Among the ancient Greeks and Romans, the wolf enchanter, the wolf charmer, was called the lupicinus. Perhaps hearkening back to prehistoric times, the lupicinus may well have been an individual tribesman who had a particular affinity for communicating with wolves. As the tribes became somewhat more sophisticated and developed agriculture and small villages, it was still necessary to have a person skilled in singing with the wolves and convincing them not to attack the domesticated animals. The lupicinus had the ability to howl with the wolves and lead them away from the livestock pens. In some views, because he also wore the pelt of a wolf, the lupicinus also had the power to transform himself into a wolf if he so desired.
Sources: Eisler, Robert. Man into Wolf. London: Spring Books, n.d.
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