As autumn descends, I wanted to face a classic symbol in British and European folklore - the black dog
We start in East Anglia, England, with perhaps the most famous of all shadow hounds: Black Shuck, who makes an appearance in St Mary's church of Bungay in 1577, storms to raise havoc. And a reading drawn from Ghosts and Witches by Wentworth + Ayrton, 1991, on the Galleytrot and Shuck.
Before facing:
The Barghest of Yorkshire, accompanied by rattling chains, may have inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula's transformation into an enormous black dog in Whitby.
Yeth Hounds (Devon)
Whisht Hounds (Devon/Dartmoor)
Richard Cabell's Hounds (Dartmoor) widely considered a major inspiration for Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles.
The Devil's Dandy Dogs (Cornwall): A terrifying hunt led by Satan himself.
The Wish Hounds or Witch Hounds of Sussex
The Church Grim, a guardian spirit that appears as a large black dog
And The Moddey Dhoo of the Isle of Man: Meaning "black dog" in Manx, this giant shaggy-haired dog that haunted Peel Castle
And we finish with readings of The Moddey Doo or the Black Dog of Peel Castle from Manx Fairy Tales by Sophia Morrison, 1911 and The Book of Were-Wolves by Sabine Baring-Gould, 1865. And accounts of witch wolves from Estonia.
These are just a few of the countless legends of black dogs, wolves and hounds. Do drop me a message if you would like to share your own favourites!
Happy September
Sarah X
