Legal Definitions - wolf's head

Definition: An outlaw who is considered to be no more than a wild beast or wolf and can be slain. The outlaw is often referred to as carrying a wolf's head (caput lupinum), and their head can be carried to the king. This term is also known as woolferthfod.

Example: Outlawry is the last weapon of ancient law, but one that it must often use. To pursue the outlaw and knock him on the head as though he were a wild beast is the right and duty of every law-abiding man. 'Let him bear the wolf's head': this phrase is in use even in the thirteenth century.

Explanation: The example illustrates how an outlaw was considered to be no more than a wild beast or wolf and could be slain. The phrase "Let him bear the wolf's head" means that the outlaw's head could be carried to the king as proof of their death. This term was used in ancient law when there were no police constables or professional hangmen, and it was the right and duty of every law-abiding man to pursue and kill the outlaw.