WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Swamp Thing #3, by Ram V, Mike Perkins, Mike Spicer and Aditya Bidikar, on sale now.
The newest avatar of the Green just came face-to-face with a terrifying monster, the Wodewos, while within the green. The creature appears to be a reference to Wodewoses, mythical creatures from the Middle Ages. Wodewose is defined as a wild man of the forest and is comparable to a satyr or a faun. The creature resembles Bigfoot or other great apes when seen in art from the Medieval time period. They were found throughout the world as two different 14th-century texts place them in England and Africa. The Wodewos from Swamp Thing #3, however, appears to be much more menacing than the Wodewose of legend.
Levi Kamei is learning the basics of his newfound connection to the Green. To further understand what is happening with Levi, his friend Jennifer decides to perform an MRI scan on him. This goes wayward and the pair are transported to the green with Levi taking the form of Swamp Thing. Swamp Thing encounters Ivy in the Green, who warns him about a creature producing a storm in the midst of the Green. Levi told Ivy that he is looking for his friend and Ivy became increasingly worried that Jennifer had wandered too close to the Wodewos.
The Wodewos is depicted as a hulk of a monster. It appears to be completely made up of plant life with tusks growing out of its head. The creature is the size of a mountain and is causing quite a storm within the Green. It's unclear why the Wodewos is creating an intense storm and tearing through the Green but it's clearly connected to Levi's new role. Alec Holland, the original Swamp Thing, was also in the Green and it now looks like he is going to take Levi under his wing. The two will have to work together to stop the storm of the Wodewos.
While the Wodewos in The Swamp Thing #3 is truly a terrifying creature, it shares quite a few connections with the legends of its namesake. The Wodewoses were often compared to satyrs or fauns which were both considered to be guardian spirits of the forest. It would make sense that a similar creature would have a strong connection to the Green. It appears that Wodewoses are nothing more than relics from the past but their history is rather unique.
Wodewoses were considered notorious for their attempts at abducting women and different stories have claimed that the creatures are unable to speak. Various art pieces from the early 1300s depict them grabbing women and attempting to carry them off to their lair. Most of those art pieces also show the monsters being slain by a knight so it looks like the creature's seduction techniques are traditionally not the most successful.
There are a few different theories on the origins of the Wodewoses. Some believe that they were the last remnants of the missing link in evolution, creatures that did not receive the intelligence of man but were still able to live freely in solitude. Others believe that they are an entirely new species of animal that is extremely skilled at hiding, much like Bigfoot or the Yeti. In a late 14th-century text, Wodewoses were theorized to be in Africa alongside satyrs. This theory makes it entirely plausible that the monsters were made-up creatures meant to scare the people of Europe. This idea is further supported by 15th-century artwork depicting Alexander the Great slaughtering the creatures while invading India.
There's no telling what role the Wodewos will assume in The Swamp Thing. It's clear that the creature is causing quite the stir in the Green and could be a future challenge for Levi Kamei as he navigates his new life. Ivy makes it seem like the Wodewos has been in the Green for some time but has only recently been creating the storm. Only time will tell if Swamp Thing has to defeat the creature or simply calm it down.
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