Der Schattenjäger...for Virginie (Virginiese) by KarmaSong
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These are Halloween times for many of us, and All Saints' times for others...Rather than post something on a tradition that is not mine (I am not American nor Irish!) , I found my inspiration both in medieval European folklore and in a video game which fascinated me years ago, namely 'Gabriel Knight-The Beast Within' . The script weaves werewolf mythology and Bavarian history in G.Knight's pursuit of lycanthropy fanatics, in other words, people believing in the ability to shapeshift into wolves or wolf-like creatures, either purposely, being bitten by another werewolf or after being placed under a curse.
Many European countries and cultures have stories of werewolves, and in my country, werewolf lore is sometimes associated with documented events. The Beast of Gévaudan terrorized the general area of the former province of Gévaudan, now called Lozère, in south-central France. From the years 1764 to 1767, an unknown entity killed 80 men, women, and children.The creature was described as a giant wolf by the sole survivor of the attacks, which ceased after several wolves were killed in the area.
In the video game 'Gabriel Knight, the 'Schattenjägger' is the only one capable of detecting werewolves ( lycanthropes) among humans and put an end to the terrible curse most of them are not responsible for. I chose King Ludwig II of Bavaria's castle as the background for my montage, as part of the actual setting of Gabriel Knight's adventures.The 'Shadow Hunter'(Schattenjaeger, in German) in the foreground, as well as the other figures are all citizens from my hometown who dressed in Medieval costumes for the 700th anniversary of Belfort (France). Hope you will like my Schattenjäger, Virginie!
Not really spooky, granted, but nevertheless unnerving and rooted in the 'old world' traditions !...More info on werewolves in an excellent report at www.wikipedia.org. Thank you very much for your comments and messages, always sincerely appreciated and treasured.
Comments (72)
Prematos
Great work...
kgb224
Excellent work my friend.
bluelazer
An awesome piece Jean-Luc. It reminds me of the good and bad within all of us. One always lurks in the shadows.
BorisB
An impressive work of art!!
flora-crassella
what a great work!!!! Wonderful compo and details!!!!!
watteville
oui! intéressantes nos coutumes - merci de nous le rappeler!
Kaartijer
Excellent work! Congrats!
Vanadis11
Great composition, excellent work! I really like it!
Rainastorm
Nice work!
Lucterios
Très chouette collage. Intéressante atmosphère fantastique qui rappelle les vieux films de la Uffa.
BloodFlowers
J'ai bien aimé les " Gabriel Knight " J'ai eu plus de plaisir avec " Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned" Ton image est fantastique mais même pas peur moa :-) Mel
magnus073
Believe it or not I still have a copy of that video game laying around and loved it. This is a great and for sure unnerving dedi to this season. When I get a chance I'll message you about some European werewolf movies to discuss :)
deliverence
want to know more on this subject its been of interest but never really explored tell me moreeeeee . great work! a now huge fan lol xxx deliverence
fredster66
Jean-Luc... this is an excellent work for the season. Very well done!
doarte
Wonderfully unusual photographic work
DarkStormCrow
Very nice well done...
thecytron
Nicely put together composition!
PIERRE25
Joli récit et très bon travail, excellente image, bravo
Mousson
Vraiment magnifique!
lior
Un travail excellent!
lucindawind
ohh scary! wonderful !
hipps13
wonderful work, Jean-Luc makes me think of "Dark Shadows" a soap opera many moons ago use to watch it then I would dream it so I guess it has stuck with me too young I was to watch lol sweet sunshine to you warm hug with a smile, Linda
virginiese
Ah ! Mais c'est excellent ! Du grand art Jean-Luc ! Et je suis touchée que tu aies pensé à moi pour dédicacer cette image. Je me souviens très bien moi aussi de ce jeu vidéo "Gabriel Knight". Tu me donnes une folle envie d'y rejouer mais tout comme toi, je me demande si je suis en vacances :-) Je reviens d'une virée à Francfort et ton image est une réelle surprise! Merci mille fois Jean-Luc ! Très grosses bises ;-) Virginie
mtc
Composition, lumière, atmosphère: le tout est superbe.
artaddict2
This is fantastic work with superb mood and atmoshere!
carlx
Fantastic composition with superb medieval atmosphere and mood!!!
clam73
fascinating story and excellent result in your photo-manipulation work.....great the mood and the colors....they add more interest on this theme....brilliant!
ElizaB
Interesting well thought-out and well presented composition and narrative
mark.spooner
Interesting work.
emmecielle
Fantastic composition! :)