 Horror/Scary: March 27, 2024 Issue [#12479] |
This week: Changing shape Edited by: Arakun the twisted raccoon  
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Quote for the week:
“Walls have ears.
Doors have eyes.
Trees have voices.
Beasts tell lies.
Beware the rain.
Beware the snow.
Beware the man
You think you know.
-Songs of Sapphique”
― Catherine Fisher, Incarceron
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Imagine being able to change your appearance at will. What would you become? A bird, an animal, a tree, a different human being, or something else?
Werewolves are probably the most familiar shapeshifters in horror stories. The situation is different in every story, but werewolves and other were creatures are usually forced to change to animal form during the full moon. In some stories they can also shift at will at other times of the month. Depending on the story, some werewolves see their condition as a curse, while others embrace it as part of their identity. Some were creatures might be born with their shifting ability, while for others it results from a bite by another were creature or some other magic. Other means of becoming a werewolf include sleeping under a full moon, rubbing the body with a magical ointment, and drinking rainwater from the pawprint of a werewolf. In the novel "Kane" by Dick Wybrow, a wolf is bitten by a man and turns into a human.
Shapeshifting is a common device in legends, fantasy stories, and fairy tales. Witches and wizards in these stories are often able to change their own appearance with magic. The evil queen in Snow White transforms herself into an old lady in order to gain Snow White's trust. Other magical characters are able to transform others with magic. In the original story of Beauty and the Beast, the beast was originally a prince who was transformed by a fairy who was angry that he did not return her affections.
The transformation chase or shapeshifting duel occurs in many stories and legends. This happens when two shapeshifters transform themselves into a series of creatures in order to escape or outwit each other. For example, the first character might become a rabbit, while the second becomes a dog. Then the first becomes a dove while the second becomes a hawk, and so on.
Most stories do not attempt to explain the difference in mass when a human is changed from one to another. Terry Pratchett is one of the few authors who does address this situation. In his Discworld series, the vampire, Sally, cannot transform into one bat, but must become a swarm of bats, to keep the mass equal. She complains of the problems she has when one of the bats goes the wrong way and gets separated from the swarm. In the novel, "A Hatfull of Sky," a character transformed into a frog is followed by a pink balloon that contains his extra mass.
Probably the most well known shapeshifter to modern audiences is Mystique from the Marvel X-Men Series. Mystique is able to become an exact copy of any person, including their voice and clothes. Apparently the transformation is on a cellular level, since she is said to have fathered a child when in the guise of a man.
Something to try: Write a story that includes a shapeshifter. |
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