The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

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"Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" redirects here. For other uses, see Wolf in Sheep's Clothing (disambiguation).

A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing is an idiom of Biblical origin. It is used of those playing a role contrary to their real character, with whom contact is dangerous. As a fable it has been falsely credited to Aesop and the theme is now numbered 451 in the Perry Index.

The phrase originates in a sermon by Jesus recorded in the Christian Bible: Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves (Gospel of Matthew 7:15 - King James Version). The sermon then suggests that their true nature will be revealed by their actions (by their fruits shall ye know them, verse 16). In the centuries following, the phrase was used many times in the Latin writings of the Church Fathers^[1] and later on in European vernacular literature.^[2] A Latin proverb also emerged, Pelle sub agnina latitat mens saepe lupina (Under a sheep’s skin often hides a wolfish mind).

Although the story of a wolf disguised as a sheep has been counted as one of Aesop's Fables in modern times, there is no record of it before the 12th century and it does not appear in any of the main sources of the fables. Added evidence of its being from a folk source is the fact that the general situation of a wolf disguising itself appears in three distinct stories with diverse moral applications. Later tellings follow one or another of these.

Woodcut by Francis Barlow, 1687; the end of "The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing"

The first such story is told by the 12th century Greek rhetorician Nikephoros Basilakis in a work called Progymnasmata (rhetorical exercises). It is prefaced with the comment that 'You can get into trouble by wearing a disguise' and is followed by the illustrative story. 'A wolf once decided to change his nature by changing his appearance, and thus get plenty to eat. He put on a sheepskin and accompanied the flock to the pasture. The shepherd was fooled by the disguise. When night fell, the shepherd shut up the wolf in the fold with the rest of the sheep and as the fence was placed across the entrance, the sheepfold was securely closed off. But when the shepherd wanted a sheep for his supper, he took his knife and killed the wolf.'^[3] The conclusion drawn is different from the Gospel story. In the former one is warned to beware of hypocritical evil-doers; Nikephoros warns that evil-doing carries its penalty.

The next version does not appear until three centuries later in the Hecatomythium of the 15th century Italian professor Laurentius Abstemius. In his telling, 'A wolf, dressed in a sheep's skin, blended himself in with the flock of sheep and every day killed one of the sheep. When the shepherd noticed this was happening, he hanged the wolf on a very tall tree. On other shepherds asking him why he had hanged a sheep, the shepherd answered: The skin is that of a sheep, but the activities were those of a wolf.' Abstemius' comment on the story follows the Biblical interpretation: 'people should be judged not by their outward demeanor but by their works, for many in sheep's clothing do the work of wolves'.^[4] The commonest retelling of the story in English follows Abstemius and credits it to Aesop.

Yet another variation turns up in the Cento favole morali ("100 moral fables", 1570) of the Italian poet Giovanni Maria Verdizotti. In this the wolf disguises itself as a shepherd, but when it tries to imitate his call it wakes the real shepherd and his dogs. Since the wolf is encumbered by its disguise, it cannot get away and is killed. This is the version that Jean de la Fontaine follows in his Fables (III.3).^[5] The conclusion both poets draw is the same as that of Nikephoros. The story entered the English canon under the title "The Wolf turned Shepherd" in the 1884 edition of Aesop's Fables: A New Revised Version From Original Sources.

[edit]Artistic interpretations

Earlier illustrations of the fable concentrated on the hanging of the wolf. More recently the emphasis has been on the disguise.^[6] In France the theme of the wolf disguised as a shepherd is more common.^[7]

A number of recent CDs are titled "A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing", although most are references to the idiom and the fable is not mentioned in the words of any of the songs. The same is true of many songs that have the phrase as their title. One exception is the lyric by Tackhead on their 1991 CD Strange Things, which uses the fable for a satirical attack on Capitalist entrepreneurs.^[8]

(source:wikipedia)

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