Photographed in Läänemaa, December 2010
Ilmar Rootsi, who has researched Estonian folk tradition connected with wolves for years, suggests that livestock farmers should assess whether everything possible has been to keep the wolf away from the herd, before scolding it. In the magazine Loodusesõber, Rootsi also reminds us why our ancestors used to allot a special „wolf`s share“ from the herd.
It is understandable that a wolf kills sheep, because we are dealing with a predator who has always killed domestic animals. Wolves have killed sheep, especially during autumn for thousands of years and they will continue to do so. Today`s generation knows nothing about the wolf’s share: the wolf used to have an allotted share of each farm’s herd. It used to be considered as something inevitable and there was simply no way to avoid it. Such damage was already included in the expenses part of each farm’s budget. Since this attitude has been forgotten nowadays, all damage caused by wolves receive high public attention.
No matter what was done, wolves still continued to visit the herd. The wolf became a kind of natural force that could not be beaten (and actually people did not particularly want to do it anyway), that had to be considered and respected. Man had to recognise its right to catch a portion from each farm. This inevitable sacrifice was something of a reconciliation, in the hope that the rest of the herd will not be touched. This "share“ was discussed in 1898 by 78-year-old V. Laur from Vastseliina parish in the following way: „There were more wolves in the forest than there are hares right now and the herdsmen’s scolding did not stop, because the wolves came to the herd as unwanted guests every day. During such wolf-rich years, the mistress of each farm allotted one or two lambs for the wolf, because that, or even bigger quantity was eaten by the wolves every year. Also a portion of the piglets, goats, calves and foals were allotted for the wolves and it was even said that this is what they are created for and one should not scold too much because it is dangerous for the health of those who stayed alive ...“ (Vastseliina parish, collected by J. Landra, 1898).
Surprisingly, recollections about the wolf’s share have also appeared in recent history. In 1977, 70-year-old Rudolf Sordla, from the Võnnu area, announced: „ When an animal, for example a sheep, was killed, then the first neck segment, or the atlas, was intended to be thrown to the forest for the wolf [---]. However, in my childhood there were no longer any wolves in the forest, so these were given to dogs and cats. [---] It was called the wolf`s share and it was not eaten by man.“ This record probably represents a relict of a former custom, which was supposed to protect the herd and provide it with health and fertility. Similar customs can also be found elsewhere. In Lüganuse parish, this was done during the time of the spirits in the sceptre month (November), when food was left for wolves in the forest on rocks and tree stumps. In Saarde parish, a dead calf or a lamb was sacrificed and those herds were not touched by the wolf, as was once announced by forest ranger Jaak P. Sõggel. From earlier periods, this custom, which the sources refer to as a sacrifice, has been known in Võrumaa and Reigi parish. There are also records originating from the southern neighbours of Estonians, the Latvians, that every year, during Christmas month or the Wolf’s month, a goat was sacrificed during a traditional rite as conciliation to the wolves in the hope that they would do less harm to the herd during summertime. As a matter of fact – allotting a certain portion of the herd to the wolf is a known motif also in the folklore of Slavic, Germanic and other peoples, including the primitive people. In Russia, this sacrifice appeared in the form of a sheep that was left in the forest to the master of the wolves.
Ilmar Rootsi’s article about the wolf was published in Loodusesõber in October, 2012. Ilmar Rootsi's full article, in Estonian, can be seen here.