the Wolf

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   The were-wolf as seen by humans is just called a Wolf by their own kind. They do not see a distinction between their human and animal forms. While they do have a dual-perspective of their nature it is seen as two halves of a more complete whole. For this reason they have no name for themselves that reflect this and use the word 'Wolf' for this purpose. As a name for an ethnic group, most have adopted Garoux from Loups-Garoux, for their identity. While the French 'Loups' is the word for 'Wolf', they adopted the Garoux as it sounds more like a howl and how they prefer to communicate their identity and pack. There are two particular stories shared amongst packs of Garoux that explain their origins, one is considered the 'Truth' of their origins and the other is a cautionary tale to warn not to offend their goddesses. The second is told like a ghost stroy and is the one humans have most likely heard and used to create their folklore.

   To the Garoux, a wolf is born and not cursed or transformed from a human. They feel that their goddess a Huntress, blessed them with the ability to become another beast. It is said that in the early days a hunter had honored and respected his kills and taught his children the same. They ate and wore the beast for food and clothing but did not leave his remains as trash and sold its skin or organs. What wasn't consumed was given to those that did eat of those organs or to scavengers to return to nature. For this respect the Huntress blessed the hunter to become a Wolf, and hunt with fang and claw instead of bow and spear (most likely to further prove their worth as hunters). This ability can be passed to those children that respect nature the same, which is why the change to beast does not come till puberty, after they show they treat nature with the same respect as their fathers.

   In the more human belief, were-wolves are born from being bitten by an existing were-wolf and transformation is complete by the next full moon. To the Garoux, this curse is more specific and is a punishment for violating nature and exploiting beasts for their fur or other value. They teach that when man hunted and saw that money was being traded for an animal's fur or organs, they got greedy and began to poach beasts. Once currency was invented and man sought wealth, they abused the Earth Mother and offended the Huntress. Their punishment was to be cursed by the Huntress to become that what they stole from and turned them into the beasts they poached. This is how they teach why there are more shape-shifters than just wolves, as man poached other animals as well. Other animal cultures don't quite share this idea but they do have legends in which other shape-shifting races are impure and lead some credence to the idea that nature is not to be abused.

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the Forest

2020-04-07 1408

   There are two concepts used for the Forest of the Garoux system of beliefs. The first is a spiritual place where the inner wolf runs free and hunts its prey. In a manner similar to tribal beliefs of the Native American or the Australian Aborigine, they see a dream place of trees, forest and glades where it is a place of nature and beasts.

   In a more real sense it is a concept of the rural countryside or wilderness where they prefer to live and protect from environmental or developmental dangers (commerical/industrial interests). It does not normally have a personification of any kind but is sometimes viewed as a daughter or sister to the Earth Mother.

   There is one specific being seen as an inhabitant or ruler of the Forest and that is its king. The King of the Forest is often imagined as a stag or elk, larger than normal and serene in its presence. It resides in the inner most glade of the Forest and is considered the height of spiritual attainment to actually meet it in your dreams or visions. Spirit wolves (animal spirits in the forest) have long guarded this forest and its king.

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the She-Wolf

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   Also called 'Lupa', she is seen as Mother to the Garoux and is sometimes called Wolf Mother. Unlike the other goddesses, she is not worshipped as divine but rather as representing where they came from and as nurturing her children. To respect her is to respect your own kind. She is also the reason why most spirits in the beliefs of the Garoux are seen as female.

   While the Romans probably first created the myth of the She-Wolf and gave her the name, she is found in other mythos such as the Greek. Sometimes Lupa is confused with one of the other goddesses, normally the Huntress being seen as the one that granted them their beast form to begin with. But most Garoux keep the two separate, or may see Lupa as the daughter of the Huntress.

   There is a loose historical connection between Lupa and Romans. While the she-wolf in Roman myth adopted Romulus and Remus, fed them from her breast till they were strong and they eventually built Rome and became kings. The Garoux take this story a bit literal and see Rome owning them a debt for saving their leaders from death as babes. For the most part Rome honored the wolf till the rise of the Christian Church.

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the Earth

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   Most likely the Wolf concept of Mother Nature and one of three female spirits they worship in the sense of a goddess. While they use no temple or church in their worship, they do sometimes find a place in a forest or countryside they view as the goddess' home and revere it as a shrine (similar to japanese culture).

   This can be one point in which humans and Garoux can agree. But it is also a major sticking point that leads to a number of arguments and conflicts. Humans more often than not, destroy nature for their homes and industry. Garoux see this as a spiritual form of rape and oppose most construction and mining (or other resource extraction).

   Garoux do build shelters and homes but do so without burning forests or disrupting migration in open plains. They prefer to build near their forests and 'dens'.

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the Moon

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   Like Mother Nature, this could be born from the human goddess Selene. She makes up the second female spirit as a goddess and is seen as a companion maybe even a lover. She is a sister of the the Huntress but apart from giving light to the hunt there is otherwise no connection.

   She lights a pack's hunt at night and encircles her Sister Earth in an embrace. Sometimes this leads to a more lesbian concept of love and why such a lifestyle is accepted by Garoux. Some see her as the spiritual female half of an Alpha pair (the Wolf or Garoux as a race being the male half).

   A rare tradition for some Garoux is a woman taking a 'second wife'. Like the huntress being adopted as aunt or mid-wife, a woman may take a female lover as mid-wife to share the burden of child-birth (physically and psychologically). Later this woman may join the family as the huntress companion as normal for the traditional god-mother. The Moon lover is always short term and if not, is bad form and socially unacceptable to Garoux.

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the Huntress

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   Possibly originating from Artemis or Diana, she is the third sister and the last female spirit viewed as a goddess. Most wolves do view her as a family member with the most common relation being a sister.

   Some may treat her a mother or daughter. Similar to a god- mother, sometimes a woman can be named the family huntress, who serves as an 'aunt' or mid-wife to children.

   For the men she is a hunting companion and helps provide food for the pack. She is seen not as providing the prey but rather as guiding the hunters to their prey. If thanks are given it is for helping them reach their target and not for 'giving' the animal or meal.

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the Hunt

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   A traditional gathering every full moon to take prey and feast. For ancient packs this was a time when the animal form was encouraged for hunting and mating. Alcohol was still mostly a human drink but some wolves would imbibe before turning into a beast and 'running'. Similar to the Amish Runspriggan when the Garoux would enjoy a night wholely as a beast.

   In the past a lottery is held to determine the pack and sent into the local forest to hunt a released prey, usually a deer or elk. It was good luck to hunt the beast before nightfall so it can be roasted by the rise of the full moon. These parties were held for three days with the first night being drinking, the second being the hunt (proving valor to hunt hung-over) and the third was not an orgy but public display of affection or mating was slightly 'encouraged'.

   In more modern times it is more like a monthly gathering of friends and family. There is still an animal roast and drinking but it is a more civil affair. However it is still more tumultous than a typical human gathering. And sometimes like any prom or debutante ball, hotel rooms were frequently reserved for couples or 'new' couplings. In some ways a Garoux pack shared some traditions with high class human societies. In all cases, the parties would last for three nights; before, during and after a full moon.

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the Caern

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   All Garoux packs have a den or Caern. Originally a stone formation light Stonehedge, it is a place where the it is felt strong that Earth, Moon and Huntress spirits are all present. There are normally three monoliths raised to represent each goddess. Other stones are raised as the pack decides. Sometimes a cave is found and used or made from stacking the stones as needed to make shelter. These 'dens' had a two-fold purpose; shelter for the pack when their individual homes where in danger (like flood, fire or war), or as a meeting place to discuss the business of the pack. While led by an Alpha, all pack leaders accept the advice of elders and their pack brothers.

   As human societies developed the Garoux eventually adopted a similar organization as the humans call a Lodge or Society. The Wolves saw this as similar to their Caern and adopted a matching technique. While the humans had their Elk or Moose Lodges, the Wolves would laugh at the humans using the names of their prey. Being shape-shifters these lodges were secret like the Freemason Societies

   In the more modern age the home of the alpha has been used by a pack or a site used like the Lodges of old. To outsiders this may just appear as a normal club or organization, or as a gathering of friends and family (like a reunion). They are still secret or at least seen as private clubs to outsiders.

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Pack Brother

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   Any male of the pack that 'runs' along side the alpha and helps defend the pack or aid in their survival is seen as a Brother by the pack as a whole. The Garoux leader would not adopt the male into the actual family but at least treats him as family.

   In the sense of the lodges or Caerns, he is also seen as a member of the society (as the society and pack are the same thing). No man or woman can pay to be a Pack sibling, the position is only earned. Any Alpha that does not recognize a sibling's contributions is quickly challenged. That 'sibling' may also leave to form his own pack.

   In modern times this does apply to women who become Pack Sisters. The Garoux have long accepted women as equals and in more civil societies have adopted them as equals (long before humans) in the legal status sense as well.

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Silver

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   Due to the color of the moon, silver is often associated with wolves and full moons specifically.

   Wolves prefer substances like moonstones and opals over metals, since metal is dug from the ground and melted from rock. The idea of mining and smelting is part of the rape of the Earth Mother and they do not make use of it as much as humans do. Ore that is easily found and recovered is prefered. Most homes and items of Garoux are made from stone (or brick) and wood. Plastic is okay because it is made from oil (pumped form the ground as any well and not dug or mined). But if not recycled or disposed of properly they prefer not to use it.

   Silver is toxic to a shape-shifter. It does not have to be a Garoux specifically but any therianthrope (beast-man) has a blood chemistry that is vulnerable to silver iodides, nitrates and other silver-based compounds. Pure silver is not as much of a risk but continued contact like silver jewelry causes an allergic and possibly fatal reaction. This applies to the whole family of metals at the IB column of the periodic table of elements but Copper and Gold don't create such a strong reaction as Silver does. Copper does cause a more green color in its allergic reaction than occurs in humans.

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White Wolves

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   White animals are considered pure and divine. Wolves that are spirit animals in the dreamscape of the Forest are always white and some may glow (the glow may be any color, usually green, blue or gold).

   The Native American traditions hold that there is a White Wolf that has guided and protected mankind. Most divine animals in japanese myths are also white. This all holds true to the Garoux as well but they also have a rare condition similar to Albinism where a wolf may be white when they turn into a beast. Unlike true albinism the eyes of a white wolf are blue (which may have to do with being a shape-shifter). Any Garoux that is white as a beast is also platinum blond or at least silver streaks in their normally blond hair as a human. Their eyes will match the blue eyes of the beast exactly which is rare for any Garoux to match eye color identically (similar but rarely ever identical).

    White Garoux are treated with a respect and reverence humans usually reserve for royalty or spiritual leaders. While the advice of a White Wolf is heeded by most, they are never used to replace the alpha's leadership. Most White Wolves adopt this reverence and try to be spiritual leaders. They are seen as sons and daughters of Lupa herself.

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the Rage, Black Wolves

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   Opposite of the White Wolf there is a darker side to the wolf nature of Garoux. A more instinctive and bestial character. It is personified by the figure of Fenrir from Norse Mythos, a violent ever hungry beast. While considered a Black Wolf, there is no such color to their fur unless a coincidence.

   No Garoux thinks of the animal within as violent or evil. But does acknowledge that the instinct and feral reaction runs counter to logic, reason and civil society; that which is the pack family. When the wolf first appears during puberty it can be difficult to control urges and instincts, this is the time most wolves would become black and endanger packs more so than as adults. The three base needs of a beast; food, mating and kill threats are the strongest at this time and the origin of many urban or werewolf myths in modern ages. These three needs are also the darker aspects of the three goddesses; food or the Earth Mother, mating or the Moon Sister and killing enemies or the Huntress.

   Most Fenrir, Black or a 'Dark Wolf' (no pun intended) is outcast and treated as a Lone Wolf for endangering the pack. Note that there is a difference between a Lone Wolf and a black one. To the Garoux, this is part of their nature to be both man and beast or to have both reason and instinct. Like hitting a beehive with a stick; any man who enrages the beast to become a black one is sometimes called a 'fool' or 'prey'. To more insulting such a man is called 'kibble' (the small treat or morsel fed to pets). Any Garoux turned black by such a man is pittied and maybe helped but for a time will be a lone wolf, separated from the pack. Wolves do not have mental health as we do (well humans don't really) but neither to they abandon members of a pack or Pack Siblings.

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