Thursday, October 18, 2007
spine chill
Like many children of the seventies I grew up hearing all about the wolf in the context of it being a man-fearing lovely noble creature who only hunts the sick and the weak- an animal to which many cultures revered as a spirit guide or brother. I was excited when the wolf was reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park and its numbers grew in the lower 48 states throughout the 1990's. I even heard them briefly howling across a lake in northern Wisconsin. Indeed I have held this animal in awe and respect.
Well, this week Jeep sent me a link to the Macaulay Library, http://www.birds.cornell.edu/macaulaylibrary/ which is the world's largest archive of animal sounds. I was enchanted and spent a good hour listening to birds of the world...then thought to type in "wolf". It was almost an afterthought, as I have shied away from New Agey recordings of howling, lumping it in my mind with whale song as far as its usefulness or spiritual significance goes. I keyed up the first recording from Sachsen, Germany- ten minutes from 1972. ( At this point I might mention that currently there are around 20 wolves in Germany.) The effect of this recording on me was phenomenal. My heart started to race, hairs stood on end, my face twisted into a mask of fear and repulsion and curiosity all at once. All three cat in the room with me RAN out. Our youngest cat Zoya would not relax for the rest of the evening. Since this recording, and after listening to many others on this site, I have been imbued with a Halloween spirit like never before. It was genuinely frightening.
I know what I am going to play when the kids come for candy now!
Well, this week Jeep sent me a link to the Macaulay Library, http://www.birds.cornell.edu/macaulaylibrary/ which is the world's largest archive of animal sounds. I was enchanted and spent a good hour listening to birds of the world...then thought to type in "wolf". It was almost an afterthought, as I have shied away from New Agey recordings of howling, lumping it in my mind with whale song as far as its usefulness or spiritual significance goes. I keyed up the first recording from Sachsen, Germany- ten minutes from 1972. ( At this point I might mention that currently there are around 20 wolves in Germany.) The effect of this recording on me was phenomenal. My heart started to race, hairs stood on end, my face twisted into a mask of fear and repulsion and curiosity all at once. All three cat in the room with me RAN out. Our youngest cat Zoya would not relax for the rest of the evening. Since this recording, and after listening to many others on this site, I have been imbued with a Halloween spirit like never before. It was genuinely frightening.
I know what I am going to play when the kids come for candy now!
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