Feral children in mythology and fiction
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[[Image:Mowgli-1895-illustration.png|thumb|right|200px|Mowgli (by [[John Lockwood Kipling]]), represents the modern idea of a feral child.]]
{{For|documented cases of human children raised by non-humans|Feral child}}
'''Feral children''' (that is, human children raised by non-human animals) in mythology and fiction are often depicted as having superior strength, intelligence and morals to "normal" humans, the implication being that because of their upbringing they represent humanity in a pure and uncorrupted state.
==Famous Examples==
Thus [[Enkidu]], raised by unspecified beasts, becomes the friend of the [[hero]] [[Gilgamesh]] (see also [[Epic of Gilgamesh]]). The brothers [[Romulus and Remus]], raised by a [[wolf]], become the founders of [[Rome]]. [[Ibn Tufail]]'s [[Hayy ibn Yaqdhan|Hayy]], raised by a [[gazelle]] on a [[desert island]], becomes an [[Autodidacticism|autodidactic]] [[Early Islamic philosophy|philosopher]]. [[Ibn al-Nafis]]' [[Ibn al-Nafis#Theologus Autodidactus|Kamil]], also raised by animals on a deserted island, becomes an autodidactic [[Islamic science|scientist]] and [[Kalam|theologian]]. [[Rudyard Kipling]]'s [[Mowgli]], also raised by wolves, becomes the ruler of the jungle. [[Edgar Rice Burroughs]]' [[Tarzan]], raised by apes, has become an iconic hero of novels, [[comic strip]]s and [[motion pictures]].
Other stories featuring human children raised by other animals, possibly influenced by Mowgli and Tarzan, include ''[[Shasta of the Wolves]]'' (1919) by [[Olaf Baker]], in which a [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] boy is raised by a wolfpack in the [[Pacific Northwest]], and ''[[Jungle-Born]]'' (1924) by [[John Eyton]], in which a boy raised by apes in northern [[India]] inadvertently saves a teenage girl from her abusive father.
British [[comic book]]s of the 1960s and 1970s seemed particularly fond of such stories. "The Wild Wonders" in ''[[Valiant (comic)|Valiant]]'' (fl 1970s) are two boys lost on a [[Scotland|Scottish]] island and raised in a normal environment, developing their own language. Returned to human civilization at about a decade old, they become superb athletes and enjoy many comic adventures.
In "[[Fishboy]]", written by [[Scott Goodall]] (uncredited), (1968 - 1975 in ''[[Buster (comic)|Buster]]''), the hero of the title was abandoned on a remote island as a baby, implausibly learned how to breathe underwater and to communicate with aquatic fauna, and grew webbed fingers and toes.
Goodall also created "[[Kid Chameleon (comic strip)|Kid Chameleon]]" (1970-1972) in ''[[Cor!!]]''). Raised by reptiles in the [[Kalahari Desert]] after the murder of his parents, Kid Chameleon wears a suit of lizard scales that can change colour to camouflage him like his namesake the [[chameleon]] (actually his camouflage is much better, because the artist simply lets the background colours show through his outline, making him almost invisible). In keeping with the heroism of such children, both Fishboy and Kid Chameleon spend most of their time using their special abilities to help humans in trouble and defeat stereotypical villains.
The protagonist of the 1977-78 American television series ''[[Lucan (TV series)|Lucan]]'' was a young man who had been raised by wolves in Northern Minnesota and then captured/rescued by a research institute which spent ten years acclimatising him to civilised society.
The story of the 1994 [[video game]] [[Final Fantasy VI]] includes a character named [[Gau (Final Fantasy VI)|Gau]], a 14-year-old boy who lives wild on a fictional [[savanna]] called the ''Veldt'' (or ''Wild West'' in Japan). Abandoned shortly after birth, Gau raises himself among the fauna of the plain, learning how to fight in the exact style of many different monsters. At the age of 14 he encounters travelers [[Sabin Rene Figaro]] and [[Cyan Garamonde]], and chooses to travel with them after they feed him some dried meat. Gau is capable of rudimentary human language, but has no social skills. Gau is later taught elementary manners to prepare him for reintroduction to his father who abandoned him, only to find that the man has been completely [[insanity|insane]] since Gau was born.
The theme of young adolescent runaways seeking shelter with wild animals and learning their ways is seen in novels such as the [[Newbery Medal]]-winning novel ''[[Julie of the Wolves]]'' by [[Jean Craighead George]].
[[Jane Yolen]]'s ''Passager'' (1996), the first of the ''Young Merlin'' trilogy of short novels, depicts a slightly more realistic view of such childhood. Abandoned in a [[Wales|Welsh]] forest at the age of seven years, the boy who will become [[Merlin (wizard)|Merlin]] lives in the forest for a year nearly as well as its natives, until a [[falconry|falconer]] who is used to domesticating normal animals captures him and begins the long and difficult task of educating him in human behaviour.
More recently, the title character of [[Miyazaki Hayao]]'s 1997 [[anime]] film ''[[Princess Mononoke]]'' (San) was raised by a wolf god. San is drawn into a deadly conflict between the forest gods and the humans whose presence seems to threaten them.
The [[France|French]] [[comic book]] ([[w:fr:Bande dessinée|bande dessinée]]) ''[[Pyrénée]]'' (1998), by [[Regis Loisel]] and [[Philippe Sternis]], features a girl who is raised by a bear and taught wisdom by a blind old eagle in the French [[Pyrenees]], the bear having named her after the mountains. This story has won critical acclaim and has been translated into German and Dutch, but has also drawn some criticism because the girl is naked - a factor which might prevent the comic from appearing in English translation, especially in [[United States|America]]. The comic has also spawned a limited-edition resin statuette of Pyrénée and the bear, <ref>[http://www.a-bd.com/en/shop/product.php?product_id=5759 Pyrenee - Resin Statues / Démons & Merveilles [a-bd.com]<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> as well as inspiring some fan art.<ref>[http://www.p-synd.com/wild/pyreneefanart.htm Pyrénée Fan Art<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
Another comic that features a little girl and a bear, [[Little Dee]], is a webcomic where a prevocal human who was lost in a forest is adopted by a bear, dog and vulture. Though some inadvertent similarities exist to ''Pyrénée'', the strip is pure fantasy (with the characters living in a cave and occasionally flying planes or cooking or similar) and focuses more on the natives and their issues of handling a human, though occasionally it reflects on the pathos of the situation.<ref>[http://www.littledee.net/archive/20050718.html Little Dee by Chris Baldwin<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
In [[Karen Hesse]]'s ''[[The Music of Dolphins]]'', a young girl called Mila is found after having been raised by dolphins for over a decade. In the book, Mila is taken to a clinic with other undomesticated human young, none of whom adapt to main-stream humanity as easily as she does. At the end of the book, Mila returns to the dolphin pod, showing her rejection of human society.
In the series starting with ''[[Through Wolf’s Eyes]]'' by author [[Jane Lindskold]], a young girl's family and colony are killed by a fire, and she is the only survivor. She is then taken in by the "Royal Wolves" who speak their own language with gestures and signals. Because Firekeeper had already learned a human language before going to live with the wolves, she was able to return to human society and became a valuable asset to the royalty, but she found that humans were not as noble as the wolves she loved as family. It is her greatest wish to become a wolf herself and leave the humans behind again.
In the [[Marvel Comics]] universe, a Tarzan-inspired character Lord Kevin Reginald Plunder, called [[Ka-Zar]] created by the comic team of [[Stan Lee]] and [[Jack Kirby]], is raised in the [[Savage Land]], a vast tropical jungle hidden from the world in the depths of Antarctica. He goes on to have many adventures, including features in the popular [[X-Men]] series.
In the [[Byron Kennedy|Kennedy]]-[[George Miller (producer)|Miller]] film ''[[Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior]]'', a character called the "[[Feral Kid]]" lives in the wasteland near the refinery settlement. He flips, growls when displeased and has a fascination for the Gyro Captain's [[autogyro]]. The Feral Kid wears shorts and boots made from hide, hunts and defends himself using a lethal metal [[boomerang]]. He has access to the refinery compound via the chicken tunnel. Whether he acts as "[[shepherd]]" to the chickens while they are outside the settlement walls is not known. The Kid is befriended by [[Max Rockatansky|Max]] who gives him a tiny [[musical box]]. After helping Max deal with the bandits he escapes with the refinery occupants and eventually becomes the "Leader of the Great Northern Tribe".
[[The Monarch]] from the [[Cartoon Network]] [[Adult Swim]] show, ''[[The Venture Bros.]]'', was raised by monarch butterflies in his youth. He wears a monarch butterfly costume with a crown, showing his "royal" status.
The [[Quality Comics]] hero [[Black Condor]], was a boy raised in Mongolia by highly intelligent condors, gains the improbable power of flight and later becomes a superhero.
The [[Hexagon Comics]] hero [[Zembla (character)|Zembla]] was a boy raised by lions.
In [[Robert A. Heinlein]]'s novel ''[[Stranger in a Strange Land]]'', Valentine Michael Smith is a human raised by [[Martian]]s on [[Mars (planet)|Mars]], as he returns to Earth in early adulthood. The novel explores his interaction with — and eventual transformation of — human culture.
In the second episode of the original ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek]]'', "[[Charlie X]]", the ''[[Starship Enterprise|Enterprise]]'' takes aboard the title character, a 17-year-old boy named Charlie, the sole survivor of a crash on a remote planet which occurred in his infancy. He claims to have survived and learned language via the ship's computer records, but in actuality was taken in by an advanced alien race, the [[Thasians]]. They taught Charlie to develop powerful [[psionics|psychic abilities]] to survive their hostile planet, and eventually take him back despite his and Kirk's pleas when the consequences of his powers and his emotional difficulties dealing with other human beings proves tragic.
In the ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' episode "[[Time's Orphan (DS9 episode)|Time's Orphan]]", the O'Briens went on a picnic to Golana IV, where Molly accidentally fell into an abandoned time portal and emerged as an 18-year-old (played by [[Michelle Krusiec]]). From her point of view, she had experienced approximately ten years of solitary existence. Back at Deep Space Nine, she was wild and uncontrollable, unable to cope with life on the space station; after a violent altercation in [[Quark (Star Trek)|Quark]]'s, Starfleet officials intended to place her in a mental health institution. The O'Briens returned to Golana IV, hoping to send Molly back through the time portal to the place and time she had become accustomed to, preferring her happiness over a possible lifetime of confinement. However, she was returned to the point where she had first entered, allowing the adult Molly to help her child counterpart return home, erasing the adult Molly in the process.
In [[Boris and Arkady Strugatsky]]'s novel ''[[The Little One]]'' (also known as ''[[Space Mowgly]]''), a human from [[Earth (Noon Universe)|Earth]], [[Minor personalities of the Noon Universe#Semyonov, Piere|Piere Semyonov]], has been raised by an [[Ark Megaforms|alien non-humanoid civilization]] after his parents' spaceship crashed onto an uncharted planet. After his discovery by the Terran scientists, several attempts to integrate him back to [[humans (Noon Universe)|human]] society were undertaken, but all were in vain.
[[Ursula K. Le Guin]]'s [[Hugo Award for Best Short Story|Hugo-winning short story]] "[[The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas]]" tells of the title community, a beautiful, happy and prosperous city that nevertheless exists only as long as, somewhere within, a child is kept in conditions of appalling physical and psychological neglect.
In the ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]'' Universe, Lion El Jonson, the Primarch of the Dark Angels Space Marine Legion, was abandoned in the dark jungles of Caliban for much of his early life. He could only roar and scream in rage and frustration and it was at adolescence where he had his first human contact. He became rather civilised after being found by the Paladins of Caliban, but still possessed a terrible inner rage and many other traits he had acquired while within the jungles.
The persona of [[Buckethead]], a composer and guitarist, was supposedly raised by chickens.
''[[Walk Like a Man (film)|Walk Like a Man]]'' is a 1987 comedy film starring [[Howie Mandel]] about a man who was raised by wild dogs.
''[[Nell]]'' is a drama film giving an account of a young woman who is not a wild or feral child but is raised by her paralyzed mother in an isolated cabin who has to face other human beings for the first time.
''[[World War Z]]'' by Max Brooks contain many references to feral children - in this case, children who were separated from normal humanity for the duration of the zombie war, and were forced to live in the wild, contending not just with the problems of survival but also the hazard posed by the walking dead. The novel suggests they formed a kind of rudimentary social or "pack" structure with basic tool-using abilities, and in most cases were capable of being slowly rehabilitated.
In the ''[[DuckTales]]'' episode "[[Jungle Duck]]", [[Bentina Beakley|Mrs. Beakley]] is reunited with a feral duck whom she nannied at a young age.
<!-- Commented out because image was deleted: [[Image:Arietta pic3.jpg|thumb|right|125px|Arietta the Wild]] -->
The most recent example is probably [[List of characters in Tales of the Abyss#Arietta|Arietta The Wild]] from the game [[Tales of the Abyss|Tales of The Abyss]]. She is born and raised by monsters from childhood before being found and taught human languages by Van and Ion. Her past allows her to control monsters to aid her in battle. In Japanese version of the game, she is shown having an irregular speech pattern; a proof of her feral upbringing.
[[Cassandra Cain]], the third [[Batgirl]], was raised by her father [[David Cain]] to be the perfect assassin, taught to read [[body language]] instead of learning human speech. Her level of language skills varies from author to author. She has been depicted as mute, having partial language skills, having a learning disability similar to [[dyslexia]] and having bilingual control of [[English language|English]] and [[Navajo language|Navajo]].
In [[Jumanji (film)| Jumanji]], a character is lost in an alternate realm for 26 years due to the consequences of the eponymous board game. After escaping, he seems relatively normal, if a little bit eccentric and paranoid.
In [[Ibn Tufail|Ibn Tufail's]] [[Hayy Ibn Yaqzan]] (Literally, "Son of Awake"), the eponymous main character is born out of mud on a desert island and raised by a [[deer|doe]], which later dies. Grief-stricken, Hayy goes on a philosophical quest to determine the nature of the [[soul]] and [[God]]. Hayy is later discovered by a traveler, taught to speak, and brought back to civilization, which he condemns as disingenuous .
==See also==
* [[Feral child]]
* [[Infant exposure]]
* [[Mowgli Syndrome]]
* [[Psychogenic dwarfism]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==Further reading==
* ''Mother was A Lovely Beast'' (subtitled 'A Feral Man Anthology Fiction and Fact About Humans Raised By Animals') edited by [[Philip José Farmer]] (1974)
* ''Biography of Geoff Bass - A Life History''
==External links==
* [http://www.feralchildren.com FeralChildren.com, a website about real and fictional feral children]
[[Category:Feral children]]
[[Category:Fictional characters by nature]]
[[Category:Lists of fictional children]]