Haggon's Abominations

Haggon's Abominations are the three cardinal prohibitions that the hunter and skinchanger Haggon instilled in his apprentice Varamyr Sixskins, defining the ethical limits of the warg's power. The rules are: to eat of human flesh is abomination, to mate as wolf with wolf is abomination, and to seize the body of another man is the worst abomination of all. These taboos form a moral framework that distinguishes legitimate use of the skinchanger's gift from monstrous transgression, and they haunt Varamyr throughout his life and death, shaping his choices, his guilt, and his final, failed attempt to cheat death by violating the most sacred of them.

The Three Prohibitions

Haggon's code rests on three distinct but interconnected prohibitions. The first forbids cannibalism: "Men may eat the flesh of beasts and beasts the flesh of men, but the man who eats the flesh of man is an abomination." This rule draws a clear line between the human and the animal, insisting that even a skinchanger who inhabits a wolf's body must retain a human's dietary boundaries. The second prohibition forbids mating while in animal form: "to mate as wolf with wolf was abomination." This rule preserves the integrity of human identity and relationships, preventing the warg from fully surrendering to animal instincts. The third and most severe taboo forbids the possession of another human being's body: "to seize the body of another man was the worst abomination of all." This rule protects the autonomy and personhood of other humans, marking the ultimate boundary of the skinchanger's power.

Haggon's Authority and Varamyr's Rebellion

Haggon was a hunter and skinchanger who took the young Varamyr as his apprentice, teaching him the ways of the warg and the secrets of the skinchanger. He was a stern teacher, and his word "abomination" became a constant refrain in Varamyr's memory. Varamyr, however, was more powerful than his master and ultimately rebelled against his authority. He took Haggon's wolf, Greyskin, from him, driving the old hunter out and claiming the beast for his own. Haggon died weeping, and Varamyr devoured his heart himself. "He taught me much and more, and the last thing I learned from him was the taste of human flesh." This act of violent usurpation and cannibalism represents a deliberate rejection of Haggon's entire moral system, yet the old man's words continue to haunt Varamyr long after his death.

The Haunting of the Taboos

Throughout his life, Varamyr is tormented by Haggon's prohibitions. Even as he commits acts that violate them, he cannot escape the sense of guilt and transgression. When he considers taking the body of the spearwife Thistle to escape his own dying flesh, he is paralyzed by the memory of Haggon's voice: "Haggon would call it an abomination, the blackest sin of all, but Haggon was dead, devoured, and burned." He rationalizes that no one will ever know, but the hesitation costs him his chance. The taboos are not merely external rules but have been internalized as a conscience that he cannot silence, even when survival itself is at stake.

The Final Transgression and Its Consequences

In his dying moments, Varamyr makes a desperate attempt to seize Thistle's body, violating the most sacred of Haggon's abominations. The attempt fails catastrophically. Thistle's spirit fights him, and in the struggle, she bites off her own tongue and claws out her eyes, leaving her a mad, blind thing. Varamyr's spirit is expelled and he experiences a brief, ecstatic dissolution into the natural world before being drawn into his wolf, One Eye, for a second life. The transgression does not save him; it destroys the vessel he tried to steal and condemns him to a diminished existence as a beast, his human memory fading day by day. The narrative thus affirms the power of the taboos even as it shows their violation: the abomination is not punished by an external force but by its own inherent impossibility, the violent resistance of the stolen body and the spiritual dissolution of the transgressor.

Thematic Significance

Haggon's Abominations establish a moral economy of power in the world of the skinchangers. They define the limits of what it means to be human when one can inhabit the bodies of beasts and even other men. The rules protect the boundary between self and other, between human and animal, and between life and death. Varamyr's story serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked power and the inescapable weight of ethical law, even for those who believe they have transcended it. The taboos also resonate with broader themes in the narrative, such as the sacredness of guest right, the horror of cannibalism, and the violation of bodily autonomy, all of which are explored through other characters and events in the series.