The Making of the Werewolves by IgnobleBard

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Fanwork Notes

Velvet Darkness

Fanwork Information

Summary:

Sauron's creation of the werewolves.

Major Characters: Sauron

Major Relationships:

Genre: General

Challenges: Anniversary Contest

Rating: General

Warnings:

Chapters: 1 Word Count: 431
Posted on 30 September 2007 Updated on 30 September 2007

This fanwork is complete.

Chapter 1

Read Chapter 1

The song was magnetic, with intricate shadings of meaning, and the singer imbued each word with the power of his malevolent heart. Unto the singer were dreadful spirits drawn, from deep, shadowy places beneath the earth and sleepless, corrupted souls. Gathered and bound within a brazier of selenium and tin, in readiness for their dark awakening. 

And Sauron, Master of Shadows and Commander of Angband, did call forth hunters and bid them ensnare and bring to him two great wolves, a he-wolf and she-wolf in the prime of their strength. The hunters rode out and the sound of horns and baying of dogs rang through the forest, but they returned not. So Sauron caused a net of strong weave to be fashioned and again hunters were sent forth. A great howling went up, growing ever closer, and the hunters returned at last with two wolves of deadly cunning and ferocity. 

The great beasts lunged and snapped at the ropes that bound them but they could not free themselves. Sauron smiled to see their fury, for it would work well to his advantage. He had the wolves secured within the hall where the brazier stood, and Orcs taunted the beasts to madness as Sauron pressed the white-hot brands into their flesh. The wolves howled and shrieked but then, within their eyes, was a dire flame kindled, and it grew in awareness and fealty to the evil bent of its master.

The wolves rose up, casting off the nets that bound them, and fell upon the Orcs and slew them. Yet at Sauron's feet they fawned like cubs, the malice within their spirits an extension of their master's hand. Sauron loosed them again into the forest and bade them return with others of their kind. The werewolves ran silently into the grey mists and in the fullness of time returned with a great number of beasts like unto themselves.  

Of these, Sauron chose the strongest to be his lieutenants in the guarding of his fortress upon Tol Sirion, the most cunning to work their dark ways within the forests, slaying and spreading their contagion to fairer beasts, children of Nessa, who yet dwelt there. But the cruelest he fed upon the flesh of his thralls, Elves and Men, until they would suffer no other nourishment to pass their lips. 

Thus did Sauron hold the pass at Sirion with the power of his will and the might of his werewolves, looking out from his great watchtower to espy the comings and goings all who would challenge Morgoth; and so did Tol Sirion come to be called Tol-in-Gaurhoth.

 

 


Chapter End Notes

I chose the elements of selenium and tin for Sauron's creation because selenium represents the moon and "can convert ac electricity to dc" and "Being ruled by Jupiter puts tin in connection with breath, and can be philosophically viewed as the breath of life".


Comments

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The tone and language and atomsphere of this are perfect. And I always say I don't like horror fics in general. Utterly and perfectly creepy and I love the style in which it's written. I like the use of the singing and how he appreciates their malice, the way they attack the orcs, but "fawned like cubs" over him. Eww nasty. And their development for the taste of elves and men--chilling. Great job. No more complaining about reading werewolf fics from me.

Bard, I think you have outdone yourself with this one.  You have the style and tone down, but more than that, the heart of it all.  The mingling of 'self' that binds and strengthens at the same time is a lot of the heart of the story of the Silmarillion and all the Histories and you have captured the essence of that with this short story amazingly well.

Thanks, Sulriel! I greatly appreciate your comments. When I read that there were werewolves and vampires in Tolkien's stories I wanted to more about them. He certainly has a different "take" on what we think of as traditional for these creatures. It's certainly an interesting area to explore.

You had me at "selenium and tin."  Nice touch there and especially appealing to someone as nerdsome as myself.

Your vision of werewolves' genesis fits well with my take of Middle-earth's species of werewolves. They did not engage in lycanthropic transformation but instead had heightened humanoid sentience through grafting of corrupt spirits/souls/fëar or some other manipulation.

And that penultimate paragraph?  Ooooooh, yeah! The whole of the story reads as a stygian "just-so" fable. Thanks for the delectably dark confection! 

 

Pandemonium, you honor me. I wish I could write my stories as well as you write your reviews. "stygian just-so fable" I love that. :-)There are few things as fightening as evil combined with intelligence, which is what makes Tolkien's epic villians so disturbing and fascinating.

Ah werewolves! To bring in the music as a mechanism to create is put to good practice with the useage of elements. Not every sentence runs as smoothly to me when I read it, as if there is too much information crammed in there using and as a conjuction.  Then it picks up again and it runs smoothly, it might be me. It's a small thing because Sauron in all its evil and cunning planning stand out, leaving me wonder if he has a small feud or dislike of Nessa. I love the different faces of Sauron's wolves: cubs vs dangerous beings ready to kill and conquer at the snap of Sauron's fingers. I can so imagine that later in his life, Sauron as the one eye wishes to be returned to those good ol' times.

Rhapsody,

Thanks so much for your comments! I think the difference you note comes from the fact that the first paragraph I wrote like me and then I kind of switched to the Tolkien style. :-) I'll see if I can fix that in future posts. Hmm, the idea of Sauron feuding with Nessa gives me another plot idea...  I love your comment about Sauorn getting all nostalgic for the good old days, when he had a body, and even another eye. lol