Post by Meg on Jul 15, 2008 14:25:33 GMT
Werewolf Mythology-Twilight Series World View
(Cited from the books, TW, NM, EC-and chapter numbers)
Appearance:
The wolves themselves vary in physical appearance, just like their human counterparts. For example, the wolf that scares Laurent away from Bella (NM10) is described as: “It was enormous—as tall as a horse, but thicker, much more muscular. The long muzzle grimaced, revealing a line of dagger-like incisors. A grisly snarl rolled out from between the teeth, rumbling across the clearing like a prolonged crack of thunder.” So huge that Bella even mistakes it for a “bear” at first.
The other wolves are described: “One was a deep gray, the other brown, neither one quite as tall as the first.” And finally a “rusty brown monster” (NM10).
It is this “reddish brown” wolf that Bella focuses on, explaining “The wolf’s eyes were dark, nearly black. It gazed at me for a fraction of a second, the deep eyes seeming too intelligent for a wild animal. As it stared at me, I suddenly thought of Jacob,” (NM10) but it is not until her later dream that Bella realizes that these eyes are actually “The black-brown, familiar eyes of Jacob Black.” (NM12)
Thecolor of the wolves seems to be randomly allocated. Jake’s reddish-brown color could be connected with his skin tone, but if that were true then the others would also be a similar colour as they are of fairly similar human appearance. However, as wolves they are markedly different in appearance, although similar in strength and size.
In ‘Eclipse’ we discover that there are some correlations between human and werewolf form. Bella asks why Jacob is furrier than the others: “Because my hair is longer” (EC22)
The sheer “monstrous size” of theemphasizedare emphasised again and again. This links clearly with the actual changes in the boys as well, which Bella notes, although she doesn’t connect the two together until later. “These were just four really big half-naked boys” (NM14) As a human Jacob is “six five” (NM5) and she also remarks of the changes in Quil: “He looked bigger than the last time I’d seen him. What was with these Quileute boys? Were they feeding them experimental growth hormones?” (NM11) It seems that a period of rapid growth happens in the human boy before he becomes a wolf.
It is also noticeable that the human boy changes significantly in areas other than height when they have become of an age to turn into a werewolf. Jacob crops his hair short, just like Sam and the others, but “The planes of his face seemed to have hardened subtly, tightened…aged. His neck and his shoulders were different, too, thicker somehow. His hands, where they gripped the window frame, looked enormous, with the tendons and veins more prominent under the russet skin.” (NM11) Becoming a wolf is a sign of maturity, and he visibly ages as a human as well. This also seems to be true of Sam Uley, as his first description is: “closer to a man than a boy, and his voice was very deep.” (TW6)
The boys become very similar in their physical human appearance until they could be mistaken for “quadruplets” (NM14) as there was “something about the way they moved almost in synchronization to stand across the road from us, the way they all had the same long, round muscles under the same red-brown skin, the same cropped black hair, and the way their expressions altered at exactly the same moment.” (NM14)
Speed:
Like the vampires, werewolves are also superhuman in their ability to run. Jacob even compares it to being better and faster than a motorcycle, and thinks that the ability to run so fast is “The best part,” (NM15) of being a werewolf.
Even in his human form, Jake seems to have developed more speed: “Then he turned and sprinted through the parking lot, across the road, and into the bordering forest. He flitted into the trees, swift and sleek as a deer.” (NM13) The comparison to the vampires here is quite clear and Bella herself notes that being on Edward’s back as he runs is “A hundred times better than the motorcycle.” (NM24)
As the wolves could catch Laurent it appears that they are even faster on their feet than the vampires are. Bella says: “I couldn’t imagine that—the wolves running faster than a vampire. When the Cullens ran, they all but turned invisible with speed.” (NM15) It seems that speed is their real weapon, along with the exchange of thoughts within the pack.
Their reflexes are also immensely fast: “With stunning speed, Jacob yanked a can opener from the counter and launched it at Jared’s head. Jared’s hand flicked up faster than I would have thought possible, and he snagged the tool just before it hit his face.” (NM14) They are certainly quick enough to tear apart one vampire as a pack, regardless of how strong that vampire was.
Stregnth:
Their movement is in “powerful bounds” (NM10) as a wolf, but also as a human there seems to be a difference in strength. Bella notes that Jake handles her “too roughly” and when he hugs her it’s with a “crushing” movement so that Bella “can’t – breathe.” (NM12) He doesn’t seem aware of his additional strength like the vampires are, but this could well be due to the newness of the changes he has experienced.
Like the Cullens, once Jacob is a wolf, he exhibits similar displays of strength: “He slid his arms under me and lifted me without effort—like picking up an empty box.” (NM16) However, before the transformation has happened he is restricted to putting his arm around Bella and helping her back along the trail after her motorcycle accident.
When Jacob discusses being a wolf with Bella later in the novel, he explains: “It’s what we’re made for, Bells. We’re strong, too.” (NM13)
The sounds that the wolves make are also linked with both strength and ferocity, for example, their growls are described repeatedly as “ like thunder” (NM14)
Should a wolf meet a vampire in a fight, there are few clues about what would happen. Certainly a pack of wolves were enough of a match for Laurent, but whether a single wolf could overpower a single vampire is another matter.
Part of the strength of a werewolf is that he (or she) is not a single entity, but part of a pack. They are stronger as a group than they would be alone. They communicate through the fact that they “hear each other’s thoughts, but only when you’re wolves” (EC5), and during fights, like those we see at the end of ‘Eclipse’ they can alert each other of danger.
They are more than a team. There are “no privacy, no secrets” (EC5) between them and this makes them stronger. As Edward puts it: “The pack mind is mesmerizing. All thinking together and then separately at the same time. There’s so much to read.” (EC19)
Becoming a Werewolf
The history of the Quileute tribe and their connection things beyond the human is documented in ‘Eclipse’ chapter 11. We are told that “there has always been magic in our blood” and that they were “spirit warriors” before they became “shape-shifting” people. The tale of Taha Aki links the tribe for the first time with the wolf, as his spirit shared the body of the animal. This seems to have been the beginning of the possibility of being beyond both simple man and simple wolf.
The description of Taha Aki matches what Bella discovers about Jacob and the other werewolves. “He led the tribe for many years, for he did not age” (EC11) and the genetic passing on of the ability to transform to his sons “after they had reached the age of manhood.” It is important to note, that just as Jacob and his friends are different, the wolves in the story are different too, “because they were spirit wolves and reflected the man they were inside.” (EC11)
If no vampires are near then “the descendants of Taha Aki no longer became wolves when they reached manhood”. If there are one of two vampires, then “the pack stayed small.” (EC11) It is noticeable that when the number of vampires increase with Victoria’s army, then “the pack has grown” (EC18) so that they are able to fight.
There is a direct connection between the vampires and the wolves, although Bella believes that “The Cullens had no idea… They didn’t know that coming here would change you.” (EC5) but Jacob is certain: “Bella, honey, we only protect people from one thing—our one enemy. It’s the reason we exist—because they do.” (NM13) If vampires were not present, then there are no need for werewolves to protect the tribe.
To change into a werewolf, it is vital to be a direct descendant of Taha Aki. People had always believed that it was a direct male descendant, but this is proven to be untrue when Leah Clearwater becomes one of the pack. (EC19) There is no escape from this: “What I am was born in me. It’s part of who I am, who my family is, who we all are as a tribe.” (EC4) It is not an option but something that will happen to a select number of people at the age of maturity: “It’s in my blood on both sides. I never had a chance. Like Quil doesn’t have a chance.” (NM15) Once a werewolf, there is no turning back. As Jacob bleakly jokes, ““No. I’m in this for life. A life sentence.” (NM12)
There is “no exact age” (NM15) that someone becomes a werewolf. Jacob explains that “Sometimes, if you get really upset or something, that can trigger it early” (NM15) and that you need to be able to control your feelings and anger to be able to phase back again. With Sam, “it took him two weeks to calm down enough to change back” because no one had anticipated it would happen to him and “he thought he’d gone insane” as a result. (EC5)
It is slightly unclear as to how long the initial transformation takes, but there are suggestions that it’s around a week. “Embry missed a week of school” (NM7) and Bella was going to give it “a week before she started getting pushy” (NM10) about Jake being ill. The high body heat is one of the symptoms: “Woah, Jake – you’re burning up.” (NM9) and there is some suggestion of pain with the “every part of me hurts” (NM9) although Stephenie Meyer points out that this is more “disorientating and mentally uncomfortable” (PC11) than physical pain.
The pack has one leader; an alpha male. In Bella’s time, this should be Jake because of his lineage, but he explains: “I didn’t want to be some legendary chief. I didn’t want to be part of a pack of werewolves, let alone their leader. I wouldn’t take it when Sam offered.” (EC21) Sam Uley leads them instead. The alpha does control the pack: “When he tells us to do something, or not to do something—when he really means it, well, we can’t just ignore him.” (NM14)
Source: TL
(Cited from the books, TW, NM, EC-and chapter numbers)
Appearance:
The wolves themselves vary in physical appearance, just like their human counterparts. For example, the wolf that scares Laurent away from Bella (NM10) is described as: “It was enormous—as tall as a horse, but thicker, much more muscular. The long muzzle grimaced, revealing a line of dagger-like incisors. A grisly snarl rolled out from between the teeth, rumbling across the clearing like a prolonged crack of thunder.” So huge that Bella even mistakes it for a “bear” at first.
The other wolves are described: “One was a deep gray, the other brown, neither one quite as tall as the first.” And finally a “rusty brown monster” (NM10).
It is this “reddish brown” wolf that Bella focuses on, explaining “The wolf’s eyes were dark, nearly black. It gazed at me for a fraction of a second, the deep eyes seeming too intelligent for a wild animal. As it stared at me, I suddenly thought of Jacob,” (NM10) but it is not until her later dream that Bella realizes that these eyes are actually “The black-brown, familiar eyes of Jacob Black.” (NM12)
Thecolor of the wolves seems to be randomly allocated. Jake’s reddish-brown color could be connected with his skin tone, but if that were true then the others would also be a similar colour as they are of fairly similar human appearance. However, as wolves they are markedly different in appearance, although similar in strength and size.
In ‘Eclipse’ we discover that there are some correlations between human and werewolf form. Bella asks why Jacob is furrier than the others: “Because my hair is longer” (EC22)
The sheer “monstrous size” of theemphasizedare emphasised again and again. This links clearly with the actual changes in the boys as well, which Bella notes, although she doesn’t connect the two together until later. “These were just four really big half-naked boys” (NM14) As a human Jacob is “six five” (NM5) and she also remarks of the changes in Quil: “He looked bigger than the last time I’d seen him. What was with these Quileute boys? Were they feeding them experimental growth hormones?” (NM11) It seems that a period of rapid growth happens in the human boy before he becomes a wolf.
It is also noticeable that the human boy changes significantly in areas other than height when they have become of an age to turn into a werewolf. Jacob crops his hair short, just like Sam and the others, but “The planes of his face seemed to have hardened subtly, tightened…aged. His neck and his shoulders were different, too, thicker somehow. His hands, where they gripped the window frame, looked enormous, with the tendons and veins more prominent under the russet skin.” (NM11) Becoming a wolf is a sign of maturity, and he visibly ages as a human as well. This also seems to be true of Sam Uley, as his first description is: “closer to a man than a boy, and his voice was very deep.” (TW6)
The boys become very similar in their physical human appearance until they could be mistaken for “quadruplets” (NM14) as there was “something about the way they moved almost in synchronization to stand across the road from us, the way they all had the same long, round muscles under the same red-brown skin, the same cropped black hair, and the way their expressions altered at exactly the same moment.” (NM14)
Speed:
Like the vampires, werewolves are also superhuman in their ability to run. Jacob even compares it to being better and faster than a motorcycle, and thinks that the ability to run so fast is “The best part,” (NM15) of being a werewolf.
Even in his human form, Jake seems to have developed more speed: “Then he turned and sprinted through the parking lot, across the road, and into the bordering forest. He flitted into the trees, swift and sleek as a deer.” (NM13) The comparison to the vampires here is quite clear and Bella herself notes that being on Edward’s back as he runs is “A hundred times better than the motorcycle.” (NM24)
As the wolves could catch Laurent it appears that they are even faster on their feet than the vampires are. Bella says: “I couldn’t imagine that—the wolves running faster than a vampire. When the Cullens ran, they all but turned invisible with speed.” (NM15) It seems that speed is their real weapon, along with the exchange of thoughts within the pack.
Their reflexes are also immensely fast: “With stunning speed, Jacob yanked a can opener from the counter and launched it at Jared’s head. Jared’s hand flicked up faster than I would have thought possible, and he snagged the tool just before it hit his face.” (NM14) They are certainly quick enough to tear apart one vampire as a pack, regardless of how strong that vampire was.
Stregnth:
Their movement is in “powerful bounds” (NM10) as a wolf, but also as a human there seems to be a difference in strength. Bella notes that Jake handles her “too roughly” and when he hugs her it’s with a “crushing” movement so that Bella “can’t – breathe.” (NM12) He doesn’t seem aware of his additional strength like the vampires are, but this could well be due to the newness of the changes he has experienced.
Like the Cullens, once Jacob is a wolf, he exhibits similar displays of strength: “He slid his arms under me and lifted me without effort—like picking up an empty box.” (NM16) However, before the transformation has happened he is restricted to putting his arm around Bella and helping her back along the trail after her motorcycle accident.
When Jacob discusses being a wolf with Bella later in the novel, he explains: “It’s what we’re made for, Bells. We’re strong, too.” (NM13)
The sounds that the wolves make are also linked with both strength and ferocity, for example, their growls are described repeatedly as “ like thunder” (NM14)
Should a wolf meet a vampire in a fight, there are few clues about what would happen. Certainly a pack of wolves were enough of a match for Laurent, but whether a single wolf could overpower a single vampire is another matter.
Part of the strength of a werewolf is that he (or she) is not a single entity, but part of a pack. They are stronger as a group than they would be alone. They communicate through the fact that they “hear each other’s thoughts, but only when you’re wolves” (EC5), and during fights, like those we see at the end of ‘Eclipse’ they can alert each other of danger.
They are more than a team. There are “no privacy, no secrets” (EC5) between them and this makes them stronger. As Edward puts it: “The pack mind is mesmerizing. All thinking together and then separately at the same time. There’s so much to read.” (EC19)
Becoming a Werewolf
The history of the Quileute tribe and their connection things beyond the human is documented in ‘Eclipse’ chapter 11. We are told that “there has always been magic in our blood” and that they were “spirit warriors” before they became “shape-shifting” people. The tale of Taha Aki links the tribe for the first time with the wolf, as his spirit shared the body of the animal. This seems to have been the beginning of the possibility of being beyond both simple man and simple wolf.
The description of Taha Aki matches what Bella discovers about Jacob and the other werewolves. “He led the tribe for many years, for he did not age” (EC11) and the genetic passing on of the ability to transform to his sons “after they had reached the age of manhood.” It is important to note, that just as Jacob and his friends are different, the wolves in the story are different too, “because they were spirit wolves and reflected the man they were inside.” (EC11)
If no vampires are near then “the descendants of Taha Aki no longer became wolves when they reached manhood”. If there are one of two vampires, then “the pack stayed small.” (EC11) It is noticeable that when the number of vampires increase with Victoria’s army, then “the pack has grown” (EC18) so that they are able to fight.
There is a direct connection between the vampires and the wolves, although Bella believes that “The Cullens had no idea… They didn’t know that coming here would change you.” (EC5) but Jacob is certain: “Bella, honey, we only protect people from one thing—our one enemy. It’s the reason we exist—because they do.” (NM13) If vampires were not present, then there are no need for werewolves to protect the tribe.
To change into a werewolf, it is vital to be a direct descendant of Taha Aki. People had always believed that it was a direct male descendant, but this is proven to be untrue when Leah Clearwater becomes one of the pack. (EC19) There is no escape from this: “What I am was born in me. It’s part of who I am, who my family is, who we all are as a tribe.” (EC4) It is not an option but something that will happen to a select number of people at the age of maturity: “It’s in my blood on both sides. I never had a chance. Like Quil doesn’t have a chance.” (NM15) Once a werewolf, there is no turning back. As Jacob bleakly jokes, ““No. I’m in this for life. A life sentence.” (NM12)
There is “no exact age” (NM15) that someone becomes a werewolf. Jacob explains that “Sometimes, if you get really upset or something, that can trigger it early” (NM15) and that you need to be able to control your feelings and anger to be able to phase back again. With Sam, “it took him two weeks to calm down enough to change back” because no one had anticipated it would happen to him and “he thought he’d gone insane” as a result. (EC5)
It is slightly unclear as to how long the initial transformation takes, but there are suggestions that it’s around a week. “Embry missed a week of school” (NM7) and Bella was going to give it “a week before she started getting pushy” (NM10) about Jake being ill. The high body heat is one of the symptoms: “Woah, Jake – you’re burning up.” (NM9) and there is some suggestion of pain with the “every part of me hurts” (NM9) although Stephenie Meyer points out that this is more “disorientating and mentally uncomfortable” (PC11) than physical pain.
The pack has one leader; an alpha male. In Bella’s time, this should be Jake because of his lineage, but he explains: “I didn’t want to be some legendary chief. I didn’t want to be part of a pack of werewolves, let alone their leader. I wouldn’t take it when Sam offered.” (EC21) Sam Uley leads them instead. The alpha does control the pack: “When he tells us to do something, or not to do something—when he really means it, well, we can’t just ignore him.” (NM14)
Source: TL
