WOLF
Indo-European wolf was often called "a thief", "an enemy", "dangerous", "evil". Actually a similar concept is kept in a Lithuanian word "liūtas" which means "a lion", this word is connected to Slavic words "лютъ (ljutŭ)", "luty", "лю́ты (ljúty)" which mean "harsh, fierce, dangerous, cruel". Hittite "walkuwa" meant "dangerous" and Luwian "walwa/i" meant "a lion".
The she-wolf from the legend of Romulus and Remus was regarded as a symbol of Rome from ancient times. Several ancient sources refer to statues depicting the wolf suckling the twins. Livy reports in his Roman history that a statue was erected at the foot of the Palatine Hill in 295 BC
In Norse mythology wolves have mostly negative conotations.
Fenrir ("Fen-dweller") is a son of Loki and is foretold to kill the god Odin during the events of Ragnarök, but will in turn be killed by Odin's son Víðarr.
Fenrir's son Sköll ("Treachery") is a wolf that chases the horses Árvakr ("Early wake") and Alsviðr ("Very quick") that drag the chariot which contains the sun (Sól) through the sky every day, trying to eat her. Sköll has a twin brother Hati ("He who hates"), who chases Máni, the moon. At Ragnarök, both Sköll and Hati will succeed in their quests.
Airitech was a mysterious creature whose three daughters were werewolf like creatures, eventually killed by Cas Corach. The Irish word for wolf is "Mac Tíre" meaning literally "the Son of the Country(side)" and association with human transformation linger, There are many references in Irish mythology to lycanthropes and changing to other animal forms. The Morrígan was said to take on the form of a red-furred wolf, particularly in her battle with the hero Cú Chulainn. Mac Cecht killed a wolf feeding on a still living woman on a battlefield. Cormac mac Airt was said to have been raised by wolves, and that he could understand their speech. Four wolves would accompany him in his rebellion against Lugaid mac Con, and would later be accompanied by them until the end of his life.
VIL-
Latvian: vilks
Lithuanian: vilkas
Old Prussian: wilkis
Kashubian: wilk
Polish: wilk
VIR-
Sogdian: wyrk, wirk-
BIR-
Khotanese: birgga-
WOL- VOL- UOL-
Latin: volpes ("fox")
Middle English: wolf
English: wolf
Scots: wolf, woulf, wouff
Old Frisian: wolf
West Frisian: wolf
Dutch: wolf
Afrikaans: wolf
Old High German: wolf
Middle High German: wolf
German: Wolf
Luxembourgish: Wollef
Russian: волк (volk)
Macedonian: волк (volk)
Slovene: vȏłk
WOU- VOU-
Belarusian: воўк (voŭk)
Polabian Drevani: wouka
Polabian: våuk
Rusyn: вовк (vovk)
Ukrainian: вовк (vovk)
OLV-
Gutnish: ålv
OL-
Manx: olk ("evil")
Old Irish: olc ("evil")
Irish: olc ("evil")
Scottish Gaelic: olc ("evil")
VAL- UAL-
Hittite: walkuwa ("dangerous")
Luwian: walwa/i ("lion")
Lydian: walw-el(i), walve ("lion-like, pertaining to lions")
Tocharian B: walkwe
Bulgarian: вълк (vǎlk)
VAR-
---> Veps: vargaz ("thief")
---> Ludian: vargaz ("thief")
---> Votic: vargas ("thief")
---> Livvi: varras ("thief")
---> Karelian: varras ("thief")
---> Ingrian: varas ("thief")
---> Estonian: varas ("thief")
---> Finnish: varas ("thief")
Lithuanian: vargas ("hardship, misery")
Latvian: vārgs ("misery")
Old Prussian: wargan ("misery, suffering") (accusative singular)
Old East Norse: vargʀ
Old Norse: vargr ("wolf, evildoer, destroyer")
Icelandic: vargur
Faroese: vargur
Norwegian Bokmål: varg
Norwegian Nynorsk: varg
Norn: varg
Old Swedish: vargher
Swedish: varg
Danish: varg
Elfdalian: warg
Gurani: ۋەرگ (ʋarg)
Zazaki: verg (varg)
Gujarati: વરુ (varu)
Old Persian: 𐎺𐎼𐎣 (varka)
Old English: warg, wearg, werg, wearh ("criminal, reprobate, felon, monster, evil spirit")
Old Saxon: warag ("criminal, reprobate, felon, monster, evil spirit")
Dutch: warg ("criminal, reprobate, felon, monster, evil spirit")
Old High German: warg ("criminal, reprobate, felon, monster, evil spirit")
Middle High German: warc ("criminal, reprobate, felon, monster, evil spirit")
Middle Dutch: warch, werch ("criminal, reprobate, felon, monster, evil spirit")
Polish: warchoł ("criminal, reprobate, felon, monster, evil spirit")
Polish: warczeć ("to growl, to snarl, to whirr, to gnarl")
VRA-
Old Church Slavonic: врагъ ⰲⱃⰰⰳⱏ (vragŭ) ("foe, enemy")
Russian: вра́г (vrág) ("foe, enemy")
Rusyn: враг (vrah) ("foe, enemy")
Bulgarian: враг (vrag) ("foe, enemy")
Macedonian: враг (vrag) ("foe, enemy")
Serbo-Croatian: вра̑г vrȃg ("devil")
Slovene: vrág ("devil")
Czech: vrah ("foe, enemy")
Slovak: vrah ("murderer")
VOR-
Old East Slavic: ворогъ (vorogŭ) ("foe, enemy")
Belarusian: во́раг (vórah) ("foe, enemy")
Russian: во́рог (vórog) ("foe, enemy")
Rusyn: ворог (voroh) ("foe, enemy")
Ukrainian: во́рог (vóroh) ("foe, enemy")
Russian ворча́ние (vorčánije) ("snarling, growling")
VRO-
Polish: wróg ("foe, enemy")
Upper Sorbian: wróh ("murderer")
VER-
---> Erzya: верьгес (verʹges)
---> Moksha: верьгас (verʹgas)
Lithuanian: vierchas ("leader of criminals")
Avestan: vəhrka
Mazanderani: ورگ (verg)
VEL-
Samogitian: vėlks
Lower Sorbian: wjelk
Upper Sorbian: wjelk
WUL-
Old East Slavic: вълкъ (vŭlkŭ)
Jatvingian: wułks
Gothic: 𐍅𐌿𐌻𐍆𐍃 (wulfs)
Old English: wulf, ƿulf
Saterland Frisian: Wulf
Old Saxon: wulf
Middle Low German: wulf
Vilamovian: wūf
Serbo-Croatian: ву̑к vȗk
ULV- ULF-
Old Norse: úlfr, ulfʀ
Icelandic: úlfur
Faroese: úlvur
Norwegian Bokmål: ulv
Norwegian Nynorsk: ulv
Old Swedish: ulver
Swedish: ulv
Danish: ulv
Gutnish: ulv
Elfdalian: ulv
ULK-
Lepontic: 𐌖𐌋𐌊𐌏𐌔 (ulkos) ("evil")
Old Albanian: ulk
Albanian: ujk
VLK-
Old Church Slavonic: влькъ ⰲⰾⱐⰽⱏ (vlĭkŭ)
Czech: vlk
Slovak: vlk
VR- UR-
Sanskrit: वृक (vṛ́ka) ("wolf, dog, jackal, crow, owl, thief, kshatriya, plough, thunderbolt, moon, sun")
Hindi: वृक (vŕk)
Chorasmian: wry̆k
Shina: उरुक (uruk)
VRI-
Sanskrit: वृक (vrika, vrriikah)
LU-
Ancient Greek: λύκος (lúkos)
Greek: λύκος (lýkos) (Maybe from *vlikos)
Paeonian: Λυκκ- (Lukk-), Λυκπ- (Lukp-)
Latin: lupus
Aragonese: lupo
Aromanian: lup
Corsican: lupu
Istro-Romanian: lup
Italian: lupo
Maltese: lupu
Romanian: lup
Sardinian: lupu
Sicilian: lupu
Romansh: luf
Walloon: leu
Old French: leu
LO-
Old Portuguese: lobo
Portuguese: lobo
Spanish: lobo
Galician: lobo
Asturian: llobu
Mirandese: lhobo
Catalan: llop
Occitan: lop
Franco-Provençal: lôf, lop
Friulian: lôf
French: loup, leu
Ligurian: lô
Venetian: lóvo
Emilian: låuv
GUL-
Book Pahlavi: gwlg
GUR-
Kurdish: gur, gurg
Middle Persian: gurg
Classical Persian: گرگ (gurg)
Tajik: гург (gurg)
Baluchi: گرک (gurk)
GOR-
Iranian Persian: گرگ (gorg)
Article published on the 11th of July 2018.