Myths and Legends

Myths and legends about wolves have ranged from reverence to fear. In Roman mythology, Romulus and Remus were nurtured as infants by a she-wolf, and Romulus founded the city of Rome on the Tiber River. In medieval times, the wolf was depicted as a savage beast that could strike a man dumb with its gaze, and during the Inquisition, suspected werewolves, people believed able to take the shape of a wolf, were prosecuted; these images persist in pulp fiction and horror films. According to one legend from Gubbio, Italy, Francis of Assisi negotiated an agreement between a wolf that had been threatening the village and the villagers, who would feed the wolf and let it roam the town, while the wolf would harm neither man nor beast. In the original 1690s version of Little Red Riding Hood, the wolf eats her, while in later versions she is rescued, reflecting how children's fairy tales have portrayed wolves as dangerous to humans.

Bridgeport, Connecticut · United States