The Morrigan is an ancient Irish (Celtic) goddess of life and death, wisdom, magic, shapeshifting, and war and also one of the Celtic wolf goddesses. She might have originally been three separate goddesses that eventually were merged into a triple-goddess. The Morrighan in her three aspects include Badh, Macha, and Nemain. The Morrighan is almost always seen as a fierce, aggressive goddess with a yearning for blood on the battlefield. She takes no prisoners, and shows little mercy to those who are her enemies. For those she loves – she will do whatever it takes to help them, including shapeshifting into various forms. One of those forms is in the shape of a large grey-red wolf, making her an ancient wolf goddess. Freki is also a name applied to the monstrous wolf Fenrir in the Poetic Edda poem Völuspá. Folklorist John Lindow sees irony in the fact that Odin feeds one Freki at his dinner table and another—Fenrir—with his flesh during the events of Ragnarök. [17] The wolf in the Scandinavian tradition as either representing the warrior or protector, sometimes combined with the Christian symbolism as the wolf representing evil or the devil, came to be a popular attribute in the heavy metal music subculture, used by bands such as Sonata Arctica, Marduk, Watain, Wintersun, and Wolf. In Norse mythology, Geri and Freki are two wolves which are said to accompany the god Odin. They are attested in the Poetic Edda, a collection of epic poetry compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, in the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, and in the poetry of skalds. The pair has been compared to similar figures found in Greek, Roman and Vedic mythology, and may also be connected to beliefs surrounding the Germanic "wolf-warrior bands", the Úlfhéðnar.

The Lenape have three major clans, one of which is the Wolf clan; the other two are the Turtle and Turkey. [54] Mexico [ edit ] Saoqing Niangniang ("Lady who Sweeps Clean") is the goddess who ensures good weather conditions "sweeping away" clouds and storms. The pair is also alluded to via the kenning " Viðrir's (Odin's) hounds" in Helgakviða Hundingsbana I, verse 13, where it is related that they roam the field "greedy for the corpses of those who have fallen in battle". [8] Benjamin Thorpe translation: The warriors went to the trysting place of swords, which they had appointed at Logafiöll. Broken was Frodi's peace between the foes: Vidrir’s hounds went about the isle slaughter-greedy. [9] According to Suda the bodyguards of Peisistratos were called wolf-feet (Λυκόποδες), because they always had their feet covered with wolf-skins, to prevent frostbite; alternatively because they had a wolf symbol on their shields. [20] Indic [ edit ] Mishory, Alec (2019-07-15). The Twelve Tribes of Israel: from Biblical Symbolism to Emblems of a Mythical Promised Land. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-40527-1.

The cult of Mazu has its origin in Fujian, but it has expanded throughout southern China and in many northern provinces, chiefly in localities along the coast, as well as among expatriate Chinese communities. [68] Kusmina, Elena Efimovna (2007). The Origin of the Indo-Iranians. Brill. ISBN 978-0521299442 . Retrieved February 13, 2015. Mika Rissanen. "The Lupa Romana in the Roman Provinces". Acta Archaeologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae. Akadémiai Kiadó . Retrieved 2016-04-01. Zhong, Xinzi (2014). A Reconstruction of Zhū Xī's Religious Philosophy Inspired by Leibniz: The Natural Theology of Heaven (Thesis). Open Access Theses and Dissertations. Hong Kong Baptist University Institutional Repository. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-02-28.

In the Irish epic tale The Cattle Raid of Cooley, the Morrigan takes on many forms in the presence of Cu Chulainn. She is an eel and a wolf, among other things. Because the Morrigan is seen as a wild, liberated and independent goddess, it only makes sense that the wolf is one of her sacred familiars. 5. Skadi: Norse Goddess of Winter & Wolves If you bind me so that I am unable to release myself, then you will be standing by in such a way that I should have to wait a long time before I got any help from you. I am reluctant to have this band put on me. But rather than that you question my courage, let someone put his hand in my mouth as a pledge that this is done in good faith. [16] Tvetene Malme, Erik (2014). 平安神: Mao Zedong as a Deity (PDF). DUO Research Archive. University of Oslo. pp.14–20, 23, 26–28, 33, 36. The Bible contains 13 references to wolves, usually as metaphors for greed and destructiveness. In the New Testament, Jesus is quoted to have used wolves as illustrations to the dangers His followers would have faced should they follow him (Matthew 10:16, Acts 20:29, Matthew 7:15) [64] Virgil leads Dante away from the she-wolf in Inferno Canto 1 lines 87-88 as drawn by Gustave Doré, 1861Binding Fate – Assassin's Creed Valhalla Wiki Guide". IGN. 30 April 2020. Archived from the original on 31 May 2022 . Retrieved 31 May 2022. Shénnóng — Peasant God, the patron of humanity ( 人皇 Rénhuáng), identified as Yándì ( 炎帝 "Flame Deity" or "Fiery Deity"), a divine man said to have taught the techniques of farming, herbal medicine, and marketing. He is often represented as a human with horns and other features of an ox. [56]

The popular image of the wolf is significantly influenced by the Big Bad Wolf stereotype from Aesop's Fables and Grimm's Fairy Tales. Jones, Stephen (2013). In Search of the Folk Daoists of North China. Ashgate Publishing. ISBN 978-1409481300. The Æsir went out on to the lake Amsvartnir sent for Fenrir to accompany them, and continued to the island Lyngvi (Old Norse "a place overgrown with heather"). [15] The gods showed Fenrir the silken fetter Gleipnir, told him to tear it, stated that it was much stronger than it appeared, passed it among themselves, used their hands to pull it, and yet it did not tear. However, they said that Fenrir would be able to tear it, to which Fenrir replied:In Taiyuan, Liu Heng, the fifth emperor of the Western Han dynasty, is worshipped as the Dragon King. This is because Liu Heng once served as the Prince of Dai of the area and was welcomed by the local people. Every year, local villagers hold a sacrifice to him on the Longtaitou Festival. [64] [65] Cailleach is known as the divine Old Woman and is frequently the personification of Winter in Scotland and Ireland. There are many places named for the Cailleach and her name still exists in traditions and fairy tales, particularly in the Winter season. Interestingly, she was once also closely linked to wolves, before wolves went extinct in Scotland and Ireland. Being that Cailleach has the power to create and destroy, just like Winter, she was also a guardian of wolves. A creature that also holds birth and death in its claws. 14. Flidais: The Celtic Woodland Guardian Wolves | Texts & Source Sheets from Torah, Talmud and Sefaria's library of Jewish sources". www.sefaria.org . Retrieved 2023-02-24. They said: Surely if the wolf should devour him notwithstanding that we are a (strong) company, we should then certainly be losers." Mount Lykaion ( Λύκαιον ὄρος) is a mountain in Arcadia where an altar of Zeus was located. Zeus Lykaios was said to have been born and brought up on it, and was the home of Pelasgus and his son Lycaon, who is said to have founded the ritual of Zeus practiced on its summit. This seems to have involved a human sacrifice, and a feast in which the man who received the portion of a human victim was changed to a wolf, as Lycaon had been after sacrificing a child. The sanctuary of Zeus played host to athletic games held every four years, the Lykaia.

In Antiquity, the she-wolf was identified as a symbol of Rome by both the Romans themselves and nations under the Roman rule. The Lupa Romana was an iconic scene that represented in the first place the idea of romanitas, being Roman. When it was used in the Roman Provinces, it can be seen as an expression of loyalty to Rome and the emperor. [32] Shéxiān — Snake Immortal, also variously called 柳仙 Liǔxiān — Immortal Liu, or 常仙 Chángxiān — Viper Immortal, or also 蟒仙 Mǎngxiān — Python or Boa Immortal Lagerwey, John; Kalinowski, Marc, eds. (2008). Early Chinese Religion: Part One: Shang Through Han (1250 BC-220 AD). Leiden: Brill. ISBN 978-9004168350. In chapter 13 of the Prose Edda book Gylfaginning, Fenrir is first mentioned in a stanza quoted from Völuspá. [10] Fenrir is first mentioned in prose in chapter 25, where the enthroned figure of High tells Gangleri (described as King Gylfi in disguise) about the god Týr. High says that one example of Týr's bravery is that when the Æsir were luring Fenrir (referred to here as Fenrisúlfr) to place the fetter Gleipnir on the wolf, Týr placed his hand within the wolf's mouth as a pledge. This was done at Fenrir's own request because he did not trust that the Æsir would let him go. As a result, when the Æsir refused to release him, he bit off Týr's hand at a location "now called the wolf-joint" (the wrist), causing Týr to be one-handed and "not considered to be a promoter of settlements between people." [11] Gylfaginning chapter 34 [ edit ] The Binding of Fenrir (1908) by George Wright Odin and Fenriswolf, Freyr and Surt (1905) by Emil Doepler Chang, Ruth H. (2000). "Understanding Di and Tian: Deity and Heaven from Shang to Tang Dynasties" (PDF). Sino-Platonic Papers. Victor H. Mair (108). ISSN 2157-9679.According to the Avesta, the sacred text of the Zoroastrians, wolves are a creation from the 'darkness' of the evil spirit Ahriman, and are ranked among the most cruel of animals. [25] and belong to the daevas. The Bundahishn, which is a Middle Persian text on the Zoroastrian creation myth, has a chapter dedicated to the 'nature of wolves' as seen in Zoroastrian mythology and belief. When do wolves become dangerous to humans?" (PDF). 29 September 2007. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 August 2014 . Retrieved 5 January 2015. Gods and goddesses of the ancient world often held a special connection with wolves. Some say this is because the beliefs of our ancestors were animistic – they believed everything in nature had consciousness including animals. Wildlife was thought of as sacred in ancient times, and there are scholars who believe ancient land guardian spirits were worshiped by ancient tribes and would eventually rise to become great gods and goddesses. To find an image of a god or goddess in the likeness of an animal was commonplace. Some of the more obvious animal-god connections can be seen on the ancient temple walls in Egypt. For example, the ibis-headed god Thoth. Or the hawk-headed god Horus. Wolf gods and goddesses were depicted with the heads of wolves, transformed into wolves, or were strongly associated with wolves. Why the Wolf is Sacred to the Gods