Connor and the Wolf

A short story that I found in one of Lady "Sperenza" Wilde's collection of Irish folklore. An impoverished Irish farmer loses two of his cows only to be recompensed by a family of werewolves. The story illustrates the somewhat different nature of lycanthropes in Ireland. The legend is somewhat like an Irish counterpart to Androcles and the Lion - whether this was deliberately so or simply reflects a common theme encountered in many cultures around the world.
This is recorded partly to celebrate the summer solstice and partly because this weekend would have been the Wolfshead Pagan Camp (which has been running for several years in Suffolk). Unfortunately the dread coronavirus has put paid to out ability to meet up at the White Horse pub in Finningham for the gathering (at least for now). There is a strange tradition of wolf imagery running through Suffolk history, which I will highlight at some point on this blog.


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