Wolfssegen

In Bavarian folklore of the Early Modern period, a Wolfssegen (also Wolfsegen, Wolf-Segen) was an apotropaic charm against wolves; conversely, a Wolfbann (Wolf-Bann) was a malevolent spell causing a wolf attack.

The Wolfssegen is just one specific example of a large number of distinct kinds of Segen ("blessing; charm, incantation") in the folklore of German-speaking Europe.

While early examples of Wolfssegen survive from the Late Middle Ages, use of these charms seems to have peaked during the 17th century, when they were offered by professional "wolf charmers" (Wolfssegner or Wolfbanner). This corresponds to the cold period known as the Little Ice Age, for which there is ample historical evidence of wolves infesting much of the Bavarian Alps. There is no extant text of a Wolfbann, the malevolent opposite of the Wolfsegen; however, there is the text of a spell reversing a Wolfbann recorded in 1635 (in effect again a Wolfsegen, but against a specific wolf earlier conjured by a Wolfbann)