Strange Sight | CONSPIRACY THEORIES AND UNSOLVED CASES

The Black Dog

[OVERVIEW]

The Black Dog was featured in the books of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. I believe it's also featured in the movie but it's not a huge part of the movie. I haven't seen the movie so I'm not actually sure.

Also, I find the idea of Black Dogs very interesting. I'm not sure why. I love Urban Legends but this one in particular is very interesting to me.

[BLACK DOG]

So what is The Black Dog? It's a demonic entity found primarily in British folklore. The black dog is essentially a nocturnal apparition, in some cases a shapeshifter, and is often said to be associated with the Devil or described as a ghost or hellhound. Its appearance was regarded as a portent of death. It is generally supposed to be larger than a normal dog and often has large glowing eyes. It is sometimes associated with electrical storms (such as Black Shuck's appearance at Bungay, Suffolk) and also with crossroads, places of execution and ancient pathways.

The origins of the black dog are difficult to discern. It is uncertain whether the creature originated in the Celtic or Germanic elements of British culture. Throughout European mythology, dogs have been associated with death. Examples of this are the Cŵn Annwn (Welsh), Garmr (Norse) and Cerberus (Greek), all of whom were in some way guardians of the Underworld. This association seems to be due to the scavenging habits of dogs. It is possible that the black dog is a survival of these beliefs.

Black dogs are generally regarded as sinister or malevolent, and a few (such as the Barghest and Shuck) are said to be directly harmful. Some black dogs, however, such as the Gurt Dog in Somerset and the Black Dog of the Hanging Hills in Connecticut, are said to behave benevolently. Some, known as guardian black dogs, guide travellers at night onto the right path or guard them from danger.

Even though most stories come from England, there have been reports of Black Dogs in Latin America and the United States.

[SIGHTINGS]

Black dogs have been reported from almost all the counties of England, the exceptions being Middlesex and Rutland.

I'm not going to go through every single sighting I've found because then we would be here all day. Just gonna put a few of the more interesting ones.

On Dartmoor in southern Devon, the notorious squire Richard Cabell was said to have been a huntsman who sold his soul to the Devil. When he died in 1677, black hounds are said to have appeared around his burial chamber. The ghostly huntsman is said to ride with black dogs; this tale inspired Arthur Conan Doyle to write his well-known story The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Galley Hill in Luton, Bedfordshire, is said to have been haunted by a black dog ever since a storm set the gibbet alight sometime in the 18th century.

A black dog is said to haunt Ivelet Bridge near Ivelet in Swaledale, Yorkshire. The dog is allegedly headless, and leaps over the side of the bridge and into the water, although it can be heard barking at night. It is considered a death omen, and reports claim that anybody who has seen it died within a year. The last sighting was around a hundred years ago.

A Barghest (or Barguest) is said to roam the Snickelways and side roads of York, preying on passersby, and has also been seen near Clifford's Tower. To see the monstrous dog is said to be a warning of impending doom.