The tale “The Werewolf’s Daughter” is a haunting story of a werewolf father that preys upon his daughters. The father ponders over how to be able to afford nine daughters, so he comes up with a plan to get rid of them. One by one the daughters fall into their father’s trap. All but the last. The last daughter escapes from her werewolf father, by hiding in a haystack. She, then, is found by the King, whom she marries. Her only condition before wedding, was that no beggar would be allowed in the castle. Years later, a beggar who is actually her father, comes in to the castle and murders her sons. She is blamed and banished, until the King discovers the truth. The tale ends with a happily ever after.
When reading such a dark story, it is easy to question where the story originated from. This story was written from a peasant’s perspective and it is known because the father is characterized as a “beggar”. In the 7th to 12th century, Christianity was being spread through the Slavic country. The peasants embraced the Christian faith and the idea of redemption. But they would not give up their old faith in return. So while the rich did not continue to follow the traditions of their people, the peasants did. Due to this lack of connection, the folklore that comes out of this time is from their perspective.
There are many hints of this throughout the short tale. The father mentions his worry about not being able to afford his daughters. He also mentions a family burial pit “for poor folk will not be cared for much after they are dead and gone”. Even the way the King acts very rashly to his once peasant wife, immediately believing she is the one who has killed their sons. These details really show the reader what was happening during the time of the story’s origins.
Bibliography:
The Werewolf’s Daughter. http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/wolfdaughter.html
The Rich Heritage of Eastern Slavic Spirituality, by Louis Bouyer and The Editors. http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-18/rich-heritage-of-eastern-slavic-spirituality.html
Slavic Mythology. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavic_mythology#Folklore_traces