Wolf Tattoos and Tattoo Designs
Thursday 15th of January 2009 08:46:12 PM [Add To This Article]
The wolf (also known as the grey wolf, the gray wolf or the timber wolf) is the largest wild member of the Canideae family and an ice age survivor that originated around 300,000 years ago. Some DNA studies have found that the wolf may be an ancestor of the domestic dog. The wolf is very adaptable and can thrive in areas as diverse from the mountains to deserts to the urban areas. However, due to the loss of its natural habitats, the wolf's numbers are dwindling. Today, wolves are protected animals in some areas, but hunted for sport or extermination in others.
Wolves figure prominently in folklore. Many Chinese proverbs use the term "wolf" to describe any malicious person with a hidden agenda. "Wolf hearted" is used to describe someone who is so bad, they are impossible to tame. "Wolf heart; dog lungs" refers to an ungrateful person who later betrays someone who previously helped them. The Christian Bible contains 13 references to wolves, usually as metaphors for greed and destructiveness. Jesus uses wolves to describe the dangers his followers would face should they follow him. The phrase "Wolf in sheep's clothing" refers to someone who seems benign but is really a danger.
In the medieval Russian folktale Ivan Tsarevich and the Grey Wolf, the grey wolf is a benevolent character who uses his knowledge and magical powers to assist Ivan on his quest. In Japan, grain farmers once worshiped wolves at shrines, leaving food near their dens in hopes that they would protect their crops from wild boar and deer. Talismans and charms with wolf images were used to protect against fire, disease and other dangers. The Roman God of War, Mars held the wolf sacred and to spot one before a battle was an omen of victory.
Wolves also play a large part in some Native American tribes. In the Cardinal directions of the Plains Indians, the wolf represented the west, while for the Pawnee, it represented the southeast. According to the Pawnee creation myth, the wolf was the first creature to experience death. The Wolf Star (Sirius), enraged at not having been invited to attend a council on how the Earth should be made, sent a wolf to steal the whirlwind bag of The Storm that Comes out of the West, which contained the first humans. Upon being freed from the bag, the humans killed the wolf, thus bringing death into the world. The Pawnee, being both an agricultural and hunting people, associated the wolf with both corn and the bison; the "birth" and "death" of the Wolf Star was to them a reflection of the wolf's coming and going down the path of the Milky Way known as Wolf Road. Wolves however were not always portrayed positively in Native American cultures. The Netsilik Inuit and Takanaluk-arnaluk believed that the sea-woman Nuliayuk's home was guarded by wolves. The Naskapi's believed that the caribou afterlife is guarded by giant wolves, which kill careless hunters venturing too near. The Navajo people feared witches in wolf's clothing called "Mai-cob".
Wolf tattoos can symbolize many things, depending on the culture and intent of the tattoo wearer. Just as Christ was the Good Shepherd, the wolf can represent Satan. It can also represent ferocity, cunning, stealth, and cruelty. The pack nature of the wolf give it an association with loyalty, courage, fidelity and victory. Wolves are also associated with shape-shifting, fear of the night or darkness, as well as the shadow world. Wolf elements are often found in Native American themed tattoos.
