Who is Wolf?

[Quokka]

Reading the excerpts Sayn posted on the last page I still think wolf is more than just a wolf. For me he's always been the Necessity in holiday mode. I mean Eddings gave it so much personality it wouldn't seem fair for it to just disappear or die and unlike in the Sparhawk series it's not flying off to continue the battle on the next world, so I think before the finale it was kind of semi-concious, just waiting and now that everything is 'done' the Necessity is free to sit back and watch the world unfold as it should (and on some level how it always wanted it too, despite needing to be nuetral) and let's face it an immortal wolf isn't going to stand out much in that particular family .

 

[ghost8772]

Actually Garion's Necessity became part of the New Necessity. while the Angarak Necessity and Zandramas were sent out as a galactic level spackling job.

 

[devilsgrin]

in addition to that, we are given several instances where common wolves speak to various members of Belgarath's family ... to belgarath himself, to Belgarion, Poledra herself started out as nothing more than a common wolf who happened to bump into belgarath (though clearly necessity was at work here), Polgara, and again with this cub to Geran. these conversations in no way imply that these common wolves are anything but. Also Geran is not able to communicate with the wolf as sorcerors do to eachother, Garion taught him to speak wolvish.

 

[Quokka]

I don't disagree that wolf could be a wolf but as I said for me it always seemed like he was more. I still think the sections posted by Sayn point towards the Necessity, if a new one was formed it's maybe fitting that it presents as a young pup.

Poledra's comments would have worked maybe with an old experienced wolf but with a new puppy? True she might have been referring to a wolf's hunting instincts but I think it's kind of a nice way to wrap up with it being the Necessity.

 

[devilsgrin]

fair enough.

 

[Din]

My first thought was like many others here have posted, that Wolf was a form of the necessity.

However, after recently re-reading the series I came to think that Wolf may infact be a part of Eriond. Since Eriond is starting off in the East (slowly building momentum) it stands to reason that he's in the West also, though not in his normal form, slowly preparing the future King (Prince Geran).

I may be reaching, I dunno... fact is we'll never now. Any which way, I still like to think that there's something more to the last paragraph of Polgara the Sorceress then meets the eye.

Cheers!

 

[Talysia]

That's an interesting theory, one I hadn't heard before. It's been a while since I read the books, but you're probably right in that we may never know.

Oh, and welcome to the Chronicles, Din!

 

[Din]

Thank you Talysia,

I appreciate the welcome among the Chronicles. I'm glad to be amongst kindred spirits at last (too corny? but true!).

May Leigh RIP (enjoyed her works with David).

-B

 

[Silvio dante]

wolf represents the new purpose of the universe

I think you're right. The purpose who won at Kell...

I've just finished the book today and with it the whole of the Belgariad/Malorean series. I will miss all the characters so much. I was crying so much. Such a lovely end though...

 

[Beldarius]

I remember reading a nice little fanfic once, and it theorized that Wolf was actually Garion's father Geran reborn, in order to look after his grandson.

It would explain some things if that was true, but imho Wolf is just a normal wolf. Maybe his and Geran's relationship is the same as Eriond and Horse's was.

 

[jastius]

could wolf be one of the sorcerer brotherhood that died just before zedar left the vale? or even zedar himself?
Because zedar left to spy on torak from within torak's circle- which would be a non-evil thing to do. he only went evil when torak turned him- would eriond give him another chance? zedar was pretty much manipulated by the prophecies and both eriond and torak.
And both beldin and belgarath said that zedar's unforgivable sin was killing durnik. But garion restored durnik. does that in some way mitigate the action? if zedar had not done what he did then the force of torak's will upon polgara would have overwhelmed her, as it would have done at the battle of vo mimbre without the reinforcment of poledra and ul in the owl form. zedar had been tormented by what the prophecies said he was to do and by being subject to torak's will for thousands of years, and in a way he was actually acting upon the directions of the prophecy as well.
and there is no type of cave or den or hole in a rock that belgarath could stick zedar into that poledra as a wolf could not drag him back out of if that is what she wanted to do.
Maybe the wolf cub is zedar's second chance. Zedar always reminded me of that character from M.A.S.H.; charles winchester, pompous and full of himself, while belgarath always reminded me of hawkeye.

 

[devilsgrin]

could wolf be one of the sorcerer brotherhood that died just before zedar left the vale? or even zedar himself?
Because zedar left to spy on torak from within torak's circle- which would be a non-evil thing to do. he only went evil when torak turned him- would eriond give him another chance? zedar was pretty much manipulated by the prophecies and both eriond and torak.
And both beldin and belgarath said that zedar's unforgivable sin was killing durnik. But garion restored durnik. does that in some way mitigate the action? if zedar had not done what he did then the force of torak's will upon polgara would have overwhelmed her, as it would have done at the battle of vo mimbre without the reinforcment of poledra and ul in the owl form. zedar had been tormented by what the prophecies said he was to do and by being subject to torak's will for thousands of years, and in a way he was actually acting upon the directions of the prophecy as well.
and there is no type of cave or den or hole in a rock that belgarath could stick zedar into that poledra as a wolf could not drag him back out of if that is what she wanted to do.
Maybe the wolf cub is zedar's second chance. Zedar always reminded me of that character from M.A.S.H.; charles winchester, pompous and full of himself, while belgarath always reminded me of hawkeye.

Zedar isn't dead - which is why belgarath feels so guilty about sealing him up in the rock.
The other brothers didn't "die" they willed themselves out of existence - nothing about Belmakor or Belsambar exists anymore - not their will, not their bodies, not even an atom of their being.
More to the point, at no time in the series is any type of reincarnation even hinted at.
You're also mistaken about Poledra being able to drag Zedar out of the rock Belgarath sealed him in. Belgarath himself states quite emphatically that no-one but he himself could take Zedar out of it. Owing to no other entity being able to duplicate the thoughts and will that put Zedar where he is.

 

[jastius]

but remember poledra is the woman that watches. she inhabits the minds of people because as a wolf she is used to being a part of a group mind. the distinctions between what should be belgaraths own thoughts and what poledra can share simply don't exist. poledra learned sorcery while watching belgarath in his tower, atempting to find an acceptable way to become his mate. then she learned how to transform her shape once when he did. poledra was the containing force against zandramas. Her power is almost equal to belgarath's own. and as polgara has stated, she never left him.
but anyways i thought that maybe after watching belgarath get po'faced over 'losing' her for three thousand years or so, i just thought she might do it to keep him from getting into a funk again. poledra loves belgarath sooo much.

 

[Michel Daw]

I think I agree with the idea that the wolf is the embodiment of purpose. A few paragraphs earlier, Geran says 'I wish I had a voice inside my head to tell me things. That might keep me out of a lot of trouble.' 'Amen!' mother agreed fervently. And yet he does have a companion who watches over him, the wolf.

Also, as for Horse, each of the Gods has a totem animal. Eriond's is the horse.

 

[BelgarionOz]

"Wolf lay there on the foot of Geran's bed looking at the dying fire in the fireplace with those golden eyes of his for quite a long time. Everything seemed to be as it was supposed to be, so Wolf sighed contentedly, stretched his muzzle out on his front paws, and went back to sleep."

This is the last paragraph of Polgara the Sorceress, and the last words in this whole story (note: emphasis mine). The implication is that somehow Wolf knows how things are and are not supposed to be progressing now that all the prophecies have been fulfilled and Cyradis has made her choice. This is what implies that he is more than just a run of the mill wolf, since presumably normal run of the mill wolves living the forest don't have the power of clairvoyance.

Suggestions people have made: Precursor to dogs? Well dogs appear numerous times in all the books of the Belgariad/ mallorean universe, so that's not it.
Aldur in disguise? Possible, though Aldur usually appears as a human (the funny old man with the cart), and the Gods, except for Eriod are now apparently going to start extricating themselves from this world, though I suspect that would be a lengthy process.

Embodiment of the prophecy hanging around??? Perhaps, though it doesn't seem to really have a need to have a body all of it's own, remember it's lived inside Belgarath and Garion, and Brand (the one at Vo Mimbre) amongst others. I would suspect that such a powerful entity wouldn't really need a body simply in order to check on the progress of things, which is all that seems to be happening there, it would just simply look and find out, it wouldn't have to go to the trouble of inhabiting the body of a wolf.

The wolf is not Poledra's child in anyway (though that is an interesting idea, though would sort of mean that Polgara has a brother), she states quite clearly that she just found the puppy, and felt that she couldn't leave it to die a lonely painful death.

Regrettably the real answer (if there even is one) is that we will never know, since both Mr and Mrs Eddings are no longer with us, for us to pick their brains and harass until they finally tell us.