Warg

The Warg, or Fenrir, is an enemy in the Castlevania series. It is a wolf from Hell that breathes intense flames and is usually found guarding the castle entrance.
==Origins==
In Norse mythology, Fenrir was a gigantic wolf, brother of Hel and Jörmungandr, and son of the god Loki and the giant Angrboða. His sons were the wolves Sköll and Hati Hróðvitnisson, often referred to as wargs. This term would later be used by J. R. R. Tolkien to describe a race of evil wolf-like creatures.
In the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda, the gods considered Fenrir to be too powerful and dangerous and decided to bind him, although as a result he bit off the right hand of the god Týr. Fenrir would finally free himself for the prophetic battle of Ragnarök, during which he would swallow Óðinn, but would also be violently slaughtered by Víðarr, one of Óðinn's sons.
In the Japanese version of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Wargs that cannot spew fire are called "Anfauglir"; this is the elven name for Carcharoth, a gigantic wolf in Tolkien's Middle Earth. Descendant of Draugluin, Carcharoth was in the service of Morgoth by guarding the gates of Angband and fed on prisoners by his master. One day, having accidentally swallowed the Silmaril, he went mad and uncontrollable, destroying everything in his path. He would finally be killed during a hunt organized by Thingol, allowing him to recover the gem.
==Description==
The Warg is a large wolf-like creature. They are usually encountered early on in the games they appear in, often guarding the entrance to the castle. In 2D games, their large forms block one's path and they occasionally growl or lunge with their jaws. Some Wargs are able to set the ground ablaze, including Fire Wargs and Warg Riders. Soma Cruz can use a Warg's soul as a weapon in Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, which causes a ferocious-looking Warg head to appear in front of him, which performs a single biting attack. When defeated, Wargs emit a howl only to fade to black and combust.
Fenrirs in Castlevania: Curse of Darkness tend to run around and claw at intruders. Wolf Skeletons, while first appearing in Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, are known to actually be undead Fenrirs in Curse of Darkness.
Wargs can sometimes be mounted by other creatures, such as Skeletons, Lesser Lycanthropes, or the demon Andras. Gabriel Belmont is also able to ride a warg in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow after he stuns it.
==Appearances==
===Castlevania: Symphony of the Night===
There are three types of wargs in the game:
*Warg: It is the first enemy of the game that meets the player after entering the Dracula's Castle. Only eight are encountered in the game and all in the same place, the Entrance. However, they will not reappear once Alucard has entered the Alchemy Laboratory. Its only offensive behavior is to approach the player and then try to bite them.
*Warg Rider: Only three of these enemies are encountered in the game and all in the same place, the Reverse Entrance. According to the description, he is a caped skeleton wearing a crimson red armor, armed with a knight's spear and riding an armored Warg. He charges at the player and attempts to attack them with his weapon three times in a row.
*Fire Warg: This is actually the mount of the previous enemy, which can be fought only by defeating the rider. Like the first Warg, it will often try to bite the player. However, as its name suggests, it can also spew a wave of fire.
**In early versions of Symphony of the Night, this enemy suffered from a glitch where it could not drop the Karma Coin.
===Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow===
A couple of Wargs are encountered very early in the game in the Lost Village, accompanied by Axe Armors and endless hordes of Zombies. They barely move from place, although they require a few more hits than the rest of the enemies encountered so far. They telegraph their attacks with ample time, either by growling first to perform a small lunging bite, or howling before breathing fire.
The Warg's soul grants the White Fang ability, which summons a ghostly wolf head to materialize out of thin air that performs a bite with its powerful jaws, useful for fighting the Flying Armor and other strong enemies.
Its soul can also be used for synthesizing a Claymore into a Falchion at Yoko's shop.
===Castlevania: Curse of Darkness===
Fenrirs generally attack in packs, engaging the player one or two at a time while the rest circle around their prey. They are encountered very early in the game, with some lone encounters while traversing the ramparts of the Abandoned Castle, and properly in packs once reaching the underground caverns.
They are easily staggered and one strong attack will knock them down, rendering them unable to get up for a while. They drop the valuable Wild Memory, one of the basic materials required for crafting Ganos (themselves being a basic ingredient for crafting more powerful axes) and more powerful gear later in the game.
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===Castlevania: Harmony of Despair===
The warg appears only in chapter 9. It retains its appearance of the previous 2D opus and, like in Symphony of the Night, appears in the section of the entrance of the chapter. However, they are four instead of eight.
===Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls===
There are two varieties of Wargs in Grimoire of Souls, the Fire Wargs (called Fenrirs) and the Ice Wargs.
===Castlevania: Moonlight Rhapsody===
Wargs are called Demon Wolves in Moonlight Rhapsody.
==Item Data==
==Gallery==
Fenrir COD Unused Portraits.PNG|Unused portraits of Fenrir from Curse of Darkness.
Dxc 006.png|Warg enemy list entry from The Dracula X Chronicles version of Symphony of the Night.
Dxc 117.png|Fire Warg enemy list entry from The Dracula X Chronicles version of Symphony of the Night.
Dxc 121.png|Warg Rider enemy list entry from The Dracula X Chronicles version of Symphony of the Night.
Magic Wolf.jpg|Demon Wolf artwork from Moonlight Rhapsody.
==Trivia==
*The death noise of the Warg in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night appears to be the same one used for the death of of Rowdain's skeletal horse, although the latter is higher pitched and sped up.
*Elements of the Warg's design were reused for the Cerberus boss in Castlevania: Circle of the Moon.
==See also==
*Andras
*Cerberus
*Warg (Lords of Shadow)
*Wolf
es:Warg
Category:Animal-Type Enemies
Category:Fire Enemies
Category:Norse Monsters
Category:Tolkien Lore
Category:Wolves
Category:Curse of Darkness Enemies
Category:Dawn of Sorrow Enemies
Category:The Dracula X Chronicles Enemies
Category:Grimoire of Souls Enemies
Category:Harmony of Despair Enemies
Category:Moonlight Rhapsody Enemies
Category:Symphony of the Night Enemies