Van Richten's Monster Hunter's.pdf - Askadesign.com

actually witness the symbolic trigger
for its effect to take hold. In other
words, the stereotypical werewolf does
not have to see the full moon to
become a ravening beast: the simple
fact that the moon is full triggers the
change. Thus, a werewolf could not
prevent disaster by locking himself in a
windowless basement for three nights
each month-unless, of course, those
locks were exceedingly secure.
Symbolic triggers also include
conditions or events which somehow
represent the death and destruction left
in the wake of a lycanthrope. Such
triggers are comparatively rare,
however (that is, few infected
lycanthropes respond to them).
Examples include seeing the color red,
which is symbolic of blood, or black,
which represents death. Other
examples are as follows: being plunged
into total darkness, which is again
symbolic of death: seeing or smelling
blood: seeing combat or other overt
violence: witnessing or experiencing
emotional or covert violence; and
passing through or by a graveyard.
I recognize that some of these trig-
gers could alternatively be classed as
physiological events. For example, is
the scent of blood a symbolic trigger,
or does it stimulate the hunger of the
beast within and thus qualify as physi-
ological? And is being plunged into
darkness symbolic, or is the natural
surprise and fear it enjoins the actual
trigger? I do not have all the answers.
Ultimately, however, such distinctions
do not appear as important as the
recognition that such triggers exist.
Compared to symbolic triggers, these
conditions or events are more direct,
less metaphysical, and hence easier to
understand. Many of them engender
strong and clearly defined changes in
the body, even when that body is not
infected with lycanthropy. For
example, both extreme fear and
extreme anger are common
physiological triggers. Even among
normal humans, both conditions bring
about profound changes in the way the
body functions. Muscles tense, pupils
dilate, and the heart quickens its pace.
Breathing becomes shallow and rapid,
and blood is redirected toward specific
muscles or organs. In essence, the
body undergoes significant changes to
prepare itself for fight or flight.
It seems to me quite logical that
such profound changes can and do
trigger the transfiguration in some
werebeasts. Perhaps one of the natural
chemicals which Rood the bloodstream
reacts with the infective agent, causing
it to initiate a metamorphosis. If my in-
terpretation is correct, then the action
of such triggers can be explained solely
in chemical and biological terms.
Let us look at several other
common physiological triggers. Strong
emotions of any kind, as well as what
we may euphemistically label "intense
passion," cause noticeable
physiological changes in the body.
According to some sages, injury or
even intense physical pain causes the
body to release certain natural
painkillers into the blood. I see no
reason why any of these chemical
changes could not trigger the
transfiguration.
Perceptive readers will ask
themselves a question that counts
heavily against my arguments above:
Why does each lycanthrope generally
have only one trigger?
I fear I have no answer. If, as I have
argued above, predominately chemical
processes trigger the transfiguration, it
would seem logical that all such
processes would trigger all lycan-
thropes. In other words, since fear and
anger have such similar physiological
effects, why are some lycanthropes
triggered only by one and not the
other? Why are so very, very few trig-
gered IJY both? Obviously, there may
be much more to the matter of triggers
than simple chemistry and biology.