Black Dog
A black dog (English "black dog") is a ghostly creature, which can be found in many British folk beliefs . The dog is primarily a night ghost and its appearance is often taken as a sign of death. The difference to an ordinary dog is that the black dog is usually a lot bigger and has incredibly bright eyes.
Features and special features
The creature is often associated with thunderstorms (as in the case of the hellhound Black Shuck in Bungay), as well as crossroads, places of execution and ancient paths. In the Welsh area it is mainly assigned to coastal communities, on the coast of Norfolk the creature comes out of the dark sea at night and then wanders around on lonely roads.
It is difficult to pinpoint exactly where the legend of the Black Dog began. Celtic mythology or Germanic mythology , both of which have left their mark on British culture, come into question . Throughout European mythology, dogs have been associated with death. As examples might be here cŵn annwn , Garm and Cerberus enumerate all of which were an underworld in one way or another guardian. Apparently this is due to the eating habits of the dogs, which also like to pick up and eat dead and rotten things. The black dog may well have developed from this belief .
Black dogs are almost always ominous or malevolent, even though few of them (such as the barghest ) are specifically malicious. In addition to being described as death omen, they are often described as being associated with the devil . However, there are still a few, such as the Somerset Gurt Dog and West Peak Black Dog , that can help.
Occurrence and species
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The best known black dogs include the Black Shuck from East Anglia and the Barghest from Yorkshire . Here are a few more species from popular belief:
- In Wales there is the Gwyllgi , the "dog of darkness", a terrible appearance of a mastiff with bad breath and bright red eyes.
- In Lancashire there is the mostly white ghost dog / horse Gytrash , also known as Trash, Striker or Shriker.
- On the Isle of Man , the Mauthe Doog or Moddey Dhoo (a translation of the Black Dog in Manx ) is known. It is believed that the mere sight of the dog leads to certain death.
- There are two dogs on the Channel Island of Guernsey . One, Tchico ( tchi-cho , two Norman words for dog), has no head and is believed to be a phantom of the former Governor of Guernsey, Gaultier de la Salle, who was hanged for falsely accusing one of his vassals. The other, Bodu or Tchen Bodu ( tchen means dog in the regional language), is omen of death for the observer or a close relative of him. Several other phenomena are described, mostly they are named with the place name after the term bête (which means animal, beast ).
- In Jersey , the black dog of death is also called Tchico , but a related belief tells of Tchian d'Bouôlé (Bouley's black dog), a phantom dog that precedes storms. The saga was probably spread by smugglers in order to deter people who might surprise them in their illegal deals from night-time ventures.
- In Normandy people believe in the dog Rongeur d'Os ("bone rodent ").
- The Devil drummers of Tedworth may present as large black dog.
- In Hertfordshire , there is a gruesome black dog with red eyes that is said to haunt the middle of the street where the gallows once stood. Known locally as the Lean Dog , he is believed to be the ghost of a death-row chimney sweep. If you get too close to the being, it sinks into the ground.
- In Somerset you know the belt Dog , a benign black dog . Mothers allowed their children to play unsupervised on the Quantock Hills because they believed the dog would take care of the children.
- In Winchester , the black dog is also rooted in popular belief.
- In Wakefield he is called Padfoot .
- The West Peak Black Dog in Meriden is notable in that it shows up not as a large, scary dog, but as a small, sad one. It leaves no traces and makes no sound, even when it appears to be barking. Ironically, he also seems to enjoy human company, he is even very helpful: when you see the dog, he brings luck; however, if you see him the second time, this means bad luck and the third time death will follow.
literature
- Bob Rickard, John Michell: Phenomena: A Book of Wonders. 1977.
- Marie de Garis: Folklore of Guernsey. 1986.
- Jennifer Westwood, Jacqueline Simpson: The Lore of the Land: A Guide to England's Legends, from Spring-heeled Jack to the Witches of Warboys. 2005.