The Great White Wolf is not an animal, it is HUMAN…
The legend, brief:
In times long ago, almost forgotten, one of Zamolxis’ priests was walking without rest throuhg the Dacian lands in order to help those in need and to spread the belief in the Great God who was watching over his people. Unlike anyone else, without being old enough, his hair and beard was white, his courage and perseverance being known not only to people and to Zalmoxis but also to the beasts. One day, the God stops him by his side, in the heart of the mountains to serve him from close. Far away from people, the preast continued to serve his God with the same determination as before. In didn’t took long and the beasts started to listen to him and to consider him their leader. Out of those, the wolves cared for him most, as they were the only ones without a leader, only hunger keeping them in packs.
After a while, Zalmoxis calls his preast and decides to make him an animal. It was not just an animal, but the most powerful and fearfull beast of al Dacia, a White Wolf, big an strong as a bear, giving him the task to gather all the wolves to protect this land. Thus, whenever the Dacians were at war, the wolves came to their aid. It took only the howl of the Great White Wolf and from everywhere the wolves came to protect those who became their brothers. Apart from this, the White Wolf was also a judge, punishing the cowards and traitors.
One day, Zamolxis calls him by his side again, for the last time giving him the choice of either remaining a wolf or regaining his human form. With sorrow in his heart, knowing what times were going to come, decides to stay by the God, believing that like this would have served the Dacians and the land better.
But with all the awarness of the Getae-Dacians, of the wolves and of the Great White Wolf, the Romans manage to infiltrate their ranks and, in preparing the great invasion, they plant into the hearts of some cowards the seed of mistrust. Thus, some Dacians begin to fear that the God will not stay by their side during the great battle to come. The traitors, with fear in their hearts, begin to kill all the wolves they came across, secretly hoping that among them will be also the Great White Wolf whose head could be offered to the Romans in exchange for their life. The last remaining wolves escaped deep inside the mountains to never again return at the side of their brothers who had betrayed them. The White Wolf and Zalmoxis go to the Sacred Mountain from where they will watch how the Getae-Dacians will be defeated by the Romans because of treachery.
The legends of the Dacians are in not very complex to what concerns the plot. However, the way they were preserved, their content full of symbols, their deep meaning, all of those place them among the most interesting legends of the world.
The flag of the Dacians, the body of a balaur (remotely translated as dragon but not exactly being one – for more detailed explanations please check “The Romanian Dragon” article) and the head of a wolf is unique in the world.  The wolves appear as symbols on many objects discovered by archeologists mainly on the territory of Romania but also in the closest surroundings. Also, the wolves are considered by some researchers as the symbol of the Dacian sanctuaries. Some historians consider as well that the name Dacians,  came from daoi – a word that in a thracian dialect ment wolf – this being related by others also to their role as Protectors of the Spiritual Center of the World.
The symbol of the wolf as a protector of these lands keeps evolving in time. In some legends, in their majority being proven by historians, St Andrew being sent to spread the Christian religion in the “land of the wolves” was protected along his way to the Dacian sanctuaries by the Great White Wolf.
Nowadays, if you will find yourselves near a camp fire or you will hear stories from those that go on the mountains, certainly you will also hear about people who got lost and that were saved out of harms way by a… White Wolf.
“ Deep inside the forests, on a starry night, in the worm breeze of the freedom wind, those pure at heart can still hear the call to arms of the Great White Wolf. The earth, the leaves, the sky know it too well. Can you hear it?“ (Legends of the Free Dacians)

Marele Lup Alb nu este animal, este OM…
Candva, in vremuri uitate, un preot al lui Zamolxis cutreiera fara ragaz taramurile Daciei pentru a-i ajuta pe cei care aveau nevoie, pentru a transmite geto-dacilor ca Marele Zeu veghea asupra lor. Spre deosebire de toti ceilalti, fara a fi in varsta, avea parul si barba albe ca neaua iar credinta, curajul si darzenia sa erau cunoscute nu numai de oameni si de Zalmoxis insusi ci si de fiare. Zeul, dandu-si seama de valoarea slujitorului sau, il opreste la el, in munti pentru a il servi de aproape. Departe de oameni, preotul continua sa slujeasca cu aceeasi determinare ca si inainte. In scurt timp, fiarele Daciei au ajuns sa asculte de el si sa il considere conducatorul lor. Cel mai mult il indrageau lupii, caci acestia erau singurii fara conducator, numai foamea tinandu-i in haita.
Dupa un timp, Zalmoxis vorbeste cu preotul sau si decide ca a venit timpul ca acesta sa il slujeasca in alt chip, astfel, il transforma in animal. Insa nu in orice animal, ci in cea mai temuta si mai respectata fiara a Daciei, intr-un Lup Alb, mare si puternic cat un urs, dandu-i menirea sa adune toti lupii din codri intru apararea taramului. Astfel, de cate ori dacii erau in primejdie, lupii le veneau in ajutor, era de ajuns doar sa se auda urletul Marelui Lup Alb si de oriunde ar fi fost, lupii sareau sa ii apere pe cei care le devenisera frati. Lupul Alb insa, era si judecator, pedepsind lasii si tradatorii.
Intr-o zi insa, Zeul il cheama din nou pe slujitorul sau la el, de aceasta data pentru a-i da posibilitatea sa aleaga, pentru ultima oara daca vrea sa ramana lup sau sa redevina om. Cu toata mahnirea pe care o poarta in suflet, stiind ce vremuri vor urma, decide sa ramana alaturi de Zeul sau, sperand ca astfel sa slujeasca mai cu folos tinutul si poporul sau.
Cu toata vigilenta geto-dacilor, a lupilor si a Marelui Lup Alb, romanii reusesc sa se infiltreze in randurile lor si, in apropiere de marea invazie, sadesc in sufletele unor lasi samananta neincrederii fata de Marele Zeu. Astfel, unii daci incep sa se teama ca Zeul nu le va fi alaturi in marea batalie iar tradatorii cuprinsi de frica incep sa omoare toti lupii ce le ieseau in cale in speranta ca unul din acestia va fi Marele Lup Alb al carui cap il vor putea oferi romanilor in schimbul vietii lor. Lupii, cati au mai scapat fug in inima muntilor spre a nu mai reveni niciodata in ajutorul fratilor ce ii tradasera. Lupul Alb si Zalmoxis se retrag in Muntele Sacru de unde vor privi cu durere in inimi cum geto-dacii vor fi infranti de romani din cauza tradarii.
Legendele atribuite geto-dacilor, in general, nu sunt foarte complexe in ceea ce priveste intriga, insa felul cum s-au propagat si cum au fost pastrate, continutul lor plin de simboluri, insemnatatea ascunsa pe care o poarta, fac sa fie printre cele mai interesante legende ale lumii.
Stindardul geto-dacilor, balaurul cu cap de lup este unic in lume. Lupii apar ca simbol pe multe obiecte descoperite de arheologi pe tot cuprinsul tarii si in vecinatati. De asemenea, lupii sunt considerati de unii cercetatori ca fiind simbolul sanctuarelor dacice.
Simbolul lupului ca aparator al acestor pamanturi nu se opreste numai la perioada geto-dacilor. In alte legende in marea lor majoritate demonstrate de catre istorici, Sfantul Andrei a fost trimis sa propovaduiasca in “taramurile lupilor“ si a fost vegheat pe tot parcursul sau inspre sanctuarele dacice de catre Marele Lup Alb. De asemenea, una din versiunile cu privire la originea numelui dacilor ia in considerare originea in cuvantul daoi – provenit dintr-un dialect al limbii trace, semnificand lup. Aceasta atribuire este dupa alti autori legata si de rolul dacilor ca Protectori ai Centrului Spiritual al Lumii.
In zilele noastre, daca veti sta la focuri de tabara sau va veti opri sa ascultati povestile celor pasionati de munte, cu siguranta veti auzi si povesti ale unor oameni care au fost salvati in clipe de mare primejdie pe munte de catre un… lup alb.
“ In codri batrani, sub bolta instelata, in bataia calda a vantului de libertate, cei cu inima pura pot auzi si acum chemarea la lupta a Marelui Lup Alb. Pamantul, frunzele si cerul il cunosc preabine. Voi il auziti ?“ (Legendele dacilor liberi)
preluare http://www.produsin.ro/

Sources:
Felix Crainicu, Cristi Ionita – Legendele dacilor liberi, Editura Dacica, 2009
http://www.oron.ro/serviciile_religioase_oradea/astazi__romanii_il_sarbatoresc_pe_sfantul_andrei___religie_198_341525.html
http://www.dacii.ro/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=853
http://penultimuldac.blogspot.com/2009/04/legenda-marelui-lup-alb.html