Wolf

Wolves are enemies in the Castlevania series. They are guard dogs of Hell which hunt and attack in packs.
==Origins==
Aesop featured wolves in several of his fables, playing on the concerns of Ancient Greece's settled, sheep-herding world. His most famous is the fable of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf", which is directed at those who knowingly raise false alarms, and from which the idiomatic phrase "to cry wolf" is derived. Although Aesop used wolves to warn, criticize and moralize about human behavior, his portrayals added to the wolf's image as a deceitful and dangerous animal. In the New Testament, Jesus is said to have used wolves as illustrations of the dangers his followers, whom he represents as sheep, would face should they follow him.
The tale of "Little Red Riding Hood", written in 1697 by Charles Perrault, is considered to have further contributed to the wolf's negative reputation in the Western world. The Big Bad Wolf is portrayed as a villain capable of imitating human speech and disguising itself with human clothing. Villainous wolf characters also appear in The Three Little Pigs and "The Wolf and the Seven Young Goats". The hunting of wolves, and their attacks on humans and livestock, feature prominently in Russian literature, and are included in the works of Leo Tolstoy, Anton Chekhov, Nikolay Nekrasov, Ivan Bunin, Leonid Pavlovich Sabaneyev, and others.
The fear of wolves has been pervasive in many societies, although humans are not part of the wolf's natural prey. Predatory attacks may be preceded by a long period of habituation, in which wolves gradually lose their fear of humans. The victims are repeatedly bitten on the head and face, and are then dragged off and consumed unless the wolves are driven off. Such attacks typically occur only locally and do not stop until the wolves involved are eliminated. The majority of victims of predatory wolf attacks are children under the age of 18 and, in the rare cases where adults are killed, the victims are almost always women. Indian wolves have a history of preying on children, a phenomenon called "child-lifting".
Cases of rabid wolves are low when compared to other species, as wolves do not serve as primary reservoirs of the disease, but can be infected by animals such as dogs, jackals and foxes. Wolves apparently develop the "furious" phase of rabies to a very high degree. This, coupled with their size and strength, makes rabid wolves perhaps the most dangerous of rabid animals. Bites from rabid wolves are 15 times more dangerous than those of rabid dogs. Rabid wolves usually act alone, traveling large distances and often biting large numbers of people and domestic animals. Unlike with predatory attacks, the victims of rabid wolves are not eaten, and the attacks generally occur only on a single day. The victims are chosen at random, although most cases involve adult men.
==Description==
Wolves are similar to Black Panthers, Hellhounds, and other types of carnivores. Fenrir is a common type of wolf, as are the giant Wargs. Anthropomorphic Werewolves have also appeared in the series. Alucard also had the ability to take the form of a wolf. Some enemies are only part wolf, such as the Werewolf or the Flying Wolf.
==Appearances==
===Castlevania II: Simon's Quest===
First appearance of Wolves in the series. They are encountered in the Belasco Marsh, on the first screen left of the town of Jova, where the game starts, although they are intended to be fought about halfway through the game.
They enter the screen in a furious rush; if they happen to reach a ledge, they will perform a leap and continue their way. If the player approaches carefully, however, they can be seen standing on their spawning points ready to attack. It's not necessary to crouch in order to hit them, although wielding an upgraded whip is advised in order to stop them in only one or two hits.
If not killed, they generally leave the screen. However, if given enough space, they'll turn around and continue their attack.
===Castlevania: Symphony of the Night===
===Castlevania: Lament of Innocence===
===Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow===
===Castlevania: Curse of Darkness===
Called Fenrirs in Curse of Darkness, these enemies are always encountered in packs and, likewise, display hunting behaviors commonly seen on real wolves, such as pacing and/or sprinting in circles around their prey and then suddenly rushing in to attack it. Because of this, it's sometimes difficult to keep track of their location, as the camera often doesn't have enough space to move accordingly to their movement, especially when encountered in enclosed areas. They can be knocked down if hit with a finishing attack, and will remain lying on the ground stunned for a while until they can get up again.
Packs of Fenrirs are first encountered in the underground cavern complex section of the Abandoned Castle –the first area of the game– and are also found outdoors along its ramparts. They reappear in larger numbers in Baljhet Mountains, where they are common enemies. A stronger variant can be found in Garibaldi Temple and the Tower of Eternity.
They commonly drop Wild Memories, a basic combining material, and rarely (and humorously), Hot Dogs.
The Fenrir serves as the basic model for two modified and stronger variants that are encountered in more advanced areas of the game: the Wolf Skeleton and the Armored Sprinter, both which have their own particular attacking methods.
===Castlevania: Harmony of Despair===
==Enemy Data==
==Gallery==
Wolf - Simon's Quest - 01.png|Wolf from the Japanese Simon's Quest instruction booklet.
Armored Sprinter COD Unused Portraits.PNG|Unused portraits of Armored Sprinter from Curse of Darkness.
LoL Wolf.png|Reel art in Castlevania: Labyrinth of Love.
==See also==
*Carnivores
*Warg
*Were-Panther Skeleton (Wolf Skeleton)
*Werewolf
*White Wolf
*Wolf Form
Category:Animal-Type Enemies
Category:Film Based Monsters
Category:Literary Monsters
Category:Norse Monsters
Category:Tolkien Lore
Category:Wolves
Category:Curse of Darkness Enemies
Category:Dawn of Sorrow Enemies
Category:Harmony of Despair Enemies
Category:Lament of Innocence Enemies
Category:Simon's Quest Enemies