Mythical Monsters, Critters, and Cryptids
It was a tough choice today as I originally wanted to do the Hidebehind, but then saw I also had Hellhound on my list. A coin toss decided which of the two I would be doing.
Creature: The Hellhound is usually a black-furred dog-like creature with red glowing eyes, which are usually employed by someone in the afterlife, or they act as underworld enforcers.
What is it?
The Hellhound has had many jobs throughout its history. Usually a black-furred dog with red eyes (though can be yellow), this creature can either be physical or be a phantom. It is strong, and fast, and carries with it the smell of rotten eggs. In some cases, the creature could also have the ability to speak. There are even cases that which the Hellhound is one of the many forms that the Devil can take. Some common Hellhound varieties include Barghests, Black Shucks, Cŵn Annwn, Maday Dhoo, Church Grim, and more. These creatures are found throughout history and play large roles in how we see dogs with dual personalities, protector and aggressor as an example.
Historical significance
Hellhounds weren’t always considered “evil.” These canid creatures have long been associated with the underworld or the afterlife, starting as far back as ancient Egypt. Death dogs have long been guides and protectors for those who entered the afterlife. Take Anubis for example. Yet he wasn’t the only death dog that took his job as the protector of the dead seriously.
There were the Hindi hounds, Shyama and Sabala, who guarded the god of death’s gates. They were able to achieve this thanks to each having two sets of eyes. Even Cerberus had extra eyes, thanks to their extra heads, and he was in charge of keeping the dead in and the heroes out.
Even Mesoamerican beliefs have instances of dogs that guarded the dead as they travelled to the next realm. They also believed that if you mistreated a dog while alive, you would be abandoned to wander eternity forever without a guide. Even Indian and Middle Eastern traditions had dogs which were the escorts to the afterlife.
Yet, where did the hell in Hellhound come from? There are two instances of this. The first is Garmr, a Nordic bloodstained Hellhound, that belonged to the Goddess of Death, Hel. She was charged with looking after the underworld. While Hel was scary enough, it was said that Garmr’s howl was a sign of Raknorök's beginning.
The next incident was the changing of B.C.E. to C.E. and when the guardian aspect of the death dogs was changed to evil entities. This was due to the shift in the religions at the time. Dogs, especially the black-furred variety, had become a dark companion, one that symbolized despair and misfortune. This was reinforced by the Roman poet Horace, who was highly influential during this lifetime.
Plutarch, a Greek philosopher and historian, thought dogs to be impure because they were associated with the goddess Hecate. Not only was this goddess often referred to as a black female dog, but within her temples, dogs were sacrificed to make them guides for the souls in the afterlife.
During the first and second centuries, folklore tales of dogs described them as harbingers of misfortune. However, while dogs were demonized by some, to others they were loyal and trusted companions. This started to highlight the duality of dogs, aggression and loyalty, life and death.
This didn’t stop people from believing that black dogs were often associated with many illnesses. During the late 18th century, the black dog was heavily associated with depression, and this view was carried into the 20th century. Winston Churchill referred to his depression as a black dog.
Hellhounds are associated with transient spaces, where there is some form of movement. This could be physical, such as roads or gates, or metaphysical such as graveyards and execution sites, where the living would cease.
Hellhounds, or some variety can be found throughout the world, likely due to the distribution of dogs. While many of them are considered demons or evil spirits, this isn’t true. While creatures such as the Black Shuck (British Isles) and Kumiho (Korea) are often associated with the Wild Hunt and chaos respectively, the Church Grim wants nothing to do but protect its church grounds.
At the end of the day, the duality is noted once more, as these creatures are still seen as guardians and gatekeepers, while also being omens of death.
Modern depictions
The depictions of Hellhounds are far too numerous to mention here, but I will list a few. If you’re interested in reading more, the Wikipedia reference has a pretty decent list for you to look through.
Literature:
Authur Conan Doyle, The Hound of the Baskervilles
Robert Jordan, The Wheel of Time, though the Hellhounds are referred to as darkhounds.
Film:
Ghostbusters, 1984, Hellhounds Zuul and Vinz
All Dogs Go to Heaven, 1996, Charlie is in the underworld and meets a Hellhound.
TV:
Supernatural, several appearances
Helluva Boss (Huge fan), Luna and Vortex are just some of the Hellhounds you meet.
Games: Huge fan of both
Witcher, Bargheists
Heroes of Might and Magic III
Resources:
Hellhound. (n.d.-a). Myths and Folklore Wiki. https://mythus.fandom.com/wiki/Hellhound
Hellhound. (n.d.-b). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellhound
Hellhounds (folklore). (n.d.). Villains Wiki. https://villains.fandom.com/wiki/Hellhounds_(folklore)
Storied. (2022). What hellhounds reveal about humans’ oldest companion | monstrum [Video]. In YouTube.
Further viewing:
Previous Monsters
Aswang
Bunyip
Church Grim
Drop Bears
Enfield Horror
Futakuchi-Onna
Groot Slang
I quite enjoyed this beast and wished I had more time to deep dive, but then we'd be here till next week reading. As for the next creature, I'm still deciding between the Incubus and the Ittan-Momen. I guess we'll see how far I get during the week in other work before I decide.
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it's interesting how they are a recurring theme in dreams. Fantastic read Lex, please keep'em coming!
I will do my best!
❤️
Awesome!
And in Warhammer 40k, there is the Two-headed wolf Morkai that guards the gates of the underworld. Of course, this is a derivative of Cerebus in Greek Mythology while Fenris has a somewhat Norse theme.
Both are excellent additions, except Fenrir is a wolf and not a dog. That was why I excluded him originally in the discussion but included Garmr. Monstrum was a huge help in my research, especially when it came to the religious aspect, which I was uncomfortable to mention by name but we all know what it was/is.