Wolves
in Celtic Mythology
Wolves were regarded as majestic animals who roamed freely in the vast ancient forests of Britain, Ireland and Europe for thousands of years. The Celtic tribes who lived side by side with wolves both feared and admired them.
The Celts were so impressed by the hunting skills of wolves that they were treated as sacred animals who were traditionally associated with shape-shifters. Wolves became the companions of the pagan deities who also took the form of a wolf in numerous myths and legends.
The relationship between the Celts and wolves dated back to the earliest times of European history.
A carving of a wolf was discovered in the Highlands of Scotland dating to the sixth century BC.
Some of the first wild animals to be domesticated by man were wolf cubs. Their sharp eyesight, sense of smell and hearing made them ideal as hunting dogs in the vast ancient mountains, woods and forests that once covered much of Europe.
Wolves were part of the everyday lives of the Celts, particularly forest-dwellers. They competed with hunters for prey such as stags, deer and boar.
Farms and villages feared attacks from packs of wolves and considered them a menace to their flocks of sheep.
The warrior class admired wolves as cunning predators who possessed strength and swiftness. Numerous Celtic tribes claimed descent from wolves possibly because they were loyal, sociable animals who hunted in nomadic families.
Some tribes may have venerated wolves and assumed their characteristics.
The Irish chieftain, Laignech Fáelad, was said to be half man and half wolf. He sired a tribe of warriors who were known in legends as the werewolves of Ossory. The warriors of the clan apparently dressed in wolf-skins and cut their hair to resemble the mane of a wolf.
The tribe of the Lingones in Gaul paid homage to a woodland god called Vosegus during the Iron Age. Vosegus was the protector of the vast forests of the Vosges mountain range in France. He was depicted as a hunter-god wearing a wolf-skin at a Roman-Celtic temple in Le Donon in the Vosges mountains.
Cernunnos was widely venerated as a horned woodland god of fertility and hunting. He was depicted with a wolf and a stag on the Gundestrup Cauldron. The numerous motifs of Cernunnos in the company of a wolf-dog indicated wolves were sacred animals of Cernunnos as a god of woods and forests.
Numerous gods and goddesses were associated with wolves, Their ability to shape-shift into wolves emphasised the supernatural powers of the deities.
There were a great number of legends and myths about wolves in Irish mythology. The gods and goddesses of the Tuatha de Danann often transformed themselves into wolves.
The Morrigan was the beautiful Celtic goddess of war and death, She offered to help the legendary Irish hero, Cuchulainn, defeat the warrior queen, Medb, and her army during the Cattle Raid of Cooley.
Cuchulainn refused the offer made by the Morrigan. The goddess became the adversary of the Irish hero during the war with Queen Medb.
The Morrigan transformed herself into numerous creatures, including the shape of a red she-wolf.
The red wolf herded some cattle towards Cuchulainn while he was fighting for his life. One of the wolf's eyes was destroyed by a stone hurled from Cuchulainn's sling.
According to the Fenian Cycle, Airitech was a being from the Otheworld, The three daughters of Airitech could shape-shift into the form of wolves at will.
They emerged from the Cave of Cruachan as wolves during the feast of Samhain so they could kill the flocks of sheep in the area.
A bard of the Tuatha de Danann called Cas Corach played his harp to the daughters of Airitech while they were in the guise of wolves. The beautiful music brought forth by Cas Corach from the strings of harp entranced the daughters of Airitech.
Cas Corach convinced the daughters of Airitech to return to the form of mortal women while they listened to the soothing music.
Caílte mac Rónáin killed the three daughters of Airitech with his spear. Cas Corach cut off their heads so they could not escape by shape-shifting into the form of animals.
Other tales in ancient Ireland told of mortals who were abducted by wolves. The High King of Ireland, Cormac mac Airt was stolen by a she-wolf when he was born.
Cormac mac Airt was reared as one of the wolf's own cubs in the Caves of Keshcorran in County Sligo. He was eventually found as a child and reunited with his family. Cormac mac Airt was renowned for understanding the language of wolves
Numerous legends imbued sorcerers with the supernatural power to transform themselves or others into wolves.
Math, the Celtic god of magic in Welsh mythology, punished his nephews, Gilfaethwy and Gwydion, for seducing his royal foot-holder, Goewin. He changed Gilfaethwy and Gwydion into the form of deer, wild boars and wolves.
Wolves were traditionally the companions of moon goddessess such as Cerridwen, in Wales.
The puca was an Irish nature spirit who took the form of numerous animals such as a wolf, hare, dog or raven Other supernatural creatures which were similar to the puca were found in the folklore of Wales, Brittany, Cornwall and the Channel Islands.
European folklore portrayed wolves as powerful and terrifying predators who attacked their unsuspecting victims in the night.
Wolves suffered persecution because they were considered a menace to farmers and rural villages. They were blamed for killing lambs and sheep,
Wolves were hunted for centuries in Europe by kings, the nobility and farmers. The felling of forests for settlements and farmland deprived wolves of valuable hunting grounds.
The abundance of wolves in Ireland was evident as the Irish Wolfhound was bred to hunt wolves. Sadly, the last wolf in Ireland was killed in 1786.
The English wolf was a sub-species of the Grey Wolf. English wolves were also hunted to extinction in England and Wales by the beginning of the sixteenth century.
The kings and nobility of Scotland were responsible for the persecution of wolves and regularly took part in wolf hunts. The last wolf in Scotland was shot in 1680.
The demise of the wolves in Britain, Ireland and Europe has been lamented by many. The remaining wolves in Europe are considered an endangered species and hunting them is illegal.
There have been calls from environmentalists for the reintroduction of wolves in Scotland in order to reduce the population of deer. They argue woodland habitats are under threat from huge numbers of grazing deer.
Wolves became extinct in Germany over 150 years ago. However, some crossed the border from Poland in 2000. There are now 65 pack of wolves roaming freely in Germany.
France's wolf population became extinct in the 1930s. Wolves also crossed the border from the Alps and Italy in the 1990s. Their numbers have risen to 430 individuals in recent years.
Wolves are facing the same difficulties in modern times as they did in the distant past. Packs of wolves are blamed by farmers for killing large numbers of sheep. The destruction of their natural habitat is ongoing.
There is still a conflict between humans and wolves. Wolves are unable to live peacefully near areas of human habitation because of persecution.
The Celtic tribes held wolves in the highest esteem during the Bronze and Iron Ages as well as the era of the Roman Empire.
Wolves were considered magical beasts who were worthy of their close association with the pagan gods and goddesses. The power of the gods and goddesses over the mortal world was embodied by their ability to shape-shift into the form of a wolf, raven, stag or other sacred creature.
Wolves were important n the Celtic religion because they represented a spiritual connection between the mortal realm and the divine beings of the Otherworld.
For more information on the Celtic gods and goddesses of Britain, Ireland and Europe, please visit
http://celtsandmyths.mzzhost.com/index.html
Interesting Articles
DW – Rising Wolf Population in Germany - https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-wolf-population-on-the-rise-new-data-shows/a-41503395-0
The Local – France's Wolf Population - https://www.thelocal.fr/20190608/growth-of-french-wolf-population-leads-to-increase-in-hunting-quota
NPR – Wolves in Scotland - https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2018/05/03/607700542/landowner-aims-to-bring-wolves-back-to-scotland-centuries-after-they-were-wiped?t=1562959295584
