Today, we're going to introduce you into one of the creatures of the game that comes straight out of the Middle-Ages : the Bisclavret.
The Bisclavret is none other than the medieval werewolf (its name comes from Breton). It doesn't quite have a humanoid form, unlike the modern werewolf, it's more wolf than human! The term "Bisclavret" first appeared in writing under the pen of Marie de France, a 12th century poetess. She contributed to enriching Arthurian imagination through her lais, short poems in eight-syllable lines, which drew on legends orally transmitted in Breton and were meant to be sung.
Her lai of Bisclavret tells the story of a knight cursed to transform into a wolf three nights a week. Unlike contemporary werewolves, his transformation is not triggered by the full moon and does not reverse at dawn. The knight must recover his clothes, after a night of wandering and hunting in the forest, to regain his human form. Alas, his wife loves another knight, so she decides to steal her husband’s clothes from the hiding place where he had entrusted her with their location... I won’t spoil any more, in case you’d like to read this fantastic story yourself! (You should!)
One of our adventures is inspired by this lai, with a new plot adapted for the video game, set in a land ravaged by wolves in autumn. You’ll discover the differences from Marie de France’s lai as you play!
As for the appearance of the monster, we’ve kept the features of the medieval Bisclavret:
While waiting for the release of LotRT, you can watch the excellent short film Bisclavret, which brings to life the lai by Marie de France.
We hope this glimpse of the Bisclavret inspires you to explore it further in LotRT!
Clélia & the Artifice Studio team