Black Dog Part One #BritishFolklore #HazardousToYourSanity

Posted by Lyssa Medana on September 03, 2023 in 2023, Lyssa Medana,

 This is Part One of a series on British Folklore and Superstition, with a focus on how it could be used in writing as well as some of the quirks.

Image from Unsplash, taken by Corey Thorkelson

The Black Dog is a staple of British folklore. There are dozens of versions up and down the country, each with their own spin on the huge hound. They are wonderful for spooky story telling and I thought I’d share a little of the background and ideas for using them.

Black Dogs have been identified with Hell Hounds. What could be scarier that a massive dog, jet black with huge glowing eyes? You can imagine them dragging a condemned soul to hell or joining the Wild Hunt as it races through the winter landscape. They have been associated with approaching death all over the British Isles, including a story from my own family.

My great uncle had rheumatic fever and was seriously ill. As it was back in the 1920s, he was being nursed at home by his sister, my great aunt, and the doctor had warned them that he may not recover. My great aunt told me that she stumbled across a huge black dog in the doorway of my great uncle’s room and shrieked, flapping her apron at it as she was scared of dogs. The dog ran and she followed downstairs to scold whoever let a huge creature in so that it could get to the sick room. However all the doors were shut, the windows weren’t wide enough for a dog of that size and no-one had seen a dog either come inside or leave. There are lots of rational explanations, but I still like to think that it could possibly be supernatural. My great uncle recovered.

Black Dogs are not always considered entirely evil, however. There are a few stories of them being guardians and protectors, especially of graveyards. The folk tradition was that when a new burial site was opened, the soul of the first one buried there was taken as a tax by the Devil. Often dogs would be buried first and would act as watchdogs to the place. They would protect the souls there and keep them safe.

Image from Unsplash, taken by Kenny Eliason

I imagine if characters in a story were driven towards a graveyard by malevolent forces, a Black Dog could be a fierce ally. I don’t imagine something so dark and driven would be the sort to have a fluffy nickname and beg for belly rubs. I imagine something that was set to guard a graveyard for eternity would have a strong sense of duty and expect that of others fighting dark forces.

And I wonder what would happen if a housing development was built over a graveyard (in the way it happened in Poltergeist) but the spirits had departed and the place was still guarded by a Black Dog. Would it resent the new residents? Or would that small patch be one of the safer places to hide from ghosts and dark spirits? Sometimes wondering about the smaller, less showy supernatural creatures can lead to all sorts of inspiration.

I'd love to hear what you think about this. Have you seen a Black Dog? How would you use it in a story? Thank you for reading.