Werewolves are one of the all-time classic monsters. Their struggle to retain some semblance of humanity as their body and mind transforms and compels them to commit horrific acts is a concept that has gripped the minds of society for centuries.
As important but not often as focused on are the victims of the werewolf. Sometimes friends, lovers, or apprentices, the struggles of these ordinary people thrust into extraordinary peril by their connection to a werewolf are equally fascinating. The pain and fear they witness in the infected as well as in themselves is compelling. In this piece of art titled “Zelda and Wolf Link,”, HideakiArtReal does a great job showing the dual struggle of both Wolf Link and Princess Zelda.
The way HideakiArtReal portrays Link in this art does a great job displaying the struggling parts of his identity. Wolf Link’s fur dominates the left side of the frame as it falls in wave after wave of cascading spikes. The points of each of these strands of fur remind us of the danger presented by the animalistic form of this heroic youth. If he were to lose control, Zelda would be in grave danger — or perhaps just in a grave. Despite the menace in this moment, the artist clearly conveys the humanity in the lupine Link. One way they do this is through the use of color. Most wolves don’t feel the need to bling themselves out, but Link still retains his blue-gray earring from his days back in Ordon. It’s a clear, physical connection to his old self. Beyond that, his light blue eyes also gaze at the princess and mirror her own eyes in a way, revealing the man inside the beast.
Link’s pose also conveys his quest to regain his humanity despite his cursed form. He’s not snarling or snapping his jaws. He’s supplicating himself and reaching his head out for human connection. The ferocity of the wolf has been left behind; instead, he has lowered his head, almost as if he’s bowing to Zelda. In spite of the very real threat he still poses, Zelda doesn’t run away or attempt to banish him with her magic. She reaffirms his humanity through a gentle touch on the head. She sees past the furry facade to the heroic youth underneath.
As chilling a figure as Wolf Link cuts under the masterful hand of HideakiArt Real, his portrayal of Princess Zelda is even more interesting and absolutely devastating. The subtle details hint at Zelda’s position as the princess of a ghostly Hyrule. The bunching of the fabric of her white gloves gives her hand an almost skeletal look as it reaches out to the transformed hero. The folds of her cloak also swirl around her, dwarfing her and wrapping her in the dark garb of one preparing for a funeral. Her kingdom is all but dead, and she is the ruler of a kingdom of phantoms.
The most striking feature of the whole piece for me is Zelda’s eyes. They convey a more intense sense of absolutely devastating weariness than I’ve ever seen in a piece of art. The use of the thick black lines on the lower part of her eye calls to mind the bags I’ve often seen in the mirror after a long night of passing out Halloween candy. Opposite these lines are Zelda’s upper lids which aren’t flawless as they are in many official pieces of art. The multiple folds of her upper eyelids are both realistic and also emphasize the emotional fatigue she’s suffered. She watched helplessly as Zant invaded her kingdom, killed off many of her subjects, and offered her an impossible choice: surrender the realm or sentence those under her rule to death. Despite making the tough choice, there’s no rest for the princess as her castle is haunted by the ghosts of the Hyruleans massacred by Zant. These are the eyes of a woman who is visited by horrors every time she closes her eyes: the horrors of a kingdom lost, a population devastated, and a hero cursed.
HideakiArtReal’s amazing piece does a great job reminding us of why the tales of werewolves continue to capture our attention even so long after their introduction. The challenge of the infected person who struggles with their baser instinct is one that many of us can relate to on some level. At the same time, we also relate to the wolf’s human companion. We relate to the person who searches the darkness that wears us down and threatens to overwhelm us and still chooses to reach out to the hurting and offer the reaffirming kindness of human connection.
Happy Halloween! We’re counting down to the 31st with horror-themed articles all week long, so be sure to shamble over to our Halloween Week 2020 page if you’re hungry for more!
