** Wolves **

The leaders of the pack

Under the moonlight
He runs amongst the shadows,
A free spirit roaming wild;
There I sat by the lake,
Wondering about the eyes I saw,
And then there he was standing beside me
In amazement I stared,
And within a blink, was gone like the wind

Helki Weber, November 20, 1999©


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Welcome to my wolf page. I love every animal that walks this earth, but there is something mystical, something magical about the beautiful Wolf. They are strong, loyal and captivating creatures. But sadly not everyone sees this. Too many people are portraying this animal as something evil, something horrible. Where as the truth is far from that.... They are animals that should be cherished, protected and marveled at!


~^~ The Wolf ~^~

The wolf or Canis Lupus, a close relative of the domestic dog, once ranged across Europe, Asia and North America, in the forested areas. It has largely been exterminated in the temperate areas and survives only in the colder northern parts of the northern hemisphere. The timber wolf, as it is often called, looks rather like the domestic alsatian in size and shape. To the south, in North America, it is replaced by the coyote ot prairie wolf (C. latrans) which is smaller and hunts small mammals and birds as well as scavenging when it can. It in habits the open prairies, although recently agriculture has driven it into more mountainous areas. In Asia, the wild dog (Cuon alpinus), known as the dhole in India, replaces the timber wolf. This reddish-brown animal hunts in packs and will attack large mammals, such as wild boar and spotted deer, and it has known to kill and eat sloth bears and black bears.

Wolves have been long regarded by Native Americans as teachers or pathfinders. Wolves are fiercely loyal to their mates, and have a strong sense of family while maintaining individualism. In the stars, Wolf is represented by the Dog, Sirius, thought by many abroginal tribes to be the home of the "Ancients."  It seems to be through this connection that Wolves have come to be associated with ancient teachings. Wolves are probably the most misunderstood of the wild animals. Tales of cold bloodedness abound, in spite of the their friendly, social and intelligent traits.

They are truly free spirits even though their packs are highly organized. They seem to go out of their way to avoid a fight. One is rarely necessary when a shift in posture, a growl, or a glance gets the point across quite readily.

Traditionally, someone with Wolf Medicine has a strong sense of self, and communicates well through subtle changes  in voice inflection and body movements. They often find new solutions to problems while providing stability and support that one normally associates with a family structure.

In Roman mythology there is the she wolf, she raises the abandoned Romulus and Remus who are the twin founders of Rome. This human infant raised by wolf mother is echoed in many other tales, particurly stories of indian children who have been raised by wolves.

Cental and West Asian people who belong to Turkic speaking tribes believe that the cultures 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 much shows the reverence they had for the wolves endurence, group cohesion and skill in hunting.

My adopted pup: Winter Moon


~^~ The Wolf as Myth and Symbol ~^~

In the European mind, wolves long stood as a symbol of baneful, uncontrollable nature. As far back as the time of Aesop in 500 BCE (Before the Christian Era), wolves in literature are portrayed as wicked villains and long-fanged, terrible beasts. Before the Middle Ages, wolves were nearly always the greedy thief, criminal trickster, or cruel remorseless murderer. The wolf does not fare well in the European imagination.

In Historia animalium, Aristotle began the scientific inquiry about the wolf. He notes gestation lengths, how and when pups are born, and the fact that certain species of wolves are smaller than others.

Nearing the beginning of the 12th century ACE (After the Christian Era), Aristotle's fledgling scientific examinations were replaced by the full-blown mythology presented in early works precursing the bestiary such as the Physiologus. The Physiologus, although presented in a definitive volume, is likely the work of many authors, representing a coalescence of ancient oral literature. The Physiologus is not a collection of scientific facts about animals, but rather is a collection of fables, myths, and folklore. Over time, the Physiologus expanded into the more popular bestiary. Bestiaries often tried to incorporate moral imperatives of the growing Christian religion. This attempt to weave Christian beliefs into daily life transformed the bestiary from merely a collection of enjoyable stories into moral allegories . Although bestiaries were in existence even before the 4th century ACE, the first mention of Canis lupus appears after the 7th century ACE . Once the wolf appeared in the bestiary, a literary record of feelings toward and thoughts about the wolf begins. In his book Of Wolves and Men, Barry Lopez discusses ways the wolf was portrayed in bestiaries. The bestiaries were full of what we know today to be incorrect information about wolves. False biological assumptions, fantastical tales of the wolves' evil nature and religious imperatives regarding the Wolf and the Devil filled the pages. Perhaps the way we, today, are most familiar with the wolf is through those few of these tales that have managed a continued existence into the present day. In particular, we can look toward fables and fairy tales passed to us from earlier generations of Europeans. Among the most famous are Grimm’s Fairy Tales (1800s) and Aesop's Fables (500 BCE). The Brothers Grimm brought us tales such as "Little Red Riding Hood." Aesop's Fables brought us entertaining moral allegories such as "The Fox and the Grapes and Never Cry Wolf."

Aesop's Fables do more than just offer a moral suggestion. Often the characters in the stories act as symbols. Since the fables are so short, the desired message must be delivered quickly and effectively. Using symbolic representations in the form of stereotypical characters facilitates that goal. The situations involved in both fairy tales and fables use character and creature symbols to convey situations more easily. The wolf is one of these chosen symbols. By looking closely at the way the wolf is portrayed in fables and fairy tales, we can see what the wolf symbolizes. The stereotypes and symbols evolved out of cultural feelings and beliefs, ultimately reinforcing themselves through the perpetuation of the fables and fairy tales. For example, the relevant points in The Nurse and the Wolf lie in the way the wolf is perceived. In this case, the wolf is conniving his way toward what he hopes is an easy dinner. The wolf is also a child-eater. The wolf patiently waits outside the window, hoping for such a "dainty morsel." Finally, as the Nurse hastens to close the window, the wolf is shown as a creature to be feared.

Many of Aesop's other fables portray the wolf in a similar way. The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing is the tale of a Wolf who is living just outside a pasture where sheep are kept and guarded. As the shepherd and his dogs are always present, the Wolf has great difficulty catching a meal of mutton. One day he discovers the skin of a sheep that was flayed and thrown aside. He puts the pelt on over his own, and starts out to walk among the sheep. The lamb of the sheep whose fleece he is wearing soon begins to follow him close by. Upon noticing this, the Wolf works his way to the end of the field where he quickly makes a meal of the little lamb. He continues this for some time and is always able to find an easy dinner as appearances are deceptive. Once again, it is interesting to inspect the assumptions about the wolf that are inherent in this tale. Like the first fable, the wolf is portrayed in a decidedly negative light. The wolf is shown as a tricky, conniving, greedy thief who will go to great lengths to tear into the flesh of a poor little lamb


~^~ The wolf controls the population of other animals. ~^~

Wolves generally kill the weak, the old, and the young. If the wolf did not do this, the deer and the caribou and the moose and other large animals would damage the forest by over populating and eating the plants and trees.

Sometimes wolves will kill an animal in prime condition. Sometimes the wolf will kill more than it needs to eat. Both of these actions are very rare and are usually easy to explain. Wolves build dens to have pups. Once the wolves abandon the den, which means leave it for good, it is often used by porcupines and other smaller animals for shelter. The fur shed by the wolf is used by birds to build nests.

The raven is a type of bird that eats the remains after the wolves have stopped eating. The coyote, the fox, and many other animals also eat after the wolves are done. The wolf has been seen chasing a rabbit and then giving up the chase. The rabbit is so tired after this chase that it is easy for the owl to get for food. Nothing goes to waste.


~^~ Wolf Behaviour ~^~

Body Language

Spanish scientists studying wolves in a large European reserve found that the position of the ears, the angle of the tail and the amount of teeth displayed were all very important in the life of the pack wolf. The leader of the pack was the only wolf allowed to have his tail raised above the level of the back, and any other wolf that dared to wag its tail in an upright position was treated as a challenger for leadership.

Thus, wolves, like chimps, use their body to tell their companions about their feelings, and also to advertise their position in the life of their society.

 

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