𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒲𝑒𝓇𝑒-𝒲𝑜𝓁𝒻

The Were-Wolf is a Gothic tale by the English writer Clemence Housman, first published in 1890. Night plays a central role in the story, creating a realm in which the boundaries between human and animal, beauty and danger, and seduction and horror begin to blur. 🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺 [Verse 1] The winter night lay deep in snow, the fire was burning bright, The household worked and laughed within, protected from the night. Then three strange voices called outside, but no one could be seen, And Tyr, the old wolf-hound, sprang up and snarled with fury keen. A woman came in snowy furs, White Fell she gave her name, So proud and strong, so strange and fair, from out the dark she came. Young Sweyn beheld her shining eyes and welcomed her with cheer, But Christian found a giant wolf-track strangely ending here. [Pre-Chorus 1] The footprints crossed the frozen snow and led up to the door, But not a single track led back across the snow once more. “She is a Were-Wolf,” Christian warned, but Sweyn denied his fear, For all he saw was beauty in the woman standing near. [Chorus] White Fell, White Fell, beautiful and bright, You wear a woman’s face beneath the winter night. White Fell, White Fell, lovely as the snow, Behind your gentle smile, the hidden fangs will show. [Verse 2] Christian warned his brother, but his brother only smiled, For Sweyn saw a fearless woman, not a creature fierce and wild. He watched outside her chamber as the midnight stars shone clear, But found the window open wide—and White Fell nowhere near. Then little Rol went out one day and never wandered home, They searched the woods and frozen fields where hungry creatures roam. His frightened puppy came alone; they feared the boy was dead, While Christian knew the beast was near and filled his heart with dread. [Pre-Chorus 2] White Fell returned before long, as fearless as before, And Sweyn was glad to see her cross once more the household door. Then old Trella vanished too beneath the winter sky, And Christian knew another soul had surely gone to die. [Chorus] White Fell, White Fell, beautiful and bright, You wear a woman’s face beneath the winter night. White Fell, White Fell, lovely as the snow, Behind your gentle smile, the hidden fangs will show. [Verse 3] Sweyn desired White Fell, for she was fearless, proud and strong, He drew her close beneath the stars, convinced he could not be wrong. But Christian saw White Fell kiss Sweyn beneath the winter sky, And knew, as Rol and Trella fell, his brother too would die. "You kissed young Rol, and Rol is gone; you kissed old Trella too, And now you’ve kissed my brother Sweyn—I know what you will do.” White Fell bared her teeth at him, her eyes alight with hate, “You may live until midnight”—then she fled to meet her fate. [Pre-Chorus 3] She fled across the open snow; he followed through the night, Determined he would save his brother from her deadly bite. He had to keep her running till the midnight hour drew near, And see her change to wolf, so wolf she ever must appear. [Chorus] White Fell, White Fell, beautiful and bright, You wear a woman’s face beneath the winter night. White Fell, White Fell, lovely as the snow, Behind your gentle smile, the hidden fangs will show. [Verse 4] For hours they raced across the waste while wolves began to cry, She fought to leave him far behind beneath the frozen sky. She crushed his hands and wounded him, but still he held her fast, For midnight climbed among the stars—the fatal hour came at last. She struck him down and spilled his blood upon the frozen ground, At midnight she became the wolf and gave a savage sound. His willing blood, like holy water, struck the monster dead, And Christian gave his life for Sweyn, the snow around him red. [Pre-Chorus 4] Then Sweyn came following through the waste and found them where they lay, The wolf beside his brother’s corpse before the break of day. At last he knew that Christian’s warning all along was true, And Christian’s final sacrifice had saved his brother too. [Final Chorus] White Fell, White Fell, beautiful and bright, You wore a woman’s face beneath the winter night. White Fell, White Fell, silent in the snow, The kiss that promised Sweyn his death could never strike its blow. White Fell, White Fell, midnight heard your cry, The woman turned to wolf beneath the frozen sky. White Fell, White Fell, dawn now shines above, The horror died at midnight through a brother’s final love.