Dream of wolf

Meaning of wolf in a dream

The wolf has a somewhat poor reputation in Western mythology, ‘Little red Riding Cap/Hood’, the proverbial ‘Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing’ et cetera. It only needs one wolf to be on the prowl for shutters to be put up and people to tremble. It is not the supposed murderous tendencies of the wolf that provoke one’s fears; it is an almost sacred terror, an old dream deep in the collective unconscious. It seems that this dream has to do with a supposed understanding between wolves and men in a long-lost paradise. The wolf is charged with a vast range of symbolic values, and the dreams in which it appears are always felt to be powerful and consequently important. The wolf is perhaps purely "the beast", which appears from nowhere, wreaks devastation, and vanishes without trace, leaving carnage in its wake. In mythology, its role is sometimes benevolent, sometimes satanic. The wolf sees in the dark, so is symbolic of light and the sun. The wolf can be the solitary hero who defies the hunters. It is a symbol of intelligence and courage, but it is also the devourer of children, the werewolf, a demon from Hell. In dreams, the wolf acquires the importance that we attribute to it. It is often a part of the self, positive or negative. It can represent solitude and self-absorption, and retreat from relations with others, but it can symbolize instinct too; the instinct that certain people can only keep locked inside. The wolf can also represent a "devouring" character that we carry within us, a father or mother for instance. It often represents a social character of this nature, for a man may be "a wolf towards other men or women, but a wolf seldom behaves badly towards other wolves. The wolf has a somewhat poor reputation in Western mythology, ‘Little red Riding Cap/Hood’, the proverbial ‘Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing’ et cetera. It only needs one wolf to be on the prowl for shutters to be put up and people to tremble. It is not the supposed murderous tendencies of the wolf that provoke one’s fears; it is an almost sacred terror, an old dream deep in the collective unconscious. It seems that this dream has to do with a supposed understanding between wolves and men in a long-lost paradise. The wolf is charged with a vast range of symbolic values, and the dreams in which it appears are always felt to be powerful and consequently important. The wolf is perhaps purely "the beast", which appears from nowhere, wreaks devastation, and vanishes without trace, leaving carnage in its wake. In mythology, its role is sometimes benevolent, sometimes satanic. The wolf sees in the dark, so is symbolic of light and the sun. The wolf can be the solitary hero who defies the hunters. It is a symbol of intelligence and courage, but it is also the devourer of children, the werewolf, a demon from Hell. In dreams, the wolf acquires the importance that we attribute to it. It is often a part of the self, positive or negative. It can represent solitude and self-absorption, and retreat from relations with others, but it can symbolize instinct too; the instinct that certain people can only keep locked inside. The wolf can also represent a "devouring" character that we carry within us, a father or mother for instance. It often represents a social character of this nature, for a man may be "a wolf towards other men or women, but a wolf seldom behaves badly towards other wolves. To dream of a wolf, shows that you have a thieving person in your employ, who will also betray secrets. To kill one, denotes that you will defeat sly enemies who seek to overshadow you with disgrace. To hear the howl of a wolf, discovers to you a secret alliance to defeat you in honest competition.