Studia Językoznawcze

The article presents the linguistic creation of the wolf and the function it fulfils in the songs of Jacek Kaczmarski. Kaczmarski’s wolves are animals of strong character, which is broken in never-ending dragnets, crackdowns and attempts to exterminate the whole species. In the songs of the ‘Solidarity’ bard there are two division orders of wolves. The first one refers to the age. Little wolf cubs symbolise defencelessness and everything that is good, young wolves – strength, courage and indomitability, and an old wolf, the pack leader, is the one that has acquired wisdom through his life experience, and therefore he is the most important in the whole pack. The second order refers to the behaviour of the animals escaping death under constant threat. Some wolves are psychologically broken down by villains. Constantly escaping death they become greedy and treacherous. Another group, represented by the speaking subject, was composed of steadfast individuals, whose characters had been forged in suffering and constant fighting. They kept their dignity. Their life experience made them become leaders for the others who had survived but lost the features typical of wolves. The steadfast individuals gave hope that the freedom would not be lost. The wolves in Kaczmarski’s poetry represent a nation fighting for freedom against the communist system. The society – like the wolves – is divided. Many had been broken by the system, but still there were the ones – like the wolf with three paws – who fought to the end and retained their inner freedom. And they would be the leaders of the nation after the collapse of the regime.