Tirmac, The Great White Wolf (Teer-mak)
According to legend, Tirmac was the first Werewolf and is seen as something of a pseudo-deity among packs.
Summary
According to legend, Tirmac was a great hunter, renowned for his tracking ability.
One season, the hunt became scarce and even Tirmac himself struggled to keep his wife and unborn child fed as other hunters competed for the limited game. Hungry and fearing for his loved ones, Tirmac prayed to the goddess of the moon asking to be made the greatest of all hunters, offering whatever he possessed as payment for such a blessing.
The goddess granted him her blessing and in the weeks that followed, Tirmac found his bounty increase ten fold, allowing his family to survive comfortably.
It was not until the birth of his child that Tirmac learned the price which the goddess demanded. For when his child was born, it had the nose of dog instead of a man.
Tirmac prayed once more, begging the goddess to leave his child. The goddess refused, but did offer an alternative: if Tirmac agreed to share his child's fate, she will make it so that they appear as men to all except during the full moon, during which time, they must hunt for her as her wolves. Tirmac agreed and the color ran from his hair until it was as pure as the white moon's light, a mark of the pact between him and the goddess.
Spread
The legend is a central part of wolf culture and is commonly taught from one generation to the next in packs.
Variations & Mutation
There does exist an alternative version of the legend in which Tirmac's transformation is a curse from the goddess instead of a blessing.
Tirmac was a struggling hunter who one day witnessed his prey be stolen by a large wolf. In a fit of rage, Tirmac slaughtered the wolf and stole back the game he had originally been after.
However, the goddess of the moon appeared to him, furious over the death of one of her hunting dogs demanded that Tirmac take the place of the wolf he had killed. Fearful, Tirmac begged for mercy, asking who would hunt for his family if he were to disappear.
The goddess relented and allowed Tirmac to stay with his family, on the condition that he take the place of the wolf he had slayed each month during the full moon. Tirmac agreed and his hair was shocked white as snow as a sign of his service to the moon.
Cultural Reception
Scholars familiar with the stories tend to draw parallels between Tirmac's love for his family and the close-knit nature often found in wolf packs. Tirmac's desire to hunt even at the potential cost to other hunters also arguably reflects the territorial attitude wolves reportedly show, especially during hunting season.
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