History of Wolves in Yellowstone
Mythology
The Gray Wolf can be found throughout mythology and folklore. From European tales of “Little Red Riding Hood”, and the “The Three Little Pigs”, the wolf is shown as a clever and evil creature. Oftentimes needing to be defeated or slayed to reach a happy ending. Conversely, in North America you can find many legends and myths of wolves or wolf spirits among Native tribes. Many of these stories do not show the wolf in a negative light instead it is a spirit or animal that is to be respected. While the wolf is sometimes bad, oftentimes they are a force of wisdom or protection.
Native Legends
For many Native Tribes the wolf was a guardian and some tribes like the Zunis would carve fetishes or statues in the image of a wolf for protection. The wolf instead of being a force of evil and destruction was instead one of good and guardianship. The wolf was considered closely related to humans, some native tribes having origin stories of the ancestors being transformed from wolves to men.