History Main / SavageWolves

While this trope usually manifests in the form of regular, if unusually aggressive, wolves, it's not uncommon for fiction to go some extra length and depict these creatures as something truly unnatural or primordial. Some works may draw an explicit distinction between regular, animalistic wolves and one or more forms of monstrous, savage wolf-life creatures. These are most commonly referred to as either [[DireBeast dire wolves]], usually only bearing a general resemblance to the real dire wolves of North America's ice age, or wargs or worgs after Tolkien's own lupine monsters, whose name was derived from ''varg'', the Swedish word for "wolf", which means "killer" or "murderer".

* ''VideoGame/StarCraft'': Arcturus Mengsk [[VillainWithGoodPublicity wants people]] to see the wolves on his family crest as NobleWolves. [[ManipulativeBastard This is a complete lie]], and "cruel, nasty, and sadistic" isn't even a start on his true nature. (Although both his father and son, under the same crest, were much nicer people. Maybe he's a fluke?)

See also TheBigBadWolf, HellHound, AngryGuardDog, MisterMuffykins, and FoulFox. Compare animals that share similar reputations, such as {{bears|AreBadNews}}, [[HeinousHyena hyenas]], [[ThreateningShark sharks]] and [[ReptilesAreAbhorrent most reptiles]].

* ''Literature/RingingBell'': The Wolf. Ruthless and vicious, he kills whatever he can sink his fangs into -- including Chirin's mother. [[spoiler:Subverted because Chirin soon grows fond of the Wolf, seeing him as a father. In fact, near the end, after killing Wolf, he soon feels sad and realizes that revenge isn't satisfying.]]

** Discussed in “The Tidiest Tent!” when Laura worries that there’s a wolf in the campsite.
** Also discussed in “Nature Detectives!”, where Angela wonders if they’ll be eaten by wolves in the woods.

* ''Manga/InuYasha'':

* ''Anime/RingingBell'': The Wolf. Ruthless and vicious, he kills whatever he can sink his fangs into -- including Chirin's mother. [[spoiler:Subverted because Chirin soon grew fond of the Wolf, seeing him as a father. In fact, near the end, after killing Wolf, he soon felt sad and realized that revenge wasn't satisfying.]]

** Played with in the case of the Harfoots. They are attacked by three Entelodont-like creatures that the Harfoots call wolves, despite looking less canine than the above warg.

* ''Fanfic/PercyJacksonSpirits'': Amarok the Hungerer, a wolf spirit who embodies the predatory urge to hunt and devour the weak. He's a servant of Koh, willingly serves Vaatu's desires after his master aligned with him, has terrorized the Water Tribes in the physical world for centuries, and spends most of the story relentless trying to track down and kill Percy and the light spirit refugees.

* ''Fanfic/PokemonCrossingFlyMeToTheMoon'': Dobie, one of the primary antagonists, is a ruthless and violent wolf. Over the course of the series, he's beaten several characters, casually threatens murder, and has ''killed one of the Gym Leaders''.

** ''Literature/TheHobbit'': Both regular wolves and Wargs threaten the main characters. Wargs are [[CanisMajor large]], [[AlwaysChaoticEvil inherently evil]] wolves who are said to be sapient beings and are allied to the goblins of the Misty Mountains, sometimes choosing to allow the goblins to ride on their backs. Wargs are counted as one of the five armies in the Battle of Five Armies. Unlike [[FriendToAllLivingThings other animals]], [[NatureHero the animal-loving Beorn]] will readily kill and skin Wargs whenever he gets the chance.
** ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'': Wargs continue serving Sauron, attacking the fellowship on their own at one point in the first book. Gandalf is careful to make a distinction between the inherently evil Wargs, and normal wolves who he points out will only attack humans out of hunger.
** ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'': Regular wolves, Wargs, and [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent Werewolves]] all appear in service of the evil forces, in contrast to the heroic dogs. Unlike traditional incarnations, Middle Earth Werewolves do not take humanoid form. In ''Literature/BerenAndLuthien'', the Werewolves are led by their progenitor, Draugluin (Sindarin for "Blue Wolf"), and his most terrible offspring Carcharoth. Sauron, called "the Lord of Werewolves", leads a wolf army of wolves and werewolves, and takes the form of a werewolf to fight the HeroicDog Huan.

Because wolves are pack hunters, this makes them even more dangerous. One wolf is easily capable of killing an unarmed human, but bring out a dozen or so and suddenly they can devour anything in their path, especially the ill or weak humans we want to protect most like women, children and the elderly.

Note that while this trope usually comes in the form of a pack of wolves, it can equally apply to a lone one. Bonus points if it's [[ConservationOfNinjitsu much more dangerous]] and [[SuperPersistentPredator persistent]] than a single wolf has any right to be.

** ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'': The wolves are a danger to Belle and her father and even manage to injure the Beast.

** ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'': Regular wolves, Wargs, and [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent Werewolves]] all appear in service of the evil forces, in contrast to the heroic dogs. Unlike traditional incarnations, Middle Earth Werewolves do not take humanoid form. The Werewolves are led by their progenitor, Draugluin (Sindarin for "Blue Wolf"), and his most terrible offspring Carcharoth. Sauron briefly takes the form of a werewolf to fight the HeroicDog Huan.

*** The Red Talons are the only tribe to consist solely of lupus -- that is, wolf-born -- Garou. They've spent millennia watching their territories and wolf kin being driven into dying, isolated pockets by the growth of civilization, and deeply hate humanity as a result. Some simply wish to restore the wild places and the wolves to numbers and health; others want the total eradication of the human race. Savage, vicious, and brutal in their attacks against human encroachment, many Garou fear that the Red Talons are in danger of falling outright to the Wyrm. They revere Griffin, a spirit of anger and the hunt, alongside lesser spirits of beasts, monsters and the hunt.
*** The Wendigo are one of the three tribes native to the Americas, and were savagely beaten back when the Europeans -- and the European Garou -- came to the continent. Those that remain harbor a deep, bitter grudge towards the interlopers and their treacherous kin, and wage a constant, furious war against a world of enemies -- among which they count most other Garou, whom they view as Wyrm-tainted. They revere Great Wendigo, the cannibal spirit of winter, and other spirits of ice, winter, and hunger.

** The [[EvilCounterpart Black Spiral Dancers]] are more savage than most Gaian Garou, as are Red Talons (who [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters consider humanity part of Gaia's problem]]). ProudWarriorRaceGuys such as the Get of Fenris and Wendigo tribes often skirt this as well, sometimes ''quite'' closely.

** Garou of any alignment embody this trope when overcome with rage.

* ''TabletopGame/WerewolfTheForsaken'' has the Predator Kings, a Pure tribe of savage warriors and hunters, essentially the Red Talons come again. They spurn technology, respect nothing but strength, and long for the return of the savage wild of Pangea, where they ruled the wilderness as, well, predator-kings.

* ''Literature/WhiteFang'': Wolves are presented as harsh and savage, but the hero, being part dog, eventually rises above his instincts to become "tamed"... after being forced into dog-fighting along the way, although "fight" is not accurate -- "execution" comes closer. It got to the point where they had to tie him up for the start of the fight, otherwise he'd kill the other dog before it had finished its preliminary snarl-and-threaten routine. Once the dog had finished its routine, it would almost certainly not be any more merciful.

* ''Fanfic/PokemonCrossingFlyMeToTheMoon'': Dobie, one of the main antagonists, is a wolf and he's a ruthless team leader who threatens to murder anyone who gets in his way.