THE WOLF IN THE MIRROR
"There is much to be learned from beasts." - Prince Vlad (Bram Stoker's Dracula)
YOU CAN TELL A LOT about someone by looking at their friends. So it strikes me as curious that in all the centuries philosophers, poets, and priests have struggled to understand Man, no one has bothered to turn to his best friend.
The dog.
Based on modern DNA evidence, dogs descend from wolves, and have been living with humans for roughly 15,000 years. That makes them, for those of you keeping track, the first organism humans ever domesticated. The bond between man and dog has outlasted empires, and runs so deep that many of us come to regard them more as family than pets. They are bound to us, and us to them, and it has been that way forever. It is with good reason that the Werewolf myth survives.
Like any successful partnership, it has lasted because we share a great deal in common. They are a mirror image of ourselves, and most questions about the human condition can be answered by looking at them.
Lets look at the "dog" is his pure form; in other words, the wolf. Like us, wolves are pack animals. They have an instinctive drive to form societies, and this enables them to take down prey much larger than themselves. The human instinct to form societies serves pretty much the same function. We accomplish more in a group than alone.
Again, like humans, wolves are deeply hierarchical. Their packs have a strict pecking order, with an Alpha Male and an Alpha Female at the top. Interestingly enough, the Alphas don't really "lead" the pack, they simply go where they want to go and the rest follow along. In humans, the same impulse explains everything from fashion to politics (not to mention religious leaders).
Within the pack, wolves are always jockeying for position. This too should be familiar to anyone who ever went to High School. The higher up in rank, the more likely the wolf's chances of getting to breed (something else we have in common). High ranking wolves also get a choicer selection of the kill, which in human terms translates into second houses, BMWs, and Prada shoes.
Wolves, like humans, tend to be monogamous, but again high-ranking males may preferentially mate with a lower-ranking female. As we well know, most powerful men (and these days women) also keep a lower-ranking bit on the side. The pups of the Alpha pair get better treatment than those of lower ranking wolves, which also explains the likes of George W. Bush and Paris Hilton.
Packs are fiercely territorial, and will fight other wolves to the death in defense of what is theirs. The Alpha Wolf kills on average two to four wolves from other packs in its lifetime. I hardly think I need to comment on the similarity to the human animal here. Interestingly, wolves prefer psychological warefare to actual physical violence; this is something humans might learn from.
As a final note, it should be mentioned that wolves have their own complex form of communication, usually in the form of body language. And as Count Dracula once noted, they even make music.
It is intriguing that while most cultures had a positive image of the wolf, Europe--particularly in the Christian era--did not. The wolf was quickly labelled with Satan's name and systematically exteriminated. I like to think the Church considered the wolf an uncomfortable reminder of the truth of human nature. As it had selected the "sheep" as the animal best suited to represent its flock, the wolf had to go.
But despite what the Church would have you believe, there is a little wolf in all of us. More than a little, I suspect. The saavy sorcerer, or anyone interested in human psychology, should spend time brushing up on the behavior of canis lupus.
YOU CAN TELL A LOT about someone by looking at their friends. So it strikes me as curious that in all the centuries philosophers, poets, and priests have struggled to understand Man, no one has bothered to turn to his best friend.
The dog.
Based on modern DNA evidence, dogs descend from wolves, and have been living with humans for roughly 15,000 years. That makes them, for those of you keeping track, the first organism humans ever domesticated. The bond between man and dog has outlasted empires, and runs so deep that many of us come to regard them more as family than pets. They are bound to us, and us to them, and it has been that way forever. It is with good reason that the Werewolf myth survives.
Like any successful partnership, it has lasted because we share a great deal in common. They are a mirror image of ourselves, and most questions about the human condition can be answered by looking at them.
Lets look at the "dog" is his pure form; in other words, the wolf. Like us, wolves are pack animals. They have an instinctive drive to form societies, and this enables them to take down prey much larger than themselves. The human instinct to form societies serves pretty much the same function. We accomplish more in a group than alone.
Again, like humans, wolves are deeply hierarchical. Their packs have a strict pecking order, with an Alpha Male and an Alpha Female at the top. Interestingly enough, the Alphas don't really "lead" the pack, they simply go where they want to go and the rest follow along. In humans, the same impulse explains everything from fashion to politics (not to mention religious leaders).
Within the pack, wolves are always jockeying for position. This too should be familiar to anyone who ever went to High School. The higher up in rank, the more likely the wolf's chances of getting to breed (something else we have in common). High ranking wolves also get a choicer selection of the kill, which in human terms translates into second houses, BMWs, and Prada shoes.
Wolves, like humans, tend to be monogamous, but again high-ranking males may preferentially mate with a lower-ranking female. As we well know, most powerful men (and these days women) also keep a lower-ranking bit on the side. The pups of the Alpha pair get better treatment than those of lower ranking wolves, which also explains the likes of George W. Bush and Paris Hilton.
Packs are fiercely territorial, and will fight other wolves to the death in defense of what is theirs. The Alpha Wolf kills on average two to four wolves from other packs in its lifetime. I hardly think I need to comment on the similarity to the human animal here. Interestingly, wolves prefer psychological warefare to actual physical violence; this is something humans might learn from.
As a final note, it should be mentioned that wolves have their own complex form of communication, usually in the form of body language. And as Count Dracula once noted, they even make music.
It is intriguing that while most cultures had a positive image of the wolf, Europe--particularly in the Christian era--did not. The wolf was quickly labelled with Satan's name and systematically exteriminated. I like to think the Church considered the wolf an uncomfortable reminder of the truth of human nature. As it had selected the "sheep" as the animal best suited to represent its flock, the wolf had to go.
But despite what the Church would have you believe, there is a little wolf in all of us. More than a little, I suspect. The saavy sorcerer, or anyone interested in human psychology, should spend time brushing up on the behavior of canis lupus.
Tags: human, nature, werewolf, wolf
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Andrew on -
My mother, actually, is a veterinarian, and she has often said pitbulls are overbred and as a result tend to be nuts. I have often suspected that pitbulls, like Ferraris, are owned by men overcompensating for a small penis, but that is just the Freud in me speaking.
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Permalink Reply by Andrew on
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Stereotypes are funny animals. I have heard racist twits in America say that black men are less intelligent, better at sports, smell bad, and have big dicks. But guess what? When I came to Japan, I learned that the stereotype here is that white men are less intelligent, better at sports, smell bad, and have big dicks.
Can't say it isn't nice to be on the receiving end of the "big dick" stereotype for a change though!
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Permalink Reply by Andrew on
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Well for starters. Americans are all rabid Christians. I get expressions of shock when I inform somewhat I have never been to Church even a day in my life.
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Permalink Reply by ODIUM on -
Ouch!
Growing up the family dog was a German Shepherd who was quite psychotic towards anything outside the family unit, but extremely docile within it. She would on occassion escape into the street and viciously ' bark down ' cars bringing them to a screeching halt and not move until called back home.
In her advanced years during nice weather my parents would keep the dog chained outside near the property line. A local had a penchant for deliberately teasing her riding his quad too close our woodsline. The dog would on territorial instinct rage in his direction to the length of it's chain and be yanked back violently.
I took the time to counsel against such actions advising that if the dog broke the chain she'd run'em down. As a side noted I warned if it continued and the dog snapped it's neck he'd have my fury to consider.
Lo and behold as per my parents request I ended up ' digging the hole ' and with the dog buried the offender dug his own.
I took up an old Army Survival Manuel and manufactured a nifty revenge. Determined and stealthful I measured the riding path and dug a hole on a sliding scale which ended in an abrupt vertical straight. I laid boards with nails through them, set brittle twigs in an upward fashion and then across. To that I added leaves, grass clippings and lastly sandy soil from elsewhere on the trail. By the time I was done one could not distinguish it from the trail itself.
To make a long story short the inevitable occurred. Quad...done, rider almost. No issue was ever made of it and no one ever rode the trail again after that.
The moral of the story? Never cross a dog or it's master!!
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Permalink Reply by CHEEVY on -
The dog is mans best freind,they are loyal,and know when to attack.They know bad from good in a person. They can sense storms,trouble,and they care for thier own.Just like the pack wolf and coyote. If a pack is starving the strongest will go hunt foor food. Just like man does when its needed.
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Permalink Reply by Queen on -
I have three dogs and a cat. A German Shepard who is very loyal and loveable, A Lab and a Pittbull..all "coninciding" with my CAilco.
ANd i can say that dogs are more family than pets..they are loyal..and they look to you for protection..
No matter what some people do to their dogs..they always go back..why..because they give us undying love and loyalty..we are all they have
If we were to actually take the time and study the behaviors of dogs/wolves we would diffently learn alot about we as man can offer the world..or at least try to unstupify society..
We are all terrotrial..we are all loyal..we are all capable of viscious attacks when threatened..but you don't see the wolves planning mass genocide of themselves to get ahead ....only humand do that stupid shit..
If we all had the mindframe to be in our inner being..ur inner beast..what we could accomplish would be something more beautiful than we have ever imagined
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