We all know about black cats and
their associations with “witches” and bad luck if one happens to cross your
path. But what about black dogs? As a dog person who’s shared my life with a
number of black dogs, I was interested to discover their otherworldly history. And
as it’s nearly Halloween, what’s more appropriate than a short history of scary
things. After all, I write historical fiction and research is probably the most
fun part of the process, and this was no exception.
Since ancient Greek mythology’s Cerberus
and especially in old Celtic and Germanic legends, in the British Isles and Western
Europe, the black dog has been associated with demons or hellhounds. They’re
generally large nocturnal animals with huge claws; black, mangy fur; “nasty, big pointy teeth”
(to quote Monty Python…OK that was a
rabbit); and red or green glowing eyes. Sometimes he will appear from the
shadows of night and at other times a bolt of lightning presages his appearance.
He is often associated with crossroads and places of execution. His presence almost
always portends death for whomever is unfortunate enough to see him. He’s been known by various names, such as Barghest of Yorkshire
and Black
Shuck of East Anglia, and Moddey
Dhoo from the Isle of Man. In Spain, Dip is an evil, black, hairy vampire
dog. Cadejo from Central America and Southern Mexico can be white (benevolent)
or black (malevolent), and appears at night either to aid or to kill travelers. In the U.S. we have our own black dog legends, one right here in Connecticut
close to where I live, is called the Black Dog of Hanging Hills.
In literature, perhaps the most
famous devil dog (not to be confused with the yummy Drake's confection) is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Hound of the Baskervilles. J.K. Rowling’s young sorcerer crosses
paths with a black dog in Harry Potter
and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Even Bram Stoker’s Dracula transforms into a
black dog at one point.
Although I haven’t included many
dogs in my books, a couple of street curs (one of which is black) makes a cameo appearance in my
fantasy, The Return of Tachlanad. And
for a fun exercise while in rewrites for book 3 of “The Serpent’s Tooth”
trilogy, I made a point to include a few Wizard Oz references in The Partisan’s Wife. One such was naming
an inn where Anne and Peter spend a night en
route from Albany to New York. I called it The Little Black Dog (homage to
Toto). Had I known then what I know now about the nature of black dogs in
history, I might thought twice.
Shadow, my first black dog was a young
stray mutt who hung out at the Amoco gas station my father frequented. I met
him in 1956 on Christmas Eve (not Halloween) when I accompanied my dad to have
my mother’s tires changed over in preparation for winter driving. I went up in
the car on the lift with the little dog while the work was being done, and we
instantly became best buds. To my great joy, Frank, the gas station owner
allowed us to take him home. Knowing my mom would disapprove of such a smelly,
greasy animal, we had to sneak Shadow into the house. But after a bath, during
which I was nearly certain he’d turn white, he became a part of the family for
the next 15 years. There was nothing evil or malevolent about my childhood
companion, although I did go through a time when I swore he was actually a
prince under a witch's spell…and all I had to do was kiss him.
~*~
Kathy Fischer Brown
is a BWL author of historical novels, Winter
Fire, Lord Esterleigh's Daughter, Courting the Devil, The Partisan's Wife. The Return of Tachlanad, an epic fantasy adventure for young adult and adult readers is her latest release. Check out
her The Books We
Love Author page or visit her website.
All of Kathy’s books are available in e-book and in paperback from Amazon.