Also called Werewolf, Varulf, Úlfheðinn (wolf-coat warrior), Hamrammr (shape-strong).
The tale
In Völsunga saga Sigmundr and his son Sinfjötli found wolf-skins in a hut and put them on, and could not take them off for ten days, speaking like wolves and killing in wolf form. The sagas mention men who were hamrammr, "shape-strong", like Kveld-Úlfr, "Evening Wolf", in Egils saga. In later Scandinavian folk belief, a varulv was usually a person cursed, sometimes from birth, to become a wolf, who could be freed by being called by their name.
When they are met
- in the tales, when a curse must be named
- when reflecting on anger
Staying on their good side
- folk tradition: calling the werewolf by its human name breaks the spell
- a calm walk outdoors when you feel your temper rising
Honouring them, or keeping safe
- Reflect on the tale of Sigmund and Sinfjötli: the wolf-skins brought fury they could not easily put down.
- Name your anger honestly; the tales say naming breaks the change.
What their tales teach
- understanding anger
- shapeshifter lore
- the wild self
Symbols
- a wolf-skin
- a belt of wolf hide
- the full moon (later)
Sources
- Völsunga saga 8
- Egils saga Skalla-Grímssonar 1
- Kvideland and Sehmsdorf, Scandinavian Folk Belief and Legend
More Norse folklore
- Huldra The hidden woman of the forest
- Nisse The little old man of the farm
- Draugr The restless dead of the sagas
- Trolls The old dwellers in mountain and stone
- Valkyries The choosers of the slain
- Fossegrim The fiddler beneath the waterfall
- Nøkken The fiddler in the still water
- Mara The spirit who rides sleepers