6 world mythologies 'Teen Wolf' Season 5 should explore
By Karen Rought, Hypable
Jan 27th, 2015
"Teen Wolf" has explored various werewolf myths, and more recently they've also taken a look at different creatures from around the world. In Season 3B, we learned about the Japanese myth of the kitsune, a trickster spirit, and in season 4, we learned about the South American myth of the Nagual, the werejaguar.
We've gotten a few clues as to what will take place in "Teen Wolf" Season 5, but nothing that definitively tells us they'll be exploring a specific myth, let alone which one it could be.
Plus, with the introduction of that secret floor in Eichen House, who knows what new creatures could be popping up this year and which myths we may be exploring.
Still, we've got a few ideas that could fit into the tone of the show, which would be something new and exciting for the creators to work on.
1. Native American
We're going to start off with the most plausible option, and that's Native American lore. With the introduction of Malia and the potential of seeing her mother, we know that werecoyotes exist in the "Teen Wolf" universe. Although they're similar in a lot of ways to werewolves, there are some notable differences, and jumping feet first into Native American mythology could be the best way to further explore those distinctions.
While technically the South American legends are Native American in origins, we're moving away from Mesoamerica and heading north to look at how the coyote could be incorporated into the show based on myths native to what is now the United States. The coyote is often seen as a trickster, much like the kitsune, so we expect that Malia's mother could be a wily coyote (ba-dum tchhhh) who gives the group the runaround. We're not surprised Peter found someone like that quite intriguing. Besides, we've also seen a wendigo, which is also common to the native peoples of North America.
2. Greek
Greek mythology is a classic inspiration, and there are a variety of myths the creators could pull from and expand upon for Season 5. The Greeks explained everything by way of their gods, and although we doubt Zeus will be making an appearance on "Teen Wolf," it could be interesting to incorporate some of the lesser known deities into the show in a more realistic way.
One of the most popular wolf myths is that of Lycaon, who served one of his guests to Zeus to see if the god would be able to tell that it was human flesh. Zeus was appropriately angry, and transformed Lycaon into a wolf, as well as killed his 50 (!) sons. We've seen plenty of types of werewolves on the show, but what if the crew came up against a werewolf from the old world, one that had strength and power they'd never seen before? It'd certainly create some conflict.
3. Norse
The show has name-dropped a god from Norse mythology in the past, when Jennifer Blake gave her speech about mistletoe, but just as Greek mythology has a variety of myths "Teen Wolf" could pull from, so does Norse mythology. The Vikings were a violent group, and as the show delves deeper into the horror genre, we think exploring some of the more gruesome legends could make for interesting television.
Besides, what's a supernatural television show without an apocalypse? "Buffy" did it. "Supernatural" did it. Maybe "Teen Wolf" should try their hand at it as well. One of the most interesting (and terrifying) versions of the end of the world comes in the form of Ragnarök, where several high-profile gods like Odin and Thor were supposed to perish. As an added bonus, there's even meant to be a "wolf age" and the giant wolf god Fenrir wreaks some havoc.
4. Slavic
Eastern European folklore offers a lot of different twists on the more common myths we're familiar with today. This is because, in many cases, pagan traditions were intertwined with Christian customs, making for lore that has both familiar and unique elements to it.
Although we don't expect the "Teen Wolf" creators to add vampires to their roster any time soon, there are some interesting myths that surround the infamous creatures that could both tie in with the "Teen Wolf" universe and allow them to put their own spin on it. For example, vampires were often created when animals, dogs included, jumped over a dead body. More specifically, in Russian folklore, witches were said to be turned into vampires after they died as punishment for going against the Church. All of this could be wrapped up into one storyline that incorporated magic, zombies, werewolves, and vampires ... and we're pretty sure "Teen Wolf" would make it sound a lot cooler than we're making it out to be.
5. Hawaiian
Hawaiian mythology would be appropriate for several reasons. While Hawaii is no closer to California than California is to New York, it's at least on the right coast and wouldn't be a stretch if some of the folklore hopped a boat to the Golden State. Hawaiian mythology also puts an emphasis on the natural world, which could be interesting to combine with the Desert Wolf myth we're hoping to see in Season 5. It'd also be a great way to bring Danny back into the fold and explain how he knew about the supernatural world all along.
Of particular note is Hina, the goddess of the moon, who also is sometimes portrayed as a trickster spirit. Pele is also an interesting goddess, as she's associated with volcanoes and often depicted as quite powerful, passionate and jealous. Although California does have a handful of active volcanoes, it would probably be more believable to explore the more human characteristics of someone like Pele. Perhaps they could even incorporate Deputy Parrish's mysterious ability to withstand fire.
6. Hindu
Last, but certainly not least, is Hindu mythology. This is the lore from which Kali's name came, and we would love to see the actual mythology explored on "Teen Wolf." Because Hindu is such a widespread religion, there are an exhaustive amount of stories to pull inspiration from, with each one being a little different from the last according to which region the legend pulls from.
The Hindu religion is filled with an interesting mix of spirits, some worse than others, that would probably feel right at home on a show like "Teen Wolf." The Pisachas, for example, haunt battlefields or places where violent deaths took place, which could fit in nicely with Lydia's banshee powers. There are even other classes of demon spirits that are associated with violent deaths and the resurrection of corpses. Sounds like tons of fun, right?
Source: Zap2it
By Karen Rought, Hypable
Jan 27th, 2015
"Teen Wolf" has explored various werewolf myths, and more recently they've also taken a look at different creatures from around the world. In Season 3B, we learned about the Japanese myth of the kitsune, a trickster spirit, and in season 4, we learned about the South American myth of the Nagual, the werejaguar.
We've gotten a few clues as to what will take place in "Teen Wolf" Season 5, but nothing that definitively tells us they'll be exploring a specific myth, let alone which one it could be.
Plus, with the introduction of that secret floor in Eichen House, who knows what new creatures could be popping up this year and which myths we may be exploring.
Still, we've got a few ideas that could fit into the tone of the show, which would be something new and exciting for the creators to work on.
1. Native American
We're going to start off with the most plausible option, and that's Native American lore. With the introduction of Malia and the potential of seeing her mother, we know that werecoyotes exist in the "Teen Wolf" universe. Although they're similar in a lot of ways to werewolves, there are some notable differences, and jumping feet first into Native American mythology could be the best way to further explore those distinctions.
While technically the South American legends are Native American in origins, we're moving away from Mesoamerica and heading north to look at how the coyote could be incorporated into the show based on myths native to what is now the United States. The coyote is often seen as a trickster, much like the kitsune, so we expect that Malia's mother could be a wily coyote (ba-dum tchhhh) who gives the group the runaround. We're not surprised Peter found someone like that quite intriguing. Besides, we've also seen a wendigo, which is also common to the native peoples of North America.
2. Greek
Greek mythology is a classic inspiration, and there are a variety of myths the creators could pull from and expand upon for Season 5. The Greeks explained everything by way of their gods, and although we doubt Zeus will be making an appearance on "Teen Wolf," it could be interesting to incorporate some of the lesser known deities into the show in a more realistic way.
One of the most popular wolf myths is that of Lycaon, who served one of his guests to Zeus to see if the god would be able to tell that it was human flesh. Zeus was appropriately angry, and transformed Lycaon into a wolf, as well as killed his 50 (!) sons. We've seen plenty of types of werewolves on the show, but what if the crew came up against a werewolf from the old world, one that had strength and power they'd never seen before? It'd certainly create some conflict.
3. Norse
The show has name-dropped a god from Norse mythology in the past, when Jennifer Blake gave her speech about mistletoe, but just as Greek mythology has a variety of myths "Teen Wolf" could pull from, so does Norse mythology. The Vikings were a violent group, and as the show delves deeper into the horror genre, we think exploring some of the more gruesome legends could make for interesting television.
Besides, what's a supernatural television show without an apocalypse? "Buffy" did it. "Supernatural" did it. Maybe "Teen Wolf" should try their hand at it as well. One of the most interesting (and terrifying) versions of the end of the world comes in the form of Ragnarök, where several high-profile gods like Odin and Thor were supposed to perish. As an added bonus, there's even meant to be a "wolf age" and the giant wolf god Fenrir wreaks some havoc.
4. Slavic
Eastern European folklore offers a lot of different twists on the more common myths we're familiar with today. This is because, in many cases, pagan traditions were intertwined with Christian customs, making for lore that has both familiar and unique elements to it.
Although we don't expect the "Teen Wolf" creators to add vampires to their roster any time soon, there are some interesting myths that surround the infamous creatures that could both tie in with the "Teen Wolf" universe and allow them to put their own spin on it. For example, vampires were often created when animals, dogs included, jumped over a dead body. More specifically, in Russian folklore, witches were said to be turned into vampires after they died as punishment for going against the Church. All of this could be wrapped up into one storyline that incorporated magic, zombies, werewolves, and vampires ... and we're pretty sure "Teen Wolf" would make it sound a lot cooler than we're making it out to be.
5. Hawaiian
Hawaiian mythology would be appropriate for several reasons. While Hawaii is no closer to California than California is to New York, it's at least on the right coast and wouldn't be a stretch if some of the folklore hopped a boat to the Golden State. Hawaiian mythology also puts an emphasis on the natural world, which could be interesting to combine with the Desert Wolf myth we're hoping to see in Season 5. It'd also be a great way to bring Danny back into the fold and explain how he knew about the supernatural world all along.
Of particular note is Hina, the goddess of the moon, who also is sometimes portrayed as a trickster spirit. Pele is also an interesting goddess, as she's associated with volcanoes and often depicted as quite powerful, passionate and jealous. Although California does have a handful of active volcanoes, it would probably be more believable to explore the more human characteristics of someone like Pele. Perhaps they could even incorporate Deputy Parrish's mysterious ability to withstand fire.
6. Hindu
Last, but certainly not least, is Hindu mythology. This is the lore from which Kali's name came, and we would love to see the actual mythology explored on "Teen Wolf." Because Hindu is such a widespread religion, there are an exhaustive amount of stories to pull inspiration from, with each one being a little different from the last according to which region the legend pulls from.
The Hindu religion is filled with an interesting mix of spirits, some worse than others, that would probably feel right at home on a show like "Teen Wolf." The Pisachas, for example, haunt battlefields or places where violent deaths took place, which could fit in nicely with Lydia's banshee powers. There are even other classes of demon spirits that are associated with violent deaths and the resurrection of corpses. Sounds like tons of fun, right?
Source: Zap2it
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