The 'Black Dog' in English Folklore... Where Does it Come From?
This black dog, or the divel in such a likenesse (God hee knoweth al who worketh all,) running all along down the body of the church with great swiftnesse, and incredible haste, among the people, in a visible fourm and shape, passed between two persons, as they were kneeling uppon their knees, and occupied in prayer as it seemed, wrung the necks of them bothe at one instant clene backward, in somuch that even at a mome[n]t where they kneeled, they stra[n]gely dyed
All down the church in midst of fire, the hellish monster flew, and, passing onward to the quire, he many people slew.
(Flemming, 1577)
As a nervous and superstitious child, I was convinced that the English countryside was stalked by escaped wild cats and phantasmic black dogs. Whether this notion could be tied to some deep-rooted connection with my ancestors that channelled my psychic awareness or the fact that I was exposed to the 2002 film ‘Dog Soldiers’ too early as a child one Christmas Eve, I couldn’t tell you. This fear has morphed into a slight fascination, and I have always found my interests peaked by folk tales of black dogs. Especially as the dark nights start creeping in and your mind wanders when walking alone. Are they malevolent or omniscient? Do they share the same origins? And why are they so prevalent in folklore of the British Isles.
The obvious first port of call would be to identify exactly what a black dog is. However, I quickly learnt in my readings that there is no unanimous blueprint for exactly what these fiendish hounds are, differing from one county to another. British Folklorist, Theo Brown, collated a lot of these tales and was able to separate Britian’s Black dogs into three loose categories (1958)*.
Foremost we have those that might be identified as The Barguest, Black Shag, Striker, Hooter and perhaps Britain’s most famous ghostly canine son, Black Shuck. Brown states that these are not the names of individual creatures’ but instead refer to “interpersonal creatures” that are distributed throughout an area. Those areas principally being Cambridge, Essex and Suffolk where it haunts fens and churchyards. As well as Yorkshire, Lancashire and Derbyshire where it stalks the hills and lanes. Brown describes these dogs as shapeshifters; spirits that go out of their way to display they are no normal dog. The Barguest has glowing red eyes and the why the more sinister Gytrash is a shapeshifter with a plethora of disguises at its disposal(Simpson, 2003)*. This genre of Black dog is characterised as belligerent and ominous (Brown, 1958) * and most definitely should be categorised alongside other creatures you hope to never cross paths with.
Secondly, we have a category that Brown (1958)* loosely outlines as simply, a Black dog, nothing more, nothing less. Except it’s not. This category is reserved for the spectral pooches of a more personal nature, representing the spirits of the deceased, both the wronged and the wrong doers or, sometimes, they are the ghostly apparitions of dogs, hoping to serve their masters in the afterlife as they had in life. These creatures maintain their dog-like appearance with no shape-shifting fishy business. Although benign in description compared to the previous category, it’s not all fun and games with this lot either. It’s said that if a Black dog is associated with a certain family, the dog’s appearance can be a forewarning of a family member’s death. Ethel Rudkin, a folklorist whose work Theo Brown builds upon mentions one such tale (Rudkin, 1938)*: “There is a story that is rather vague about a woman who was murdered, and her spirit walks in the form of a huge Black Dog, table high, with glowing eyes as large as saucers […] and only haunts the house”
Thirdly and last but not least we have the category rather brief in description. Reserved for spectral hounds that only make appearances on special dates in the calendar, such as Christmas and your birthday. What a nice surprise to wake up to!
With such a large amount of folklore persisting to this day surrounding Black dogs, seemingly outlasting any other tales, where does it all come from? And why has it retained such a grip on the unlit byways and highways of the British countryside? W P Witcutt argues they are memories of our pre-Christian beliefs (1942)*: “These are the fauns and centaurs of the English scene; they are mythological detritus of a former religion”. So, if these dogs are the ghosts of past beliefs, who might they be the ghosts of? Well in Welsh mythology, the Cwn Annwm are the hounds of the other-world, Annwm, serving their master on the wild hunt (Castleton, 2023). As Christianity became the mainstay, these hounds came to be associated with hell, becoming the hellhounds of Satan. This is just one example of many dogs that existed in pagan beliefs. You had Garmr, the dog that guards the underworld in Norse mythology for one and Cerberus, Greek guard dog of the underworld for another.
Or maybe their origins can be decoded through etymology. If we take a look at one of our previously mentioned beasties, the Barguest, Witcutt states that: “The East Riding name for […] barguest, seems to be from the Anglo-Saxon byrgels, meaning a sepulchre’(1942).* Whereas Castleton suggests that “some think its name originates from ‘Bar-geist’ or ‘bear ghost’”. (2023)* So, is the Barguest ghostly dog named for its affinity to death and the grave or is it the remnants of a time when bears used to roam the countryside?
Theo Brown draws an interesting theory, when looking at the map on which she plotted the locations of the stories she collated, she noticed that a lot of the locations in Lincolnshire were placed along rivers and the towns and villages that would be easily accessible to conquering forces such as the Angles or the Vikings. Hypothesising that maybe this was a local myth that was strengthened by the mythology of an invading force.*(Brown 1958)
During my reading I couldn’t seem to find a single origin or a standard blue-print for where Black Dogs come from; they appear to be a folk memory of beliefs that have now been washed away by more modern religions. Maybe they persist, as although domesticated, an encounter with an unaccompanied, large black dog, on a cold and wet winter’s night is still an experience that would frighten you witless. I will however say that not all Black dogs are evil, some such as the Gurt Dog in my home county of Somerset, is said to aid lost travellers and protect playing children. With that in mind I will finish with a quote from Theo Brown, whose work was most helpful when writing this: “In general, most of the Black Dogs I have listed are not offensive. Most of those who have been injured were asking for trouble, either by attacking the dog or running away from it, which is exactly what we should expect from a real dog.” (Brown, 1958)*
References:
1*Brown, Theo (1958) Folklore , Sep., 1958, Vol. 69, No. 3 (Sep., 1958), pp. 175-192. Taylor & Francis, Ltd. on behalf of Folklore Enterprises, Ltd.
2* Simpson, Jacqueline (2003) Folklore, Vol. 114, No. 3 (Dec., 2003), pp. 389-402 (14 pages)
3* Brown, Theo (1958) Folklore , Sep., 1958, Vol. 69, No. 3 (Sep., 1958), pp. 175-192. Taylor & Francis, Ltd. on behalf of Folklore Enterprises, Ltd.
4* Brown, Theo (1958) Folklore , Sep., 1958, Vol. 69, No. 3 (Sep., 1958), pp. 175-192. Taylor & Francis, Ltd. on behalf of Folklore Enterprises, Ltd.
5* Rudkin, Ethel H (1938). Folklore, Vol. 49, No. 2 (Jun., 1938), pp. 111-131
6* Witcutt, W. P (1942). Folklore , Sep., 1942, Vol. 53, No. 3 (Sep., 1942), pp. 167-168
7* Castleton, D. (2023) Britain’s Black Dog Legends - 7 Spooky Canines & Hellhounds, David Castleton Blog - The Serpent’s Pen. Available at:
8* Witcutt, W. P (1942). Folklore , Sep., 1942, Vol. 53, No. 3 (Sep., 1942), pp. 167-168
9* Castleton, D. (2023) Britain’s Black Dog Legends - 7 Spooky Canines & Hellhounds, David Castleton Blog - The Serpent’s Pen. Available at: https://www.davidcastleton.net/black-dog-legends-england-britain-ghosts-hellhounds/ (Accessed: 22 September 2024).
10* Brown, Theo (1958) Folklore , Sep., 1958, Vol. 69, No. 3 (Sep., 1958), pp. 175-192. Taylor & Francis, Ltd. on behalf of Folklore Enterprises, Ltd
11* Brown, Theo (1958) Folklore , Sep., 1958, Vol. 69, No. 3 (Sep., 1958), pp. 175-192. Taylor & Francis, Ltd. on behalf of Folklore Enterprises, Ltd
Written by Angus Cawood
