1 00:00:01,160 --> 00:00:06,350 Hello, my name is Benji, I was a DPhil student at the University of Oxford, 2 00:00:06,350 --> 00:00:11,900 my research focussed on worlds in mediaeval, Icelandic and Norwegian literature. 3 00:00:11,900 --> 00:00:16,010 So quite naturally today I will be talking about mediaeval werewolves, 4 00:00:16,010 --> 00:00:22,430 except this time it is in comparison to what we are used to seeing on the big or small screen. 5 00:00:22,430 --> 00:00:29,060 So behind the scenes was the mediaeval literature was as immortal on TV. 6 00:00:29,060 --> 00:00:36,590 I suppose we all know what a werewolf is and how it is supposed to behave, even if you are not a monster nerd. 7 00:00:36,590 --> 00:00:45,950 You must have seen some movies where Wolves just happened to be one of those monsters greatly favoured by filmmakers and storytellers. 8 00:00:45,950 --> 00:00:55,100 More often than not, the ferocious camera walks on amongst the trees in the dark, with staff new crawls and thirsty tees, 9 00:00:55,100 --> 00:01:03,050 its yellow eyes shining in the shadow on dark grey fur shimmering under the silver heights of performance night. 10 00:01:03,050 --> 00:01:08,030 In perfect silence, it waits in the flesh it kills. 11 00:01:08,030 --> 00:01:14,780 It is the monster in our horse in these two wars, but now we're far enough for you to feel safe. 12 00:01:14,780 --> 00:01:24,560 It is the monster of our homes who, in the sweep of the mediaeval officers, were fascinated with werewolves just as much as we are. 13 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:34,280 Yet, despite all the four fearsome ferocity, the world wolf they have imagined is not quite the same as we do. 14 00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:42,050 So here are five common sense Where am I the you all where wolves are? 15 00:01:42,050 --> 00:01:51,740 Well, they were from the modern portrayal, and I start with the most important of which is how does one transform into a wolf? 16 00:01:51,740 --> 00:01:59,810 If there are? How do they come back? And so in modern cinematic world, 17 00:01:59,810 --> 00:02:09,140 the very a very common way for a man to transform into a wolf is to basically have a whole wolf coming out of the human skin, 18 00:02:09,140 --> 00:02:13,220 normally from the mouth, forcing the magic on a horror effect. 19 00:02:13,220 --> 00:02:22,100 I would imagine this is quite interesting because it seems as if it is a wolf that we are 20 00:02:22,100 --> 00:02:31,640 so human appearance on when the we actually don't quite see them turn back into a human. 21 00:02:31,640 --> 00:02:41,780 But at least in one case, we see basically the same process where at worst we have this human coming out of the wolf. 22 00:02:41,780 --> 00:02:52,460 Well, in imari or literature on the werewolf transformation still centres on the concept of skin or skin change. 23 00:02:52,460 --> 00:02:58,550 But in most cases, it is the human that wears the wolf. 24 00:02:58,550 --> 00:03:02,330 So at least in all Norse Icelandic literature, 25 00:03:02,330 --> 00:03:11,370 the most common way for a man to transform into a wolf is to wear a wolf skin as if it were a piece of clothes that. 26 00:03:11,370 --> 00:03:21,030 And this kind of transformation is often referred, is referred to in Hummer, which is skin related terms. 27 00:03:21,030 --> 00:03:28,530 So basically, this will change. The shape is to change the skin as if as long as the skin has been changed, 28 00:03:28,530 --> 00:03:40,890 your body and the organs on the bones would just follow the skin and you would become in your career just because your appearance has changed. 29 00:03:40,890 --> 00:03:49,800 Well, this, of course, the tradition of Basilica Wolf has the warriors who are Bothell friends who are warriors, 30 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:57,960 but we're innocent, but there are wolf skin. So we have been ignoring the saga account of all for suckers. 31 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:03,390 It is sad that so those bizarre cars want to insult Meryl on were as wild as 32 00:04:03,390 --> 00:04:10,460 dogs or wolves biting their shells as portrayed here in the Always Tribesmen, 33 00:04:10,460 --> 00:04:15,840 and there are strong as parasol boots. They kill the people, but now they're firing. 34 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:21,950 All our own took effect on them. And this is called bizarre fury. 35 00:04:21,950 --> 00:04:35,000 And in this poem, heartless tragedy, we also have this mentioning of the wolves and the Warriors, who are very similar to the puzzle cars. 36 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:48,230 Outside the mediaeval Scandinavian we have in the topography of our island, written by Giraldo Wells in the 12th century, a werewolf. 37 00:04:48,230 --> 00:04:54,440 That's. Well, that basically has a human body or what's in a wolf skiff. 38 00:04:54,440 --> 00:05:03,230 So according to Gerald, a priest is travelling through a forest in the region of Ulcerated in Ireland, 39 00:05:03,230 --> 00:05:13,610 and he during the night he is approached by a speaker who the world claims to be to be a human in your region. 40 00:05:13,610 --> 00:05:19,540 He only takes on the wolf form because he's so he's he's come on is a curse. 41 00:05:19,540 --> 00:05:31,040 And so every seven years to two people from this crowd in the house to to become a wolf have served their time, 42 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:36,170 and he wants this press to put her on the bus rides on his dying companion. 43 00:05:36,170 --> 00:05:41,470 And of course, they'll press. Refuse to believe him, follow him. 44 00:05:41,470 --> 00:05:47,000 He he's quite scared because who knows this wolf might be called the devil. 45 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:51,890 Well, in order to convince the press to perform the right, 46 00:05:51,890 --> 00:06:02,030 the werewolf brings the press to his companion and then unzips the wolf skin to reveal an old woman underneath. 47 00:06:02,030 --> 00:06:12,440 So eventually, the priest does perform last rites because apparently, well, unfortunately, it's not portrayed here, but apparently there is a woman. 48 00:06:12,440 --> 00:06:19,790 There is a human underneath that wolf appearance. So she has a human intelligence on the human mind. 49 00:06:19,790 --> 00:06:30,300 And most importantly, she has a human soul, which makes it OK for the priest to perform his duty. 50 00:06:30,300 --> 00:06:30,810 Well, 51 00:06:30,810 --> 00:06:40,890 this difference in transformative mould results in difference in emphasis on the world's identity when it is the wolf that comes also of the man. 52 00:06:40,890 --> 00:06:48,690 It is as if the wolf has been there all the time, lurking under the guise of a seemingly ordinary human. 53 00:06:48,690 --> 00:06:58,890 The violence it is about to unleash is heralded by the torn flash, by the freshly torn flash on the or not. 54 00:06:58,890 --> 00:07:03,240 The man is about to answer your show broken down. Cast away. 55 00:07:03,240 --> 00:07:06,900 The wolf is assassins in the matter you will portray. 56 00:07:06,900 --> 00:07:14,490 On the other hand, even though in some cases the wolf skin does burn at some of these nature. 57 00:07:14,490 --> 00:07:29,420 The man is only a rough heathen, but now we're destroyed. So when they shot the wolf skin, they will automatically become human again. 58 00:07:29,420 --> 00:07:35,870 And now we move on to the second point, which is the werewolf nature on behaviour. 59 00:07:35,870 --> 00:07:46,450 In mediaeval literature, well, in modern cinema, as we have seen some, we have seen some examples just now, the world wolf is always ferocious. 60 00:07:46,450 --> 00:07:51,300 It is a monster that caused the Aurora Human Being. 61 00:07:51,300 --> 00:07:56,970 But in mediaeval literature, it is the continuity and consistency of their identity, 62 00:07:56,970 --> 00:08:03,240 of their human identity that it was born to on this short sentence here. 63 00:08:03,240 --> 00:08:15,750 You know, Wolf have the understanding of a man is taken from them from also around Romans retained gotten called Asa Gallego in the story, 64 00:08:15,750 --> 00:08:20,400 Can Gallego is turning into a wolf by his treacherous wife. 65 00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:31,750 She could have gone with what she could have gotten away with was the crime because it was because originally in the curse, it is the that. 66 00:08:31,750 --> 00:08:44,440 So if you strike that you with a branch of a very specific tree and then say, be a wolf, be a wolf, have the understanding of a wolf here we're just. 67 00:08:44,440 --> 00:08:55,180 Go away as ordinary Wolf, and there will be no return for him because humour will be worked out like told me. 68 00:08:55,180 --> 00:09:01,420 However, he or she made this very unlikely mistake. 69 00:09:01,420 --> 00:09:13,960 And this is very unfortunate for her. But it does bring another major this major difference between more than maybe you won't wearables. 70 00:09:13,960 --> 00:09:18,130 So the mediaeval werewolves are real, savage monsters in style. 71 00:09:18,130 --> 00:09:23,350 They can be surprisingly intelligent, rational and well behaved. 72 00:09:23,350 --> 00:09:31,630 Well, in the case of Gallego, he has no difficulty in mingling with kings, cars and knights. 73 00:09:31,630 --> 00:09:46,120 So later in the story he is this hour by hour king who recognises humour, tired of seeing the wolf so that Kim Beazley adopts him as a pet dog? 74 00:09:46,120 --> 00:09:55,990 Well, he even sits on the horse on the for the tycoon's table, with his foreign policy rocked where you can grab and drink from the same cup. 75 00:09:55,990 --> 00:10:01,150 So he's basically eating with his paws as if there were his hands. 76 00:10:01,150 --> 00:10:06,550 And he was apparently not eating a warfare forward. 77 00:10:06,550 --> 00:10:14,050 He's even bragged on drinks and one which is very human. And when I hear that Kim, once he always followed. 78 00:10:14,050 --> 00:10:22,180 So that's not as he would, then he would quit. Wouldn't I don't be sorry that Kim's fat? 79 00:10:22,180 --> 00:10:28,420 Well, this courtesy does not necessarily make the world wolf smile unfriendly creatures. 80 00:10:28,420 --> 00:10:32,680 But even when they do perform some of these old violence, 81 00:10:32,680 --> 00:10:44,780 the violence is well justified as originating from some human reasons, for instance, in this conflict, which is a 12th century. 82 00:10:44,780 --> 00:10:51,560 For me, that tells about the story of this fall flat, 83 00:10:51,560 --> 00:11:00,120 who was very whose story is very similar to that of Gilligan's, so he is also betrayed by his wife. 84 00:11:00,120 --> 00:11:09,060 And then Kinchen embarking on the wife remarries on when the wife of the current husband go to the court, 85 00:11:09,060 --> 00:11:14,760 the wolf recognised them and he inflicts great harm upon both of them. 86 00:11:14,760 --> 00:11:21,690 But this action is immediately treated as revenge rather than wolfish violence. 87 00:11:21,690 --> 00:11:30,780 So no one is our free persecuting lone wolf. Everybody is just there must be something wrong with a woman. 88 00:11:30,780 --> 00:11:43,800 So this this act of violence actually confirms rather than forfeits the wolf's humanity. 89 00:11:43,800 --> 00:11:53,370 Well, what makes this, so be here. Well, this could be here are so important for the world, Wolf is that well, 90 00:11:53,370 --> 00:12:00,100 it's partially because in you literature, the werewolf is actually the same. 91 00:12:00,100 --> 00:12:08,160 They're basically the same as an ordinary wolf. So if they don't behave well, there is no way to tell. 92 00:12:08,160 --> 00:12:15,960 Whereas in many representations in our Our The World Wolf, its content creator, that stands on two feet. 93 00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:27,000 Sometimes, though, you will have creases or human features being on the face, as in this case, which is the wolf man from 1941. 94 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:37,500 In fact, this image is closer to that of a monstrous race called and also follies or dog hat. 95 00:12:37,500 --> 00:12:44,030 So they have a they have a dog for help, but more than that because it's a human body. 96 00:12:44,030 --> 00:12:51,670 And according to a tribe, also served raw mango. They are actually quite so intelligence on a rational. 97 00:12:51,670 --> 00:12:58,440 And there are very good fighters and they have a social structure very similar to a human society. 98 00:12:58,440 --> 00:13:12,690 And they worship a God which takes the form of a cow of an ox here on the in some in some Orthodox churches, 99 00:13:12,690 --> 00:13:22,560 and Kristoffer is even portrayed as soon as a single follows. 100 00:13:22,560 --> 00:13:30,990 Well, the word wolves. On the other hand, they are just to where there are just ordinary wolf, except they may be quite vague. 101 00:13:30,990 --> 00:13:42,810 But there are still on their feet. They could also be more dangerous because apparently they are cleverer than ordinary wolves. 102 00:13:42,810 --> 00:13:44,400 But that's OK. 103 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:56,460 And this makes sense trickier, and all of it more difficult because, as I said, it's very hard to tell which is a real wolf on which it's human. 104 00:13:56,460 --> 00:14:02,490 So in this sense, it is a riddle. Again, you have to solve it. 105 00:14:02,490 --> 00:14:08,370 You have to pick up the camels in their behaviour to know what to discover about. 106 00:14:08,370 --> 00:14:16,520 It could be a human handler and use. And the very important question here is, but what about the Moon? 107 00:14:16,520 --> 00:14:22,220 I'm sure a lot of people have this in mind at the beginning of this presentation. 108 00:14:22,220 --> 00:14:27,200 Well, in fact, of all the my view, all your European literature about werewolves, 109 00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:36,110 that's how I know of only one mentions the curse of the Moon in relation to Mount Wolf transformation. 110 00:14:36,110 --> 00:14:48,920 And that is in the downhill single work called Alter and Parry Audio or recreation for an emperor written by Travels of Tiberi. 111 00:14:48,920 --> 00:14:58,130 So he begins this session by saying the curse of human destiny is such that certain mountain dreams wolves, according to the cycles of the Moon. 112 00:14:58,130 --> 00:15:11,050 And then he gives one example of a man called Roosevelt, who is tormented by having to software the fate of the werewolf whenever there is a new moon. 113 00:15:11,050 --> 00:15:13,300 And he says that's when the time has come. 114 00:15:13,300 --> 00:15:23,970 He parts company from all his friends, bases close under a bush or rock, and then girls naked in the sun for a long time until he takes on the shape. 115 00:15:23,970 --> 00:15:37,900 And we're also hearing of a wolf. Yeah, it is quite noticeable that it's a new moon that's that's on pause here, 116 00:15:37,900 --> 00:15:47,380 which is the very opposite to the full moon and the little detail of rolling nectarine casket. 117 00:15:47,380 --> 00:15:52,270 One The impression of crying to son of his human skin. 118 00:15:52,270 --> 00:15:59,140 So this again brings us back to the school motif in the transformative mode. 119 00:15:59,140 --> 00:16:06,280 Well, this connexion between this connexion between a werewolf and a moon possibly has its roots 120 00:16:06,280 --> 00:16:16,810 in the etymology of Dumbarton word for more now from which our word lunatics derive. 121 00:16:16,810 --> 00:16:27,760 Well, the lunatics or the madmen there are models of human reason dehumanises them, so they are basically figurative beasts. 122 00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:35,440 So you know where they are already. They are parallel yet so opposite to the world wolves. 123 00:16:35,440 --> 00:16:43,330 Because where as the werewolf is a perfectly normal human mind trapped in the form of a wolf? 124 00:16:43,330 --> 00:16:49,180 Well, here we have some people whose mind is already gone. 125 00:16:49,180 --> 00:16:59,410 So there could be an animal is taken away in their behaviour for their story of human form. 126 00:16:59,410 --> 00:17:05,790 And the last question we're going to talk about is werewolf sources, vampires. 127 00:17:05,790 --> 00:17:12,970 Well, other best friends or astronomy, the werewolves on the vampires always enjoy a very special bond. 128 00:17:12,970 --> 00:17:19,000 So all the years, the werewolf may be a servant or partner to a vampire, 129 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:31,400 or it is the only one of whom was where the vampires could be killed, as in Herald-Sun Twilight, who's out in the floor? 130 00:17:31,400 --> 00:17:41,690 On the movie of Bram Stoker's Dracula in 1992, you will have your world transformed into a creature that really resembles the werewolf. 131 00:17:41,690 --> 00:17:53,940 At one point in the movie. Well, in fact, it invokes very similar to the Wolf Man movie from 1941 to have a human face here, almost human face. 132 00:17:53,940 --> 00:18:02,600 And before that, in the previous moment in the movie, he shows some very special ability with Wolves, 133 00:18:02,600 --> 00:18:09,260 with wild wolves, so he can't have this wild wolf that runs free from the. 134 00:18:09,260 --> 00:18:15,910 So apparently there is some connexion with wolves there. 135 00:18:15,910 --> 00:18:29,070 Why? Well, this may have to do this connexion between werewolves and vampires goes back really far. 136 00:18:29,070 --> 00:18:37,290 So in some regions of the world, for one person, werewolves are actually the same on Paul Barbering, 137 00:18:37,290 --> 00:18:43,440 whose article Forensic Pathology on the European Vampires tries to explain why. 138 00:18:43,440 --> 00:18:53,430 Well, the roots of this myth. So he so basically again suggests that maybe people find this wolf. 139 00:18:53,430 --> 00:19:01,830 I'll put kerbs on that corpse is just happens to be Andy Cave, which is a sign of vampirism. 140 00:19:01,830 --> 00:19:11,740 So in that way, the wolf will be seen as an ally of the villagers, either on a party or forward to the vampires. 141 00:19:11,740 --> 00:19:20,260 But anyway, he concludes that this colostrum of the three ideas that's werewolf and vampire may occur simply because, 142 00:19:20,260 --> 00:19:29,140 as producers, of course, we treat Troxel Wolf. So it's a very practical explanation. 143 00:19:29,140 --> 00:19:33,740 Although vampires on the vine perished, figures rarely make their appearance. 144 00:19:33,740 --> 00:19:38,320 You marry you all eyes on the Norwegian literature. There are bones, always. 145 00:19:38,320 --> 00:19:45,070 The werewolf is still found on our Sargasso Sea, a crater called the dorigo. 146 00:19:45,070 --> 00:19:51,400 It is a Walking Dead kind of creator that shares many features with the vampires. 147 00:19:51,400 --> 00:19:57,850 Well, to start with, Daugaard is more active during the night when it's dark or during a winter, 148 00:19:57,850 --> 00:20:05,620 which is the same as the night in Norse, but the North Iceman bones you're on. 149 00:20:05,620 --> 00:20:12,670 Their rationale was coming back from the grave to haunt people, and they could be very confident because they can. 150 00:20:12,670 --> 00:20:20,680 In fact, other people always this dog harness turned them into a dog as well. 151 00:20:20,680 --> 00:20:24,760 One of the most famous dargah Koroma in grittiest saga. 152 00:20:24,760 --> 00:20:29,140 Also, Anderson is south to her wolf grau wolf grey hair. 153 00:20:29,140 --> 00:20:38,440 And this word wolf grey is now where used all natural wolves, but only over enlightened humans such as Eeyore Scott Scott Goranson, 154 00:20:38,440 --> 00:20:44,530 whose entire family has a reputation of being wolfish opposite career. 155 00:20:44,530 --> 00:20:56,260 The fact that Homer has the same hair colour certainly burns him closer to wolfish finish while over Bradshaw, who inherits from Cromer this dog. 156 00:20:56,260 --> 00:21:06,850 Our nature becomes a figurative wolf when he is all told and is forced to feed on the sheep on the island of Corgi. 157 00:21:06,850 --> 00:21:11,650 Well, it is very intriguing to ponder over just how different the werewolves and the 158 00:21:11,650 --> 00:21:17,020 vampires have been developed throughout all the years in the mediaeval literature. 159 00:21:17,020 --> 00:21:22,330 The werewolf literature As I have mentioned, werewolves tend to be aristocrats. 160 00:21:22,330 --> 00:21:25,810 There are knights, princes or even kings. 161 00:21:25,810 --> 00:21:35,050 In most cases, there are victimised and there are receival and the human, and there are often sympathised from the vampires. 162 00:21:35,050 --> 00:21:42,040 On the other hand, while its version of the folkloric ones, they are not very high on the social ladder to begin with. 163 00:21:42,040 --> 00:21:47,690 And the concept of sympathetic vampires has only become fashionable in the past century. 164 00:21:47,690 --> 00:21:55,030 Was the interview with a vampire? So how this difference came into being? 165 00:21:55,030 --> 00:22:04,420 It may have to do with one fundamental difference between the vampire on the werewolf, and that is the former's immortality. 166 00:22:04,420 --> 00:22:14,590 So the vampires immortality and resistance to change makes and somehow makes it more desirable because 167 00:22:14,590 --> 00:22:24,290 he saw that while the Biden-Harris identity is always fixed and they come of age well on this. 168 00:22:24,290 --> 00:22:35,050 And I suppose this makes it easier to romanticise vampires. The werewolves, on the other hand, that concerns transform and when they turn into a wolf, 169 00:22:35,050 --> 00:22:39,520 it is so very well despite the human nature of evil werewolves. 170 00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:46,690 It is still the animal's size of man comes up to the surface. 171 00:22:46,690 --> 00:22:55,360 I suppose it is quite scary because no one wants to lose their minds and become like a wild beast. 172 00:22:55,360 --> 00:23:02,500 Well, although there is no one answer to this question, it is certainly something to think about. 173 00:23:02,500 --> 00:23:09,820 And the same goes with all saying for all those previous points that have been talked about in this presentation, 174 00:23:09,820 --> 00:23:14,050 what has been changed, all for granted and what has not? 175 00:23:14,050 --> 00:23:24,670 But what seems to remain constant in the struggle is the struggle between man and beast forever embodied in the figure of the werewolf. 176 00:23:24,670 --> 00:23:26,339 Thank you.