Thewolf has been widely used in many forms inheraldry during theMiddle Ages. Though commonly reviled as a livestock predator andman-eater, the wolf was also considered a noble and courageous animal, and frequently appeared on thearms andcrests of numerous noble families. It typically symbolised the rewards of perseverance in long sieges or hard industry.
Wolves appear frequently inEnglish heraldry, and is found as both a charge and asupporter. Wolves' heads, without the rest of the body being depicted, are particularly common inScottish heraldry.[1]
Early depictions of wolves in heraldry tend to be somewhat ambiguous in appearance, and can be confused with other heraldic creatures such aslynxes andfoxes.[1]
Edward IV (1442–83) used a white wolf for one of his badges, along with a whitelion, denoting his descent from the House of Mortimer.
The wolf or his head is often used forcanting on names such as Videlou, de Lou (both recorded in the anonymousGreat Roll of 1308–14), Lupus (in the reign ofEdward III), Wolferston (in theHenry VI Roll, circa 1422–61),Wolseley, Lovett, Low, Lovell,Lupton and of course Wolfe.
Wolves are to be found
The "Enfield beast", an imaginary creature with the combined head of a fox, front talons of an eagle and legs and tail of a wolf, appears as the crest of the Irish family of Kelly[1] and is also used in the coat and as a supporter for the formerEnfield Borough Council and its successor theLondon Borough of Enfield[1] (England).
The wolf is also featured in the heraldry of continental European nations. Wolves feature very commonly inSpanish heraldry, where they are often represented wolves carrying the bodies of lambs in their mouths or across their backs. When in such a pose, wolves are referred to as beingravissant.[1]
Wolves are also common inGerman heraldry. The town ofPassau (Bavaria) bears a red wolf rampant on a white shield. InSaxony, a black wolf rampant on a yellow shield features on the crest of von Wolfersdorf family. A green wolf grasping a dead swan in its jaws on a yellow shield is depicted on the crest and Arms of the Counts von Brandenstein-Zeppelin.
InItalian heraldry, theattributed arms ofRomulus and Remus were said to depict theCapitoline Wolf. An undated Milanese badge allegedly in the Biblioteca Trivulziana, Milan, shows a lamb lying on its back with a wolf standing over it.
InFrench heraldry, theWolfcatcher Royal had as his official insignia two wolf heads facing frontally.
A horned, wolf-like creature called theCalopus or Chatloup was at one time connected with the Foljambe and Cathome family.
Modernly, the coat of arms of the secular separatists in Chechnya bore the wolf, because the wolf (borz) is the Chechen (or Ichkerian) nation's national embodiment. The Islamists later removed it, and the Russian-sponsored ruling regime removed it entirely, but the secular government in exile still uses. In addition, many other insignia of the Chechen nation (of all three governments) use the wolf as a heraldic symbol. Not only is it the national animal, but the Chechen people are symbolically said to be variously related to wolves (not in a serious way, but in an either symbolic or joking manner), and there are legends of their ancestors being raised by a "wolf mother". Characteristics of the wolf are also frequently compared to the Chechen people in a poetic sense, including the most famous line that members of the Chechen nation are "free and equal like wolves".
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