Through the ages, the wolf has been depicted as everything from worshipped benefactor and spirit totem to hated devil and enemy of man.... Wolves once had the greatest natural range of any living mammal except man. Due to unregulated hunting, commercial exploitation and habitat destruction, they became extinct over much of their former range. This page and its contents are dedicated to the men and women who work so tirelessly to preserve the integrity, the spirit and the ever diminishing homelands of the wolf.
Walk through history as these stories, poems and art from around the world bring you the myths, legends, and lore of the Spirit of the Wolf.
Romulus and Remus:
One of the earliest and best known legends involving wolves is the story of Romulus and Remus, twin sons of a Vestal Virgin who were banished to the wilderness and, before their rescue, were raised by wolves. The most popular version was written in A.D. 70 by Plutarch. The story however, originated around the fourth century B.C. and details how the twins went on to become the legendary founders of ancient Rome.
Wolf Myths of the Middle Ages:
During the middle ages, wolves were ascribed magical powers and wolf parts became an important part of many early pharmacies. Powdered wolf liver was used to ease birth pains. A wolf's right paw, tied around ones throat, was believed to ease the swelling caused by throat infections.
It was widely believed that a horse that stepped in a wolf print would be crippled
The gaze of a wolf was once thought to cause blindness
Others believed that the breath of the wolf could cook meat.
Naturalists of the day believed wolves sharpened their teeth before hunting
Dead wolves were buried at a village entrance to keep out other wolves (a bizarre belief echoed today by farmers who continue to shoot predators and hang them on fence posts to repel other predators.)
Travelers were warned about perils of walking through lonely stretches of woods, and stone shelters were built to protect them from attacks. Our modern word "loophole" is derived from the European term "loup hole," or wolf hole, a spy hole in shelters through which travelers could watch for wolves.
Wolves in Greek Mythology and Culture:
In Greek mythology, Charon, the ferryman, wore wolf ears.
In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the goddess Ishtar had the power to turn enemies into wolves.
Hecate, the goddess of Death, was shown as wearing three wolf heads.
In another Greek myth, a king named Lycaon was turned into a wolf by the god Zeus. (The name Lycaon survives today, in the gray wolf subspecies Canis Lupius Lycoan , the eastern timber wolf.)
The Athenians had great respect for the wolf and decreed that any man who killed one had to pay for the funeral for the animal.
Wolves in Norse Mythology:
In Norse mythology, the god Odin keeps two huge wolves (Geri and Freki) at his side that accompany him into battle, along with two ravens which tare at the corpses of the dead.
There is also the legendary Fenrir (or Fenris), a gigantic and terrible monster in the shape of a wolf. He is the eldest child of Loki and the giantess Angrboda. The gods learned of a prophecy which stated that the wolf and his family would one day be responsible for the destruction of the world. They caught the wolf and locked him in a cage. Only the god of war, Tyr, dared to feed and take care of the wolf.
When he was still a pup they had nothing to fear, but when the gods saw one day how he had grown, they decided to render him harmless. However, none of the gods had enough courage to face the gigantic wolf. Instead, they tried to trick him. They said the wolf was weak and could never break free when he was chained. Fenrir accepted the challenge and let the gods chain him. Unfortunately, he was so immensely strong that he managed to break the strongest fetters as if they were cobwebs.
After that, the gods saw only one alternative left: a magic chain. They ordered the dwarves to make something so strong that it could hold the wolf. The result was a soft, thin ribbon: Gleipnir. It was incredibly strong, despite what its size and appearance might suggest. The ribbon was fashioned of six strange elements: the footstep of a cat; the roots of a mountain; a woman's beard; the breath of fishes; the sinews of a bear; and a bird's spittle.
The gods tried to trick the wolf again, only this time Fenrir was less eager to show his strength. He saw how thin the chain was, and said that was no pride in breaking such a weak chain. Eventually, though, he agreed, thinking that otherwise his strength and courage would be doubted. Suspecting treachery however, he in turn asked the gods for a token of good will: one of them had to put a hand between his jaws. The gods were not overly eager to do this, knowing what they could expect. Finally, only Tyr agreed, and the gods chained the wolf with Gleipnir. No matter how hard Fenrir struggled, he could not break free from this thin ribbon. In revenge, he bit off Tyr's hand.
Being very pleased with themselves, the gods carried Fenrir off and chained him to a rock (called Gioll) a mile down into the earth. They put a sword between his jaws to prevent him from biting.
It is said that the earthquake that begins Ragnarok (the Norse equivalent of the Apolcalypse) will shatter the invincible chain that binds Fenrir, at which time he will swallow the sun, beginning the three years of winter and then will join the giants in their fight against the gods. He will seek out Odin and devour him. Vidar, Odin's son, will avenge his father by killing the wolf.
Of Turks and Wolves:
Central and West Asian people who belong to Turkish speaking tribes believe that the culture's founders were mothered by a wolf. In Turkey there is an extreme nationalist group that call themselves the Grey Wolves. Genghis Khan also believed himself to have been mothered by a wolf. The fact that these war-like nomadic peoples revered the wolf so much shows the reverence they had for the wolves endurance, group cohesion and skill in hunting.
