Introduction

Of all the animals that have walked on English soil, perhaps the most respected in Anglo-Saxon times was the wolf. A sign of power, loyalty and freedom, the wolf often appeared engraved on helmets, swords and shields.

One of the most notable stories involving a wolf is the story of the Wuffing King St Edmund, the original Patron Saint of England. St Edmund was beheaded while defending his kingdom from invasion, his head tossed deep in the forest to mock his followers. Witnesses then state that after searching for his severed head for many days, they eventually found it after hearing the cry of a wolf. The wolf, although starving, was guarding St Edmund's head. The wolf then walked back with the followers to ensure Edmund's head was reunited with his body.

Anglo-Saxon names

The wolf was often an inspiration for names in Anglo-Saxon England. Bardawulf (Bright Wolf), Randwulf (Shield Wolf), Wulfric (Wolf Power/Ruler), Æthelwulf, Wuffa (see below), were all names used in Anglo-Saxon England. The Anglo-Saxons also made famous the name Beowulf when they wrote the epic poem "Beowulf" around the 8th to 11th century.

Anglo-Saxon Beowulf poem

Anglo-Saxon Epic - Beowulf

 

Wuffing / Wuffingas / Wulfingas

The wolf has strong connections with East Anglia. The East Anglian royal line was known as the Wuffingas (Wulfingas), or "Kin of the wolf". The word Wuffingas is derived from King Wuffa (little wolf), King Wuffa being the grandfather of King Rædwald, whose remains are said to be those found at the Sutton Hoo burial site.

Anglo-Saxon Sutton Hoo detail

Anglo-Saxon Sutton Hoo engraving

 

Above is an image we have rendered. It is taken from the Sutton Hoo engraving that can originally be found on the helmet which is said to have belonged to the Wuffing King Rædwald.

Wodensdaeg - Woden's Day

Wodensdaeg or Wednesday as we now call it is Woden's day. Woden was the Anglo-Saxon God of Wisdom and War. Woden constantly had the protection of Geri and Freki, his loyal Wolves.

Anglo-Saxon God Woden

Anglo-Saxon God Woden

 

The White Wolf

The White Wolf is a design based on an original Anglo-Saxon design found at the Sutton Hoo burial site. The idea behind it is simply an alternative to the White Dragon design, and therefore the White Wolf is also an emblem for the Ethnic English.

Anglo-Saxon God Tiw with wolves

The original Anglo-Saxon Tiw design

 

Above is an edited version of the original Anglo-Saxon jewellery design which was found at the Sutton Hoo burial site. The design was found on a purse lid and features the Saxon god of war, Tiw. On either side of Tiw, stand two animals which have been identified as wolves.

Design Process

During the design process we exhausted all possible ideas, coming to the conclusion that we wanted to incorporate both the image of a wolf and the Cross of St George. We also wanted to incorporate some sort of Anglo-Saxon design into the process and this is why we decided to use an original Saxon Wolf image. We removed some details and added others, to come up with a clean, flag-friendly design. There are seven Jewels around the wolf's neck, and these represent the original seven kingdoms of England (East Anglia, Essex, Kent, Mercia, Northumbria, Sussex, and Wessex).

White Wolf of England

White Wolf of England

 

Purchase

The White Wolf of England flag will be available for sale at a later date, please check back.