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2. series - European beasts

Special part

HELLHOUNDS

In many stories we can find different descriptions about terrifying dogs, which can on the one hand guard the lost treasures, or, on the other hand, they could be the servants of the devil. In cases where are such dogs  guarding treasures, these are trying to scare passers, but if people are not leaving these dogs be, they can wake their bad part. Horrible watchdoch, Cerberus, can be find in Greek Mythology, where this three-headed dog, with serpent´s tail, mane of snakes and lion´s claws, was guarding the entrance into the realm of the dead – Underworld. His main aim was to prevent souls of people to get out of there. Another terrifying dog from Greek Mythology is Orthrus. This two headed dog served to giant Geryong and guarded the herds of cattle.

As stated Otomar Dvořák these dogs have certain common characteristics from which can be mentioned eyes that are "glowing as red lights and eyes are the first thing that you can see in the dark, but behind them appear the outline of the body. Some witnesses reported that although the animal is so dark black, the darkness around him can discern a kind of glowing aura, with a greenish shine. Also, from the mouth sometimes whips flame instead of tongue. Although powerful, they can appear suddenly and disappear again very quickly - sometimes in a kind of fiery explosion."

Black Shuck

On the east coast of England we could find fearsome dog with red, sometimes green, eyes; bushy black hair, with the size of a calf or even a horse that bears the name of Black Shuck, while Shuck could come from the English word "demon" or "hairy. " Bestial creature, which is known mainly along the coast of Suffolk and terrorized people for over a thousand years, tends to come under dramatic events and disappearing in the fog. Seeing this creature, that is said to often shared by people living alone in the woods with disappearing as quickly and mysteriously as also appears, foreshadowing of impending doom.

Probably one of the most famous seeing of this creature was dated in 1577, when along the Suffolk coast was a huge storm and people were gathered in the church. Suddenly, the door with burst open and into the crowd from the horrible storm ran Black Shuck. Black Shuck start to kill men and boys. Creature then ran away and make burnt marks on the church door, which were there seen for a long time.

Black Shuck is at dusk seen by the rivers, lonely roads, cemeteries and gravestones. Locals said, that if you are no sure if you here Black shuck or just wind and storm, its not right to look around, but hide and hope it's not him.

Stories about hell dogs can be find in hundreads, or perhaps thousands, as their names differ in different countries, many times those even does not have names, but it is still essentially a creature of the same and we can ask whether there is any normal creature? Vladimír Liška provides remarkable power of the human mind that is capable of materializing things or even being "in certain circumstances to themselves, people can produce human forms or goods in our thoughts and in maintaining high potential of abstraction, these can take a materialized form." With such method can be formed separate entities that are independent of its creator. It is possible, that hellhounds had been created in mind. This maybe sounds like too much, but creation of living form by our mind is more real than many people might think. The best example is Tulpa. Tulpa is form created by mind. With these have the most experiences monks in Tibet, who can create animal, landscape or even human. 

The danger of the creation of such a creature, is that it is difficult to dematerialises, and even its creater can this creature hurts. Such an entity can also think and act independently. The case of tulpa, when this was a snake, described Jaroslav Mareš. He recalls a story from Africa, whose central character is a wizard, who hate women and before death create Tulpa. As Mareš stated "sick and exhausted, he felt that, his end is approaching. In his ideas created idea of magical snake and dedicated it to persecute all women. His vision materialized." Snake attacked women, while it was seen only by those whose it attacked, and men never saw this creature.

Barguest

Barguest, or Barghest, is black dog of northern England with large teeth and claws, red eyes, sometimes described with horns and size of a calf. Many witnesses claimed, that Barguest is wrapped in chains, or that is dragging chains. Interesting thing on him is, that he is not able, resp. he can not cross running water. Many people think that seeing of this dog is predicting some catastrophe or diseaster. Its interesting, that even this dog prey on lone travellers, its already also happen that in the group of travellers saw this dog only one person. When somebody wants to pass, Barguest will make him wounds, which would not heal. So similarly to Black Shuck, when you are not sure, what you hear, hope that its not him. Its used to say, that this dog is a keeper of buried gold, treasures.

It often happens that wandering souls, whether human, animal or human in a form of animal are showing in cases, when they have in this world still some debts, or if during they lives committed a crime or a kind of injustice. They must live in dog fur coat until will someone will free them. In some cases, therefore, the case that the black dog is not an animal as could happen, but even cursed man. Sometimes the common man or knight, and so on.

Such a possibilities confirming also folk legends, from which we can mention the story from Nitra (Slovak Republic), where was showing at the gate reside a black dog. This dog should be a Turkish warrior, who killed on that spot many defenders of the castle.

We may also mention the three black dogs from legend, which whould appearing Na Moráni (Praha, Czech Republic). Due to the legend, these three dogs used to be three monks, who hated Gentiles. Even so, that when the gravedigger dug up some human bones, they were throwing them to dog. When it saw the abbot, he said, that they deserve to transform on the dogs, and so it was. Even still today, around midnight they reveal and save them can only unbaptized person who will scratch them behind the ears.

Another story about black dog from Slovakia, is stating Michal Kohn, who remembers the story from Petrova Ves, where once died innkeeper. After his funeral began to reveal black dog in the pub. Kohn states that "no one has ever seen which way he went, but once struck twelfth hour, it was suddenly in the middle of the room (...) the dog howled always a moment, then fled outside and was runnning criss-cross through the whole village." Mystery solved only soldier, who was not afraid of the dog and watched what dog wanted to suggest. Dog led him to a place where disappeared. At this point, stated people to dig and found killed stranger. When they discovered, that the innkeeper killed this man for money and thus did not reveal justice after death, the dog ceased to appear.

Another story we can find in Bratislava (Slovakia). On the place which was named Goat gate (this place was one of the points of line of defense of town in the Middle Ages) were once the vineyards. The problem was guarding them. It was revealed that no one want to guard the vineyards, because the guards see a huge hound. Black dog, which has in mouth instead of tongue a fire. The dog has around his neck key, with which he could open the cemetery and find the freshly buried men. If it was a evil man, dog made on that grave cross and man could not pass into the heaven.

Here we can find interesting relation with cemetery. Because, another theory of existing of these black dogs stands on the old tradition, during which was dogs buried as first on the cemetery. In past exist in those places Church Grim, which believed that the first burial would have to watch the rest of the dead. A dog was usually buried first to watch the humans. This practice was really widespread. This can be the reason, why are so high numbers of these dogs in so many parts of the world.

We can therefore consider that these dogs died by a violent death. When is death painful, and man or animal is suffering, it transmits and enourmous amount of energy, that can even literally inscribed in surrounding objects such as rocks or trees. This is one explanation why these dogs reveal only in certain sections. Similarly, it also is in battles of ghosts, as were describing in article Neverending battles. This theory would explain why they appear silently, without a trace and only at certain locations, or only in a certain region. These dogs tend to appear also in places, where someone was executed or not been properly buried.

Cù Sith

Another dog, which we can mention, is Cù Sith. This black dog of Scotland, with size of the bull, long tail and large eyes, is usually appearing when its time to take the soul to afterlife. Its usually named as a harbinger of death and people used to say that Cù Sith barks three times, and this sound carries a long distance and one must hide till the third bark.

Also it used to say, that its showing in green mist thanks to what are people classify him into a world of fairies. Thus, in a kind of parallel world. People also say that it fears iron objects and salt. Some people think that there is, resp. there are parallel worlds, which exist simultaneously with our and in some places these world may intersect. There are theories that says that in the parallel world we can discover our self that lives a completely different life. However, when there are such worlds, in one of them, or even in many, there may be these black dogs, which can through some ways get to our world and then for us disapper without a trace, but in fact they just get back to their world.

There are still so many black dogs around the world. With names or without them, people met them in the past and we can once find a variety of record and memories only in legends. People these dogs face however also at present, many people with the experiences are affraid to talk, but this meeting with a big, black dog with glowing eyes was real. Many of them are hiding on the trees, or in cars to do not come into the direct contact with creature, or run on place, where the dog couldn not go, like if it was bound only to a certain territory. Anyhow, you do not want to hear their barking at night and glowing eyees in the dark...

Citations:

Michal Kohn. Holíčsky čert. Povesti zo záhoria. Marenčin PT: Bratislava, 2014.

Jaroslav Mareš. Jezero krokodýlích čarodeju.  Filip Trend Publishing: Pardubice, 2002

Vladimír Liška. Záhady kolem nás. XYZ: Praha, 2010

Otomar Dvořák. Neuvěřitelné jevy a podivuhodné bytosti.  XYZ: Praha, 2011. 
picture source: https://pixabay.com/sk/spln-mesiac-vlk-zviera-mystick%C3%BD-1776051/