Sep 6, 2020

DESIGN | Symbolism | Wolf

All my work is packed with symbolism, whether it be hidden or in a more obvious form.

Here is one that you will find in my art.

| WOLF |

• The Wolf has always been a symbol of terrible evil, as well as great good.

Words associated with the wolf are, guardianship, ritual, loyalty, spirit, intelligence, insight, loyalty, autonomy, strong social character, community, confidence, cunning, ferocity, instinct, mystery, protection, strength, willpower & freedom

Moon Vector Icon | Punctured Artefact | Wolf Art

• Wolf has the ability to make quick and firm emotional attachments, and often need to trust their own instincts.

• It has many different symbolic meanings across the world.

• Many peoples throughout the world respect and think very positively of wolves.

• In Modern Mongolia, the wolf is still seen as a good luck symbol, especially for males.

In Native American folklore the wolf is a pathfinder Among the various peoples and tribes of North America, wolf represents not creation, death & rebirth. The Egyptians also worshipped the wolf, naming the city Lycopolis after the creature. In their mythology the wolf acted as a psychopomp, a creature who guided the souls of the dead into the afterlife. Anubis, had the head of a wolf (or wild dog or jackal) Wolf is also seen as a teacher-animal to the peoples of California and the Great Plains.

Moon Triangle Vector Icon | Punctured Artefact | Wolf Art

• In Greece it was associated with the Gods Zeus and Apollo, as a symbol of masculine energy, power and sexuality.

• The wolf for Chechens, is not only the national animal, but also the national embodiment, and the wolf is frequently used to show pride

• In western Europe, wolves were not seen as positively. • The Bible contains 13 references to wolves, usually as metaphors for greed and destructiveness.

• In both German and Norse mythology, wolf was a symbol of destruction and death.

• Vikings saw wolf as a representation of Fenris (their Chaos), who would bite through his chains and consume the sun at the end of time

• As a supreme hunter, the wolf is depicted as a trickster with malevolent intentions in the tale of Little Red Riding Hood.

• The belief in a sinister wolf/human hybrid (werewolf) is prevalent throughout much of the world

• In Southern China; here, seeing a Wolf presaged danger and death.

There are a few sayings which hint at the some of the other negative associations with the wolf. ‘Wolf whistle’ (sexual predator) ‘Wolf in sheep clothing’ (describes those playing a role contrary to their real character)

• The perceived virility of the wolf makes it a potent symbol of fertility & some tribal people call on them wolf to help them conceive.

• In some tribes, the women call upon ‘their wolf’ to conceive. In Russian folk lore, a straw wolf is kept for a year in order to help the village women to conceive.

• In Japan, wolf talismans were thought to fertility to agrarian communities and to couples hoping to have children.

• In France, if a girl is a virgin, she is said to have never seen the wolf (n’a jamais vu le loup)

• In Rome, the Lupercal temples were brothels (from the word Lupa, meaning she-wolf or prostitute)

• The wolf is also associated with loyalty. In Britain, Merlin in his time of madness is kept company by a she-wolf, who stays by his side until he becomes well again.

• Odin was accompanied by two wolves, named Geri & Freki. Known for their ravenous appetite, they symbolised the ferocious and devouring forces under the command of Odin & thus victory in battle

• A lone wolf is a wolf that lives independently rather than with others as a member of a pack. In the wolf kingdom, lone wolves are typically either older female wolves driven from the pack, perhaps by the breeding male, or young adults in search of new territory.

• The wolf ‘bezoar' is said to be the most potent (a small stony concretion which may form in the stomach and which was once used as an antido

te for various ailments )