The origins of the black dog are difficult to discern. The black dog is a recognised folkloric motif. Some black dogs, however, such as the Gurt Dog in Somerset, are said to behave benevolently as guardian black dogs, guiding travellers at night onto the right path or protecting them from danger. īlack dogs are generally regarded as sinister or malevolent, and a few (such as the Barghest and Shuck) are said to be directly harmful. It is sometimes associated with electrical storms (such as Black Shuck's appearance at Bungay, Suffolk), and also with crossroads, barrows (as a type of fairy hound), places of execution and ancient pathways. It is usually unnaturally large with glowing red or yellow eyes, is often connected with the Devil (as an English incarnation of the Hellhound), and is sometimes an omen of death. The black dog is a supernatural, spectral, or demonic entity originating from English folklore that has also been seen throughout Europe and the Americas. The story was inspired by a legend of ghostly black dogs in Dartmoor. Sidney Paget's illustration of The Hound of the Baskervilles. For the broader mythological archetype, see Hellhound.
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