Jazmina Cininas | Rima knows the curse of being born on Christmas Eve (2006). Reduction linocut with woodblock. 70 x 56cm | Courtesy the artist and Australian Galleries, Melbourne.
The winter solstice (and later Christmas Eve) was a popular time for werewolf births in archaic legends. As a fellow Lithuanian-Australian, my sister-in-law Rima has always known what it is to be a hybrid, to sit between two cultures. She has also known the curse of those born at Christmas time, robbed of their unique celebrations (and gifts).
The footprints in the snow belong to Lapsis, an escapee wolf from the Kaunas zoo, shot dead in the neighbouring oak park the first night my husband and I arrived in Lithuania for our honeymoon in 2000. Archaic legends tell of people transforming into wolves after drinking the water that settles in a paw print.
Pine trees also feature as supernatural portals in werewolf lore from the Baltic region. The Werewolf Pines (Vilkaču Priede), for example, are ancient trees with exposed roots that can be found in Skaņaiskalns National Park in Latvia.
