The wolf had a greater sense of smell than its' human alter-ego – a greater sense of animalistic awareness, hunger, and primal intimidation. Its pervading sense of menace was something that struck a cord deep within a person's psyche.

The notion of the 'big bad wolf' – and humans' natural fear of wolves, in general – stems, at least in America, from European folktales like 'Little Red Riding Hood' and 'The Three Little Pigs,' in which the innocence of a child or ...