Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype

by Clarissa Pinkola Estés

First published three years before the print edition of Women Who Run With the Wolves made publishing history, this original audio edition quickly became an underground bestseller. For its insights into the inner life of women, it established Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés as one of the most important voices of our time in the fields of Jungian psychology, myth, and women's mysteries.

Drawing from her work as a psychoanalyst and cantadora ("keeper of the old stories"), Dr. Estés uses myths and folktales to illustrate how societies systematically strip away the feminine spirit. Through an exploration into the nature of the wild woman archetype, Dr. Estés helps listeners rediscover and free their own wild nature.

The magical storytelling, myths, and commentary on Women Who Run With the Wolves continue to inspire a new level of self-knowledge among listeners young and old.

Note: These CD-ROM-format enhanced CDs contain audio, music, and video clips and are meant to be played on your computer, using an Internet connection, speakers, and Real Player programs, which are free for download. Enhanced content is exclusive to CD version

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook, Feminism, Mythology, Self Help, Philosophy, Psychology

3 pages, Audiobook

Published January 1, 1989

About the author

An American poet, psychoanalyst and post-trauma specialist who was raised in now nearly vanished oral and ethnic traditions. She is a first-generation American who grew up in a rural village, population 600, near the Great Lakes. Of Mexican mestiza and majority Magyar and minority Swabian tribal heritages, she comes from immigrant and refugee families who could not read or write, or who did so haltingly. Much of her writing is influenced by her family people who were farmers, shepherds, hopsmeisters, wheelwrights, weavers, orchardists, tailors, cabinet makers, lacemakers, knitters, and horsemen and horsewomen from the Old Countries.

Reviews

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think every woman should read this book.
“Misplaced zygote” wow that was a deeply insightful and interesting concept. I don’t even know where to start here so I’ll leave you with that while you go run with the wolves. AWOO!!

[Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this book out of curiosity bc so many stated it was life changing. It was very short so I did enjoy it being a quick read. A book on many different stories or examples of women that basically need to be their own person & strive for being able to stand on their own bc if you always people please or shrink yourself it will cost you one way or another. Nothing super mind blowing but definitely can be a boost for those who need reminders for empowerment.

[Selina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book via audio from the local library. It’s a very quick read and highly recommend for all women of any age to enjoy.

It’s easy enough to grasp what’s going on. It’s a book that you will come back to again and again.

I find myself wanting to recommend it over and over and over again in just a few days of ready it. I can’t get it out of my mind.

[Caroline O'Gorman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting perspective on being a woman in today’s world, and discussing the psychology and meaning behind different old folktales.

[Julia]

Not really made for me I fear

[Jenna Schauer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Official Rating: 3.5

I listened to this as an audiobook and they way it was paced and everything, it really felt like I was listening to a Ted Talk. This definitely was not what I was expecting it to be. I thought that there was going to be a lot more literary analysis than what was actually presented. But it was short and quick and made some interesting points that helped put to words feelings or concepts that I have had or heard before.

Overall, it was okay.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 - 3.5 stars

I have been wanting to get into audiobooks and read more nonfiction books. I found this 2-hour audio on the Libby app and figured it would be perfect. After reading other reviews, it seems like this is part of the full book. I think this was originally published around 1995, and it's almost sad to think that in 2025, society still wants to tame women. We have religious leaders, politicians, and government officials saying that women should not be able to vote. Incels openly discuss wanting a woman who does not think for herself, doesn't have hobbies, submits to her husband, and cares for the home and children. There is a rise in trad wife content online, and women have already lost their bodily autonomy in the US.

While there is some problematic language within this book and it is outdated, I think its message is still important to remember. This book encourages women to create community and follow their intuition. To not let themselves be tamed by their family or lose themselves in their romantic partners. Make time to be creative and nurture old ideas until they are new again. To not be distracted by fantasies and discover what they want in their life by asking, "What are you hungry for?"

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be able to go away with all my close friends somewhere in the forest while we’re all menstruating and have a 5 day break from reality… a vibe

[Chloe Doherty · Rating 1 out of 5]

Audiobook

[Lauren]

I listed to the abridged version- though I’d like to read the full book, this was a good toe-dip in.

[Xani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Friends fear she’s psychoanalysing again

[Jillian]

It’s hard to rate this book. This is an abridged audiobook based on the full text—I didn’t realize that when I started it. This had some enjoyable myths and stories but wasn’t the transformational experience I was hoping for. I wish there was a full audiobook version of the actual text being read. Will just have to read this in print!

[Lavanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

[This is a review of an abriged version, and even that was too long; there is no way I could ever handle almost 600 pages of this crap.]

Reading Pinkola's book, I thought how strangely it reminded me of that book, Be Your Own Windkeeper, that the girls read in one of the Friends episodes. It's all mystical mumbo-jumbo about how the wind makes us women goddesses but men steal our wind, because they are the lightning bearers and they're always drinking from our pool of inner power. It's kinda like The Hobbit, except that it is nothing like The Hobbit.

So I googled it, and lo and behold, I found out that "The 'Wind Goddesses' book Rachel finds inspiring is a parody of mystical self-help books such as Clarissa Pinkola Estés' Women Who Run With the Wolves."

From the first pages, you can see it is a 90s book written for frustrated, middle-class, artistic Gen X women who are mad that they have to go to work instead of painting the whole day, who don't get along well with their family because they don't think they are the most special little genius in the world, and whose partner won't build them that dream treehouse because it costs $7k and they just don't have that kind of money. And these women the author refers to are so specific that I cannot help but think the book would have been way better if she just said "I" instead of "women." Or "Rachel." :)

Not to mention the nonsensical arguments and repeating the same word translated into Spanish. Wolf, la Loba. Okay, we got it, you speak Spanish; now pick a language to write a book in, please.

Then saying that the Brothers Grimm wrote Bluebeard, when in fact it is well known that that tale comes from the French folk tradition; and while it is true that the Brothers Grimm did write down a version in German, by far the most famous one is still Charles Perrault's. Also, lots of shitting on the Brothers Grimm, without really knowing their work and what they stood for, is tasteless and just shows her ignorance.

Another thing that irked me was how this book was presented as a scientific read, since the author holds a PhD in psychology (I guess PhDs are not what they used to be when they are given so easily to self-obsessed ignoramuses). There is absolutely nothing scientific about this, since the author never cites any data or research; all her sources are vibes, "trust me bro," and "it came to me in my dreams." Therefore, it should have been classified as a private journal of a woman going through a middle-age crisis, blaming men and society for everything instead of taking a bit of accountability for her own life and working on herself. Maybe see a colleague for starters.

I just imagine a person in crisis going to therapy, looking for some help, and there, sitting in a chair with an all-knowing gaze, Clarissa Pinkola Estés shows up as their therapist. I can only imagine the kind of advice the person could receive. Yikes.

In the end, I wonder if the women in this book are not running with the wolves, but maybe after the wolves who are trying to get away from the crazies?

So yeah, I've hated this book with a passion I usually reserve for lovers. It is that bad. From the first sentence to the end. I think Clarissa Pinkola Estés should publicly apologize to the descendants of the trees that have been cut to make the paper on which this insult to intellect was printed.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me just say, this book is not for the faint of heart—or for anyone looking for a light bedtime read. Clarissa Pinkola Estés is a powerhouse of myth, story, and psychology, and she weaves it all together like an ancient grandmother who also happens to be a trained psychoanalyst (which, well, she is). I picked up this book hoping for a soul-stirring feminist revelation… and I almost got it.

What kept me turning the pages were the parables. Estés has a gift for storytelling—folktales and myths from all over the world are used as tools to explore the psyche of the “wild woman” archetype. These stories were fascinating and evocative. I wanted more of that—and less of what felt like long-winded philosophical meandering through the forest of her thoughts.

In fact, the book reads less like a polished roadmap to empowerment and more like a fascinating first draft of someone’s late-night ramblings after three espressos and a tarot reading. Yes, the insights are good. Yes, the themes are important. But sometimes I felt like I was on the edge of a breakthrough, only for the thread to vanish into a metaphor.

It’s like Estés was almost about to hand me the keys to the kingdom of wild womanhood—but then got distracted and wandered into another forest. In other words, I was looking for that big, satisfying “aha!” moment—the mental fireworks, the epiphany, the cosmic wink—and I never quite found it. If she’d tied the ideas together more clearly, this book could have been an instant 5-star.

Still, I respect the work, the message, and the mystery of it all. It’s the kind of book that might change your life… if you can hang on for the ride (and maybe bring a notebook, some tea, and a Google tab for all the Jungian terminology).

Verdict: Worth reading—especially if you love myths, metaphors, and the idea that your inner wild woman is just one archetype away from waking up. Just don’t expect it to hold your hand or draw you a map.

[Mal · Rating 4 out of 5]

"It may be that a woman's creative process is misunderstood or disrespected by those around her. It is up to her to inform them that when she has 'that look' in her eyes, it does not mean she is a vacant lot waiting to be filled. It means she is balancing a big cardhouse of ideas on a single fingertip, and she is carefully connecting all the cards using tiny crystalline bones and..."

In the book she also shares an idea about a woman enthusiastically telling her partner that they should build a treehouse, an imaginative creative project. Instead of her partner being curious or being enthusiastic, he instantly shuts it down with practicality, this can crush a woman's imagination and "card house of ideas." She then speaks about how the right match is somebody who meets her enthusiasm, not somebody that treats her creative bursts as an expensive nuisance or a flaw to manage.

I found this chapter to be the most impactful for me because I never understood why I felt insecure about my ideas being met with "logical correction." I myself always felt upset whenever somebody would shut an idea down due to our financial situation, or financial prediction. And what I don't think a lot of men (or people like this) understand is that sometimes I, and other women understand that the idea is not practical but possessing the ability to dream is something to be enthusiastic about. Dreaming should be something that all people wish to possess or be curious about.

I felt that her description and comparison of women being like a domesticated animal is beautiful, and her stories that she shares are incredibly deep.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Listened to the audiobook, which is much shorter than the full book, but it didn't make me interested in reading further. I was interested in hearing myths and fairy tales about women, but the ones I recognized were not very good retellings, and the interpretations were either very shallow or the opposite other clear intent.

For example, "The Tiger's Eyelash" is a blatantly misogynistic tale about how to be a good, obedient wife who risks life and limb to never ever give up on your violent husband. She tries to reinterpret it as how to handle your female rage, but she can't connect the dots at all. The lesson is also about "containing" your rage, not channeling it towards productive ends.

There are a lot of similar issues about this supposedly feminist book. For example, she suggests we stop dyeing our hair bleach-blonde and getting manicures, just sometimes, even though it's super super fun, because it will connect us to our "primitive" and wild nature. Idk, maybe I'm just not the target audience.

Also it's not a very good reading. It is the most stilted delivery I've ever heard, to the point that it's sometimes hard to even follow what she's saying.

Also also, she overuses the word "moist."

[Sara Laramie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book sooooo bad but I just couldn’t stomach it. It felt very dated, which of course it did, but still. She often had points that I felt were very contradictory. In one chapter she mentions that if you get offered a chance to go to the pyramids in Egypt, you should really think long and hard about if you really want to go, or if perhaps you want a motorcycle, or a trip to your grandmothers more. Ok? Then, the next chapter, she says we need to be more spontaneous and take great risks! Explore the world!!
She also all but writes out for us that these “wild women” come from abusive homes where our parents didn’t raise us well enough. Also mentions things such as “women who were not abused as children will never stay with an abusive partner” and we should all just “not chose abusive partners”. She really just seemed to lack a lot of nuance? I was hoping to read a book about all of the ways women could connect with the wild woman archetype, and instead felt like I got a book that told me I should act one type of way to fulfill my prophecy.

[Kyra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. The myths and stories opened my eyes to the many ways women are shaped by family, relationships, culture, and expectations that can slowly silence dreams, creativity, intuition, and future possibilities.

What resonated most with me was the idea that our authentic selves are never truly lost. They may be buried beneath fear, responsibility, people-pleasing, or old wounds, but they are still there waiting to be reclaimed.

As I listened, I found myself reflecting on my own journey—learning to trust my inner voice, let go of who I thought I was supposed to be, and become more fully myself. The image of the Wolf Woman spoke to the wild, wise, intuitive part of us that longs to be free and alive.

I listened to the audiobook, but I plan to read the book next. My undertanding is that the book is different from the audiobook. I want to challenge myself to reclaim the parts of myself that have been forgotten, hidden, or set aside.

[Emily Potts · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t always feel fully engaged, and it didn’t connect with me in the way I usually find this type of content does. This, as an audiobook, felt more like an extended talk or lecture. That said, there were still moments that offered genuine insight and a sense of empowerment.

In the end, I didn’t love this book, but I didn’t dislike it either. It was an okay read that provided some meaningful takeaways, even if it didn’t leave a lasting impact on me. I can imagine, however, that it will resonate much more deeply with readers who are drawn to mythic storytelling and spiritual perspectives on the feminine experience.

[Elaine Theriault · Rating 1 out of 5]

Repetitive. Very repetitive. Did I mention it was repetitive?
Moist and bones were two words I'll remember from this book, and yet, they didn't appear to me to have any relationship to the message in the book. It was sexual when it didn't need to be. And the myths had NOTHING to do with getting the message across. I must also say that I strongly disliked the narrator. I'm not sure if that was the author, but it was not good to listen to.
I believe the message is an important one, not just the way it was presented in this book.
I listened to the end because a friend recommended the book, but it didn't get any better.

And about that repetition........

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book off of a shared shelf at a women’s retreat space. I was quickly immersed but hadn’t made it far in the book before it was time to leave. The book stuck with me strongly as something I wanted to keep reading, so when I saw it was available on audiobook, I jumped at the chance to finally finish it.
Well… I don’t know if it was timing? Or the voice narrator’s somewhat unconventional cadence? But it just didn’t hit the same.
I did take a few inspiring ideas from this book. I wish it had been longer, as in some ways, I think the author was only scratching the surface of what she had to share.

[Isabella Herrera · Rating 5 out of 5]

wilddddd horses
loved
loved
loved
listened to it as an audio book but j wish it bought it cause i would so re read this. exceptional advice i think every women needs to read this once .
this will really stick with me.
these two aspects especially:

-do not let anyone compress your ideas passionately opinions and thoughts.

-always ask yourself what are you hungry for and not what beckons at you. let the answer me instinctive and from within.

thank you! i yearn to be a woman of the wolves and needed this book so bad.

[Elizabeth D · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like this book. It gave me a lot to think about but I hate when the audiobook and the physical book are significantly different so I can only give it 3 stars. My main criticism is that the unabridged book is 608 pages long and the audiobook format is only 2 hr 18 mins so only a fragment of the physical book is actually in the audiobook. That’s like going to the theater to watch a movie and being shown the trailer instead. I’m going to read the physical book to get a more complete experience but I’d really love if there was a complete audiobook version.

[Jamie Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend this to all women. Especially those who have been told they’re too much. Too loud. Too ambitious. Women who have gone through any sort of trauma (who of us hasn’t?). Women who are making major life changes. Women who just hit 40 and are wondering what’s next. Those who are going through a breakup, a divorce and are searching for that new beginning or fresh start.

The audiobook (which is I guess just an excerpt of her full publication) is the way to go, too. But I’ll be reading the full version now as well.

[Linda Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick 2 hour listen of stories and myths with an inspiring ‘women’s business’ focus. The narrator is Clarissa Pinkola Estés herself which is kinda cool.

This is the original audio version of the book. I remember when the published version was released some 3 years later and though popular, I never did get around to reading it. Not sure if there is any difference in content between this audio and the printed version but that message is a good one for women!!

[Morgan Yount · Rating 2 out of 5]

Recommended to me, but didn’t really resonate with me. The idea of women losing their femininity, and not being allowed to be their true “wild” selves was intriguing to me, but I just didn’t get anything from this book. There is a full version of this book. I just read this version (2 hour read in the Libby App). I’d planned to read the full version too if I enjoyed this book, but it just weirded me out.

[Mix Lovesey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is for the audio version as I found out they are 2 separate books.
I loved Dr. Estes reading her own stories, she brings lively energy into them. Would recommend as she breaks down stores or old across the world and relates it to today's women. Bringing insight from the decades with classic stories and bringing in less commonly told ones ( at least from my perspective) will recommend to anyone looking for guidance and some insight into their femininity.

[Katia Katsnelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to the abridged audiobook in one drive, absolutely mesmerizing storytelling. I love how Dr. Estes interweaves folklore with a Jungian perspective on the divine feminine. Especially loved hearing the feminist and psychoanalytic interpretation of my favorite childhood horror tale Baba Yaga, come to find out she’s not half bad! Some of the stories were spooky, her voice acting is brilliant and so fun to listen to as I drove in the dark through the woods.

[Makailyn Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to this. A really nice bedtime read for its trek through myth and its storytelling rhythm. As for the content—sometimes it was insightful, but sometimes I unfortunately felt too absorbed by the brutalism of city living to really feel the messaging. So I never really felt anything nuclear. I would give the full text a more sincere try at another point though.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This audiobook was phenomenal! It was something I felt I needed to marinate and slowly digest. I would recommend this audiobook to women of all ages! I am currently reading the written novel based on this audiobook. I found that listening to this audiobook helped me understand the depth of the Wild Woman archetype. I am going to recommend this to all the women in my life:)