Wolves

Wolves in nature

For the longest time most men thought that wolves are vicious, man-killing animals. Research has shown that none of this is true. Wolves normally are very shy animals. They will move out of the way before attacking a human.

In fact, one of the interesting things about wolves is that they are avoiding culture. As soon as some form of human culture (habitat etc) comes close to their territory, they will evacuate that area and move to a place where no humans are.

Myth

One of the greatest myths about wolves is that they eat people. But since there is no documented history on this, this can not be taken as a fact. Of course, wolves are wild animals. But the chance of a wolf attacking a human is extremely small. A sick wolf, or one that is pushed into a spot from where it can't escape unless it attacks, a wolf like that can indeed attack a human. But usually a wolf will make sure it won't get into a similar situation.

Wolf-packs are highly socialised and organised communities, very similar to our own ways of life. Intelligent animals that they are, they are very often portrayed in a completely opposite image of their real self.
Especially the fairy-tales of old, by Hans Christian Andersen and others, depicting the wolf as a mean creature, and also the tales about werewolves have helped creating this wrong myth.

A wolf on guard

Extinction

Through the years, mankind has successfully hunted down wolves, and made the species get close to extinction. In Europe over 6 different kinds of wolves have lived, and in the northern US there are signs of over 20 subspecies of wolves. Most of these are now from information in museums, sadly enough...
In the US the Red Wolf is almost extinct. It is the smallest of wolves, weighing between 15 to 30 kilograms (30 to 65 lbs.). In Europe, among others, the Japanese Wolf (Canis Lupus Hodophilax) has disappeared since 1920. The same fate seems to be on the horizon for the Indian Wolf (Canis Lupus Pallipes).

As an example, in old Roman writings there are accounts of how numerous wolves were as the Romans invaded Britain.
In the Middle Ages, wolves were a serious threat to the herds of sheep that they could easily find. Many shepherds in those days more than once had to risk their own life in order to keep their herd complete.
Aha, I may hear you say. So wolves did attack people!! Yes, they might well have attacked shepherds in that time. After all, the wolf is a wild animal. It will sometimes have to go through some negative action towards humans when the prey, that the wolf is after, is guarded.

Well known wolves

The most wellknown wolves these days are the north american Timber wolves, also known as Grey wolves. These wolves are generally grey in color, but they can have a mixture of grey, brown, black and white hairs. Belly and throat often are light, almost white. These wolves also were common in Europe, where they were usually almost completely black.
Polar wolves appear to be entirely white, but also in their fur there are always some darker hairs.

Size and speed

The size of the wolf is something that creates most confusion. Because they have a very thick furry coat, they seem much larger than they are. The average wolf is about as large as a good german shepherd dog.

Wolves can run quite fast, upto 45 kilometers (30 miles) per hour. They can't do that too long though. But in a steady pace of 8km (5.5 miles) per hour they can go traveling on for hours without stopping for a rest.

Wolfpack in the snow

Wolves as familiars

"Familiars?", you may ask.
Familiars are animals that you can connect to in a spiritual way. You should not think of this as connecting to a specific animal, but connecting to the power and abilities of the entire species.
People sometimes have Cat as their familiar, and keep a real cat near them because it makes the bond even stronger.
In this case, the species is called Wolf. You will understand that physically keeping a wolf around you is a not very good thing to do. A wolf is a wild spirit, that should never be confined to a cage or a home.
When you can keep your spirit in a similar fashion as the nature of Wolf, you are someone that is very much free from the limits and ways of modern society.
Wolves are wild and need to stay that way.

Wolf power, as the power of any familiar is linked to spirits, Gods, deities. The ones connected to Wolf are Merlin, Romulus, Remus, Brighid, the Morrigan, Fenri, Loki, Odin, Zeus, Diana, Hecate and Cerridwen, to name a few. As you may (or may not) know, there are some pretty powerful names in this short list. This already signifies that Wolf is a strong power to work with. Not everyone will be ready to handle this energy.

Wolf also stands for the element Earth. Earth stands for sustaining. It supports everything living. EWarth gives the energy to keep going. You can use that power too, when Wolf is with you. It helps you go on when you think there is no more energy. Just reach out and tap into the source.

In the old days, many kings and warriors would use "wolf" in their name, because the wolf stood for power and battle.

The old native americans have always considered the wolf as an animal to be friends with. Often the medicine men and shamen would identify with wolves.

Because of its colors, Wolf is a creature of the Moon Goddess. The dark colors of their fur make them almost invisible in the dark shadows.
Wolf as familiar teaches you about your psychic side, and development of your instincts. The Wolf is the teacher, and comes to you when you need guidance. The Wolf is also the searcher and protector, guiding you through inner worlds.

The power cycle of the wolf is going through the entire year. Often animals have a specific period in which their power can be used more effectively than other times, but with Wolf, the power goes on and on. Loyalty and spirit, protection and rituals are the essential goods that you can retrieve from Wolf. Find them, make them your own, make Wolf your own, and you can use them in everyday life.
As Wolf, you can create your own sacred places. Wolves have a very social society, and they respect certain spaces are sacred. This may sound very unreal, but it is true.

Wolf has keen and sharp senses. It's vision is sharp and clear. This represents exactly that: vision. It's smell is very well developed. This stands for spiritual idealism. It's furry over- and undercoat stand for psychic abilities. Shamans that perform rituals often wear animal furs, since furs and hairs boost psychic reception.

You can see that having Wolf as a familiar makes for a very strong power that you are working with...

Links to wolves resources and more information: