Ep. 5: The Sheepdog, The Wolf, And The Warlock

Rudyard Kipling is best known for his children’s classic The Jungle Book. But the creator of boy-hero Mowgli also created copaganda for his Nineties – the 1890’s.

In his recurring character Adam Strickland, Kipling fashioned an officer who elicits scorn for his unconventional methods, but who always gets his man. In the story we’re going to look at today, “The Mark Of The Beast,” Strickland faces a mysterious Hindu priest who curses his friend by turning him into a wolflike beast. As such, “The Mark Of The Beast” isn’t just a cop story. It also features two horror archetypes that would come into their own in the 20th century: the man-beast and the supernaturally powerful devil worshipper. Or, if you like, the Wolf-Man and the Warlock. In this episode, we’re going to talk about how Christocops today similarly see themselves as fighting an uphill battle to keep Wolf-Men and Warlocks at bay . . . by any means necessary. 

Text of “Mark Of The Beast”:

https://repositorio.ufsc.br/bitstream/handle/123456789/134558/TheMarkOfTheBeastRudyardKipling.pdf?sequence=1

RECOMMENDED READING:

Kathryn Belew, Bring The War Home

Anthea Butler, White Evangelical Racism

Martin Danahay and Deborah Morse, ed. Victorian Animal Dreams: Representations of Animals in Victorian Literature and Culture

Rudyard Kipling, Rudyard Kipling’s Tales Of Horror And Fantasy

Craig Mann, Phases Of The Moon: A Cultural History Of The Werewolf Film

Alex Vitale, The End Of Policing

Jeffrey Victor, Satanic Panic: The Creation Of A Contemporary Legend

Written, narrated, and produced by Lucas Kwong

Theme song “Lair” by The Brother K Melee (http://www.brotherkmusic.com)

Voice actors: Christian Young-Valdovinos, Lucas Kwong

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