folklore with stories of people transforming into wolves passed through the generations.

In some folklore, the faoladh were that of the Laignach Faelad. These were not doomed, kind-hearted or guardian werewolves, but vicious werewolf warriors mentioned in a medieval Irish text called the Cóir Anmann. Here, a tribe of man-wolf shapeshifters were from what is now known as Tipperary Island, followers of the bloodthirsty Irish god, Crom Cruach (the Bowed God of the Mounds.) These ancient mercenary soldiers would fight for any king willing to pay their price. Their brutality in battle made them desirable to any ruthless and desperate king willing to hire them. The price for their services? Not gold, but the flesh of newborns they would feed on.

References: Folklore Thursday, Werewolves that Fish and Fight in Battles: The Scottish Wulver and Irish Faoladh in Folklore

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Blood Kissed

Publisher’s Description

In a world where magic and science sit side by side, and powerful witches are considered necessary aides for all governments, Lizzie Grace is something of an outlier. Though born into one the most powerful blue blood witch families, she wants nothing to do with either her past or her magic.

But when she and Belle, her human familiar and best friend, open a small cafe in the Faelan werewolf reservation, she quickly finds herself enmeshed in the hunt for a vampire intent on wreaking bloody havoc. It’s a hunt that soon becomes personal, and one that is going to take all her skills to survive–that’s if the werewolves, who hate all things witch, don’t get her first.

Review

One of my recent reads was the urban fantasy Blood Kissed (Lizzie Grace, #1) by Australian author Keri Arthur.

Blood Kissed follows an low-powered witch Lizzie Grace and her human familiar and fellow witch, Belle. Although both Lizzie and Belle are witches of royal bloodlines, neither posses the level of power required to be extensively trained in the magical arts. Belle and Lizzie have talents that lie along the psychometric lines and practice in the rural village of Castle Rock as psychics and simple charm makers. But the town of Castle Rock itself is located on a werewolf reservation but the werewolf pack is hostile to witches.

Lizzie is asked by the mother of a missing teenage girl to locate her using her psychometric skills. But when Lizzie does locate the girl it is a sorrowful discovery of her body. The subsequent events lead Lizzie and Belle to uncover the presence of a man, a blood-witch who is also a vampire. In partnership with the hostile werewolf, Aiden, the murder investigation leads Lizzie and Belle into dangerous situtations as they try to prevent further deaths and uncover the true identity and motivations of the blood-witch.

Final Thoughts

Blood Kissed explores the alternate Australian world where the paranormal is part of reality. Although the relationship between Lizzie and Aiden can feel predictable, the story itself is unique and the prevents this debut in a series becoming too standard. It is a refreshing paranormal story and a promising beginning to a series.

Conclusion

A great read for urban fantasy, a unique Australian setting. Recommended for those who enjoy urban fantasy and paranormal fiction.

Posted on by — 1 Comment

Mongrels

Publisher’s Description:

“He was born an outsider, like the rest of his family. Poor yet resilient, he lives in the shadows with his aunt Libby and uncle Darren, folk who stubbornly make their way in a society that does not understand or want them. They are mongrels, mixed blood, neither this nor that. The boy at the center of Mongrelsmust decide if he belongs on the road with his aunt and uncle, or if he fits with the people on the other side of the tracks.

For ten years, he and his family have lived a life of late-night exits and narrow escapes—always on the move across the South to stay one step ahead of the law. But the time is drawing near when Darren and Libby will finally know if their nephew is like them or not. And the close calls they’ve been running from for so long are catching up fast now. Everything is about to change.”

Review:

One of my recent reads was Mongrels by US author Stephen Graham Jones. I am a fan of classic horror themes and for me, the werewolf is one of the best, but it is also one which I feel is less explored. Mongrels promises to make up for this, and does so, delivering an authentic werewolf story.

The protagonist and narrator remain unnamed throughout the story, but follows a pre-adolescent boy through to his late teens growing up in a family of werewolves. Although, he has not yet changed into a werewolf himself- we learn early that most werewolves are born human and only become shape-shifters usually around puberty – or sometimes, not at all. Following his grandfather’s death, the boy and his aunt and uncle take to the road, travelling across the Deep South of America, never staying long in most places.

Mongrels changes between the past, the boy’s childhood years and his lessons learned, and the adolescent years as he waits, and wonders – hopes even- that he will change into a werewolf, that the blood he sees as a link to family, to his aunt and uncle, his grandfather, will prove itself. This is an insightful look at family, heritage and the broken aspects of society where those like the werewolves, who long for the freedom are restrained by society and its expectations.

Final Thoughts:

Mongrels is an entirely new exploration of a classic monster from Horror fiction. The style of writing adds a beautiful, literary prose with the occasional bursts of graphic violence that both shock and deliver emphasis to the ‘reality’ of a horror story. Although narrated like a ‘coming of age’ story, Mongrels is much more than that, with the selection of fascinating characters and situations that propel the storyline forward across time and space of the characters’ lives. Combining the ‘bigger than big’ tales of legend with the character’s histories, the sense of reality and fiction blend seamlessly. Skilfully written, and entraining even when the plot feels like it’s drifting, it feels comfortable given the narration style.

Conclusion:

A highly recommended read for those who enjoy contemporary horror and dark fiction. Stephen Graham Jones provides a wonderful literary approach to the werewolf theme, re-making a classic monster into an entirely new and authentic concept. Cannot recommend highly enough!