And there was a lot of deserted land in medieval Europe. Such a dynamic is far from unique to the Middle Ages. Left unguarded, the wild woods mounted a daring land grab, reclaiming vast regions of previously cultivated land. The brown bear, which had held totemic, even divine, status in many pagan societies and was employed in royal iconography well into the Middle Ages, also fell sharply from favor. From the Middle Ages to the modern era, both wolf and bear clung on in the cultural memory, haunting underbeds and darkened corners.