MS M.1044, fols. 22v–23r

The Wolf
The wolf was probably the most feared and hated animal. According to Phoebus, the wolf could kill an animal as large as a cow and could run away with a sheep or goat in its mouth. It was a menace because it could kill a flock of sheep before eating one of them. Even worse, it used humans as a food source, following armies and eating dead soldiers. Wolves were also cruel to other wolves. After a she wolf had selected a mate he was put to death by his jealous fellows. Thus no wolf ever saw his father. Queen Ratio criticized fourteenth-century parish priests who were supposed to protect their flocks, but who, like wolves, preyed on them instead. According to the Book of St. Albans, the wolf was hunted from the Nativity of the Virgin Mary (September 8) to the Annunciation (March 25).