LL-L "Folklore" 2003.01.29 (02) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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From: Theo Homan <theohoman at yahoo.com>
Subject: LL-L "Folklore" 2003.01.28 (10) [E]

What about seeing The Wolf as a personification of the
evil?
I'm sure: wolves don't eat goates, they degust them
[so no mentioning of eating "sieben Geisslein". ] And
eating chalk don't change your voice. And they are
afraid of people.
Wolf-stories are of the time that the wolf was the
most dangerous creature, and at that times they found
enough to eat in the wild. But wolves-concerts at
night are worse than missing a chicken. But when a
girl was missing in the village, you always could say
that wolves had taken here. The wolf is inside in us.

Gathering small wolf-tales in the lowlands would be
nice.

vr. gr. Theo Homan

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From: Ed Alexander <edsells at cogeco.ca>
Subject: LL-L "Folklore" 2003.01.28 (16) [E]

At 05:15 PM 01/28/03 -0800, Wim wrote:
>The problem was..  In the Middle Ages ... that wolves get infected with
>rabies....   and that does make them dangerous.
>
>I wonder if all the werewolf stories aren't  reflections of being
>infected by a rabies infected wolf too. The animal bites you, and you
>become like it.

In the area of Canada where I live, we have a very healthy wolf population,
albeit a subspecies known as "coyotes" or "bush wolves".  I live near the
downtown sector of a medium size Canadian city (pop. 400,000) on the Great
Lakes which is heavily industrialized, especially by the steel
industry.  However, there is a series of parks and rail lines that link me
to the surrounding agricultural area, and am very thankful for the
nocturnal visits of these most fantastic and beautiful animals, for they
keep my groundhog pests well under control, as well as raccoons and other
animals that tend to overpopulate and then use up tax money in human
attempts at control.

As far as rabies is concerned, we are always more warned about foxes (yep,
lots of those, too), skunks, raccoons, and, hence, family pets which are
left out to roam.  Wolves are an effective control of all of these, and
yet, due to their tremendous fear of humans, are extremely unlikely to have
actual contact with us.  In the last twenty years, I've had perhaps twenty
or thirty sightings, but only because I rise very early before dawn for my
morning run, which takes me into areas of regular coyote patrol.  Some of
these encounters were quite close, up to perhaps 20 meters coming around a
bend in the path......  Upon sighting both of us will freeze for a brief
moment for a look, and then the coyote always runs away.  Once, we
encountered in the dark on a lonely country road.  My friend moved off into
the adjacent farmer's field, and thus we passed each other with great
mutual respect, and I watched with great fascination as the coyote
re-entered the road another 20 meters past me.  Another time, coming home
from a run in the very early spring, I surprised one in my large back yard,
and he took off like a spirit, and the image of this incredibly beautiful
animal streaking across the lawn and bounding in what seemed like one or
two strides up the long steep hill at the rear of my land will be forever
burned in my mind.

The local livestock farmers are not all of the same mind as me, but they
are compensated for all livestock losses, which, in the big picture, are
not all that serious.

Having been in their presence, I was impressed with the aura of cunning
intelligence and fierce independence that they exude and can well
understand the great prominence they enjoyed in native folklore, as well as
the human characteristics they were said to embody.  I believe that if you
in the Old World were to be graced with their re-introduction, you would be
greatly enriched by their presence.

Ed Alexander, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

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