Personally, when thinking about wolves, the first thing that comes to mind is a ‘Winter is Coming’ kind of image and all that. Or the still-popular book Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés, full of folk stories on the archetype of a woman. This is where I found some warm familiarity with Storytelling Centre’s A Wolf Shall Devour the Sun – a beautiful odyssey into the life cycle of a wolf: once a friend, until pronounced a man’s enemy. This show begs and lets you answer the question: was it rightly so?
Commissioned as part of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival 2024, A Wolf Shall Devour the Sun is brought to us by a captivating duo, Dougie Mackay and Jemima Thewes, who, from the very first moment, create a wholesome and magical atmosphere that recalls sitting around a fireplace, surrounded by friends and family, to hear a story you just know you’ll love.
The story—or rather, a few stories—each told in its own unique way, revolve around wolves. But not the wolves we may know from childhood tales. There are no heartless monsters from Little Red Riding Hood or bloodthirsty sheep snatchers. These stories come from a different time and, in some cases, a different realm. From Norse mythology, through Siberian lore, and back to Celtic lands, each honours this underappreciated creature with an apologetic nod to the wrongs done to them in the name of men.
Mackay and Thewes dance (metaphorically) in perfect unison onstage. With Mackay’s alluring storytelling, we dive deep into the world so carefully presented by Thewes through a mix of methods – a soft song, the kind of music that seems almost forgotten, and beautiful shadow puppetry: an ancient form of storytelling here brought back to life and thriving.
While for me the show ended far too soon, two realisations struck. One: I was so mesmerised, I had abandoned taking notes. Two: this is about so much more than ancient stories about wolves and how they were interpreted across centuries. Because as we ‘head back’ to Scotland, all wild and howled out, Mackay leaves us with some afterthoughts. By looking at facts and breaking down the narrative of the ‘bad wolf’ – a story that has influenced much more than this animal alone – you really do ask yourself: in the absence of the wolf, what is lost?
I won’t spoil more, as I very much hope A Wolf Shall Devour the Sun will continue to tour, all the way around the sun, and back to us.
