Classical mythology is filled with monsters slayed by heroes. Monsters being imprisoned, tortured, hunted, and generally mistreated without remorse. Some of these monsters were mankillers, but would you blame them? They were not given options other than fight or die.
Some monsters tried to avoid humanity: they lived deep in the sea, deep in the jungle, or deep within the earth but the heroes pursued them even into the heart of darkness. While these creatures were portrayed as enemies to humanity, they may be the protectors of our heart, protectors of Gaia. Stories of monsters kept us out of the wild places and let them be wild. When we killed the monsters, we entered those dark places and destroyed them.
When these stories are viewed in comparison to the treatment of monsters is not unlike the treatment of indigenous populations that encountered the horrors of colonization. When studying indigenous cultures: the errors of colonization, modernization, and technology in respect to the natural balance needed to sustain our environment. By studying monsters, can we also learn the how to regain that balance, if not in nature, at least in our hearts?
GallaMarrs 