Once a hit with "Wolf Totem", this book makes the fresh idea that we may be more descendants of wolves than dragons. Regardless of whether this statement is accurate or not, and whether wolves really have such a great influence on us, it is at least certain that many nomadic peoples in the north have indeed been influenced by wolves and "wolf culture", and their history has also added a lot of affection for wolves, and wolves have become their friends, ancestors and even beliefs.
The Turkic people, who were once prevalent on the mainland, regarded themselves as "descendants of wolves". "Book of Zhou: Turkic Biography" and "Northern History" both record one thing: the Turks were exterminated by the enemy in the process of development, and only a little boy remained, who was rescued by the she-wolf, who raised him and copulated with him, and gave birth to ten boys, who grew up and multiplied, one of which lived in the area of Jinshan (now Altai Mountain), called "Turkic".
The legend of "wolf mother pregnant with child" has similar examples in many ethnic groups, such as Rome also has the legend of "wolf child", and the Xiongnu and Wusun have legends in this regard. Regardless of the authenticity of these legends, they do reflect the primitive belief of these peoples in using the wolf as a totem, hoping to use the wolf's bravery, collective spirit, tenacious vitality and other characteristics to bless their people to live and reproduce.
In the Book of Sui and the Northern History, it is recorded that the Turkic leader Ashina, "Yamen built a wolf's head, showing that he did not forget his origin", and the word "Ashina" is the transliteration of "wolf" in Mongolian, so "Ashina" is translated as "loyal wolf" or "noble wolf", which shows the influence of wolves on the Turks.
Mongolia is also home to wolves. However, Mongolia sometimes calls wolves not "wolves", but "yellow dogs", which are compared to "the light of the sun and the moon" in the "Secret History of Mongolia". What's more, the wolf is regarded as a tengu descending to earth, and the "Epic of Uhu Khan" records the story of Uhu Khan accepting the guidance of the blue tengu and defeating the enemy. As a result, the blue sky, the blue earth, the blue Mongolia, and the blue wolf together constitute the four blues of the world and the four links of the world in the Mongolian thinking.
In short, the northern nomads often call themselves "descendants of wolves" mainly from their primitive beliefs, and they regard wolves as their ancestors, their totems, and their talismans. This belief is related to their living environment, and the Central Plains people do not often take the wolf as their totem, and replace it with dragons, phoenixes, and unicorns, which have certain imaginary factors and can bring good fortune to people.