Commonly called as the "Wild Child", the feral child is basically a human kid who, at a very young age (the primal point of basic human development), has no or little experience of basic human affect. Though the word "affect" suggests a very broad subject, specifications include language, rearing, care, behavior, love, interaction.
When I had initially thought of writing an entry regarding this subject (while watching Tarzan on Disney), I had almost believed that this phenomenon is but a work of fiction, a myth. Tarzan, for example, tops the list being born human and raised by fictionally-over-the-bar-intelligent Mangani apes. Okay, so I haven't really read the books and so far I've only seen one adaptation (Tarzan X, of course, does not count) but I guess it doesn't take a genius to point out the very fact that a human raised by innately wild creatures is virtually impossible. Aside from technically going against
Freud's psycho-sexual stages of human development, the whole issue basically rules out various human development theories! I mean, imagine being raised by a pride of lions, would they rather treat you as their own or treat you like
bacon pancakes for breakfast? Surprisingly, a few would, in fact, deem the existence of feral children true.
This entry does not debate the existence (or otherwise) of feral kids.
This site lists down the top 10 modern cases of the issue. Read at your own risk though. However, as a result of my unprecedented curiosity over the matter, I have listed my own bunch of feral kids, most of which are picked out from famous literature and films. Although some does not strictly embody the very definition of a feral child, these kids are generally not raised (or suckled) in parentage by their own species, genus, world, realm, etc...
Tarzan would, of course, top the list. Literally the Apeman of the Mangani's, this tree swinging hottie has been the main man of the feral kids. Because being raised by British scientist parents was too mainstream, he decided to breast feed from an ape. But in all seriousness, Tarzan has been the very epitome of feral, a human boy walking in all fours, unable to commune in basic human language. Although a lifetime mate is pretty much difficult to search for in the jungle, this kid might've probably been better off in the wild, where it's devoid from the complications of human emotions and survival only relies on how loud you growl and how fast you kill.
Mowgli, a predecessor of Tarzan, his was a story set in the jungles of India. Whereas Tarzan was raised by great apes, this kid Mowgli has been raised by a pack of wolves! Holy Mother of Gandalf!!! My mother's like a wolf when she's cross and it's not a sight worth creating a cartoon for! Though the film has been made to look like a fable, the very fact that this kid made it through his quarter-life eating mangoes and bananas,
singing and dancing with bears and panthers and practically battling the various shenanigans of other creatures who target him as prey is quite impressive.
Romulus and Remus the mythologically-believed founders of Rome. Though these kids weren't reared by animals, they were initially suckling to one. Turns out Kipling (author of the Jungle Book) was a big mythology fan because of the very fact that the above twins were also nursed by a wolf. Now these two kids had me thinking, if suckling on animal milk suggests feral-ity, would that make all of us feral kids, drinking cow's/goat's milk and all?
Max, Where the Wild Things Are is the feral child of parental estrangement and boundless imagination. This kid had a world deemed perfect exclusively for play. Where the Wild Things Are showcased practically what is inside every kid's head amidst family issues and unrequited attention. Creatures of mere imagination as bestfriends in a world where parental control is the least of everyone's problems. Though Max here is essentially not raised by animal or another genus, he is deemed a feral kid due to the very fact that he was fictionally not raised by humans at all. Sounds very eccentric really but a few sources also suggest that feral kids can also mean kids who refuse (human/inter-genera) parentage and as a result, runs away.
Peter Pan is also an example of a feral "runaway" child, having ran (technically, roll) away from his mother to be raised by a three-inch fairy who would eventually fall head-over-heels inlove with him. Peter Pan is a child of the Elixir, a kid who refuses to grow up/old and rather than being raised in a family, prefers to be raised as a radical/outlaw to an utterly gator-fearing-immature geezer, Captain Hook.
Aurora, Sleeping Beauty can also be counted as a feral kid having been raised by three middle-aged fairies.
San from Studio Ghibli's
Princess Mononoke is also deemed a feral child having been raised by a supernaturally powerful wolf goddess, Moro. As previously mentioned on my
previous article, I have long been a fan of Studio Ghibli and this film is not excluded in the studio's long line of award-winning animations.
Hellboy the horn-castrated (literally) son of the devil is a very obvious feral kid but unlike most where a human kid is raised in parentage by another creature, Hellboy's situation goes the other way around having been raised by a scientist well-versed on the supernatural arts. This guy actually took his "feral-ity" to a whole new level by literally saving mankind from the fires of doom and hell. Ironic.
Penguin from the Batman franchise. I don't know whether he's a mutant, a feral kid or just high on krill but this guy has perhaps the highest fashion sense in the feral kid circle. What, with the tux and leather shoes, Penguin is one lucky (more like stinky!) feral kid!
... and lastly...
Clark Kent (Superman) the ultimate feral child in feral children history. This guy is literally an alien royalty thrown from his planet at a very young age, raised as a boy who can lift farm tractors and pulverize bullies, literally, with one stare. Superman is one feral kid you wouldn't want to mess with. Yup, because being raised by apes, wolves, fairies and bogus friends is too mainstream!
So, you be the judge, feral kids, are they a fact, fiction or should we, literally, just let them be themselves?
I just have to share this...
While initially drafting my list of feral kids, I asked my boyfriend who else could be included as feral kids in popular fiction. He actually contributed Hellboy and then Pinocchio (which doesn't count obviously because HE'S NOT A REAL BOY!!!) and then, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, which actually made sense.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles though generally considered as mutants are also, in fact, feral kids. I mean, mutants or not, how FERAL can four Turtles raised by a Japanese Rat get???
