Carrion

The Carrion is a monster in Silent Hill: Origins. The Carrion is the second creature that Travis Grady first encounters in Silent Hill's Cedar Grove Sanitarium, then in the streets from that point onward.

Appearance
It resembles a skinned cow that is kneeling on its front legs. It generally is a dark red/fleshy color and its tongue hangs out of its mouth. It moves in a cumbersome fashion, slowly pushing with its shaky "back legs", which almost appear to be made of wood, to get around, while its head and front legs drag. It makes noises that resemble a sick animal. A bigger version of the Carrion arrives once Artaud Theater is passed, towering over the smaller ones and now taking on a much more tan/dirty olive coloration, and is also much more vocal than its smaller counterpart. The bigger version also roams the streets of Nowhere.

Character
The Carrion are unpredictable and boast an amazing attack range. Their method of attack consists of a leaping body slam, which can inflict serious damage, rendering those who are not cautious with their health dead.



Engaging a Carrion with a short-range weapon is very risky (save for the Moon Gauntlets), so firearms are the most suitable choice of weapon; however, the Carrion's leap can cover many feet in distance, which, combined with a surprising ability to quickly turn on the spot, makes the Carrion lethal in packs and best avoided altogether as to not waste ammunition and health. Should an attack with a melee weapon be unavoidable, then stealth is required to land an attack from the creature's side or back, followed up by dodging to avoid the Carrion's quick retaliation.

The larger Carrion lack the leaping attack of their smaller brethren, instead raising themselves on their hind legs and slamming their bulk to the ground, inflicting huge damage if it succeeds in coming into contact with Travis. They are generally less dangerous than the small incarnations because they move slower, allowing more time to gun them down or just go past them, something that saves a large amount of ammunition.

Symbolism
Carrion could very well represent the fate of Travis's mother, Helen Grady, hinted at by a flashback in Cedar Grove Sanitarium that prompts her husband to cry out, "Oh, Helen, you really are dead!" Although he meant death of her true self, death and carrion are directly associable, and the Carrion's very unpredictable nature towards Travis is also reminiscent of Helen's sporadic lashings towards her son. The craniums of Carrion also seem to be "dead" as they never move with their upper half, and Helen's own brain and sanity was entirely altered by the idea of a "mirror world". The possibility of Carrion representing Travis's mother also grows when it is considered that they are first encountered in the sanitarium.

Carrion may exhibit dual symbolism for both parts of Travis's psyche and horrible things Travis has seen. On one side, they may represent Travis's guilt for running over animals while driving his truck. His sympathy for wildlife is further supported by a passing remark on taxidermized deer mounts in the Riverside Motel reception area making him "feel bad". On the other side, they could represent a connection to the Butcher: cows to slaughter. Note that cows kneel when lying down or when in a weakened state, which may allude to Travis harming the weak and defenseless. It is possible that the appearance of a "broken neck" could have connections to the fate of Richard Grady, or by its namesake "Carrion", which means "rotting flesh".



Silent Hill: Origins
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