Once In a Blue Moon

In olden times, there was a legend about men that shifted into wolves. Or was it wolves that turned into men? No one knew for sure, but for a village to have one of these beasts in its possession meant that village had power. They were hard to control, but having one within the village boundaries was enough to deter attackers and would-be conquerors.

Naturally, each tribe sought to capture one for its own benefit. It led to actual confrontations and bloody battles with dubious victors, as the beasts were wild and fickle.

Eventually, someone thought of the possibility of breeding the beasts to make the subsequent generations docile and obedient. However, it was impossible to capture the opposite sex for such purposes. Because of this, an old wives' tale was born and perpetuated:

"A virgin maiden offering shall bring forth obedience from the beast."