Ask people to name a fantasy animal and chances are pretty high that they will say a dragon. But in a deep and intelligent discussion (read: random!) on Twitter recently, three of us (Alex Shepherd, Doug Smith and myself, Dominic Stevens) noticed that it’s the wolf which keeps cropping up again and again, whether in the form of a standard European wolf, a hound, a werewolf, or even the famous one right now, a direwolf. Why this is, we could not say, though I do wonder if the writers of these stories have been wearing The Three Wolves Moon T-Shirt whilst writing!
So for the delight of all our readers, here are our top ten wolves in fantasy!
10. Willie Flambeaux (The Skin Trade by George R.R. Martin)
Before George RR Martin started writing A Song of Ice and Fire he was a rather brilliant writer of short stories and novellas. One of his most famous was a werewolf detective noir story called The Skin Trade, the lead character of which was a rather grizzled P.I. called Willie Flambeaux who solved crimes by transforming into a werewolf and literally following his nose!
9. Maugrim (The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, by C.S.Lewis)
Maugrim was the head of The Witch’s Police in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe and relished the dirty work that had to be done. Seen by many as an agent of the Devil, he is the ugly face of evil in Narnia and makes no bones about it. He is instrumental in the coming of age of Peter who eventually slays him, earning the name Sir Peter Wolfsbane.
8. Hopper (The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan)
Hopper is a large grizzled wolf from The Wheel of Time and somewhat of an oddity on this list, as he dies very early on in the series. He features regularly after this, despite the rather large setback of being dead. He’s a favourite by association as Perrin is one of my favourite characters in The Wheel of Time, and Hopper goes on to tutor Perrin in the Wolf Dream, or Tel’aran’rhiod. Without Hopper, Perrin would have stumbled early and often and more than likely met with a sticky end. Hopper shows his loyalty at the end by dying the ‘final death’ whilst helping Perrin, no longer to be born again into the Wheel of Time.
7. The Alphas (The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher)
First introduced in Jim Butcher’s second Dresden Files novel, Fool Moon, the Alphas quickly became a major faction within the world of Harry Dresden. Essentially a street gang of teenage werewolves, the Alphas become one of the few sources of true friendship that Harry Dresden can rely on, and they get more powerful with every novel. The Alphas (and in particular, Billy Borden) become willing to face insurmountable odds to protect Harry, and they are more than worthy of a place on this list.
6. Lupin (The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling)
Despite being a werewolf, Professor Lupin from the Harry Potter series was probably the only decent Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher Harry ever had, so he’d get an honourable mention for that if nothing else. A member of the original Order of the Phoenix, he becomes a mentor of sorts for young Harry but goes on to lose his life battling the Death Eaters. I know what you’re thinking, that this is all in his human form, but where does the wolf end and the human begin, eh Moony?
5. Oz (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, TV Series)
Seth Green is a hero to geeks worldwide, but for many of us our favourite role for him was as the taciturn Oz in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He was a traditional, transforming into a werewolf every full moon – a slight misfortunate for his band who could never be booked for gigs during a full moon. He left in the fourth season after breaking poor Willow’s heart, and she never loved another man afterwards.
4. Angua (The Discworld Series, by Terry Pratchett)
The now Captain Angua of the City Watch in Ankh-Morpork is not only the most beautiful member (by quite a long-shot) of the Watch, but she is also one of the most dangerous. Originally hired as part of an affirmative action plan by the Patrician, Lord Havelock Vetinari; Angua met the requirements in more than one way, by being both a woman, and a werewolf. She is a hard worker, very much in love with Captain Carrot and probably the most deadly member of the Watch. And that’s before she even transforms!
3. White Fang and Buck (In The Call Of The Wild by Jack London)
It would be a mighty injustice to make a list of the top ten wolves in fiction without doffing a cap to the original writer of Shaggy Dog tales, Jack London. White Fang and Buck both undergo the dog versions of a bildungsroman, but their tales are cleverly reversed. In The Call of the Wild Buck goes from being a domesticated dog to a wild wolf, whilst in White Fang our wolf is tamed to become a loyal companion to his master. Most brilliant about Jack London’s writings is that he does not try to anthropomorphise Buck or White Fang but instead creates a template for realistic portrayals of animals of all types in fiction which still influences writers now.
2. Ghost (A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R.R. Martin)
He may not have made the top spot of this list, but I think we can all agree that Ghost can take home the award of Coolest Fantasy Wolf. When the Stark kids find the direwolves in A Game of Thrones, they almost leave behind the little runt of the litter. A red- eyed albino, Ghost is well suited to Jon Snow. As the series progresses, Ghost becomes a dutiful protector to the brothers of the Nightswatch, and he’s more badass with every appearance. Jon Snow may not be everybody’s favourite character, but I reckon we all have a soft spot for Ghost.
1. Nighteyes (The Realm of the Elderlings series, by Robin Hobb)
Anybody who has read Robin Hobb’s Assassins and Tawney Men trilogy will know there was never a real debate who would win the coveted number one spot. Nighteyes is more than just a companion to Fitz, he is half of a whole character. Without Nighteyes, Fitz is simply incomplete, and there is no way Fitz would have had the strength to endure the hell Hobbs puts him through without Nighteyes. And, most telling, no scene involving a human character has ever made me bawl my eyes out in the same manner that some of Nighteye’s scenes made me. Not only the greatest wolf in fantasy, also one of the greatest characters in fantasy full stop.
Article co-written by Alex Shepherd, Doug Smith, and Dominic Stevens.
