The significance of wolves in mythology



Wolves accompany Odin



The appearance and significance of the wolf throughout myths from a numerous different cultures and time periods raises a question from time to time concerning its role throughout these myths; it seems to mostly fill the role of an antagonist to cultural heroes or deities, or at least exhibit some characteristics of the trickster figure, yet it appears in some myths as the companion or form of assistant to the protagonists. Through some research I found that the wolf most generally symbolizes evil, along positive and spiritual aspects, and the representation of the union of opposites. In the early development of mankind, it was found that wolves and humans were constantly opposing each other, competing essentially for the same food, which is perhaps why the wolf is more prominently known as a troublesome or evil figure.

 As mentioned before, the wolf is viewed as really a contradiction of itself by cultures all over the world, its a wild and feared animal that often times represent death or Satan of some sort; but at the same time a it is the companion to the goddess Artemis and Odin. I found that this theme of opposites in the symbolism of the wolf is also represented by the contrast between the masculine and feminine nature: the masculine nature is depicted by many cultures as the protector or exhibiting war-like behavior, while the feminine nature is symbolized as the goddess in she-wolf form nurturing the twins, Romulus and Remus, or in the Irish myth of Cormac, King of Ireland who was suckled by wolves and was always accompanied by them.  

Romulus and Remus nurtured by a wolf



The association of the wolf with the goddess was seen in the Roman cult of Lupa, as a "divine midwife" and "mother of the ancestral spirits", she was often known as "Mother of the Wolves". An ancient statue in the Lupercal grotto depicts the infants Romulus and Remus, whom she supposedly to have nursed. She was annually honored at the Lupercalia, the festival of the She-wolf, when kids dressed in wolf skins to do so. This notable female wolf figure and the abandoned twins became the emblem of Rome. The frequent connection between goddess figures and totemic wolves is also seen as a strong indication that women first established relationships with wolves and eventually domesticated them.