Lykos and the Lie

Lykos and the Lie is an allegory with sheep, shepherds, wolves, and mysterious weather. It's an allegory that explores hope, trust, life, death, evil, hate, and the life beyond. It's an allegory that is strangely interesting, oftentimes engrossing, and always beautiful. But what is an allegory? An allegory is basically a big, long metaphor. And a metaphor is a magical connection between two completely different things. Metaphors show you something you couldn't see before or make something normal look entirely new. It's just a big "thought experiment." What if sheep had complex human-like relationships? What if wolves were the bodily forms of evil? What if the clouds were the reflection of someone's emotions? What if sheep could teach you how to live? Can sheep teach? It seems impossible, but that is what allegories do. Allegories are impossible. Allegories are implausible—but at the same time, many people feel like they're real. We talk about elves like they're our friends; we discuss fantasy worlds like they were a stop on our last vacation. What's going on? Revelation. The best fiction makes the world seem more real. It reveals things that were right in front of readers' faces. So what's it really all about? The shepherd. The shepherd is faithful unto the end. And the shepherd protects the sheep he loves. And the shepherd deals rightly with those who attempt to destroy all that is good. That's what it's about.