The wulver is a kind of humanoid wolf creature that is part of the folklore of the Shetland islands off the coast of Scotland.
History[]
The wulver kept to itself and was not aggressive if left in peace, and he will often guide lost travellers to nearby towns and villages. There are also tales of Wulvers leaving fish on the windowsills of poor families. Unlike their werewolf counterparts, the Wulver is not a shape-shifter and wasn't a human from the start. It appears to be a sort of immortal spirit. Jessie Saxby, in Shetland Traditional Lore writes:
The Wulver was a creature like a man with a wolf's head. He had short brown hair all over him. His home was a cave dug out of the side of a steep knowe, half-way up a hill. He didn't molest folk if folk didn't molest him. He was fond of fishing, and had a small rock in the deep water which is known to this day as the "Wulver's Stane" (Wolf Stone). There he would sit fishing sillaks and piltaks for hour after hour. He was reported to have frequently left a few fish on the window-sill of some poor body.
After researching folklore traditions gathered primarily from Gaelic areas of Scotland, an authority on congenital disorders, Susan Schoon Eberly, has speculated the tale of the wulver may have a basis in a human being with a medical condition; she suggests it may be Hunter syndrome.
The ancient Celts believed that the Wulver evolved from wolves, and that the Wulver symbolizes the in-between stage of man and wolf.
Unfortunately, there isn’t much documentation on the elusive Wulver, the last reported sighting being in the early twentieth century. Considering there are few bad stories connected with the beast, many believe an encounter providential and may lead a person to a treasure buried amongst ancient ruins. Conversely, others view Wulver sightings as omens of imminent death.
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