Wulver

Lore & Background

According to Shetland folklorist Jessie Saxby, the wulver was a creature resembling a man with a wolf's head, covered in short brown hair. It lived in a cave dug into the side of a steep knowe, halfway up a hill. The wulver was fond of fishing, using a small rock in deep water known as the 'Wulver's Stane,' where it would catch sillaks and piltaks for hours. It was known to leave fish on the windowsills of poor families and did not molest people if left unmolested. Saxby originally spelled the name as 'wullver.'

Reader's Guide

The wulver's significance lies in the debate over its authenticity. Susan Schoon Eberly speculated that the tale might originate from medical conditions such as Hunter syndrome or lycanthropy, but this theory has been criticized as unreliable due to the lack of detailed descriptions and the shifting nature of oral traditions. Others, including archivist Brian Smith, argue that the wulver is a fictitious creation by Saxby, who may have misinterpreted the name 'Wulvers Hool'—a hill mentioned by Jakob Jakobsen and John Spence, meaning 'Fairy Hill'—as referring to a distinct creature. This dispute highlights how folklore can be shaped by individual interpretation and the challenges of tracing oral traditions.

Did You Know?

• The wulver was said to fish from a rock called the 'Wulver's Stane.'
• Jessie Saxby originally spelled the creature's name as 'wullver.'
• Some scholars argue the wulver was invented by Saxby based on a misinterpretation of the hill name 'Wulvers Hool.'
• The wulver was described as having short brown hair all over its body.