Much of the fear of wolves probably stems more from legends than from any real incidents of wolves threatening human life.  Numerous well-known fables, superstitions, and fairy tales dating as far back as 600 B.C. depict the wolf as being cunning and deceitful.  Aesop's fables, such as "The Wolf and the Lamb," "The Wolf and the Crane," and "The Boy Who Cried Wolf," illustrate conniving wolf characters that take advantage of the weak to fulfill their own appetites.  Later children's stories such as "Little Red Riding Hood" and "The Three Little Pigs" also include wolf villains.  During the middle ages, wolves were feared not only for their predatory nature, but also for the magical powers they were thought to possess.  For example, many people believed that wolf meat was poisonous and that a gaze from a wolf could cause blindness.