Feral Children In Mythology And Fiction
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Feral child A feral child (also called wild child) is a young individual who has lived isolated from human contact from a very young age, with little or no experience of human care, social behavior, or language. Such children lack the basics of primary and ...
ren, children who have lived from a young age without human contact, appear in mythological and fictional works, usually as human characters who have been raised by animals. Often their dual heritage is a benefit to them, protecting them from the corrupting influence of human society, such as in
Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Creat ...
. It also may be permitting the development and expression of their own animal nature, for example in
Enkidu Enkidu ( ''EN.KI.DU10'') was a legendary figure in Mesopotamian mythology, ancient Mesopotamian mythology, wartime comrade and friend of Gilgamesh, king of Uruk. Their exploits were composed in Sumerian language, Sumerian poems and in the Akk ...
, or providing access to the wisdom and lore by which animals survive in the wild (
Mowgli Mowgli () is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Mowgli stories featured among Rudyard Kipling's ''The Jungle Book'' stories. He is a feral boy from the Pench area in Seoni, Madhya Pradesh, India, who originally appeared in Kiplin ...
). In most tales, the child is lost or abandoned, such as in
Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Creat ...
and
Romulus and Remus In Roman mythology, Romulus and (, ) are twins in mythology, twin brothers whose story tells of the events that led to the Founding of Rome, founding of the History of Rome, city of Rome and the Roman Kingdom by Romulus, following his frat ...
respectively. They are then found and adopted in a chance encounter with a sympathetic wild animal. In some stories, the child chooses to abandon human society or even refuses to enter society altogether. The child usually returns to civilization, but may decide to return again to life in the wild. In some cases, they find themselves trapped between worlds unable to enter entirely into either human society or animal society.


In mythology, folklore, and ancient literature

*
Enkidu Enkidu ( ''EN.KI.DU10'') was a legendary figure in Mesopotamian mythology, ancient Mesopotamian mythology, wartime comrade and friend of Gilgamesh, king of Uruk. Their exploits were composed in Sumerian language, Sumerian poems and in the Akk ...
, raised by unspecified beasts, becomes the friend of the hero
Gilgamesh Gilgamesh (, ; ; originally ) was a hero in ancient Mesopotamian mythology and the protagonist of the ''Epic of Gilgamesh'', an epic poem written in Akkadian during the late 2nd millennium BC. He was possibly a historical king of the Sumer ...
. (see also
Epic of Gilgamesh The ''Epic of Gilgamesh'' () is an epic poetry, epic from ancient Mesopotamia. The literary history of Gilgamesh begins with five Sumerian language, Sumerian poems about Gilgamesh (formerly read as Sumerian "Bilgames"), king of Uruk, some of ...
) * Iranian šāhnāmeh "''The Book of Kings / The king of books''", introduces Zaal, the mythical hero of
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
, raised by
Simurgh The simurgh (; ; also spelled ''senmurv, simorgh, simorg'', ''simurg'', ''simoorg, simorq'' or ''simourv'') is a benevolent bird in Persian mythology and Persian literature, literature. It bears some similarities with mythological birds from di ...
, a very large and wise bird which darkens the sky when flying, said to be related to the phoenix. * In
Ibn Tufail Ibn Ṭufayl ( – 1185) was an Arab Andalusian Muslim polymath: a writer, Islamic philosopher, Islamic theologian, physician, astronomer, and vizier. As a philosopher and novelist, he is most famous for writing the first philosophical nov ...
's '' Hayy ibn Yaqdhan'', Hayy is raised by a
gazelle A gazelle is one of many antelope species in the genus ''Gazella'' . There are also seven species included in two further genera; '' Eudorcas'' and '' Nanger'', which were formerly considered subgenera of ''Gazella''. A third former subgenus, ' ...
on a
desert island An uninhabited island, desert island, or deserted island, is an island, islet or atoll which lacks permanent human population. Uninhabited islands are often depicted in films or stories about shipwrecked people, and are also used as stereotypes ...
and becomes an autodidactic
philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
. * In
Ibn al-Nafis ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn Abī Ḥazm al-Qarashī (Arabic: علاء الدين أبو الحسن عليّ بن أبي حزم القرشي ), known as Ibn al-Nafīs (Arabic: ابن النفيس), was an Arab polymath whose area ...
' '' Theologus Autodidactus'', Kamil is also raised by animals on a deserted island, and becomes an autodidactic
scientist A scientist is a person who Scientific method, researches to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engag ...
and
theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...
. * According to American folklore,
Pecos Bill Pecos Bill ( ) is a fictional cowboy and folk hero in stories set during American westward expansion into the Southwest of Texas, New Mexico, Southern California, and Arizona. These narratives were invented as short stories in a book by Tex O ...
was raised by
coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans''), also known as the American jackal, prairie wolf, or brush wolf, is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the Wolf, gray wolf, and slightly smaller than the c ...
s. * In
Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...
,
Atalanta Atalanta (; ) is a heroine in Greek mythology. There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia (region), Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene (mythology), Clymene and who is primarily known from the tales of the Caly ...
was raised by a she-bear after her father abandoned her in a forest until the day she was found by kindly hunters. * In Mongolian Oirat and Kalmyk mythology, the hero Jangar is taught to roar by a tiger, taught to hunt by an eagle, taught to run by antelope, suckled by she-wolves, and fed fruit by deer. Romulus and Remus, legendary founders of Rome, were suckled by a she-wolf. * In a Polish fairy tale, Waligóra and Wyrwidąb were two warrior and dragonslayer brothers, who were brought up in the woods by a wolf and a bear.


In modern prose

* In 1879, Albert Robida created ''The Adventures of Saturnin Farandoul''. Saturnin Farandoul a child raised by
orangutan Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in the genus ...
s who becomes king of the
ape Apes (collectively Hominoidea ) are a superfamily of Old World simians native to sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia (though they were more widespread in Africa, most of Asia, and Europe in prehistory, and counting humans are found global ...
s. * H. Rider Haggard's 1889 novelette, " Allan's Wife," features the antagonist Hendrika, a white Boer child who was stolen and raised by
baboon Baboons are primates comprising the biology, genus ''Papio'', one of the 23 genera of Old World monkeys, in the family Cercopithecidae. There are six species of baboon: the hamadryas baboon, the Guinea baboon, the olive baboon, the yellow ba ...
s. She is later rescued and "civilized" by an English family, but she retains baboon-like behavior and the ability to communicate with baboons. * An early modern example of a feral child comes from
Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English journalist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much ...
's 1894 short story collection ''
The Jungle Book ''The Jungle Book'' is an 1894 collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, who ...
''. His protagonist
Mowgli Mowgli () is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Mowgli stories featured among Rudyard Kipling's ''The Jungle Book'' stories. He is a feral boy from the Pench area in Seoni, Madhya Pradesh, India, who originally appeared in Kiplin ...
is raised by
wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though gr ...
and becomes the ruler of the jungle. *
Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical ...
, created by
J. M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succe ...
in 1902, is a boy who fled to the magical
Neverland Neverland is a fictional island featured in the works of J. M. Barrie and those based on them. It is an imaginary faraway place where Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Captain Hook, the Lost Boys, and some other imaginary beings and creatures live. ...
and refused to grow up. * '' The Blue Lagoon'', created by H. de Vere Stacpoole in (1908) tells the story of two English children, a boy and a girl, stranded on a deserted tropical island in the
Polynesia Polynesia ( , ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of more than 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are called Polynesians. They have many things in ...
. *
Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Creat ...
, of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ '' Tarzan of the Apes'' (1912), has become an iconic hero of novels, comic strips, and motion pictures. * The German trilogy Die Höhlenkinder (1918-1920) by Alois Theodor Sonnleitner is about two children who grow up in a hidden area cut off from the outside world without adults, after they had to flee because their grandmother was accused to be a witch. Later they have a son who finds his way back. * ''
Shasta of the Wolves ''Shasta of the Wolves'' is a feral child novel by British-born American children's author Olaf Baker. The novel was originally published in 1919 by Dodd, Mead and Company with illustrations by Charles Livingston Bull, and was reprinted a num ...
'' (1919) by Olaf Baker, in which a Native American boy is raised by a wolf pack in the
Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...
. * '' The Garden of God'' (1923), a sequel of '' The Blue Lagoon'' which features a new British child couple, descendants of the British child couple from the previous book generated by incest who live a new adventure on the same Polynesian island. * ''Jungle Born'' (1924) by John Eyton, in which a boy raised by
rhesus macaque The rhesus macaque (''Macaca mulatta''), colloquially rhesus monkey, is a species of Old World monkey. There are between six and nine recognised subspecies split between two groups, the Chinese-derived and the Indian-derived. Generally brown or g ...
s in northern
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
inadvertently saves a teenage girl from her abusive father. * '' The House Without Windows & Eepersip's Life There'' (1927) by Barbara Newhall Follett, in which Eepersip runs away from home to live in idyllic Nature (successively, a meadow, the sea, and, finally, the mountains). * ''Bijeli jelen'' / "White Deer" (1947) by
Vladimir Nazor Vladimir Nazor (30 May 1876 – 19 June 1949) was a Croatian poet and politician. During and after World War II in Yugoslavia, he served as the first President of the Presidency of the Croatian Parliament (Croatian head of state), and first ...
, in which a six-year-old girl named Anka is lost in the forest while herding a flock of
geese A goose (: geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera '' Anser'' (grey geese and white geese) and ''Branta'' (black geese). Some members of the Tadorninae subfamily (e.g., Egyp ...
. She is adopted by
deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...
and soon befriends most animals in the forest. Her main antagonist is a wolf, while her closest ally is a white deer. After growing up she becomes a powerful forest-warrior who helps both animals and
human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are Hominidae, great apes characterized by their Prehistory of nakedness and clothing ...
s living in the forest. * ''
Lord of the Flies ''Lord of the Flies'' is the 1954 debut novel of British author William Golding. The plot concerns a group of prepubescent British boys who are stranded on an uninhabited island and their disastrous attempts to govern themselves that led to ...
'' (1954) by
William Golding Sir William Gerald Golding (19 September 1911 – 19 June 1993) was a British novelist, playwright, and poet. Best known for his debut novel '' Lord of the Flies'' (1954), Golding published another 12 volumes of fiction in his lifetime. In 19 ...
, tells the story of a large group of British schoolboys who have survived a plane crash and are now stranded on a deserted island. They gradually experience social disintegration due to strong differences in their opinions on how to survive their current situation and a severe descent into savagery. * '' My Side of the Mountain'' (1959) by Jean Craighead George tells the story of an overwhelmed and determined 12-year-old boy named Sam Gribley who decides to leave his family and his life in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
behind to live independently in the wilderness of the
Catskill Mountains The Catskill Mountains, also known as the Catskills, are a physiographic province and subrange of the larger Appalachian Mountains, located in southeastern New York. As a cultural and geographic region, the Catskills are generally defined a ...
. * In
Howard Fast Howard Melvin Fast (November 11, 1914 – March 12, 2003) was an American novelist and television writer. Fast also wrote under the pen names E.V. Cunningham and Walter Ericson. Biography Early life Fast was born in New York City. His mother, ...
's 1960 short story "The First Men", a tale of a wolf-child starts off the series of letters. * In Robert A. Heinlein's 1961 novel '' Stranger in a Strange Land'', Valentine Michael Smith is a human raised by
Martian Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, has appeared as a setting in works of fiction since at least the mid-1600s. Trends in the planet's portrayal have largely been influenced by advances in planetary science. It became the most popular celes ...
s on
Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...
, as he returns to
Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...
in early adulthood. The novel explores his interaction with — and eventual transformation of — human culture. * In Boris and Arkady Strugatsky's 1971 novel ''The Little One'' (also known as '' Space Mowgly''), a human from Earth, Piere Semyonov, has been raised by an alien non-humanoid civilization after his parents' spaceship crashed onto an uncharted planet. After his discovery by the Terran scientists, several attempts to integrate him back to human society were undertaken, but all were in vain. * The theme of young adolescent runaways seeking shelter with wild animals and learning their ways is seen in novels such as the
Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...
-winning novel '' Julie of the Wolves'' by Jean Craighead George (1972). * Philip Jose Farmer's anthology ''Mother Was A Lovely Beast: A Feral Man Anthology, Fiction And Fact About Humans Raised By Animals'' (1974) collects several stories of fictional feral children. * Jane Yolen's ''Passager'' (1996), the first of the ''Young Merlin'' trilogy of short novels, depicts a slightly more realistic view of such childhood. Abandoned in a Welsh forest at the age of seven years, the boy who will become
Merlin The Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) is an interferometer array of radio telescopes spread across England. The array is run from Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire by the University of Manchester on behalf of UK Re ...
lives in the forest for a year nearly as well as its natives, until a falconer who is used to domesticating animals captures him and begins the long and difficult task of educating him in human behavior. * In Karen Hesse's '' The Music of Dolphins'' (1996), a young girl called Mila is found after having been raised by
dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal in the cetacean clade Odontoceti (toothed whale). Dolphins belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontopori ...
s for over a decade. In the book, Mila is taken to a clinic with other undomesticated human young, none of whom adapt to mainstream humanity as easily as she does. At the end of the book, Mila returns to the dolphin pod, showing her rejection of human society. * In the "Firekeeper Saga" starting with '' Through Wolf's Eyes'' (2001) by author
Jane Lindskold Jane M. Lindskold (born September 15, 1962) is an American writer of fantasy and science fiction short story, short stories and novels. Early life Jane M. Lindskold was born on 15 September 1962, and grew up in Washington, D.C., and the Chesap ...
, the family of a young girl named Firekeeper and her colony are killed by a fire, and she is the only survivor. She is then taken in by the "Royal Wolves" who speak their own language with gestures and signals. Because Firekeeper had already learned a human language before going to live with the wolves, she was able to return to human society and became a valuable asset to the royalty, but she found that humans were not as noble as the wolves she loved as family. Firekeeper is always barefoot and tends to throw fits whenever she is told to wear shoes. It is her greatest wish to become a wolf herself and leave the humans behind again. * ''Wild Angel'' (2001) by Pat Murphy tells the story of a young girl raised by wolves from the age of four in gold-rush-era
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. * '' World War Z'' by
Max Brooks Maximilian Michael Brooks (born May 22, 1972) is an American actor and author. He is the son of comedian Mel Brooks and actress Anne Bancroft. Much of Brooks's writing focuses on Zombie (fictional), zombie stories. He was a senior fellow at the ...
contain many references to feral children - in this case, children who were separated from normal humanity at some point during the zombie war, and were forced to live in the wild, contending not just with the problems of survival but also the hazard posed by the walking dead. The novel suggests they formed a kind of rudimentary social or "pack" structure with basic tool-using abilities, and in most cases were capable of being slowly rehabilitated. * In the 2006 book ''Dogboy'' by Victor Kelleher, a young boy is abandoned at birth by his mother and is raised by a half domestic dog in a litter of puppies. He is later brought back to a nearby human settlement by the dog, searching for a home with her owner once again, and her only surviving pup but is rejected as an abomination. * Camilla Way's 2008 novel '' Little Bird'' concerns a girl kidnapped as a toddler by a mute and held captive until the age of twelve. * In 2009 Eva Hornung's novel ''Dogboy'', set in
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, tells the story of two feral children who live with a pack of dogs. One of the children was abandoned at the age of 4 and the other was brought to the lair as a baby by the dominant female in the pack. The children eventually come under the notice of two scientists working in a centre that rehabilitates abandoned children. * '' The Dictator's Moustaches'', a 2009 Italian novel by Anna Russo, concerns an abandoned baby rescued and brought up by dogs. * ''Magic Hour'' by
Kristin Hannah Kristin Hannah (born September 25, 1960) is an Americans, American writer. Her most notable works include ''Winter Garden'', ''The Nightingale (Hannah novel), The Nightingale'', ''Firefly Lane (novel), Firefly Lane'', ''The Great Alone'', and ''T ...
concerns a young girl who appears out of the forest, with no information as to her origins. She is called 'wolf girl'; she is cared for and eventually loved by fallen psychologist Julia. * I
Victor Robert Lee's
2013 novel
Performance Anomalies
', protagonist Cono 7Q becomes an orphan as a young boy in
northeast Brazil The Northeast Region of Brazil ( ) is one of the five official and political regions of Brazil, regions of the country according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. Of Brazil's twenty-six states, it comprises nine: Maranhão, ...
, surviving alone in the forest by hunting small animals. * In the Steven Bauer book ''Satyrday'', Derin was raised by a
satyr In Greek mythology, a satyr (, ), also known as a silenus or ''silenos'' ( ), and sileni (plural), is a male List of nature deities, nature spirit with ears and a tail resembling those of a horse, as well as a permanent, exaggerated erection. ...
named Matthew, after an evil
great horned owl The great horned owl (''Bubo virginianus''), also known as the tiger owl (originally derived from early naturalists' description as the "winged tiger" or "tiger of the air") or the hoot owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an extreme ...
killed his family and destroyed his clan.


In comics

* "The Wild Wonders" in the 1970s British comic book series '' Valiant'' are two boys lost on a Scottish island and raised in a normal environment, developing their own language. Returned to human civilization at about a decade old, they become superb athletes and enjoy many comic adventures. * In " Fishboy", written by Scott Goodall, (1968 - 1975 in '' Buster''), the hero of the title was abandoned on a remote island as a baby, implausibly learned how to breathe underwater and to communicate with aquatic fauna, and grew webbed fingers and toes. * Goodall also created "Kid Chameleon" (1970–1972) in ''
Cor!! ''Cor!!'' was a British comic book launched in June 1970 by IPC (International Publishing Corporation), their sixth new comic in just over a year. ''Cor!!'' was edited by Bob Paynter. The comic had 32 pages and included full-colour front and b ...
'' Raised by reptiles in the
Kalahari Desert The Kalahari Desert is a large semiarid climate, semiarid sandy savanna in Southern Africa covering including much of Botswana as well as parts of Namibia and South Africa. It is not to be confused with the Angolan, Namibian, and South African ...
after the murder of his parents, Kid Chameleon wears a suit of lizard scales that can change color to camouflage him like his namesake the
chameleon Chameleons or chamaeleons (Family (biology), family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of Old World lizards with 200 species described as of June 2015. The members of this Family (biology), family are best known for ...
. * The French comic book (bande dessinée) '' Pyrénée'' (1998), by Regis Loisel and Philippe Sternis, features a girl who is raised by a
bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family (biology), family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats ...
and taught wisdom by a blind old
eagle Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...
in the French
Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...
, the bear having named her after the mountains without the "s". This story has won critical acclaim and has been translated into German and Dutch, but has also drawn some criticism over the girl's
nudity Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. While estimates vary, for the first 90,000 years of pre-history, anatomically modern humans were naked, having lost their body hair, living in hospitable climates, and not ...
. * Little Dee is a webcomic where a prevocal human who was lost in a forest is adopted by a bear, dog, and vulture. The strip contains purely fantastic elements (the characters live in a cave but occasionally fly planes or cook food) and focuses more on the natives and their issues of handling a human. * In
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
'
Elseworlds Elseworlds is the publication imprint (trade name), imprint for American comic books produced by DC Comics for stories that take place outside the DC Universe Canon (fictional), canon. Elseworlds publications are set in alternate realities that ...
story '' Superman: The Feral Man of Steel'' (1994), Kal-El (
Clark Kent Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
) is raised by wolves in 19th century India, in an homage to ''The Jungle Book'', until he is discovered by an expedition led by
Lex Luthor Alexander "Lex" Joseph Luthor () is a supervillain in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the character first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (published on February 22, 1940, with a cover d ...
and
Lois Lane Lois Lane is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1 (June 1938). Lois is an award-winning ...
and brought back to Britain. * In the
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
universe, a Tarzan-inspired character Ka-Zar is raised by a sabertooth tiger named Zabu in the
Savage Land The Savage Land is a fictional prehistoric land that features in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is a tropical preserve, hidden in Antarctica. It has appeared in many story arcs in '' Uncanny X-Men'' as well as other relate ...
, a vast tropical jungle hidden from the world in the depths of Antarctica. He goes on to have many adventures including features in the popular
X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 (September 1963). Although initial ...
series where he also has some encounters with
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
. * The
Quality Comics Quality Comics was an American comic book publishing Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, ...
hero Black Condor, was a boy raised in
Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...
by highly intelligent condors, gains the improbable power of flight and later becomes a superhero. ''
Secret Origins ''Secret Origins'' is the title of several comic book series published by DC Comics which featured the origin stories of the publisher's various characters. Publication history ''Secret Origins'' was first published as a one-shot in 1961 and c ...
'' #21 revealed that Condor's flight ability was due to a radioactive meteorite near the condors' nest. * Holyoke Publishing's hero Cat-Man was orphaned at a young age and raised by Burmese
tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large Felidae, cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is ...
s. He adapted to life in the wild by developing super-strength, enhanced vision, and other talents which served him well when he returned to the US and became a superhero. * The Hexagon Comics hero Zembla was a boy raised by lions. *
Cassandra Cain Cassandra Cain (also known as Cassandra Wayne and Cassandra Wu-San) is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Created by Kelley Puckett and Damion Scott, Cassandr ...
, the fourth
Batgirl Batgirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, depicted as female counterparts and allies to the superhero Batman. The character Bette Kane, Betty Kane was introduced into publica ...
, was raised by her father David Cain to be the perfect assassin, taught to read
body language Body language is a type of nonverbal communication in which physical behaviors, as opposed to words, are used to express or convey information. Such behavior includes facial expressions, body posture, gestures, eye movement, touch and the use o ...
instead of learning human speech and isolated from anyone who might talk to her until she was eight years old. In her initial appearances she was unable to speak, capable of picking up combat skills easily and predicting opponents' moves in a fight simply from the way they stood but unable to understand spoken language, but has since been shown to have learned how to speak and think in English with help from a psychic 'rewiring' her brain to accept language. * Trolls de Troy features a human girl named Waha, who was accidentally raised by Trolls from infancy. * In the Japanese manga '' Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba'', Inosuke Hashibara was raised by wild boars, wearing the hide of his boar mother after her death. * In Xenozoic Tales Jack and Hannah befriend a wild boy raised by the lizard-like Grith, after being saved by a pack of cave hyenas.


In film

These films have fiction and two are based on true stories: * '' King of the Jungle'', a 1933 film directed by H. Bruce Humberstone and
Max Marcin Max Marcin (5 May 1879 – 30 March 1948) was a Polish-born American playwright, novelist, screenwriter, and film director. He wrote for 47 films between 1916 and 1949. He also directed six films between 1931 and 1936. His stage work inclu ...
features a three-year-old boy (Ronnie Cosbey) who is raised by a lioness after both of his parents die in a plane crash flying over
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
. He grows up to become known as Kaspa the Lion Man ( Buster Crabbe). When money-obsessed businessman, Neil Forbes ( Sidney Toler), arrives in Africa, his men manage to capture the lion man and his loyal feline companions. Now, as the rare specimens are on display at a
circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicy ...
, Kaspa begins to feel nostalgia for his beloved forest, and nothing can stop him from returning to his roots. * '' Tarzan Finds a Son!'', a 1939 film directed by
Richard Thorpe Richard Thorpe (born Rollo Smolt Thorpe; February 24, 1896 – May 1, 1991) was an American film director best known for his long career at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. His obituary called him "a capable and versatile director willing to take on any ass ...
features
Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Creat ...
(played by Johnny Weissmuller) and Jane (played by
Maureen O'Sullivan Maureen Paula O'Sullivan (May 17, 1911 – June 23, 1998) was an Irish actress who played Jane in the ''Tarzan'' series of films during the era of Johnny Weissmuller. She starred in dozens of feature films across a span of more than half a ...
) raising an orphaned baby boy who has survived a plane crash. During the next five years, the child, now named Boy, (played by Johnny Sheffield) experiences both the joys and dangers of jungle life under Tarzan's guidance. * '' The Lost Volcano'', a 1950 film directed by
Ford Beebe Ford Ingalsbe Beebe (November 26, 1888 – November 26, 1978) was a screenwriter and Film director, director. He entered the film business as a writer around 1916 and over the next 60 years wrote and/or directed almost 200 films. He specialized ...
features a lonely boy named David Gordon (played by Tommy Ivo) the son of
zoologist Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the structure, embryology, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoology is one ...
Paul Gordon (played by Donald Woods) who resides in a jungle cabin alongside his wife Ruth Gordon (played by
Marjorie Lord Marjorie Lord (née Wollenberg; July 26, 1918 – November 28, 2015) was an American television and film actress. She played Kathy "Clancy" O'Hara Williams, opposite Danny Thomas's character on ''The Danny Thomas Show'' (''Make Room for Dadd ...
) and their native housekeeper Nona (played by Elena Verdugo) during a temporary stay
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
. David meets Bomba the Jungle Boy (played by Johnny Sheffield) after the latter frees some animals captured by the child's father and soon befriends him. Bomba gives David his very own leopard skin
loincloth A loincloth is a one-piece garment, either wrapped around itself or kept in place by a belt. It covers the genitals and sometimes the buttocks. Loincloths which are held up by belts or strings are specifically known as breechcloth or breechclo ...
to wear and teaches him the ropes of vine swinging as well as methods of jungle survival. He looks upon David as the little brother he never had and who also fulfills his time of solitude. On his part, David fully embraces the carefree and liberating jungle lifestyle (due to it being different and much more exciting than his life in the city) and comes to worship Bomba as a
hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...
and a
role model A role model is a person whose behaviour, example, or success serves as a model to be emulated by others, especially by younger people. The term ''role model'' is credited to sociologist Robert K. Merton, who hypothesized that individuals compa ...
. Unfortunately, he also has a very hard time convincing his parents of his new friend's existence. Having never seen him, they initially believe Bomba to be either an
imaginary friend Imaginary friends (also known as pretend friends, invisible friends or made-up friends) are a psychological and a social phenomenon where a friendship or other interpersonal relationship takes place in the imagination rather than physical reali ...
or a
myth Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...
. * ''
Lord of the Flies ''Lord of the Flies'' is the 1954 debut novel of British author William Golding. The plot concerns a group of prepubescent British boys who are stranded on an uninhabited island and their disastrous attempts to govern themselves that led to ...
'', a 1963 film directed by
Peter Brook Peter Stephen Paul Brook (21 March 1925 – 2 July 2022) was an English theatre and film director. He worked first in England, from 1945 at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, from 1947 at the Royal Opera House, and from 1962 for the Royal Shak ...
and based on the novel by William Golding. A second film adaptation of the story was directed by Harry Hook and released in 1990. * '' Mara of the Wilderness'', a 1965 film directed by Frank McDonald features Mara Wade (played by Lori Saunders) who was raised by wolves in the Alaskan wilderness (ever since her parents were killed in a bear attack) where she lives barefoot and only wearing a fur dress. Mara later befriends an anthropologist named Ken Williams (played by
Adam West William West Anderson (September 19, 1928 – June 9, 2017), known professionally as Adam West, was an American actor. He portrayed Batman in the 1960s ABC series of the same name and its 1966 theatrical feature film, reprising the role in ...
) who is interested in teaching her what is in the world. Ken also discovers that she is hunted by a ruthless carnival worker named Jarnagan (played by
Theo Marcuse Theodore Carroll Marcuse (August 2, 1920 – November 29, 1967) was an American character actor who appeared frequently on television in the 1950s and 1960s, often portraying villains. Early years Marcuse was born in Seattle, Washington t ...
). * '' Robby'', a 1968 film directed by Ralph C. Bluemke and inspired by the ''
Robinson Crusoe ''Robinson Crusoe'' ( ) is an English adventure novel by Daniel Defoe, first published on 25 April 1719. Written with a combination of Epistolary novel, epistolary, Confessional writing, confessional, and Didacticism, didactic forms, the ...
'' story. It features a lonely eight-year-old boy named Robby (played by Warren Raum) who has washed up on the shore of an idyllic tropical island paradise being the sole survivor of a shipwreck in which both of his parents have died. Shortly thereafter, he is rescued from
drowning Drowning is a type of Asphyxia, suffocation induced by the submersion of the mouth and nose in a liquid. Submersion injury refers to both drowning and near-miss incidents. Most instances of fatal drowning occur alone or in situations where othe ...
by a
nude Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. While estimates vary, for the first 90,000 years of pre-history, anatomically modern humans were naked, having lost their body hair, living in hospitable climates, and no ...
ten-year-old black native boy whom Robby befriends and names Friday (played by Ryp Siani). Friday takes Robby under his wing, teaches him how to swim (this also being Robby's very first
skinny dipping Nude swimming is the practice of swimming without clothing, whether in natural bodies of water or in swimming pools. A colloquial term for nude swimming is " skinny dipping". In both British and American English, to swim means "to move throug ...
and
sea bathing Sea bathing is swimming in the sea or in sea water and a sea bath is a protective enclosure for sea bathing. Unlike bathing in a swimming pool, which is generally done for pleasure or exercise purposes, sea bathing was once thought to have curati ...
experience) and introduces him to the freedom and beauty of
naturism Naturism is a lifestyle of practicing non-sexual social nudity in private and in public; the word also refers to the cultural movement which advocates and defends that lifestyle. Both may alternatively be called nudism. Though the two terms ar ...
as a carefree lifestyle. Robby in turn teaches Friday how to speak English and fashions a pair of jean shorts for him using his
t-shirt A T-shirt (also spelled tee shirt, or tee for short) is a style of fabric shirt named after the T shape of its body and sleeves. Traditionally, it has short sleeves and a round neckline, known as a '' crew neck'', which lacks a collar. T-shir ...
. * '' My Side of the Mountain'', a 1969 film directed by James B. Clark and based on the novel by Jean Craighead George. It stars Teddy Eccles as Sam Gribley. * '' L'Enfant Sauvage'', a 1970 French film directed by
François Truffaut François Roland Truffaut ( , ; ; 6 February 1932 – 21 October 1984) was a French filmmaker, actor, and critic. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of the French New Wave. He came under the tutelage of film critic Andre Bazin as a ...
, is based on the true story of a
nude Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. While estimates vary, for the first 90,000 years of pre-history, anatomically modern humans were naked, having lost their body hair, living in hospitable climates, and no ...
feral boy (played by Jean-Pierre Cargol) discovered living in the
forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...
s of 18th century France. A doctor (played by François Truffaut) who is a deaf specialist tries to socialize the boy who cannot speak. Based on the account of Dr.
Jean Marc Gaspard Itard Jean Marc Gaspard Itard (24 April 1774, Oraison, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence – 5 July 1838, Paris) was a French physician born in Provence. He is perhaps best known for his work with Victor of Aveyron. Biography Itard, without a university ...
. * '' The Genesis Children'', a 1972
art film An art film, arthouse film, or specialty film is an independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made prima ...
directed by Anthony Aikman. A charismatic leader and a high-spirited student group are on holiday in
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
. The surreal adventures of these friends are a free-flowing, four-part "multi-sensual symphony," bereft of traditional story line. Although it was called "very benign" by the US rating administration, it received an X rating. It has remained controversial ever since, because of several lengthy scenes of full frontal nudity and rear nudity showing a large group of teenage and preteen boys
walking Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined as an " inverted pendulum" gait in which the body vaults o ...
,
dancing Dance is an art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire of movements or ...
and swimming nude together on a
beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from Rock (geology), rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological s ...
. * ''Zindy el Niño de los Pantanos (Zindy the Swamp Boy)'', a 1973 Mexican film directed by René Cardona. Zindy (played by René Cardona III) lives in the swamp with his grandfather (played by René Cardona). They have a great life full of adventures: catching turkeys, fighting crocodiles,
swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...
in a
river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...
, and
hunting Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...
a
cougar The cougar (''Puma concolor'') (, ''Help:Pronunciation respelling key, KOO-gər''), also called puma, mountain lion, catamount and panther is a large small cat native to the Americas. It inhabits North America, North, Central America, Cent ...
just to name a few. But it's not the life the grandfather would have chosen for Zindy. But because he's wanted for
murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...
, he's forced to raise his grandson in seclusion. During a trip to the nearest village for supplies, his grandfather doesn't return and Zindy is left on his own. His only companion is Toribio, his
chimpanzee The chimpanzee (; ''Pan troglodytes''), also simply known as the chimp, is a species of Hominidae, great ape native to the forests and savannahs of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed one. When its close rel ...
. Can he survive? * On the 1977 Mexican "clone of Tarzan" film called ''El Rey de los Gorilas'' also known as ''El Simio Blanco'' (means ''The King of Gorillas'' and also known as ''The White Ape'') directed by René Cardona Jr., a baby survived in the canoe that drifted away from the "Black Forest", the territory of the fearsome cannibal tribe called "The Plant Men". The
gorilla Gorillas are primarily herbivorous, terrestrial great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or five su ...
that found the baby tore off the baby's clothes and the baby boy was naked. The narrator named him Ape. He grew up in a green loincloth with back length hair as a 12-year-old child and later sported a beard, shoulder blade-length hair, and a different loincloth as a man. Ape rescued a woman named Eva from the Plant Men to the jungle and they fell in love. Some months later, they had a son. * '' The Black Stallion'', a 1979 film directed by Carroll Ballard based on the 1941 novel by Walter Farley, features the adventures of a boy named Alec Ramsay (played by Kelly Reno) who is rescued from a burning shipwreck by a wild
Arabian The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...
stallion whom he befriends during his time on a deserted island before both are found and taken back to civilization. * '' The Blue Lagoon'', a 1980 film directed by
Randal Kleiser John Randal Kleiser (born July 20, 1946) is an American film and television director, producer, screenwriter and actor. He is best known for directing the films ''Grease (film), Grease'' (1978), ''The Blue Lagoon (1980 film), The Blue Lagoon'' (1 ...
, features two cousins Emmeline and Richard Lestrange (played by
Brooke Shields Brooke Christa Shields (born May 31, 1965) is an American actress. A child model starting at the age of 11 months, Shields gained widespread notoriety at age 12 for her leading role in Louis Malle's film ''Pretty Baby (1978 film), Pretty Baby ...
and Christopher Atkins) who are left to fend fo themselves on a lush tropical island and experience both the physical and emotional changes caused by
puberty Puberty is the process of physical changes through which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of sexual reproduction. It is initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads: the ovaries in a female, the testicles i ...
after Paddy Button (played by
Leo McKern Reginald "Leo" McKern (16 March 1920 – 23 July 2002) was an Australian actor who appeared in numerous British, Australian and American television programmes and films, and in more than 200 stage roles. His notable roles include Clang in ...
), a cook who had previously saved them during a shipwreck, dies after a drunken bringe. A previous film adaptation of the story was directed by
Frank Launder Frank Launder (28 January 1906 – 23 February 1997) was a British writer, film director and producer, who made more than 40 films, many of them in collaboration with Sidney Gilliat. Early life and career He was born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, ...
and released in 1949. * The 1982 Italian comedy '' Bingo Bongo'' features a man who grew up among chimpanzees in the African jungle after escaping a plane crash as a baby. * In the Kennedy
Miller A miller is a person who operates a mill, a machine to grind a grain (for example corn or wheat) to make flour. Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surnames, as are their equivalents ...
1981 film ''
Mad Max 2 ''Mad Max 2'' (released as ''The Road Warrior'' in the United States) is a 1981 Australian Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic Utopian and dystopian fiction, dystopian action film directed by George Miller (filmmaker), G ...
'', a character called the " Feral Kid" lives in the wasteland near the refinery settlement. He flips, growls when displeased and has a fascination for the Gyro Captain's
autogyro An autogyro (from Greek and , "self-turning"), gyroscope, gyrocopter or gyroplane, is a class of rotorcraft that uses an unpowered rotor in free autorotation to develop lift. A gyroplane "means a rotorcraft whose rotors are not engine-d ...
. The Feral Kid wears shorts and boots made from hide, hunts and defends himself using a lethal metal
boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool typically constructed with airfoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight, designed to return to the thrower. The origin of the word is from Australian Aborigin ...
. * In the 1994 film '' The Secret of Roan Inish'', Fiona's brother, Jamie was thought to be lost at sea as an infant but was raised by a seal-like creature called a selkie. * In the ''
Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Creat ...
'' parody ''
George of the Jungle ''George of the Jungle'' is an American animated television series produced and created by Jay Ward and Bill Scott, who also created '' The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends''. The character George was inspired by the story of ...
'', the main protagonist George (as depicted in the 1997 live-action film) was traveling in the airplane above Bukuvu (a fictional nation in Africa) and the plane crashed. None of the passengers died, but George was lost. He was raised by an ape named ''"APE"'' who could speak in human language and even read books and played violin. In one episode of the 2007 reboot of the series, he came here in a monsoon of orphans. * '' Walk Like a Man'', a 1987
comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...
directed by
Melvin Frank Melvin Frank (13 August 1913 – 13 October 1988) was an American screenwriter, film producer and film director. He is known for his partnership with Norman Panama and their work on films such as '' Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House'' (1948), ...
, features a man named Robert "Bobo" Shand (played by Howie Mandel) who was raised by wild dogs after being abandoned as an infant by his older brother in
Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
. * In the 1992
Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and producer. Known for popularizing Goth subculture, Goth culture in the American film industry, Burton is famous for his Gothic film, gothic horror and dark fantasy films. ...
film ''
Batman Returns ''Batman Returns'' is a 1992 American superhero film directed by Tim Burton and written by Daniel Waters (screenwriter), Daniel Waters. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is the sequel to ''Batman (1989 film), Batman'' (1989) and th ...
'', the film's version of
Penguin Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds from the family Spheniscidae () of the order Sphenisciformes (). They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is equatorial, with a sm ...
spent his childhood among
penguin Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds from the family Spheniscidae () of the order Sphenisciformes (). They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is equatorial, with a sm ...
s in
Gotham City Gotham City ( ), or simply Gotham, is a fictional city in the Northeastern United States that serves as the primary city appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is best known as the home of the superhero Batman and his List ...
's sewers after being abandoned by his parents due to his deformity and vicious nature as an infant. * '' Bad Boy Bubby'' is a 1993 Australian film by director
Rolf de Heer Rolf de Heer (born 4 May 1951) is a Dutch Australian film director. De Heer was born in Heemskerk in the Netherlands but migrated to Sydney when he was eight years old.
in which the title character is subjected to lifelong social isolation by his mother. Events in the film lead Bubby to venture into the world where many of his interactions take on a darkly comical aspect. * '' Nell'' is a 1994 film in which a young woman (portrayed by
Jodie Foster Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster (born November 19, 1962) is an American actress and filmmaker. Foster started her career as a child actor before establishing herself as leading actress in film. She has received List of awards and nominations re ...
) is raised by her extremely androphobic mother in an isolated cabin, and has to face other human beings for the first time after her mother's death. * In the 1994
Brian Levant Brian Michael Levant (born August 6, 1952) is an American filmmaker. Early life and career Born in Highland Park, Illinois to a Jewish family, Levant started his career in 1976 as a writer for the TV series ''Happy Days''. He also wrote for, ...
film ''
The Flintstones ''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera, Hanna-Barbera Productions, which takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighbors, the R ...
'', Barney (played by
Rick Moranis Frederick Allan Moranis (; born April 18, 1953) is a Canadian actor, comedian, musician, producer, songwriter and writer. Moranis appeared in the sketch comedy series '' Second City Television'' (''SCTV'') in the 1980s and starred afterward in s ...
) and Betty Rubble (played by
Rosie O'Donnell Roseann O'Donnell (born March 21, 1962) is an American talk show host, comedian, and actress. She began her comedy career as a teenager and received her breakthrough on the television series ''Star Search'' in 1984. After a series of television ...
) adopt a feral child named Bamm-Bamm (played by Hlynur Sigurðsson and Marinó Sigurðsson), who was raised by wild
mastodon A mastodon, from Ancient Greek μαστός (''mastós''), meaning "breast", and ὀδούς (''odoús'') "tooth", is a member of the genus ''Mammut'' (German for 'mammoth'), which was endemic to North America and lived from the late Miocene to ...
s. * In the '' Friday the 13th'' film series, the main character
Jason Voorhees Jason Voorhees () is a fictional character and the antagonist of the Friday the 13th (franchise), ''Friday the 13th'' series. He first appeared in ''Friday the 13th (1980 film), Friday the 13th'' (1980) as the young son of camp-cook-turned-kil ...
was presumed drowned when he was 11 years old, but survived the drowning and grew up living in the woods. * In the
Joe Johnston Joseph Eggleston Johnston II (born May 13, 1950) is an American film director, producer, writer, and visual effects artist. He is best known for directing effects-driven films, including '' Honey, I Shrunk the Kids'' (1989), '' The Rocketeer' ...
1995 film ''
Jumanji ''Jumanji'' is a 1995 American fantasy adventure film directed by Joe Johnston from a screenplay by Jonathan Hensleigh, Greg Taylor, and Jim Strain, based on the 1981 children's picture book by Chris Van Allsburg. The film is the first ins ...
'', 12-year-old Alan Parrish (played by Adam Hann-Byrd) is lost in an alternate realm for 26 years due to the consequences of the eponymous board game where the clue read "In the Jungle You Must Wait Till the Dice Reads 5 or 8." After escaping, a now adult Alan (played by
Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and comedie ...
) seems relatively normal if a little bit eccentric and paranoid. The character Danny Budwing (played by Jonah Bobo) suffers a similar fate in the 2005 film '' Zathura: A Space Adventure''. * The title character of
Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, filmmaker, and manga artist. He co-founded Studio Ghibli and serves as honorary chairman. Throughout his career, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Anime, Japanese ani ...
's 1997
anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
film ''
Princess Mononoke is a 1997 Japanese animated historical drama, historical fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Set in the Muromachi period of Japanese history, the film follows Ashitaka, a young Emishi prince who journeys west to cure his curs ...
'', called San, was raised by a wolf goddess along with her two wolf pups. San is drawn into a deadly conflict between the forest gods and the humans whose presence seems to threaten them. * In the 2001 film ''
Human Nature Human nature comprises the fundamental dispositions and characteristics—including ways of Thought, thinking, feeling, and agency (philosophy), acting—that humans are said to have nature (philosophy), naturally. The term is often used to denote ...
'', a man ( Toby Huss) experiences a psychological breakdown from the stresses of modern living as well as the
Assassination of John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. Kennedy was in the vehicle with his wife Jacqueline Kennedy Onas ...
. He kidnaps his son to raise him in the woods. This boy (portrayed by Rhys Ifans) is eventually discovered by Dr. Nathan Bronfman (portrayed by
Tim Robbins Timothy Francis Robbins (born October 16, 1958) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Andy Dufresne in the film '' The Shawshank Redemption ''(1994), and Jacob Singer in '' Jacob's Ladder'' (1990), as well as winning an Academy ...
) and Lila Jute (portrayed by
Patricia Arquette Patricia Arquette (; born April 8, 1968) is an American actress. She made her feature film debut as Kristen Parker in ''A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors'' (1987) and has since received several awards, including an Academy Award, two P ...
). Upon being named Puff, he is used by Dr. Bronfman as a living example of socialization's ability to "civilize" a wild human being. * In the 2005 film '' The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D'' directed by
Robert Rodriguez Robert Anthony Rodriguez ( ; born June 20, 1968) is an American filmmaker, composer, and visual effects supervisor. He shoots, edits, produces, and scores many of his films in Mexico and in his home state of Texas. Rodriguez directed the 1992 ...
, Sharkboy (portrayed by
Taylor Lautner Taylor Daniel Lautner ( ; born February 11, 1992) is an American actor. He is best known for playing werewolf Jacob Black in ''The Twilight Saga (film series), The Twilight Saga'' film series (2008–2012). His accolades include a Scream Awar ...
) is a young warrior who was raised by sharks after he was separated from his father, a marine biologist, when a waterspout sunk their floating laboratory. He has many shark-like adaptations to his body including gills, fins, sharpened teeth, claws (although they seem to only be attached to his gloves), peak strength, highly trained sense of hearing, strong sense of smell, agility, reflexes and swimming ability. Sharkboy can also communicate with marine life and is not affected by deep sea pressure. * In the 2007 film '' Barbie as the Island Princess'', six-year-old Ro was shipwrecked on an island and raised by a
red panda The red panda (''Ailurus fulgens''), also known as the lesser panda, is a small mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It has dense reddish-brown fur with a black belly and legs, white-lined ears, a mostly white muzz ...
, peacock, and an elephant. Ro has no memory of her past and ten years later a prince discovers the island and takes her back to his kingdom. She is later revealed to be a long-lost princess who was lost at sea. * '' Dschungelkind (Jungle Child)'', a 2011 German film directed by Roland Suso Richter, features the many experiences of eight-year-old Sabine Kuegler (played by Stella Kunkat) and her family in trying to start a new life in the
tropical rainforest Tropical rainforests are dense and warm rainforests with high rainfall typically found between 10° north and south of the Equator. They are a subset of the tropical forest biome that occurs roughly within the 28° latitudes (in the torrid zo ...
of
Western New Guinea Western New Guinea, also known as Papua, Indonesian New Guinea, and Indonesian Papua, is the western half of the island of New Guinea, formerly Dutch and granted to Indonesia in 1962. Given the island is alternatively named Papua, the region ...
amongst the Fayu tribe from 1979 to 1989. Both the family and the tribe realize that love, hate, life and death have different values in the foreign culture than in their own. So begins a process of rapprochement in which both sides have to learn from each other. After several years, when the family travels to
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
for a holiday, the now sixteen-year-old Sabine (played by Sina Tkotschis) is confronted with a completely "foreign" world that is no longer hers. * In the 2012 French animated film, ''Le Jour Des Corneilles'', Pierre, the boy, was raised by his father, who turned into an ogre-like creature due to being maddened by his wife's death of childbirth, and later brings him to a town to heal him and meets a girl named Malon. Though he is raised by his father, Pierre does have some feral childlike traits. * In the 2013 horror film '' Mama'', young girls Victoria and Lilly are raised in the forest for 5 years by a spirit they call "Mama" after the spirit killed their depressed father before he could commit murder-suicide on them. As Victoria's glasses were taken from her, she mistook the spirit as the ghost of her mother. During that time, Victoria and Lily end up developing their own language, start acting like animals, and gain a filthy appearance while wearing what's left of their clothes. When they are discovered by trackers hired by their uncle and brought back to society, Victoria is able to reintegrate while Lily (whose only memories are of being raised in the forest and who sees the spirit as her true mother) is not. * In the 2013
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
film '' Frozen'', an 8-year-old boy named Kristoff (voiced by Tyree Brown) had been raised along with his reindeer pet, Sven, by Rock Trolls in a valley until he grew up and left them to start his career as an ice harvester. * In the 2014 film ''
Barefoot Being barefoot is the state of not wearing any footwear. There are health benefits and some risks associated with going barefoot. Shoes, while they offer protection, can limit the flexibility, strength, and mobility of the foot and can lead ...
'', the character Daisy Kensington (portrayed by
Evan Rachel Wood Evan Rachel Wood (born September 7, 1987) is an American actress. She is the recipient of a Critics' Choice Television Award as well as nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. She began acting in the 1990s, a ...
) was raised in isolation all of her life and has been barefoot since childhood. * In the 2014 film '' The Boxtrolls'', the main character Eggs (voiced by Isaac Hempstead Wright) is raised by the title characters in their underground cavernous home following the kidnapping of his father when he was a baby. * In the 2015 film '' The Good Dinosaur'', a 7-year-old feral caveboy named Spot (voiced by Jack Bright) befriends the main character Arlo the Apatosaurus. He behaves like a dog. * In the 2016 film ''
Storks Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout Beak, bills. They belong to the family (biology), family Ciconiidae, and make up the order Ciconiiformes . Ciconiiformes previously included a number of other families, suc ...
'', a girl named Tulip (voiced by Katie Crown) is the only human among the storks at Cornerstore on Stork Mountain after her homing location beacon was accidentally destroyed and was kept on Stork Mountain until she turned 18 to be returned to the human world but instead helps a top delivery stork deliver an unauthorized baby. * In the 2016 film '' Pete's Dragon'' directed by David Lowery, a boy named Pete ( Oakes Fegley) survived a car accident that killed his parents and was chased by a pack of wolves into the woods, until he was saved by a dragon. The dragon, whom Pete named Elliot from his favorite book he still has, took him in and raised him in the woods for six years. Then Pete was found by a forest ranger named Grace Meacham (
Bryce Dallas Howard Bryce Dallas Howard (born March 2, 1981) is an American actress and director. The eldest child of filmmaker Ron Howard, she studied acting at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts. While portraying Characters in As You Like It#Rosali ...
) and brought him to a nearby town. * The 2016 film '' Captain Fantastic'' directed by Matt Ross, features the
survivalist Survivalism is a social movement of individuals or groups (called survivalists, doomsday preppers or preppers) who proactively prepare for emergencies, such as natural disasters, and other disasters causing disruption to social order (that is, ...
Cash family who live in isolation within the mountainous Washington wilderness. Despite being born in the city, its youngest member is a free-spirited
naturist Naturism is a lifestyle of practicing non-sexual social nudity in private and in public; the word also refers to the cultural movement which advocates and defends that lifestyle. Both may alternatively be called nudism. Though the two terms a ...
at heart. At just 6 years old, Nai (played by Charlie Shotwell) is as capable as his siblings; he can
hunt Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...
,
rock climb Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
, and accurately define the word "
fascism Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hie ...
." He is also the most demonstrative of the Cash children. A true child of the forest, Nai prefers to be
nude Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. While estimates vary, for the first 90,000 years of pre-history, anatomically modern humans were naked, having lost their body hair, living in hospitable climates, and no ...
whenever possible. * In the 2020 ''
Pokémon is a Japanese media franchise consisting of List of Pokémon video games, video games, Pokémon (TV series), animated series and List of Pokémon films, films, Pokémon Trading Card Game, a trading card game, and other related media. The fran ...
'' film '' Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle'', Ash and Pikachu discover a feral boy named Koko, Koko's real name is Al Molybden who was raised by the Mythical Pokémon called: Zarude in the Okoya Forest with the other Jungle Pokémon, originally Koko had parents who are researchers named: Chrom and Phossa Molybden, but Dr. Zed killed the couple by running them off a road leaving them wounded, Before Zed could reach them, Chrom and Phossa sent their son down a river inside a cradle to protect him along with their research contained in Phossa Molybden's pendant, Dr. Zed stole their sample supply of the healing spring water and left Chrom and Phossa Molybden to die in an explosion of their wrecked car. leading Al Molybden to found by Zarude, where Koko sported a loincloth, arm bands, and tribal paint on his face and torso resembling Zarude. Being raised by a Zarude caused Koko to think that he is a Pokémon, Koko is the ever first human to use a Pokémon move called: Jungle Healing. * In the 2021 film '' Raya and the Last Dragon'', Noi was raised in the streets of Talon by the
monkey Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes. Thus monkeys, in that sense, co ...
-like Orginis after the Druun petrified her mother. * In the 2022 film '' Disenchanted'', Giselle was raised by animals of the forest as a baby in her backstory told by Pip the
chipmunk Chipmunks are small, striped rodents of subtribe Tamiina. Chipmunks are found in North America, with the exception of the Siberian chipmunk which is found primarily in Asia. Taxonomy and systematics Chipmunks are classified as four genera: '' ...
. * In the 2022 film '' Puss in Boots: The Last Wish'', Goldilocks was raised by the Three Bears Crime Family.


In television

* In the ''
Gilligan's Island ''Gilligan's Island'' is an American sitcom created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz. The show's ensemble cast features Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, Tina Louise, Russell Johnson, and Dawn Wells. It aired for th ...
'' 1965 episode "Gilligan Meets Jungle Boy," Gilligan encounters a young boy (portrayed by
Kurt Russell Kurt Vogel Russell (born March 17, 1951) is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor before transitioning to leading roles as an adult in various genres such as action adventures, science-fiction, westerns, romance films, co ...
) living in the jungles of the island wearing only a loincloth. Not much was known of the jungle boy's background before his encounter with Gilligan. The jungle boy can mimic words said by the main characters when they try to teach him human manners. Yet when he sees himself in a mirror by Mary-Ann, he screams and runs out of the hut. The jungle boy shows Gilligan a natural helium outlet in the jungle which means the Professor decides to make a balloon out of the castaways' raincoats glued together with tree sap. By the time the Professor finishes his balloon, the jungle boy is shown wearing civilian clothes. As it ends up, the jungle boy unknowingly takes off in the balloon and lands on a Navy carrier. The radio news states that he only knows the words "boy boy, girl girl, no no." * The protagonist of the 1977–78 American television series ''
Lucan Marcus Annaeus Lucanus (3 November AD 39 – 30 April AD 65), better known in English as Lucan (), was a Roman poet, born in Corduba, Hispania Baetica (present-day Córdoba, Spain). He is regarded as one of the outstanding figures of the Imper ...
'' was a young man who had been raised by wolves in Northern Minnesota and then captured/rescued by a research institute which spent ten years acclimatizing him to civilized society. * In ''
The Six Million Dollar Man ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors. After being seriously injured in a NASA test f ...
'' 1975 episode "The Wolf Boy," there was a boy named Gary (portrayed by
Buddy Foster Lucius Fisher "Buddy" Foster IV (born July 12, 1957) is an American former child actor. He is the older brother of actress and director Jodie Foster. Beginning his career at the age of eight, he had television roles from the late 1960s through th ...
) who was reported to be living with wolves on the Japanese island of Hoyoko. He is shown to have long blonde hair and only wearing what's left of his pants. Steve Austin believes the youth to be the son of a U.S. ambassador and his wife who were found dead in the wilderness. Steve and Kuroda were able to get Gary to remember his past while protecting him from some people that want him dead. After all that has happened, Gary is seen in some new clothes as Kuroda plans to re-educate him in the woods until some human behavior specialists from the United States can arrive to help him and re-introduce him to society. * In the '' Tales of the Gold Monkey'' 1983 episode "Ape Boy", a young man was raised by a fictional species of monkey who mistook main character Sarah to be his real mother, though Sarah, Jake and Corky reunite him with a relative. * In Bigfoot and Wildboy Wildboy (played by Joseph Butcher) was raised by the titular Sasquatch
Bigfoot Bigfoot (), also commonly referred to as Sasquatch (), is a large, hairy Mythic humanoids, mythical creature said to inhabit forests in North America, particularly in the Pacific Northwest.Example definitions include: *"A large, hairy, manlike ...
* In the second episode of the original ''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...
'', "
Charlie X "Charlie X" is the second broadcast episode of the Star Trek: The Original Series season 1, first season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek''. Written by Dorothy C. Fontana from a story ...
", the ''
Enterprise Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to: Business and economics Brands and enterprises * Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company * Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company * Enterpris ...
'' takes aboard the title character, a 17-year-old boy named Charlie, the sole survivor of a crash on a remote planet which occurred in his infancy. He claims to have survived and learned language via the ship's computer records, but in actuality was taken in by an advanced alien race, who taught him psychic abilities. * '' Smurfs'' introduced a character called "Wild Smurf" who was stranded in the forest when a rainstorm caused the stork to lose the baby Smurf, whereupon he was raised by a family of squirrels. Wild Smurf can only speak in the squirrels' language and is at home in the forest, but eventually learns to befriend and interact with his fellow Smurfs, who in turn appreciate his wilderness survival abilities in dangerous situations. * The TV shows that involved Michael Berk and Douglas Schwartz had feral children as a plot for an episode of theirs shows: ** In the '' Manimal'' 1983 episode "Female of the Species", a boat accident on the Ganges River in 1969 caused by Stanford Langly (portrayed by Michael McGuire) kills the parents of the four-year-old Sarah Evers, causing her to be raised by wolves and living in the Sultanpur district's forests naked, untamed, and acting less than human. When the long-haired wolf girl (portrayed by Laura Cushing) at age 14 is captured years later by a hunting party led by Professor Barta (portrayed by Rick Jason), she is the subject at his university and has been dressed in a jungle bikini since she rips whatever clothes they offer her. Stanford tries to orchestrate another attempt on her life which is thwarted by Jonathan Chase. Jonathan manages to protect her and gain her trust. Though Jonathan did have to get Sarah into getting acquainted with Tyrone (who thought Sarah was a part of Jonathan's own masquerade party). After Brooke gave Sarah Evers a bath, she tells Jonathan that she tried to put her in a dress which she ripped. After hearing from Brooke that the girl doesn't seem to like wearing clothes, Jonathan ends up donating his shirt and some other minor clothes to her with his scent on him followed by him starting her reeducation while brushing her long hair while Brooke looks into her past. With the help of some action figures he obtained following an attempt on her life, Jonathan ends up using the figures to reenact the boat accident. After this, Sarah splashed the water near the boat and broke down in tears. Stanford's men later infiltrate Jonathan's house and capture her while knocking her out. With the help of Tyrone and Brooke, Jonathan caught up to Stanford's boat where his men push a crate that Sarah was placed in into the ocean. In the form of a dolphin, Jonathan rescued Sarah as she swam to Brooke's boat while Stanford and his men are arrested by the approaching police. When in some new clothes, Sarah says her first words "Sarah, girl" as Jonathan, Brooke, and Tyrone prepare to reunite her with one of her relatives. ** A similar plotline written by Michael Berk and Douglas Schwartz (who also wrote the episode above) had occurred in '' The Wizard'' episode "Endangered Species." A similar accident in 1977 caused by Mr. Deshays (portrayed by Gerald Gordon) had happened to the parents of a three-year-old Linda Winthrope, causing her to be raised by wolves and living in the Sultanpur district's forests naked, untamed, filthy, and acting less than human. When the wolf girl (portrayed by Priscilla Weems) at age 9 is captured, she becomes a subject at the university where she is held and has been dressed in a leopard-skinned dress since she rips whatever clothes is offered to it. She ends up nearly killed by someone hired by Mr. Deshays and gains the trust of Simon McKay. Linda is saved from being drowned in the ocean and Mr. Deshays and his men are arrested by the coast guard. When in some new clothes, Linda says her first words "Linda, girl" as Simon prepares to reunite her with one of her relatives. ** In the '' Thunder in Paradise'' 1994 episode "Endangered Species," an ill-fated expedition had left a 3-year old Tommy Ralston orphaned and raised by wolves where he sported long hair, longer fingernails, and what's left of his pants. Some years later, poachers have found Tommy Ralston (played by Alexander Sommer) at age 6 old living with wolves while hunting and managed to catch him. He is freed by Randolph J. Spencer who makes it his mission to find out the boy's identity and find out who wants him dead. * In '' The Legend of Tarzan'' 2001 episode "Tarzan and the Protege,"
Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Creat ...
(voiced by Michael T. Weiss) befriends a shy, lonely boy named Ian (voiced by Jake Dinwiddie) who is also Dr. Robin Doyle's nephew. Ian feels displaced and misunderstood by his classmates due to his passion for both
science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...
and
butterflies Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...
. Tarzan takes him under his wing and encourages him to experience the beauty and excitement of his jungle life so he can leave his fears behind and also provides him with greater self-confidence. * In the ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
'' animated spin-off series '' Ewoks'' Kneessa's older sister, Asha, was raised by wolf-like creatures korrinas, after being swiped down a river while escaping a hanadak, she was later found by Kneessa and her friend Wicket and returned with them to Bright Tree Village. * In the '' She-Ra: Princess of Power'' 1985 episode "Wild Child," Princess Allegra (voiced by Linda Gary) is the daughter of the Green Island Kingdom's ruler King Arbor (voiced by George DiCenzo) who was presumed missing following a shipwreck at the age of 7. In truth, she was rescued by the White Fangs and lived with them in the Whispering Woods while sporting a feral dress. Even though she can speak the language of the White Fangs even when speaking with her "sister" Ayla, she still maintains her English language. 5 years later, she makes herself known to Adora, Bow, and Mermista when the local woodsmen have accused the White Fangs into causing all plants in the Whispering Woods to wither. She was taken to the Great Rebellion's camp to await her reunion with her father where she was freshened up by Perfuma and beat some children in a foot race. When Ayla was caught by the woodsmen, Allegra and She-Ra came to her defense until it was discovered that lava was flowing underneath the Whispering Woods. After She-Ra and Swift Wind extinguished the lava, Allega was reunited with her father and went home with him. She did speak to Ayla in White Fang language one more time that she'll be with their pack in spirit. * In the ''
DuckTales DuckTales refers to: Film and television * ''DuckTales'' (1987 TV series), original TV series ** '' DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp'' * ''DuckTales'' (2017 TV series), reboot TV series Video games * ''DuckTales'' (video game) ...
'' 1987 episode "Jungle Duck", Mrs. Beakley is reunited with a feral duck (voiced by
Frank Welker Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American actor who specializes in voice acting. He began his career in the 1960s, and held around 850 film, television, and video game credits as of 2020, making him one of the most prolific v ...
) whom she worked as a nanny to at a young age. The character is effectively Tarzan re-imagined in the DuckTales world, and is even stated to be the heir to the royal house of "Greydrake" (a send-up of Tarzan's role as Lord of Greystoke). * In the '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' 1998 episode " Time's Orphan", an eight-year-old child of a couple in the crew of the ship falls through a time portal from which she emerges ten years older having experienced a decade in solitary existence. She was wild and uncontrollable, needing institutional care, so her parents returned her to the void she had become accustomed to, where she instead succeeded in preventing the incident (through a time-travel paradox). * In '' Cadillacs and Dinosaurs'', Jack and Hannah meet a feral boy raised by the Griths after they saved him from a pack of cave hyenas. * A 1999 episode of '' The Pretender'' titled" Wild Child" featured a young wild girl that was named Violet (portrayed by Lindsey Evanson). Jarod witnesses her being dragged away in a police car after being caught by hunters near their trailer. The wild girl was shown to be barefoot, had back-length hair, and was wearing some type of ripped dress. Upon being brought to the hospital, the wild girl tries to escape only to collide with a window. Jarod pretends to be a state appointed psychiatrist Dr. Jarod Bell to work with the girl (who had been cleaned up, put in some hospital clothes, and her hair had been cut to chin length) and to help her. He works with Dr. Bennett (portrayed by Michael Phenicie) and Dr. Wolverton (portrayed by Richard Doyle). Jarod gets a good contact with the found girl and named her Violet in the same time befriending with a female doctor in the staff named Dr. Anne Sulvane (portrayed by Françoise Robertson) who tended to Violet's ankle injury. The wild girl tries to communicate and gets a seizure as Jarod discovers it to be caused by a mix of 12 different viruses that the girl's doll was infected with. Jarod thinks that was made to prevent her from communicating and steals her from the hospital. Jarod searches the girl's "home" in the woods near a hot spring and discovers a photo depicting Violet as a baby with her parents, the girl leads Jarod and the female doctor to a plane crash site. Jarod discovers in the vicinity of the girls "home" a camera and research materials that include an article about a missing family of three with the surveillance tapes revealing that the observer is Dr. Wolverton where the final footage showed him freeing her foot from a bear trap which would explain the ankle wound she had when she was discovered. Jarod plots a payback to Dr. Wolverton. He shoots Dr. Wolverton with a tranquilizer dart. When he wakes up, he finds himself trapped in a cave. Jarod gets a confession and leaves Dr. Wolverton a doll to spend the night with. The next day, Dr. Wolverton is arrested for the abuse of Violet and Dr. Anne Sulvane becomes Violet's legal guardian as Violet is now seen in a dress. Jarod gives the girl a new doll and drives away. * In ''
The Wild Thornberrys ''The Wild Thornberrys'' is an American animated series, animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, Steve Pepoon, David Silverman, and Stephen Sustarsic for Nickelodeon. The series portrays the zany hijinks of a family o ...
'', Donnie (voiced by
Flea Flea, the common name for the order (biology), order Siphonaptera, includes 2,500 species of small flightless insects that live as external parasites of mammals and birds. Fleas live by hematophagy, ingesting the blood of their hosts. Adult f ...
), the youngest in the family, spent most of his early years with orangutans. His history was revealed in the TV movie "The Origin of Donnie" where his human parents were killed by two poachers when saving some orangutans. Though the natives held a funeral for the two, Donnie was taken in by a bunch of orangutans living in the nude until he was discovered by the Thornberry family and sporting his trademark leopard-print shorts. * The '' Sheena'' 2001 episode "The Feral King" featured Sheena's encounter with a teenage wild man named Jared Chambers (portrayed by Rick Perkins). When Jared was eight, Jared's cousin Roland (portrayed by Peter Penuel) and his partner Bixby (portrayed by
Ron Ely Ronald Pierce Ely (June 21, 1938 – September 29, 2024) was an American actor and novelist, best known for portraying Tarzan in the 1966–1968 NBC series ''Tarzan (1966 TV series), Tarzan'' and playing the lead role in the film ''Doc Savage: ...
) end up rigging the plane carrying Jared, his father Raymond, and his unnamed mother where it crashed somewhere in the Torags region of Africa with Jared as the only survivor. 10 years later, Jared is sporting a loincloth, a pair of animal hide boots, and shoulder blade-length hair. Sheena and Max Cutter work with Jared's former babysitter Andrea (portrayed by Justine Eyre) to keep Jared from being disposed of by Roland, Bixby, and their ally Lou (portrayed by Robert Herrick) which ends with Sheena's Darak'na form killing Roland, Bixby, and Lou. Afterwards, Jared makes a fumbling attempt to say Andrea's name. After Andrea thanks Max Cutter and Sheena, she brings out Jared in civilized clothes and his hair is in ponytail at shoulder length. When Andrea states that she plans to bring Jared back to Africa someday, Sheena tells Jared that he'll always have a home in Africa and not to forget his wild life there. * In the '' BeastMaster'' episode "Wild Child", there is a boy named Atticus (portrayed by Lloyd Will) who was raised by a wolf after his father was killed by a fellow tribesman named Milos (portrayed by Anthony Simcoe). When living with the wolf, he sported long shoulder blade-length hair and animal-hide clothing. Atticus has been sought out by his mother Huna (portrayed by
Claudia Black Claudia Lee Black (born 11 October 1972) is an Australian actress, best known for her portrayals of Aeryn Sun in ''Farscape'', Vala Mal Doran in ''Stargate SG-1'' and Sharon "Shazza" Montgomery in the film '' Pitch Black''. She has had promi ...
) who receives aid from Dar and Tao in getting to him first before Milos does with help from King Zad. Huna and Atticus were able to identify each other due to the same birthmarks they have. This led to a fight between Dar, Tao, and Huna against King Zad and Milo's group where Milos and his followers are killed while King Zad gets away. Afterwards, Atticus goes home with his mother after saying goodbye to the wolf. * The Monarch from the
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...
''
Adult Swim Adult Swim (stylized as dult swimand s is an American adult-oriented television programming block that airs on Cartoon Network which broadcasts during the evening, prime time, and Late-night television, late-night Dayparting, dayparts. T ...
'' show '' The Venture Bros.'' was raised by monarch butterflies in his youth. He wears a monarch butterfly costume with a crown, showing his "royal" status. * In '' Legion of Super Heroes'' (2006), Brin Londo lived in the forests of the planet Rawl for an unspecified amount of time after his father Mar's experiments turned him into a feral wolf-like creature. However, the eponymous
Legion of Super-Heroes The Legion of Super-Heroes is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st centuries of t ...
found him after Mar recruited them to do so, and were subsequently able to return him to normal after learning of his past. Matt Wayne (writer); Lauren Montgomery (director) (September 30, 2006). "Timber Wolf". ''Legion of Super Heroes''. Season 1, Episode 2. Kids WB. * In ''
Juken Sentai Gekiranger is Toei Company's thirty-first entry in the ''Super Sentai'' metaseries. Production began on September 29, 2006, with principal photography beginning on October 6, 2006. It aired on TV Asahi's 2007 Super Hero Time programming block with '' Kamen ...
'', a show in
Toei Company , simply known as Toei Company or Toei, is a Japanese entertainment company. Headquartered in Ginza, Chūō, Tokyo, it is involved in film and television production, distribution, video game development, publishing, and ownership of 34 movi ...
's
Super Sentai The is a Japanese superhero team media franchise consisting of television series and films produced by Toei Company and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi. The shows are of the '' tokusatsu'' genre, featuring live action characters and colorfu ...
franchise, Kandou Jan/GekiRed was, as a young child, the sole survivor when his village was destroyed, and was raised in the nearby forest by tigers and pandas. Growing up in the company of animals has taught him to feel with his body rather than his heart, which is something he must re-learn. One of his notable idiosyncrasies is his personal 'Jan-ish' language, using onomatopoeia in place of many of the words he does not know. * In '' The Mighty Boosh'', the main character Vince Noir claims to have been raised in the forest by
Bryan Ferry Bryan Ferry (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. He became known as the frontman of the band Roxy Music and also launched a solo career. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established ...
and various animals, whilst living in a tree house made out of bus tickets. * The ''
Pokémon is a Japanese media franchise consisting of List of Pokémon video games, video games, Pokémon (TV series), animated series and List of Pokémon films, films, Pokémon Trading Card Game, a trading card game, and other related media. The fran ...
'' episode "The Kangaskhan Kid" featured a boy named Tommy (voiced by
Jimmy Zoppi James Carter Cathcart (born March 8, 1954), also known as Jimmy Zoppi, is an American retired voice actor, script adaptor, voice director, pianist and vocalist known for providing the English voice for James, Meowth and Professor Oak in the '' ...
in the English dub) who is raised by Pokémon called Kangaskhan in a reserve that is near the Safari Zone. * In ''
Digimon Data Squad ''Digimon Data Squad'', known in Japan as , is the fifth anime television series in the ''Digimon'' franchise, produced by Toei Animation. The series aired in Japan on Fuji TV from April 2006 to March 2007. A standalone film based on the se ...
'' (''Digimon Savers'' in Japan), the character Keenan Crier (Ikuto Noguchi in ''Savers'') was brought into the Digital World as an infant and raised by the Digimon Frigimon to believe that he is a Digimon. After Frigimon's death at the hands of one of Akihiro Kurata's Gizumon, Keenan was raised by Merukimon. When brought back to the human world around the age of eleven, he greatly protested being treated as a human and having to act as one, coming off as very wild, and (at least in ''Savers'') spoke in a very stilted manner from his lack of communication with humans. * In a Season 4 episode of ''
Supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...
'', two humans (portrayed by Mandy Playdon and Mark Wynn) are found in a house thought to be haunted. Instead, it is discovered the two children were the product of Bill Gibson (portrayed by Gerry Rousseau) impregnating his daughter Rebecca, mother of the children, who later committed suicide. The children, though never explicitly described as feral, lack the ability to speak, survive off rats, and are extremely violent. They were held captive in the walls and basement of their house, but broke free and killed their father, and started to terrorize the Carter family that moved there where they killed Uncle Ted. Eventually, the boy is shot dead in self-defense by
Dean Winchester Dean Winchester is one of the two protagonists from the American drama television series ''Supernatural'', along with his younger brother Sam. He is portrayed primarily by Jensen Ackles. Other versions of the character having been portrayed b ...
while the girl is stabbed to death by the father of the family after she goes after his wife and daughter where he pulled her away. They were described as likely having never seen the light of day and "barely human." * In '' Deadman Wonderland'', Gazuchi Mōzuri of the Undertakers was a wild man abandoned by his mother and raised by
bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family (biology), family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats ...
s who was sent to Deadman Wonderland for the murder of several hunters and campers at age ten. The one camper he spared was the
snake Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have s ...
-like Shinagawa Dōkoku who assisted Gazuchi with his killing. * In the ''
China, IL ''China, IL'' (meaning ''China, Illinois'') is an American adult animated sitcom created by Brad Neely for the Adult Swim programming block on Cartoon Network. The series was originally conceived as a web series on Adult Swim's defunct comedy ...
'' episode "Prom Face/Off," Mark "Baby" Cakes finds a feral girl dressed in only a shirt and shorts in a condemned building where the staff-only prom was being held. Mark names her Maddie and plans to make her be his date. When Mark gets her cleaned up and she is seen only wearing a dress, his father Professor Leonard Cakes recognized her and learned where the prom is being held. It is soon discovered during the prom that she was part of a group of feral
hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture of the mid-1960s to early 1970s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States and spread to dif ...
s that Professor Cakes had worked on in the condemned building as part of an anti-hippie experiment and faked their destruction. When the feral hippies attacked where they started ripping off people's parts, some of the people held their own against them until Professor Cakes arrived. After Professor Cakes had gotten the feral hippies back in line, he admitted to having faked their destruction and even had a secret affair with a female feral hippie named Haystack that was the mother of Maddie and some of the other feral hippies. * The ABC series ''
Once Upon a Time "Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 in storytelling in the English language and has started many narrative ...
'' gives the Huntsman from ''
Snow White "Snow White" is a German fairy tale, first written down in the early 19th century. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'', numbered as Tale 53. The original title was ''Sneewittch ...
'' a backstory of being raised by wolves. * In the '' Total Drama'' episode "African Lying Safari", former homeschooler Ezekiel has completely devolved into a feral-state and stays feral for the rest of the series. His appearance also devolved into a disheveled, zombie-like appearance based on Gollum from ''
The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an Epic (genre), epic high fantasy novel written by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's book ''The Hobbit'' but eventually d ...
''. * In the '' Liv and Maddie'' episode "Howl-A-Rooney," the character Emmy "Fangs" Wulfert (portrayed by
Laura Marano Laura Marie Marano (born November 29, 1995) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Ally Dawson in the Disney Channel series ''Austin & Ally''. Marano was one of the five original classmates in '' Are You Smarter th ...
) is a teenage "wolf girl" who was raised by wolves ever since she wandered away from her camp when she was little. She penned a book about her experience and still has some of her wolf traits like rolling around in the dirt, marking her territory, traveling in a dog cage when being flown out to locations because it was cheaper to fly this way for Fangs, getting used to how new people smell, eating meat off the ground, and howling enough to cause every dog in the area to howl. Fangs' appearance has her with dirty skin, dirty and ripped clothes, dirty and messy hair, fake claws on her fingers, and is always barefoot. She is invited to Stevens Point by Liv Rooney in an effort to teach her how to act like a wolf in preparation for Liv's audition for the film adaption of ''Space Werewolves''. She eventually helps Liv master her howling by competing for the role of Tristan Lycanth. * In the animated series ''
Phineas and Ferb ''Phineas and Ferb'' is an American animated series, animated Musical film, musical-television comedy, comedy television series created by Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh for Disney Channel and Disney XD. The series originally aired on t ...
'', the character Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz claims to have been abandoned by his parents and raised by ocelots, among other "tragic backstories" that he has almost every episode. Because many of his backstories involve his human family, it can be presumed that his time with the
ocelot The ocelot (''Leopardus pardalis'') is a medium-sized spotted Felidae, wild cat that reaches at the shoulders and weighs between on average. It is native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America, Central and South America, ...
s was brief, if it happened at all. * In the
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...
Series ''
Adventure Time ''Adventure Time'' is an American fantasy animated television series created by Pendleton Ward and co-produced by Frederator Studios for Cartoon Network. The series follows the adventures of a boy named Finn the Human, Finn (Jeremy Shada) and ...
'', Finn the Human, was raised by magical dogs. * In the
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
original series ''
Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts ''Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts'' is an animated science fantasy action television series created by Radford Sechrist and developed by Bill Wolkoff, adapted from Sechrist's 2015 webcomic ''Kipo''. The series is produced by American company Dr ...
'', one of the main characters named Wolf was raised by wolves. * In the Netflix original series '' DreamWorks Dragons: Rescue Riders'', the twins Dak and Leyla have been raised by dragons. * In the Netflix series '' Maya and the Three'', Chimi (voiced by
Stephanie Beatriz Stephanie Beatriz Bischoff Alvizuri (born February 10, 1981) is an American actress. She is known for playing Detective Rosa Diaz in the Fox/ NBC comedy series ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'' (2013–2021), Quiet in the Peacock action-comedy series '' ...
) was raised by jungle animals after being kicked out of The Junglelands. * The '' Teenage Euthanasia'' episode "Mother's Day" revealed that Baba gave birth in the Shame Cave in her old country and fought a losing battle against a bear for it which would explain why Baba goes bear-hunting every mother's day while not wanting to lose her children Trophy and Pete. By the end of the episode, the lost daughter has grown up to be a naked wild woman with long hair with sticks in it and long nails. While staring at the Shame Cave, the wild woman and the bear have a talk with their language translated with subtitles where the bear states that she can return to the human world at any time. The wild woman then states that after how she saw human mothers in action, "Baba did her a favor".


In games

* In the popular fighting game Street Fighter the character named Blanka was raised by the animals in the
Amazon rainforest The Amazon rainforest, also called the Amazon jungle or Amazonia, is a Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, moist broadleaf tropical rainforest in the Amazon biome that covers most of the Amazon basin of South America. This basin ...
. His skin turned green, and he received electrical powers by being exposed to electric eels. * The story of the 1994
video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
''
Final Fantasy VI also known as ''Final Fantasy III'' in its initial North American release, is a 1994 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the sixth main entry in the ''Final Fantasy'' ser ...
'' includes a character named Gau, a 13-year-old boy who lives wild on a fictional
savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...
called the ''Veldt'' (or ''Wild West'' in Japan). Abandoned shortly after birth, Gau raises himself among the fauna of the plain, learning how to fight in the exact style of many different monsters. At the age of 13 he encounters travelers Sabin Rene Figaro and Cyan Garamonde, and chooses to travel with them after they feed him some dried meat. Gau is capable of rudimentary human language, but has no social skills. Gau is later taught elementary manners to prepare him for reintroduction to his father who abandoned him, only to find that the man has been completely insane since Gau was born. * In '' Legend of Legaia'', the character Noa was an orphan who had been raised by the Ra-Seru, Terra (テルマ, Teruma?)-- who, while raising Noa, attached itself to a female wolf. Due to living most of her life alone in Snowdrift Cave with Terra the wolf, Noa is childish and ignorant; the outside world is new to her. She wants to see the world and meet her parents, who call to her in her dreams. She uses claws or tonfa batons to fight, and her Ra-Seru, Terra, is a wind elemental. Later in the game, she discovers that she is the long-lost daughter of the King and Queen of Conkram. * In the '' Warhammer 40,000'' Universe, Lion El Jonson, the Primarch of the Dark Angels Space Marine Legion, was abandoned in the dark jungles of Caliban for much of his early life. He could only roar and scream in rage and frustration and it was at adolescence where he had his first human contact. He became rather civilized after being found by the Paladins of Caliban, but still possessed a terrible inner rage and many other traits he had acquired while within the jungles. * Arietta The Wild from the game ''
Tales of the Abyss ''Tales of the Abyss'' is an action role-playing game developed by Namco Tales Studio. It is the twelfth main title in their '' Tales'' series and was released in celebration of the series' 10th anniversary. Originally released for the PlayStat ...
'' is born to humans and raised by
liger The liger is a hybrid (biology), hybrid offspring of a male lion (''Panthera leo'') and a tigress, or female tiger (''Panthera tigris''). The liger has parents in the same genus but of different species. The liger is distinct from the opposite ...
s from childhood before being found and taught human languages. Her past allows her to control monsters to aid her in battle. In the Japanese version of the game, she is shown having an irregular speech pattern. * In '' Red Dead Redemption II'', there is a feral man to be found, living naked and with wolves after being separated from his dad during a hunting trip. When discovering the cave, the wolves will attack Arthur Morgan. If Arthur manages to kill the wolves, the feral man will hide in the cave crying and it will cost Arthur some honor points. * In ''
Genshin Impact ''Genshin Impact'' is a 2020 action role-playing game produced by MiHoYo, MiHoYo/HoYoverse. The game features an anime-style open world environment and an action-based Role-playing battle systems, battle system using Classical element, element ...
'', there is a playable character named Razor who was raised by wolves. He is shown to have trouble speaking. He has lived with the wolves of Wolvendom for as far as he can remember, and considers them to be his family, or lupical.


Miscellaneous

* In ''Cave Club'', the cavegirl Roaralei is revealed to be raised by
Smilodon ''Smilodon'' is an extinct genus of Felidae, felids. It is one of the best known saber-toothed predators and prehistoric mammals. Although commonly known as the saber-toothed tiger, it was not closely related to the tiger or other modern cats ...
s.


See also

*
Feral child A feral child (also called wild child) is a young individual who has lived isolated from human contact from a very young age, with little or no experience of human care, social behavior, or language. Such children lack the basics of primary and ...
*
Infant exposure In ancient times, exposition (from the Latin ''expositus'', "exposed") was a method of infanticide or child abandonment in which infants were left in a wild place either to die due to hypothermia, starvation, animal attack Justin Martyr, '' F ...
* Mowgli Syndrome *
Psychogenic dwarfism Psychosocial short stature (PSS) is a Growth disorders, growth disorder that is observed between the ages of 2 and 15, caused by extreme emotional deprivation or stress (medicine), stress. The symptoms include decreased growth hormone (GH) and so ...


References


Notes


Further reading

* ''Mother was A Lovely Beast'' (subtitled 'A Feral Man Anthology Fiction and Fact About Humans Raised By Animals') edited by
Philip José Farmer Philip José Farmer (January 26, 1918 – February 25, 2009) was an American author known for his science fiction and fantasy fiction, fantasy novels and short story, short stories. Obituary. Farmer is best known for two sequences of novels, t ...
(1974) * ''Biography of Geoff Bass - A Life History'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Feral Children In Mythology And Fiction Lists of fictional children