Ecology of Lycanthropes 2: Origins
#2 of The Flaming Hearth Cycle
Ecology of Lycanthropes: Origins
Now that we discussed what Lycanthropes are there's probably a few questions you have. Let's start with where they came from.
Each pack seems to have a different variation on how they came about but many seemingly unrelated groups seem to have some elements in common
A huntress making a deal to a god that instead of moving on to the after life, the souls of her descendants will go to the God's plane
Consumption of blood being a part of the sealing of the deal
Somebody close to the Huntress being killed in an accident.
With these elements we can piece together a vague tale of how they came to be. The scholarly theory goes like this
There was a Huntress and some sort of close male companion, they spotted an animal, the Huntress shot at the animal with her bow but somehow the arrow pierced the man's heart. Grieving and sorrow takes her soul. The wandering Goddess of the hunt takes note and offers a deal. She could give life back to the dead man, but the Huntress and her offspring instead of going to Paradise will go to the Goddess's realm. As a sealing of the deal she handed a blade made from bone and topaz to the Huntress. "cut your flesh and bleed your wine into his mouth and he shall be reborn then stab his heart so he can receive my blessing. She follows her instructions and the man is reborn as the first Lycanthrope. This sets the precedent that most Lycanthrope cultures are matriarchal in honour of the First Blood Bearer, the Huntress, and explains why they must eat hearts specifically.