proverb · Words worth keeping
When the wolf is mentioned, he is already near you.
When the wolf is mentioned, he is already near you.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A mentioned wolf already nearby gives a feared subject an image of sudden presence. The saying connects speech with an encounter through dramatic coincidence.
Example
Someone recognises an unexpected arrival without treating the coincidence as a rule about future events.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The precise traditional context is unverified. A qualified reading does not claim that mentioning someone summons them or that danger is always hidden nearby. A useful application can consider an unexpected arrival without paranoia, surveillance assumptions or a prediction about animal behaviour.
When to use it
Use it only as a qualified coincidence-and-presence image.
Keep in mind
No supernatural summoning, animal prediction or universal hidden danger is established.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Date unknown
- Culture
- Transylvania Province of Romania