Comments on: Wolves at the Door

Question: Wolves at the Door

ZenMasterThis — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 07:59:26 -0800

Wolf imagery and depression. References?

Pretty sure I read or heard a discussion by a woman (?) a few months back about wolves (at the door?) as a symbol for depression, but I can't find it anywhere. Am I imagining this, or did I really read / hear it somewhere? (I'm aware of the REM tune "Wolves, Lower", but that's not what I'm looking for) Thanks!

By: damn dirty ape

damn dirty ape — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 08:04:54 -0800

Sounds like it may be related to the lone wolf. Depressed people arent very social.

By: Sara Anne

Sara Anne — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 08:08:09 -0800

The first to come to mind for me is Steppenwolf

By: Wolfdog

Wolfdog — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 08:34:45 -0800

"Wolf at the door" is used as an expression for any pressing, looming problem, whether psychological or more material in nature. It would be entirely unsurprising to hear someone discuss depression as a "wolf at the door", but I don't believe the phrase has any especial connotation of depression. (And this is someone who has researched, with curiosity and diligence, every wolf-related phrase that could be found in Bartlett's.)

By: cog_nate

cog_nate — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 08:40:56 -0800

Well, this poem (mp3 version) appears to be about death (and the depression thinking about death can bring).

I looked in a couple dictionaries of symbols in art, but didn't see a reference to depression. Mainly wolves are/were used as symbols of greed, rapaciousness and gluttony.

By: cass

cass — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 08:49:57 -0800

Depression is also represented as a black dog.

By: Wilder

Wilder — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 09:03:46 -0800

the wolf at the door tends to reference hunger or economic need. The Black dog is a very common reference to depression.

By: thebrokedown

thebrokedown — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 09:24:40 -0800

Seems the phrase "black dog" as a metaphor for depression has a long history, and was made popular by Churchill. Here's a link to a PDF (rendered in HTML) entitled: "Churchill's Black Dog?: The History of the 'Black Dog' as a Metaphor for
Depression." Perhaps that will help?

By: happyturtle

happyturtle — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 09:54:55 -0800

I always thought of the wolf at the door as representing tangible danger to life, such as hunger or cold or homelessness. Depression is the black dog. (But why a dog? Dogs are the least depressed creatures on earth!)

By: obliquicity

obliquicity — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 12:23:52 -0800

My first thought was Freud's Wolf Man case.

By: DarlingBri

DarlingBri — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:52:47 -0800

I always associated wolf at the door with hunger, as in "well, it may only pay minimum wage, but it will at least keep the wolf from the door."

Black dog for depression: check. Death has (brilliantly) been categorised as "the under toad" by John Irving. That's a bit of literary genius, that.