Wolf
The wolf denotes unsentimental predatory instinct, by turns nurse of founders and devourer at the door, and carries the projection of one's animal shadow.
Our paraphrase of what the sources say it carries.
At a glance
- Type
- Image
- Group
- Animal World / Wild Animals
- Borne by
- 10 figures (9 are this, 1 carries it)
- Traditions
- Norse mythology (3)French folklore (2)American folklore (1)Bavarian folklore (1) and 3 more
Figures that bear it
A model judged each figure against its own description, one term at a time. Is: the figure is a kind of this thing. Bears: it carries the thing or is marked by it. What a figure does is filed under motifs and powers. Open "why" for the sentence the judgement rests on.
- Alphyn is European folklore (general)
why
From European heraldry, Alphyn is a wolf-like creature with a knotted tail.
- Amarok is Inuit mythology
why
In Inuit mythology, Amarok is a gigantic wolf with fur like shards of ice.
- Asena is Turkic mythology
why
From Turkic myths, Asena is a blue she-wolf.
- Beast of Gévaudan is French folklore
why
From French history and folklore, the Beast of Gévaudan is a wolf-like creature.
- Fenrir is Norse mythology
why
In Norse mythology, Fenrir is a monstrous wolf.
- Loup-Garou is French folklore
why
The loup-garou is the werewolf of French folklore, a living person who walks by night in the shape of a wolf — whether by curse, pact, or neglected religious duty — whose legend travelled with French settlers to Québec and Louisiana.
- Rougarou is American folklore
why
Accounts describe it variously as a man cursed to become a wolf-like beast, a person who transforms voluntarily through sorcery, or the victim of a curse passed from one sufferer to another, and its name is spelled and pronounced many ways across the region, including Rugaru and Roux-Ga-Roux, reflecting the oral, French-derived nature of the tradition.
- Sköll is Norse mythology
why
From Norse mythology, Sköll is a monstrous wolf chasing the sun across the sky, destined to devour it come Ragnarok.
- Vargr is Norse mythology
why
Originating from Norse mythology, the Warg is depicted as a monstrous wolf, often associated with chaos and destruction.
- Wolpertinger bears Bavarian folklore
why
Typically described as having the body of a rabbit, the antlers of a deer, the wings of a pheasant, and occasionally the fangs of a wolf, the Wolpertinger represents a harmonious yet bizarre fusion of nature's diverse creations.