So, about the "Wolf" and the "Lamb" teasers on the PBE...

SaltyToplaneGoat·9/8/2015, 11:35:03 PM·30 votes·10,384 views

I did some research about these specific figures in connection with Shadow Isle themes and found something: BOTH are connected to graveyards in celtic/english/skandinavian mythology.

The wolf is also widely known as "Black dog" or "Church Grim" that is supposed to guard the last rest of the dead and haunt graverobbers until the gates of hell. Here, a wikipedia link to this in case you think I'm making stuff up here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_Grim Also interesting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_dog_%28ghost%29

Now, but what about the lamb? Here, let me copy&paste something from this link, as there it's quite good explained. I did some checking on these stories and they go along with the other myths. Also, the "tomb sow" takes over the role of the "Black Dog" in this version, a simple change due to different ways people told the stories.

In Scandinavia it was an old pagan tradition to bury an animal alive under a house. The belief was that it would then haunt the house and keep it clean of other spirits.

While there has never been found any written records or animal bones under a church, people non the less thought the church had picked up the tradition, and they thought these Christian "spirit animals" was more powerful than any.

The tomb sow was a big black sow who was believed to protect the graveyard from intruders. She chased off playing children or simply people walking through it at night. If people saw her coming at them they'd better run, because if she caught up with them she would run between their legs and cut them open from the bottom up using the stiff hairs on her back. When she was not busy scaring and killing people, she chased the spirits of evil people who didn't deserve to be buried in holy ground out of the graveyard, or showed the priest where to bury the next grave.

The church lamb on the other hand protected the church against nature spirits like trolls and elves. It also walked around the graveyard looking for a good place for a grave, then went out to collect a person to put in it. The sight of a church lamb was a sure sign of one's own death.

So, the lastest champ might be a dual entity of graveyard guardians (or maybe two different champions? Who knows? ^^) At least that sounds good enough for the Harrowing for me ^^

74 Comments

Sharjo9/8/2015, 11:57:19 PM18 votes

I feel like this new champion won't be tied with the Shadow Isles specifically, but Runeterra's afterlife. That's one thing we've never actually seen before; what life after death is like in Runeterra, but we know it exists because souls and the unliving do exist.

What you've found is actually really cool and the whole thing kinda brings to mind the idea of a shepard of the dead for me, herding souls in to the afterlife.

Something I wanna add, because it makes me wonder; all the teasers say "They are coming". We've all been asking who's coming but really, why are they coming? If things are tied in with this year's Harrowing I can only dream about the implications.

Meep Man9/9/2015, 5:29:06 PM2 votes

The spirits of passing. The ACTUAL governers of life and death? Nasus isn't really death, he just is themed with it. Are they DEATH?

Similar to how Bard is the Caretaker if the artifacts of the universe, could Wolf and Lamb be the protectors of natural death? (As you said) (If so they really screwed up with the Shadow Isles)

Wait, what if they caused the Shadow Isles incident? Ever heard if wrathful gods? If they are indeed the protectors of death, could they also punish those who defied them? That would be a childish, ironic punishment. Ruined King: I want immortality! Wolf and Lamb: Ok. I got you. But you will suffer and become horrible undead beasts for eternity. Ruined King: Wait what? Wolf and Lamb: TOO LATE!

catraven9/10/2015, 10:59:28 AM1 votes

[{quoted}](name=Kyoki Shinkuro,realm=EUW,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=YsROGQrj,comment-id=,timestamp=2015-09-08T23:35:03.707+0000)

because if she caught up with them she would run between their legs and cut them open from the bottom up using the stiff hairs on her back.

So scandinavians invented Mortal Kombat... interesting :3

SaltyToplaneGoat9/14/2015, 7:06:11 PM1 votes

bumps because it suddenly got relevant again

Zethuriah Fox9/15/2015, 2:15:45 AM1 votes

Am i the only person here that knows that lamb and wolf is a very very old poem about a wolf justifying himself in killing the lamb that was trying to get water by the stream. The lamb was accused of committing injustices which she proves she didn't do, the wolf pretty much said "than someone you know did it and you will pay the price". Everyone has crazy theories, it's all about the poem you guys. Considering the wolf and lamb take place by a stream, my bet is the new champ is a jung.

The Ashbringer9/10/2015, 4:22:53 AM1 votes
Fowus9/9/2015, 2:00:33 AM1 votes

That is actually some pretty grotesque shit