Tales From Hounds Eye

The terrifying story of the 'hell hound'

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Abraham Fleming's account of the appearance of the ghostly black dog "Black Shuck" at the church of Bungay, Suffolk in Although that dog portended death and destruction, there are a few benevolent legends involving a black dog, such as the one told by Johnnie Greenwood from Swancliffe. The man described being followed by a black dog while walking at night in the woods. The creature remained by his side until he emerged out from the trees. Years later, two prisoners confessed that they wanted to rob and murder Johnnie during that night in the woods, but they decided otherwise after noticing the presence of the big black dog accompanying him.

When he died in , black hounds are said to have appeared around his burial chamber. There are ways to ward off the malevolent beings, but these tend to be vague.

In regions dominated by the Christian faith, it is said that simply wearing a cross or having a picture of a saint would be enough to keep the black dog away. Other superstitions involve carrying a coffin nail, sprinkling fresh water on the ground behind you as you walk, or keeping a pair of iron scissors with you.

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In addition, it is said that you should avoid crossroads, moving bodies of water such as rivers and streams, woods, or long stretches of field. Those restrictions would have made travel near impossible in the past! A black dog in the woods. There are so many black dog legends that you could easily indulge for years in the richness of these tales. For those who are interested in knowing more about other legends involving ghost dogs, these are some more regions to look into: Many scholars have attempted to explain the reasons behind black dog legends and their popularity across the globe.

Their interpretations range from lessons in folkloric tales to unknown phenomena described by our distant ancestors. No one can provide one answer encompassing all the legends perfectly. From the beginning of our history, humans have been endangered by wolves, which were much larger than their domesticated cousins in most locations around the world.

This could explain the malevolent nature of some ghost dog tales and their reputation as hellhounds. Other reasons might be associated with stories told to children in order to prevent them from wondering into dangerous places. Another explanation is related to the hidden dangers of smuggling routes. All or none of these could explain the local black dog legend closest to you.

Encounters and Legends of Black Dogs

Whether they bring good or evil tidings, black dog stories are still present and thriving all over the world. A red-eyed black dog. Painting of black shuck. Marina has an undergraduate degree in Anthropology, focused on ancient human evolution and archaeology. She did a post graduate year of studies in Renaissance History and discovered, among many things, that her passion belongs to the ancient world.

Theres still the beast of Bodmin Moor, other sightings over the years too around the countryside. Its not a dog though, its a cat, but I wonder if the two might be connected. That would be very interesting to research and connect. Ghost animals are fascinating as cultural elements! I'm curious about this cat.

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Not Always A Man’s Best Friend: Terrifying Black Dogs of British Legends

In the following scene, the soldier enters a large city and buys himself splendid clothing and lives in a magnificent apartment. He makes many friends, He learns of a princess kept in a tower after a prophecy foretold her marriage to a common soldier; his interest is piqued and he wants to see her but realizes his whim cannot be satisfied. Eventually, the soldier's money is depleted and he is forced to live in a dark attic. He strikes the tinderbox to light the room, and one of the dogs appears before him. The soldier then discovers he can summon all three dogs and order them to bring him money from their subterranean dwelling.

Again, he lives splendidly. One night, he recalls the story of the princess in the locked tower, and desires to see her. He strikes the tinderbox and sends the dog with eyes the size of teacups to bring her to his apartment. The soldier is overwhelmed with her beauty, kisses her and orders the dog to return her to the tower. The following morning, the princess tells her parents she has had a strange dream and relates the night's adventure.

The royal couple then watch her closely. When the princess is carried away again, they unsuccessfully use a trail of flour and chalk marks on neighborhood doors to find where she spends her nights. Eventually, her whereabouts are discovered and the soldier is clapped in prison and sentenced to death. The tinderbox got left behind, so he cannot summon its help. On the day of execution, the soldier sends a boy for his tinderbox, and, at the scaffold, asks to have a last smoke.

He then strikes the tinderbox and the three monstrous dogs appear. They toss the judge and the councillors, the King and Queen into the air. All are dashed to pieces when they fall to earth. The soldier and the princess are united, and the dogs join the wedding feast. The soldier uses the candle to visit a princess, and summons the iron man to save his life when he is sent to the stake for doing so.

In the preface to the second volume of Fairy Tales and Stories , Andersen indicates he heard the tale as a child "in the spinning room, and during the harvesting of the hops.

Both tales feature a supernatural being inveigling a mortal to enter an enchanted area on promise of rich reward; both tales feature three chambers filled with riches; both tales have heroes refusing to part with a magic luminant and then winning a princess through its use. The story of Aladdin had a special emotional significance for Andersen. As a poor grammar school student in Copenhagen , he was invited to stay with a prominent Copenhagen family in the Amalienborg Palace. Five or six years ago, I, too, was walking around on the streets down there, didn't know a soul here in town, and now I am gloating over my Shakespeare in the home of a kind and respected family.

O Lord, I could kiss you! Andersen was familiar with and widely read in folk and fairy lore.

Black Dogs in the United Kingdom

The princess locked in a tower in "The Tinderbox" has its counterpart in " Rapunzel "; the trail of flour mirrors the trail of grain in " Hansel and Gretel "; and the doors marked with chalk recall those from " Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves " — another tale from The Arabian Nights. I am going to win over future generations, you may want to know", and, in a letter dated February , he wrote the poet Bernhard Severin Ingemann: I have told a couple of tales which as a child I was happy about, [note 3] and which I do not believe are known, and have written them exactly the way I would tell them to a child".

Andersen completed the tales by March and told Admiral Wulff's daughter, Henriette: On 26 March, he observed that "they [the fairy tales] will be published in April, and people will say: Of course I shan't enjoy the experience in this world". It was published in Copenhagen, Denmark by C. The booklet cost 24 shillings the equivalent of 25 Dkr. In his "Remarks" to the tales in the second volume of Fairy Tales and Stories in , Andersen wrote, "The style should be such that one hears the narrator.

Therefore, the language had to be similar to the spoken word; the stories are for children, but adults too should be able to listen in. The first three fairy tales are ones I heard during childhood, in the spinning room and during the harvesting of the hops; "Little Ida's Flowers" on the other hand, came into being one day while visiting the poet Thiele, when I was telling his daughter Ida about the flowers at the botanical gardens; I kept and adapted a few of the child's remarks when I later wrote the fairy-tale down.

The first reviews of Andersen's tales appeared in and were unenthusiastic.

Legendary Creatures

Critics disliked the informal, chatty style of the tales and their lack of morals. The critic Carsten Hauch objected to the moral indifference of "The Tinderbox" but admired the delicate nobility of the Queen in " The Princess and the Pea ". One literary journal never mentioned the tales at all while another advised Andersen not to waste his time writing fairy tales. He was told he "lacked the usual form of that kind of poetry [ Charles Boner was the first to translate "The Tinderbox" into English, working from a German translation rather than the Danish original.

He missed the earthy, joking style of "The Tinderbox" in preference for the embellished, stilted literary diction of the period, and translated the king's, "We will not Andersen biographer Jackie Wullschlager writes, "["The Tinderbox"] is a confident, young man's tale—jaunty, brisk, and exhilarating.

It celebrates youth over age and it has the energy and hope and satisfaction of a traditional folk tale—"Aladdin", " Puss in Boots ", " Jack and the Beanstalk "—whose young hero overcomes adversity and ends a contented, successful adult. Andersen grew up poor and uneducated, and was subject to many slights, snubs, and humiliations. It's no accident that of the first three folktales he chose to adapt, two ["The Tinderbox" and "Little Claus and Big Claus"] are fantasies of social revenge.

Andersen personalizes "The Tinderbox" with humor and detail.

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