115 replies to this topic

[mellilotflower]

Was your grandmother from Norfolk, or suffollk- which is where the story of the dog in the church happened.  It's one of the most well known, as it was one of the first documented.
Can you remember any of her other stories? And the names? For instance did she have a seperate name for the dogs guarding church yards and the ones that attacked people?

[mnemosyne]

Actually my gradmother is from Germany.  I believe my grandfather's family is from the suffolk area though.  She'd usually call it der schwarze hund, which is the german equivalent of the black dog.  Occasionally she'd call it black/old shuck but she didn't make a destinction between the ones guarding the cemetaries and churches and the one in the church story that she told me.  I remember most of her stories, because to be honest they kinda scared the crap outta me   [smiley=cwm4.gif] I'd be happy to share them with you but you've probably heard them all already.

[mellilotflower]

I've hear a few stories, but I'm always up for more, they scare the hell out of me too and I just love it  .
I thought I'd come across a different german name for the black dogs... but I can't remember it.  Did your grandmother ever tell you about black dogs in Germany? because most of the stories I've heard are from England,scotland and wales.
Black Shuck and Old shuck are the suffolk/norfolk names for the apparitions...

[mnemosyne]

It kinda doesn't surprise me that you've heard other names for black dogs in German.  There are a few different I guess dialects or whatever that's called so in some areas they'd call a black dog something different. She told me a couple of stories of the dogs in Germany but mostly she'd tell me about the stories she'd heard from my step-grandfather and from the dog she believed she'd seen in the cemetary around our house, she'd tell me about the egyptian's dogs anubis i think, and she told me what she believed the dogs were supposed to do which according to her was help the souls of dead people cross over and guard them against the evil things that tried to snatch your soul after you died.  She said the dogs hung around crossroads to help people find their way. She also told me that sometimes it was their job to actually snatch the souls of people and carry them over...yikes! lol.
Spooky Spooky stuff.

[Bridget]

Mnemosyne, have you told Mellilotflower about your grave eater? Maybe she can help identify what it was...

[ZinnianWolf]

Are these dogs the same as hell's hounds? The kind of dogs that protect evil when it is resting or when it is present?  I haven't heard much about any other dogs exept for when I was watching Lost Boys.

[whispers_of_fire]

The Legends are a bit vague here, Zinnian, I've heard of the Black Dogs guarding treasure or pagan-sacred sites, but there was also a tradition of the first person buried in a cemetary being a guardian, so rather than condemning a human soul to a restless existance, they buried a black dog
to protect those who slept.

There are also legends of the BD aiding travellers as well as chasing them off.

Getting back to your reference, the Hell Hounds, Vamp Legend
says that anyone drinking of a Vampire's blood is bound to them

[mellilotflower]

As far as I know Zinnian, the legends are seperate.  Black Dogs are sometimes associated with particular people, especially witches.  In such cases they are thought to be either the witches sendings and portents that the crops are going to fail- that sort of thing, or they are signs that a particular person is a witch (or at least that's how the locals took it) George Walton is a good example of that.
In general though, they don't take on the same responsibilities as hellhounds, they may guide the person they're linked to, or protect them from harm in a more impersonal way- similar to aloha spirit's encounter, there's no actual physical contact.
Hellhounds though are much more violent, they have specific duties, have deffinitely either been called for or sent in some manner, there's a master/servant sort of relationship involved....

[Ravenwood]

Usually a portent of death.---demon dog.Yorkshire.

[MoonChild]

anyone knows of the theory that Black Dogs could actually be a form of ball lightning manifesting?

[whispers_of_fire]

Hmm...sounds like you're referring to the Scottish Will'o'wisps, they'd misdirect travellers, lead them into bogs or some other hazardous place

[MoonChild]

no no, not the will o wasps, but black dog phenomenon. It is said that black dogs have appeared to people in bed, as if they float on thru the ceilings.

[mellilotflower]

The story of the black dog apparition in Bungay, Suffolk is sometimes attributed to ball lightning.  It occured during a thunderstorm, Sunday August 4, 1577.  The fiery dog killed two and left another injured, shrivelled "like a drawn purse."

[mellilotflower]

There's some good accounts here; http://nli.northampt...js/blackdog.htm

[leonie]

*****
The gate man heard the footsteps before he was able to see the traveller. It was getting dark, the sky was just in a twilight hour and all the man wanted to do was go home to his bed.

“Am I on the right direction for North Lamora?” The stranger asked. “See I have a map but I just want to be sure.”

“Yes you sure are” The Gates man said “But you have a fair bit of travelling to do I suggest you go see old Pete in the inn he'll give you a place to stay for the night, pretty cheap too.” He pointed to a well lit building that lay amongst a jumble of tiny houses at the other side of the gate. “And then I suggest you take the road to the left in the morning”

The stranger stroked his beard in thought as he looked at his map “If I'm not mistaken, that way is the shorter way by miles.” The man pointed to a road to the right almost hidden by lack of use that started almost in the same place as the road to the left.

“Ai, true it is shorter, but you won't want to go down there. That road is damnded by unkindly spirits.”

“Really” The stranger laughed “Well I'm going to enjoy this then.”

“It is said that a shaggy demon dog dwells down that road.” The gates man carried on, lowering his already quavering voice. “People here call him Noir, because he's as black as a moonless sky, they say if you get close enough to see his eyes which burn like unholy pits of devil flames.” He moved his head closer to the stranger “And smell its foul breathe then prey you die slowly.”

“It’s a good thing I don’t believe in ghosts and old folklore then isn't it?” The man smiled

“Ai, some of the young uns' never believed either until one night a young lad decided he'd take a bet and travel down that road there, when he managed to find his way back to the gates, he was shouting about “It follows me…. It follows me” By god it was scary I was on gate duty that night and all he kept rambling on about were the eyes and asking me if I could see the eyes.” The man sighed. “Yeah, went crazy that one did, lost his mind, was found a couple of days later mauled to death on his front porch, god knows how he got out, that house had become his prison cell.”

“Poor man” The stranger sighed “The mind does strange things to us all when we are scared.”

He bode farewell to the gates man and made his way towards the shorter route to the right confident that he would be in Lamora soon, all of a sudden the night seemed to chill and a mist began to grow around him. He slowly made his way along the road.

When he saw those eyes and smelled the foul breath, his confidence wavered and he stood wide eyed staring into the night.

When he felt the tearing at his flesh, tears filled his eyes and he remembered the Gate mans words.

“People here call him Noir, because he's as black as a moonless sky, they say if you get close enough to see his eyes which burn like unholy pits of devil flames and smell its foul breathe then prey you die slowly.”
*****

That was a story based on The Black Dog Legends, which I wrote so its nothing but fiction.

But recently I have been doing some research into Black dogs and other ghostly dog penomenon, and would like you to share you stories wth me if you have any experiences with Black Dogs or Fairy hounds.

For those unfamiliar with Black dogs. A black Dog is an apparition of a big black shaggy dog with big round glowing eyes, they are usually accosiated with death and there are many myths around them such as if you act violently against a black dog you die a horrible death, if you touch one you may die soon after. But if you help a Black dog or a Fairy Hound (Fairy hounds are usually known as White dogs and are dipicted with white shaggy fur, red ears and sapphire eyes.) they are forever in your dept, untill the time comes when they can help you back. They are also linked with shape shifting and can be seen n several forms.

SOOO any experiences you have would be fantastic or any myths, or folklore you have that centre around the black dog.

Edited by leonie, 15 June 2007 - 09:26 AM.