The wolf has often played an arguable role in people’s mind; however, in some cultures like the Native American one, the wolf is seen as a guide who can show humanity the way to get closer to their roots. In some other cultures, the wolf has been seen as the villain or as the wolf who tried to eat children or even as the one who is wearing a sheep suit to rule the real sheep to be able to eat them. However in indigenous or Native cultures, the wolf has been given a lot of great qualities. The wolf can be the pathfinder, way shower, and community builder, showing qualities like loyalty, protection, and companionship. The wolf has also been seen in the role of teacher, and healer. It is said that he can lead humans to discover their deep inner self and help them get closer to their spiritual totem. These aspect may be quite controversy to the stereotypical characteristics which were given to the wolf in some cultures. However, the power of the wolf stand still and the general public has become more open to the positive aspect and nature of this sumptuous animal. Today, it seems that one cannot go anywhere without seeing the emblem of the wolf on various items. People shall ask themselves, « Why is the wolf getting so popular? ». However, before discussing this hypothetical question in more details, let’s discuss the role of the wolf as it has evolved throughout history, beginning with its place in indigenous cultures.
From antiquity, wolves have been a central part of human existence. From Eurasia to North America, wolves have been interacting with humans for ages. Evidences of the powerful impact of the wolf on human’s spirit are everywhere. Wolves show up in the ancient lore of the Native American, the Japanese, and the Celts t...
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... taught humanity that if A loves B then B’s happiness is A’s happiness, B’s pain is A’s pain. Love is the expansion of the self to include the other. In addition, a wolf’s wisdom can help people dissolve the barrier humans have built over time that obscures the truth about humans’ interconnection with nature. In fact, when this barrier is removed, humans can begin to perceive all of nature as part of their soul family and not as something else which they can destroy at will. In the end, wolves and humans have been close to each other for tens of thousands of years in many ways. Wolves have taught early people how to survive and wolves have also taught early people what spirituality is all about. It now of humanity responsibility, using creativity, intellect, love, and awareness, the wolves gave humans, to again find the perfect place in the scheme of Great Mystery.
“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown” ― H.P. Lovecraft. Fear drives mankind to hate what he cannot comprehend. With this irrational fear mankind is controlled and set on a path of destruction and chaos. In the autobiography Never Cry Wolf written by Farley Mowat, the main character (Farley Mowat), journeys to the Canadian tundra to study the much-feared wolf. There he discovers the fear brought upon by men, and how it can result horribly for the wolves. The human race was so frightened by the unknown species that they began to blame the wolves for cold slaughters, portrayed them as vicious killers, and because of the fear of the unknown tried to exterminate wolves all together.
“Why the Beaver Should Thank the Wolf” by Mary Ellen Hannibal, explains the impact wolves carry if they are ever extinct. Hannibal uses scientific data to explain to the audience the important a wolf has in the wild. Hannibal points out how fragile the food chain is, and when one player is out the who system tumbles down. Hannibal connects the action of the wolves in the wild and how it trickles down the food chain.
Myths were used to unite the people of the tribe, giving them a way of life, and a peace of mind. Armstrong states “The hunters feel profoundly uneasy about slaughtering the beasts, who are their friends and patrons, and to assuage them this anxiety, they surround the hunt with taboos and prohibitions. They say that long ago that animals made a covenant with humankind and now a god known as the Animal Master regularly sends flocks from the lower world to be killed on the hunting plains, because the hunters promised to perform the rites that will give them posthumous life” (Armstrong 4). Although the hunters feel uneasy and even fearful of killing their “friends”, they still follow through with it because of a myth telling them that the Animal Master will forgive them and even sent more beast for them to hunt if they follow a certain ritual before killing their prey. Without the ritual this type of action will become a simple murder without a reason, this action than hinders the mind psychologically and starts to deteriorate it, while treading the path of insanity. The myths and rituals allows these people to kill wild animals without conferring a mental breakdown by sugar coating their inhumane actions with meaning to the survival of the society. This type of myth allowed the ancient civilization to realize the undeniable truth of life where sacrifice is a necessity to the progression of another
Religion often enlightens one with newfound reverence and respect. While caring for the wolf, the man finds both reverence and respect through a few spiritual encounters. As he is walking with the wolf, the man hears coyotes calling from the hills “above him where their cries [seem] to have no origin other than the night itself.” This represents the heavens calling out to the wolf to enter its gates. Once the man stops to build a fire, he seems to hold a ritual for the wolf. His shelter steamed “in the firelight like a burning scrim standing in a wilderness where celebrants of some sacred
According to Karl N. Llewellyn and E. Adamson Hoebel, making new laws in our societies helps us to become more discipline and safe and it also prevents us from crimes such as rape, sexual assault or harassment, violent crime fraud, robbery, murder etc due to a larger society which Hoebel called “heterogeneous”. Many people in the modern society can not make their own decisions without hearing or listening to the people in power such as the government (legislatures), police, lawyers/ judges. Just like the “Cheyenne community”, the community they come to together to solve conflicts between individuals by involving individuals or the community as a whole for the protection of themselves.
of the wolves and finds that they are more than the savage and merciless hunters
For as long as mankind has been around the fascination of savage beasts were greatly integrated through its cultures. The concept of monsters has been used in many historical and ideological context to vilify what society deems abhorrent. Monsters serve as our own depictions of ourselves and the world around us. They challenge our cultural mores and force us to analyze what is within us. The reason why monsters are becoming increasingly popular is because it allows people to break out of social norms and immerse themselves into a world of immorality. Werewolves, in particular, we see are just like humans, facing the same issues we do. They are seeking love, affection, and acceptance, much like us. However, much of their approach may test our
The wolf girls struggle to reconcile this new way of life with the way they were raised and push back against this forced assimilation. While this story is fantasy based it can be interpreted as historical criticism in regards to the wars between European settlers and American Indians. Aliken to the wolves, Native Americans have a unique culture that is carefully intertwined with nature. In the late 19th and 20th centuries Native American children were forcibly taken from their homes and forced to assimilate to a white American world within Catholic schools. “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves” is symbolic with the assimilation of the werewolf girls into human culture of how Catholic boarding schools and the American Government forced
In Chapter 1 of From Trust to Domination: An alternative history of human-animal relations, Tim Ingold describes how humans have risen above and became in control of both nature and their selves. Ingold distinguishes pastoral care versus hunter-gatherers and their relationship with animals being that of trust versus domination. Pastoral care is defined as humans who care for and use livestock, while hunters exploit wild resources. Numerous examples are presented on the viewpoint that hunters are human-beings but are far from being human, due the impact that the animals in their environment have on them. Ingold displays the differences in the relationship between pastoral care and hunters towards animals; from their differences between humanity
Hence, the image of the trickster Coyote is the focal point in these two cultures, because of his/her never-ending desire to start the next story for the creation of the world and have everything right. Native American culture has a lot of dialogic perspectives in it; in the form of stories and conversations in which all humans and non-humans communicate (Irwin,2000, p39) and writers often highlight the importance of the oral cultural inheritance both as the notion of their being and as method for their writing. Coyote in traditional oral culture reminds us the semiotic component of sufferings of
The wolves’ were hunted in late 1800 s’ and early 1900‘s in the United States because farmers wanted more land for their cattle’s to graze upon. As farmers were moving out west they felt threaten that the wolves would hunt their cattles so the farmers thought that the best solution would be to take them out of the picture. This was possible because at the time there were no government regulations on hunting....
Over the past several hundred years, werewolves have been an important part of Western Cultures. Werewolves have appeared in blockbuster movies and been the subject of countless books and stories. Werewolves are dark and powerful creatures that terrify us on multiple levels. While they are some of the most violent and merciless monsters that horror has to offer, there is something about the werewolf that we can identify with. Not only can we identify with the characters afflicted with the curse, but we can also identify that the werewolf is a beast and an evil force. The werewolf symbolizes the evil that is contained within us all. In this paper, I will explain the different evils that werewolves symbolize by taking a critical look at the real life history of the werewolf, the werewolf in literature and film, and the opinions of experts on the topic.
For years, animals have been at the center of our world; “the lives of animals and humans have been inextricably intertwined” (Corbett, 178). Thus, based on the close relationship between animals and humans throughout history, in my opinion animals have been used in all cultures to reflect the nature of humanity, symbolizing societal and individual characteristics. The traits of animals are very simple to observe and recognize, whereas human behavior is more intricate and difficult to describe. Animals are familiar creatures to us, which mutely encourage projection of people’s emotions and attitudes onto them. Animals can be used and as we have learned most recently, they are used to convey deep dimensions of human feelings and ideas. When I think of animals, their representation and their symbolism in our society, I immediately think of ani...
"Who are they?" asked Georg quickly, straining his eyes to see what the other would gladly not have seen. "Wolves." The savagery and thievery of wolves are symbolized in two characters in the short story, “The Interlopers” by Saki. Wolves will take anything, regardless of who it belongs. They do not honor any human-made boundary lines. The story’s antagonist, Ulrigh, also did not respect the boundaries of Georg’s land rights. The wolves’ savage instinct for blood is similar to Ulrich and Georg’s fight for land at any cost. The savagery and thievery of wolves symbolize two characters in the short story, “The Interlopers” by Saki. The two main characters Ulrich and Georg, who are neighbors, have been fighting over a plot of land for
Over the course of the last few hundred years, werewolves have become and remain a prominent piece of Western Culture. Werewolves have been featured in hit motion pictures and been the main subject of various books and stories. Werewolves are dim and animals that terrify individuals on many different levels. While they are the possibly the most vicious and hardhearted beasts that horror stories have brought into the world, there is something about the werewolf that some can relate to. Not just can the characters distressed with the condemnation be relatable to the individuals who are experiencing amazing injury in their lives, yet some can likewise relate to the werewolf as mammoth and an abhorrence power. The werewolf is typical of the fiendishness