Overview: The Magic of Wolves explores a wide array of mythologies from around the world, demonstrating how humans have both understood and interacted with wolves - sometimes figures of admiration, sometimes seen as terrifying and savage. These sacred stories give insights not only into our own nature but also into the nature of wolves themselves.

Verdict: As I have grown up to learn, wolves held significant cultural and mythological significance in Norse mythology, primarily due to their association with the wolf Fenrir, a monstrous creature that played a prominent role in Norse mythology.

Fenrir was one of the children of the god Loki and was prophesied to bring great destruction to the gods during Ragnarok, the Norse apocalypse. This prophecy led to the wolf being viewed as a powerful and fearsome creature, and as such, wolves were considered sacred in Norse mythology.

Indeed, for me, the most well-known story involving Fenrir is the binding of Fenrir. In this tale, the gods attempted to bind Fenrir to prevent him from fulfilling the prophecy of his role in Ragnarok. However, Fenrir broke free from multiple bindings until he was ultimately bound by the magical ribbon Gleipnir, which was made from seemingly innocuous materials like a cat’s footfall, a woman’s beard, and other impossible items.

Furthermore, this story portrays Fenrir as an incredibly powerful and untamable creature, adding to his status as a revered and feared figure in Norse mythology.

But I digress, wolves were also associated with Odin, the chief god of the Norse pantheon, who was often depicted accompanied by two wolves named Geri and Freki. These wolves were said to represent Odin’s hunting companions or symbolic representations of his attributes, with Geri meaning ravenous and Freki meaning greedy. This association further elevated the symbolic significance of wolves in Norse mythology.

Overall, wolves were considered sacred in Norse mythology due to their association with the powerful and mythical wolf Fenrir, as well as their connection to the chief god Odin. They were viewed as powerful and untamable creatures, embodying qualities such as strength, cunning, and ferocity, which were respected and revered by the Norse people.

The Magic of Wolves also considers practical issues in pagan ritual, and how people have communicated with wolf spirits and turned to them as ancestral figures. Blending zoology, mythology, sociology, psychology and theology, this text aims to give a broad overview of how wolves and their relationships to humans can be understood.

Chapters cover topics such as the lupine legends of Ancient Rome, Classical Greece, the Norse, the Celts, India and Japan. Whether you are passionate about wolves, lycanthropes, mythology or magic, there will be something here for you.

About the Author - Robin Herne is an educator, poet, storyteller, poet, artist, dog-owner and Druid. He has written numerous articles for Pagan magazines, has appeared in television documentaries and is the author of Old Gods, New Druids, Bard Song and A Dangerous Place. He lives in Suffolk, UK.

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