God’s She-Wolf in Croatian Folklore

Wolves are a big part of mythology worldwide. Some stories are very well known, like the ones of Romulus and Remus, or Fenrir, and others reside in the shadows like the story of the Croatian God’s She-Wolf this article will explore.

The myth of God’s She-Wolf in Croatian folklore originates from the North part of the continental region from where it spread to other parts of the country. As it goes with all tales, with time, the story developed numerous variations, but the original tale goes as follows:

In the old times, God’s She-Wolf would often venture into villages in her wolf form, and slaughter livestock at night while the villagers were safe in their beds. Facing starvation soon became a reasonable fear. Desperate and angry, a young man decided to put a stop to her vicious behavior. So he took upon himself a task no one wanted and he decided to hide in the old mill just as the sun set behind the horizon. He intended to kill the beast, not knowing that it was, in fact, the magical creature from the old tales.

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God’s She-wolf was a magical creature  (The_AI_Revolution/Adobe Stock)

As soon as the night fell on the world, God’s She-Wolf appeared, walking right into the mill in her wolf form. The young man hid behind the wall waiting for the right moment to attack, but in that moment something magical happened right before his eyes. The wolf took off its pelt and turned into a beautiful young woman. Barely believing what just happened before his eyes, the young man stood back and observed as the woman lay down and fell asleep. He remembered what was told for generations about the She-Wolf and decided to instead try his luck in winning over the creature.

The young man quietly approached the woman, took her pelt, and hid it underneath the millstone, remembering that she couldn’t turn into a wolf without it. Once the woman awoke and realized her pelt was nowhere to be seen, she had no choice but to do as she was told. Struck by her beauty, the young man had only one demand and that was for her to marry him.

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As the years passed by, their love eventually began to blossom. They moved into the mill where they first met and even had a child together. It seemed that everything was as it was supposed to be. Until one day when God’s She-Wolf was cleaning and found something too familiar underneath the millstone. It was her pelt. As it was her nature, she put the pelt on, immediately turning into the wolf. And like all wild creatures, she grasped her freedom by running into the woods.

Heartbroken and only now realizing that it was wrong for him to blackmail his beloved, the young man ventured into the wilderness to find her and bring her back. It is said that he searched through forests and fields for days before finally finding the Wolf Shepherd and his pack. He humbly approached the Shepherd and asked if he had seen his beloved wife. The Shepherd smiled and answered: “I have, but I can’t just give her back to you.”

And the Shepherd spoke again:

“You can have her back if you guess which one she is. If you fail to do so, my wolves will tear you to pieces.”

Willing to do anything to bring her back, the young man agreed to the horrific bargain.

The young man took his time, looking at the numerous wolves standing in front of him. Eventually, he pointed to one wolf that seemed so familiar, and to his luck, he picked right. With that, his God’s She-Wolf was freed of her instinct and the stories say that they lived happily ever after.

In other variations of this myth, not all men were so fortunate. It is said that many have tried to steal the pelt of the beautiful creature, failing in the process and losing their life.

Many old tales had an educational purpose behind them, but I am struggling to see the purpose in this particular story. So, what are your thoughts on the moral of this one? Or perhaps it is just a scary story to tell in the dark?

Top image: Half woman half wolf, representation of God’s She-Wolf.    Source: ana/Adobe Stock

By Jelena Hrvoj