The Wolf Symbol in Rule of Wolves: Violence, Persecution, and Loyalty
The Wolf as Instrument of Persecution and Violence
The most literal wolf presence in Rule of Wolves is the isenulf—the white wolves kept in kennels at the Ice Court and trained to fight alongside the drüskelle. When Nina visits the kennels with Brum and Hanne, she observes that these are wolves trained to fight alongside their masters, to help them hunt down Grisha. The isenulf are not wild animals; they are weapons, bred and conditioned to serve the same purpose as the drüskelle themselves: the hunting and killing of Grisha. The wolves growl and snap at Brum's soothing words, pressing against the wire fences, eager for the hunt. They are extensions of the drüskelle's violence, and their presence in the kennels beneath the Ice Court walls makes the persecution of Grisha feel physical and immediate.
The wolf as an instrument of persecution is also tied to Jarl Brum, the commander of the drüskelle. Hanne describes her father as the mighty Commander Brum, unyielding, the ruthless witchhunter, Fjerda's scythe. The wolf is Brum's tool, and his relationship to the animals mirrors his relationship to the soldiers he commands: he croons to them, tries to soothe them, but they are trained for violence. The wolves' aggression is not natural—it is cultivated, just as Brum cultivates hatred in his soldiers. Nina reflects on this when she thinks about Fjerda: she has no mercy for Jarl Brum, no matter who he'd been as a young father, but she understands that all of this hadn't begun with him and it wouldn't end with him either. The wolf, like the persecution it enables, is a system that outlives any single man.
Trassel: The Wolf as Loyal Companion
Against the isenulf stands Trassel, Matthias's wolf, who appears only in Nina's memory. When Nina stands before the kennels, she thinks of Trassel, with his scarred eye and huge jaws. He'd saved her life and she'd helped him find his pack. Trassel represents a different kind of wolf—one that is loyal, protective, and capable of love. He saved Nina's life, and she helped him find his pack. This is the wolf as companion, not weapon.
The contrast between Trassel and the isenulf is stark. Trassel is a wild animal who chose to protect Nina; the isenulf are domesticated killers who serve the drüskelle. Trassel's loyalty was earned, not trained. The isenulf's aggression is imposed, not natural. This contrast suggests that the wolf is not inherently violent—it is what humans make of it. The same animal that can be a loyal protector can be turned into a weapon of persecution.
The Wolf as National Emblem
The wolf also functions as a national emblem for Fjerda. In the drüskelle sector, Joran lifts a tapestry of a white wolf with an eagle in its bloody jaws to reveal a secret passage. The image is telling: the wolf (Fjerda) has defeated the eagle (which could represent Ravka, whose symbol is the double-headed eagle, or perhaps another nation). The wolf is depicted as victorious, powerful, and bloody. This is the image Fjerda wants to project—a nation of predators, strong and unyielding.
Nikolai uses the same imagery when he speaks of Fjerda as a threat. First I need to best the wolf at my door, he says to Queen Makhi. Here, the wolf is the enemy at the border, the threat of invasion. The wolf is not just an animal or a symbol—it is a geopolitical reality. Fjerda is the wolf, and Ravka is the prey. This usage connects the wolf symbol to the theme of the moral costs of war: the wolf at the door is not just a metaphor but a real threat that drives the characters toward violence and sacrifice.
The Wolves' Recognition of Nina
One of the most striking moments involving the wolf symbol comes when Nina approaches the isenulf kennels. The wolves, which had been growling and snapping at Brum, suddenly fall silent and go to their bellies, resting their heads on their paws. Brum is baffled: Strange, he says, I've never seen them do that before. Nina wonders, Do you know me? Do you know Trassel watched over me? Do you know I walk with death?
This moment subverts the wolf as a symbol of persecution. The isenulf are trained to hunt Grisha, yet they submit to Nina, who is Grisha. They recognize something in her—perhaps the death she carries, perhaps the connection to Trassel, perhaps something deeper. The wolves that are supposed to be instruments of persecution instead bow to the persecuted. The symbol is inverted: the hunter becomes the submissive, and the prey becomes the one who commands respect.
This moment also connects to Nina's identity and the theme of identity as performance and disguise. Nina is disguised as Mila Jandersdat, a non-Grisha woman, but the wolves see through the disguise in a way that humans cannot. The wolves' recognition suggests that Nina's true nature cannot be hidden, even when she is wearing a mask. The wolf, which is supposed to be the tool of the witchhunter, becomes the witness to the Grisha's power.
Character and Theme Connections
The wolf symbol connects to several of the book's central themes:
Violence and persecution: The isenulf are the most direct representation of Fjerda's persecution of Grisha. They are trained to hunt, and their presence in the kennels is a constant reminder of the violence that Grisha face. This connects to the theme of the weaponization of faith and miracles: the drüskelle are not just soldiers but religious warriors, and the wolf is their symbol.
Loyalty: Trassel represents loyalty and protection. His memory is a counterpoint to the violence of the isenulf, suggesting that the wolf can be a force for good as well as evil.
Identity and disguise: The wolves' recognition of Nina suggests that identity cannot be fully hidden. Even in disguise, Nina's true nature is visible to those who can see.
The burden of leadership: Nikolai's wolf at my door connects to the theme of the burden of leadership and sacrifice of self. As king, Nikolai must face the wolf—the threat of Fjerda—alone, even as he carries the demon within him.
The wolf also connects to Hanne, who is caught between her father's world and her own nature. Hanne is Brum's daughter, and she grew up around the wolves. She remembers going to the kennels with her father when she was young, a little Grisha girl who didn't even know what she was, following her father the witchhunter to work. Hanne is herself a wolf in sheep's clothing—a Grisha hiding in the heart of the drüskelle's world. Her journey in the book involves embracing her true nature, just as the wolves recognize Nina's true nature. By the end of the novel, Hanne has taken on the identity of Prince Rasmus, ruling Fjerda as a Grisha in the heart of the witchhunter's world—the ultimate inversion of the wolf symbol.
Study Questions
1. How does the isenulf wolf function differently from Trassel in the novel?
The isenulf are trained weapons, used by the drüskelle to hunt and kill Grisha. They are aggressive, domesticated, and serve the violence of the state. Trassel, by contrast, is a wild wolf who chose to protect Nina. He saved her life, and she helped him find his pack. The contrast suggests that the wolf is not inherently violent—it is what humans make of it. The isenulf are made violent by training; Trassel's loyalty is earned, not imposed.
2. What does the wolves' submission to Nina reveal about her character and the symbol of the wolf?
When the isenulf fall silent and go to their bellies before Nina, the symbol of the wolf is inverted. The wolves that are trained to hunt Grisha submit to a Grisha. This suggests that Nina's power—her connection to death, her identity as a Grisha—cannot be hidden, even in disguise. The moment also suggests that the wolf's violence is not natural but imposed; when the wolves encounter something they recognize as powerful, they submit.
3. How does the wolf function as a symbol of Fjerdan national identity?
The white wolf tapestry with an eagle in its bloody jaws represents Fjerda's self-image as a predator nation. The wolf is victorious, powerful, and violent. Nikolai's phrase the wolf at my door extends this symbolism to geopolitics: Fjerda is the wolf threatening Ravka's borders. The wolf is not just an animal but a national emblem, representing the aggression and persecution that define Fjerda's relationship with Grisha and with other nations.
4. How does Hanne's relationship to the wolf symbol reflect her character arc?
Hanne is Brum's daughter, raised in the world of the drüskelle and the isenulf. She remembers going to the kennels with her father as a child, unaware that she herself was Grisha. Hanne is a wolf in sheep's clothing—a Grisha hiding in the heart of the witchhunter's world. Her arc involves embracing her true nature, just as the wolves recognize Nina's true nature. By the end of the novel, Hanne rules Fjerda as Prince Rasmus, a Grisha in the heart of the drüskelle's world—the ultimate inversion of the wolf symbol.
For more on how the wolf imagery intersects with the novel's broader concerns, see the book overview and the theme of the cycle of power and corruption.