Dog: A domesticated canine mammal of various breeds that are kept as pets and are used for hunting, herding, drawing sleds, or other tasks. A male canine animal. A contemptible person. An inferior product creation.
Hound: Any of various hunting dogs usually having drooping ears, and a deep resonant voice. A dog. A scoundrel. An avid enthusiast. To pursue relentlessly.
Many people associate the dogs and hounds as loyal and faithful servants. This post will explore the dog and the hound as an accessory in various hunting parties and their appearance in folklore and myth.
Greek Myth: The Greek deity Artemis was known as the goddess of the hunt, she is often described and portrayed with a pack of hunting dogs. In the lower regions of the Underworld sits a creature that many are familiar with. Edith Hamilton in her work Mythology, writes of the three-headed dog known as Cerberus;
"On guard before the gate sits Cerberus, the three-headed, dragon-tailed dog, who permits all spirits to enter, but none to return. On his arrival, each one is brought before three judges, Rhadamanthus, Minos, and Aecus, who pass sentence and send the wicked to everlasting torment and the good to a place of blessedness called the Elysian Fields."
The prophet known as Sibyl who passed through the underworld with the hero Aeneas was said to have fed the dog cake and the creature let her pass unharmed.
Hercules, as part of his twelfth labour, subdued the creature Cerberus.
Egyptian Myth: In the written work by Lewis Spence, Ancient Egyptian Myths and Legends, he writes of the Dog's relevance to the Egyptians;
"Dogs were held in great honour by the Egyptians, as in the city of Cynopolis, yet strangely enough, they were never looked upon as a possible incarnation of a god, though there seems to have been some confusion of the dog with the jackal, sacred to Anubis, who ministered to Osiris and acted as guide to the souls of the dead. Another animal so confounded was the wolf, which was especially venerated at Lycopolis. The fact that the jackal was to be found chiefly in the deserts and mountains where tombs were usually located led to its early association with the dead and the underworld in Egyptian mythology, the character ascribed to it being beneficent and that of a guide."
Celtic Myth: Before the great hero Cuchulain was known by that name, he was a young lad that went by the name of Setanta. It was only after he slayed a great hound, that he assumed the title, of 'The Hound of Cuchulain'. In the written work by T.W. Rolleston, Celtic Myths and Legends, he writes of the young Setanta earning his manhood in the passage of The Hound of Cullan;
"When he was old enough the boy Setanta went to the court Conor to be brought up and instructed along with the other sons of princes and chieftains. It was now that the event occurred from which he got the name Cuchulain, by which he was hereafter to be known. One afternoon King Conor and his nobles were going to a feast to which they were bidden at the dun of a wealthy smith named Cullan, in Quelgny, where they also meant to spend the night. Setanta was to accompany them, but as the cavalcade set off he was in the midst of a game of hurley with his companions and bade the king go forward, saying he would follow later when his play was done. The royal company arrived at their destination as night began to fall. Cullan received them hospitably, and in the great hall they made merry over meat and wine while the lord of the house barred the gates of his fortress and let loose outside a huge and ferocious dog which every night guarded the lonely mansion, and under whose protection, it was said, Cullan feared nothing less than the onset of an army.
But they had forgotten Setanta! In the middle of the laughter and music of the feast, a terrible sound was heard which brought every man to his feet in an instant. It was the tremendous baying of the hound of Cullan, giving tongue as it saw a stranger approach. Soon the noise changed to the sound of a fierce combat, but, on rushing to the gates, they saw the glare of the lanterns a young boy and the hound lying dead at his feet. When it flew at him he had seized it by the throat and dashed its life out against the side-posts of the gate. The warriors bore in the lad with rejoicing and wonder, but soon the triumph ceased, for there stood their host, silent and sorrowful over the body of his faithful friend, who had died for the safety of his house and would never guard it more. 'Give me,' then said the lad Setanta, 'a whelp of the hound, O Cullan, and I will train him to be to you all that his sire was. And until then, give me shield and spear and I will myself guard your house; never a hound guarded it better than I will.' And all the company shouted and applause at the generous pledge, and on the spot, a commemoration of his first deed of valour, they named the lad Cuchulain, the Hound of Cullan, and by that name he was known until he died."
Many are familiar with the works written by Arthur Conan Doyle, most notably his stories associated with Sherlock Holmes. There are those who are familiar with the tale of The Hound of the Baskervilles, a story about a murderous and blood-thirsty hound who stalked the Moors at night and killed his victims this way, lonely unsuspecting wayfarers were found dead the next morning, and the hound was never seen during the light of day. The creature could only be heard howling in the dead of night.
In the written work The Forest in Folklore and Mythology by Alexander Porteous, he writes in the chapter Mythical Denizens of the Forest, of a rumoured tale, which involved a pack of ghastly hounds and a huntsman of the undead;
"Storms in the forest were once attributed to the furious career of the Wild Huntsman, of whom many tales are told under various aspects in different lands. In Germany, the legend is very widely spread and seems to have descended from the highest antiquity. The most popular form of the legend is as follows: In Lower Saxony, it is told how Hans von Hackelnberg was the Chief Master of the Hounds to the Duke of Brunswick. He was a mighty huntsman, and is said to have died in 1521 as the result of an accident. While on his deathbed he refused to listen to the parson's exhortations regarding his fitness for Heaven, replying to all, 'The Lord may keep His Heaven, so He leave me my hunting'; whereupon the parsons said to him, 'Hunt then till the Day of Judgment!' Accordingly, such became his doom, and to this day he hunts horses and hounds. He pursues his wild career through the Thuringerwald, the forest of the Harz, and particularly in the Hackel, a forest situated between Halberstadt, Groningen, and Derenburg, uttering his wild cry of 'Hu-hu!' His approach is heralded by a distant baying or yelping of hounds, while a night-owl, called by the people Tutosel (i.e. tut-ursel, tooting Ursula), flies in front of him. This, Ursula was said to have been a nun who, after her death, joined Hackelnberg and mingled her 'Tu-Hu' with his 'Hu-hu.' Travellers when he passes, fall silently on their faces, and lie terror-stricken listening to the barking of the dogs and the huntsman's weird 'Hu-hu.'"
There are numbered versions of the tale, in one story, the hunter was on his deathbed, and he asked of the Lord, that he might forego passing into the afterlife, and continue on with his hunt until the Day of Judgment arrived, and his wish was granted.
Porteous writes of another mythical figure akin to the huntress of the woods known as Dziwitza;
"In Poland, a female spirit, called Dziwitza is very fond of hunting, both in the daytime and on moonlight nights. She appears to be the prototype of the classical huntress Diana or Artemis. She was believed to be young and lovely princess who roamed the forests accompanied by a most splendid pack of hounds, and she carried a zylba, or kind of javelin. She was in the habit of appearing to people who happened to be in the forest at midday and terrifying them, so it came to be a kind of joke to say to people who had been alone in the Fir woods at noon, 'Are you not afraid Dziwitzia will come to you?'"
Aesop's Fables: From the Signet version, edited by Jack Zipes;
The Old Hound
An old hound had served his master extremely well in the field but many had lost his strength over the years and now had many troubles. One day while out hunting with his master, he encountered a wild boar, and boldly seized the beast by the ear, but his teeth gave way, and the boar escaped. His master rushed to the scene and began giving the hound a good scolding and sound beating, but he stopped when the feeble dog looked up and said "Spare your old servant, dear master! You know full well that neither my courage nor my will were at fault, but only my strength and my teeth, and these I have lost in your service."
The Dogs and the Hides
Some dogs, famished with hunger, saw some cowhides that a skinner had left in the bottom of a stream and tried to desperately get them. Since they were unable to reach them, however, they decided to drink up the stream to obtain the hides. Unfortunately they all burst from drinking before they even came close to the hides.
Those who attempt the impossible through foolish means are bound to destroy themselves.
The Mischievous Dog
There was once a dog so wild and mischievous that his master was obliged to fasten a heavy collar with a bell around his neck to prevent him from biting and worrying his neighbours. The dog was so proud of his badge that he paraded about in the marketplace, shaking his collar to attract attention. But a sly old friend admonished him. "The less noise you make, the better. Your collar is not a mark of distinction but a sign of disgrace!"
Men often mistake notoriety for fame.
The Dog in the Manger
A dog made his bed in a manger and kept the horses from eating their food by snarling and growling at them.
"See what a miserable cur that dog is!" said one of the horses. "Even though he himself can't eat they hay, he won't allow anyone else to eat it who can."
We should not deprive others of their blessings simply because we cannot enjoy them ourselves.
The Dog and the Shadow
A dog had stolen a piece of meat out of a butcher shop and was crossing a river on his way home when he saw his own shadow reflected in the water below. Thinking that it was another dog with another piece of meat, he became intent on capturing the other piece as well. Once he snapped at the treasure below, however, he dropped the prize that he was carrying and thus lost everything he had.
Grasp at the shadow and you will lose the substance