Of Wolves and Men

Describes the wolf and its mythology.

No animal has gripped man's imagination as strongly as the wolf. Feared, hated, reviled, he has been regarded as the embodiment of evil. Now, in an age of science, people defend the wolf's role in nature; some have even come to romanticize him. But still we have not seen the whole wolf. This talented and perceptive writer shows us not only the wolf of the scientist but the wolf of the Eskimo and the Indian, the wolf of the wolf killer, the wolf of the imagination--werewolves, feral children, the wolf of folklore and fable--and in so doing creates a compelling picture of both the wolf as animal and the wolf that man has created. Everyone sees a different wolf. The scientist sees an animal as defined by his data. The Eskimo, whose powers of observation closely resemble the wolf's, sees an animal very much like himself--hunter and provider. For the native American the wolf was a spiritual symbol, an animal who lived in a way that would make both individual and tribe strong. For the wolf killer he was often an irrational, frenzied predator that must be annihilated. In the human imagination he has most often been a subconscious scapegoat for the bestiality of men. Barry Lopez draws the reader into the world of the wolf and the ideas that surround him. With the vision of a poet, he sorts truth from untruth to come as close as one can to an understanding of how man creates animals. In reading this book we not only learn a great deal about wolves, but we come face to face with ourselves.--Adapted from jacket.