Post by Rowenna on May 31, 2008 0:36:55 GMT -5
I'm putting a note here so my thoughts on improvement don't get lost somewhere dead center of my notebook.
I would like to change the concept of the Hour of the Wolf to The Wolf of Contrition. The Wolf is a demon that feeds on a person's feelings of guilt. The Wolf is said to follow the contrite to feed off their guilt, and is an accepted concept by most. Most believe the Wolf is invisible, and will sometimes casually refer to the "Wolf on their back" when feeling morose. Depending on the reader's interpretation, this may or may not be so. Sometimes She can be seen, and sometimes She cannot, and most of the time, She is only used as an expression to explain a feeling without her actual being there (the same way someone can refer to luck shining upon them, or God hating them, etc.). If She does appear, She appears as a female to women and a male to men, only to the individual prey to her presence, and it is always the same wolf, and is multilocal, though She appears different to the different people She follows. She has many children, and can be almost described as a Queen of Wolves, though Her offspring are never seen and are minor sprites of little consequence. If there is an uncanny shadow or apparition, it may be one of her children.
Although the Wolf of Contrition may appear to be malevolent, actually, She serves to materialize something the tormented must deal with. The physical presence gives them something to tackle, and although calling Her a mentor may be a stretch, She helps to teach people to deal and overcome their guilt by Her presence of viciousness. When someone overcomes their guilt, She mellows out and leaves them on their way.
Rowen's relationship with the Wolf is as thus, and it may be in her head or it may be the actual demon presence: when Rowen fights at Rohan, she is overcome with guilt over the wounds of Byron. She sees the Wolf there for the first time, and from then on, the Wolf follows her, feeding from her guilt. She has to keep moving to run from the Wolf, to keep drinking to drown it out. She overcomes the wolf by overcoming her grief and makes herself a promise to torment herself with regret no more. The Wolf, once vicious, mellows out and lets her be for almost twenty years. In the end, it is possible that Rowen will see the Wolf again, but this time, as a sight of comfort than a haunting presence, almost like an old friend.
I would like to change the concept of the Hour of the Wolf to The Wolf of Contrition. The Wolf is a demon that feeds on a person's feelings of guilt. The Wolf is said to follow the contrite to feed off their guilt, and is an accepted concept by most. Most believe the Wolf is invisible, and will sometimes casually refer to the "Wolf on their back" when feeling morose. Depending on the reader's interpretation, this may or may not be so. Sometimes She can be seen, and sometimes She cannot, and most of the time, She is only used as an expression to explain a feeling without her actual being there (the same way someone can refer to luck shining upon them, or God hating them, etc.). If She does appear, She appears as a female to women and a male to men, only to the individual prey to her presence, and it is always the same wolf, and is multilocal, though She appears different to the different people She follows. She has many children, and can be almost described as a Queen of Wolves, though Her offspring are never seen and are minor sprites of little consequence. If there is an uncanny shadow or apparition, it may be one of her children.
Although the Wolf of Contrition may appear to be malevolent, actually, She serves to materialize something the tormented must deal with. The physical presence gives them something to tackle, and although calling Her a mentor may be a stretch, She helps to teach people to deal and overcome their guilt by Her presence of viciousness. When someone overcomes their guilt, She mellows out and leaves them on their way.
Rowen's relationship with the Wolf is as thus, and it may be in her head or it may be the actual demon presence: when Rowen fights at Rohan, she is overcome with guilt over the wounds of Byron. She sees the Wolf there for the first time, and from then on, the Wolf follows her, feeding from her guilt. She has to keep moving to run from the Wolf, to keep drinking to drown it out. She overcomes the wolf by overcoming her grief and makes herself a promise to torment herself with regret no more. The Wolf, once vicious, mellows out and lets her be for almost twenty years. In the end, it is possible that Rowen will see the Wolf again, but this time, as a sight of comfort than a haunting presence, almost like an old friend.