Hell hounds

Legend says that if someone is to stare into its eyes three times or more, the person will definitely die. In cultures that associate the afterlife with fire, hellhounds may have fire-based abilities and appearance. They are often assigned to guard the entrances to the world of the dead, such as graveyards and burial grounds, or undertake other duties related to the afterlife or the supernatural, such as hunting lost souls or guarding a supernatural treasure. In European legends, seeing a hellhound or hearing it howl may be either an omen of death or even a cause of death.

Some supernatural dogs, such as the Welsh Cŵn Annwn, were actually believed to be benign. However, encountering them was still considered to be a sign of imminent death.

A hellhound is a supernatural dog, found in folklore. A wide variety of ominous or hellish supernatural dogs occur in mythologies around the world, similar to the ubiquitous dragon. Features that have been attributed to hellhounds include black fur, glowing red or sometimes glowing yellow eyes, super strength or speed, ghostly or phantom characteristics, foul odor, and sometimes even the ability to talk.

hell hound is a hound from Hades (The Greek god of the underworld). It is from many cultural backgrounds, but its most remembered from Greek mythology. A hell hound is a dog of Hell, found in mythology, Folklore and its also seen in fiction. Hell hounds typically have features such as black fur color, glowing red eyes, super strength and/or speed, ghostly or phantom characteristics, and sometimes even the ability to talk. Hell hounds are often associated with the element of fire and may have fire-based abilities and appearances, Hell hounds appear out of nowhere suddenly and have been known to vanish in a blink of an eye. They are often assigned to guard the entrances to the world of the dead, such as graveyards and Indian burial grounds, or undertake other duties related to the afterlife or the supernatural, such as hunting down lost souls or guarding a supernatural treasure. There is a legend, it tells that if one happened to see the hellhound three times, he or she will die an abrupt and unseen death.

The most famous hell hound is Cerberus, who guards the entrance to the under world. He has three heads, a tail or mane (depends on version of myth) of snake(s), and is tall enough to make men feel like ants. Cerberus also has a brother, Orthrus, who has two heads. And what else? They were said to bring the souls of the dead or dying to Hades. It is said that hell hounds have the ability to shadow travel, the ability to travel through shadows. Hell hounds are considered evil because they work for Hades/Devil.

One of the more prevalent British paranormal entities is the black dog or hell hound. Over the past five years alone, 31 cases of these phantom canines have been reported; most a retelling of local legend, though a handful are first hand accounts, such as the opening paragraph. The phantom hound is well known throughout the UK, though normally under different names depending where in the county it is seen. Across East Anglia is the entity is known as Black Shuck, the north of England has the Barghest, Padfoot and Skriker, in Wales the creature is called Gwyllgi, while Yeth Hounds run around southern England.

A single descriptive profile of the entity is difficult. While all reports agree that the creature is a larger than normal dog, the similarities end there. Some of the cases I have on file report large glowing red eyes, or green eyes, or eyes all the colours of the rainbow, or no eyes (in the case of the headless hound). The dog is normally jet black, but can have a hint of red fur, or can be white. It normally runs on four legs, but as the first story shows, it can run on two. A hell hound is a hound from Hades (The Greek god of the underworld). It is from many cultural backgrounds, but its most remembered from Greek mythology. A hell hound is a dog of Hell, found in mythology, Folklore and its also seen in fiction.

Hell hounds typically have features such as black fur color, glowing red eyes, super strength and/or speed, ghostly or phantom characteristics, and sometimes even the ability to talk. Hell hounds are often associated with the element of fire and may have fire-based abilities and appearances, Hell hounds appear out of nowhere suddenly and have been known to vanish in a blink of an eye. They are often assigned to guard the entrances to the world of the dead, such as graveyards and Indian burial grounds, or undertake other duties related to the afterlife or the supernatural, such as hunting down lost souls or guarding a supernatural treasure. There is a legend, it tells that if one happened to see the hellhound three times, he or she will die an abrupt and unseen death.

world. He has three heads, a tail or mane (depends on version of myth) of snake(s), and is tall enough to make men feel like ants. Cerberus also has a brother, Orthrus, who has two heads. And what else? They were said to bring the souls of the dead or dying to Hades. It is said that hell hounds have the ability to shadow travel, the ability to travel through shadows. Hell hounds are considered evil because they work for Hades/Devil.

One of the more prevalent British paranormal entities is the black dog or hell hound. Over the past five years alone, 31 cases of these phantom canines have been reported; most a retelling of local legend, though a handful are first hand accounts, such as the opening paragraph. The phantom hound is well known throughout the UK, though normally under different names depending where in the county it is seen. Across East Anglia is the entity is known as Black Shuck, the north of England has the Barghest, Padfoot and Skriker, in Wales the creature is called Gwyllgi, while Yeth Hounds run around southern England.

A single descriptive profile of the entity is difficult. While all reports agree that the creature is a larger than normal dog, the similarities end there. Some of the cases I have on file report large glowing red eyes, or green eyes, or eyes all the colours of the rainbow, or no eyes (in the case of the headless hound). The dog is normally jet black, but can have a hint of red fur, or can be white. It normally runs on four legs, but as the first story shows, it can run on two. A hell hound is a hound from Hades (The Greek god of the underworld). It is from many cultural backgrounds, but its most remembered from Greek mythology. A hell hound is a dog of Hell, found in mythology, Folklore and its also seen in fiction.

Hell hounds typically have features such as black fur color, glowing red eyes, super strength and/or speed, ghostly or phantom characteristics, and sometimes even the ability to talk. Hell hounds are often associated with the element of fire and may have fire-based abilities and appearances, Hell hounds appear out of nowhere suddenly and have been known to vanish in a blink of an eye. They are often assigned to guard the entrances to the world of the dead, such as graveyards and Indian burial grounds, or undertake other duties related to the afterlife or the supernatural, such as hunting down lost souls or guarding a supernatural treasure. There is a legend, it tells that if one happened to see the hellhound three times, he or she will die an abrupt and unseen death.

world. He has three heads, a tail or mane (depends on version of myth) of snake(s), and is tall enough to make men feel like ants. Cerberus also has a brother, Orthrus, who has two heads. And what else? They were said to bring the souls of the dead or dying to Hades. It is said that hell hounds have the ability to shadow travel, the ability to travel through shadows. Hell hounds are considered evil because they work for Hades/Devil.

Truth

No one can prove or disprove this legend, many sighting have been recorded of the dogs but some have been proven to just be a wild large dog others cannot be proven

It is stated that if you do see a hell hound you will not live to tell the tale so how can the stories have been told.

It is not uncommon for people even now to claim sightings of black dogs. In some cases, it is easy to see where the legends come from. A number of years ago I was driving through Dartmoor during a very thick fog. It was extremely spooky, and when a big black animal shape suddenly lunged out of the fog at the car, I had a terrible fright. When my heart started to beat again I realized that I was not encountering a Shuck, as I had immediately thought, but was looking into the soft brown eyes of a shaggy black pony. The poor creature had been peacefully grazing behind its fence on the side of the road, until my car lights startled it.

Another possible logical explanation for stories of yelping hell-hounds is that occasionally fox-hunting dogs will become separated from the pack. These dogs can chase various erroneous scents for hours before finding their way home. The sound of their yelping floating across fields and moors at twilight might add some colour to local legends of the Hunt. In days past, dogs probably chased many a red deer. The occasional glimpse of a stag’s antlers, rearing over a hill in the twilight accompanied by the sounds of hunting dogs, may have frightened people and contributed greatly towards stories of the horned Herne and his pack of hellhounds.

Whether black dog sightings are genuine supernatural encounters; overreactions to migratory geese, cows or horses looming out of the fog; or even surprise meetings with real flesh-and-blood hunting or farm dogs in unexpected places, there is still evidence of the fact that the legends live on.

As long as there is fear of the unknown, the black dog stalks.