In Greek mythology, Cerberus, often referred to as the hound of Hades, is a multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the Underworld to prevent the dead from leaving. In Germany, it was believed that the devil would appear as a black hellhound, especially on Walpurgisnacht. In Lower Brittany there are stories of a ghost ship crewed by the souls of criminals with hellhounds set to guard them and inflict on them a thousand tortures. On mainland Normandy the Rongeur d'Os wanders the streets of Bayeux on winter nights as a phantom dog, gnawing on bones and dragging chains along with it. The dog then vanished as suddenly as it had appeared. The church grew dark as it padded up and down the aisle as if looking for someone. In France in AD 856 a black hound was said to materialize in a church even though the doors were shut. Numerous sightings of hellhounds persist throughout the Czech lands. In Wallonia, the southern region of Belgium, folktales mentioned the Tchén al tchinne ("Chained Hound" in Walloon), a hellhound with a long chain, that was thought to roam in the fields at night. Oude Rode Ogen ("Old Red Eyes") or the " Beast of Flanders" was a demon reported in Flanders, Belgium in the 18th century who would take the form of a large black hound with fiery red eyes. Physical characteristics vary, but they are commonly black, anomalously overgrown, supernaturally strong, and often have red eyes or accompanied by flames.īy locale Europe Belgium
Hellhounds occur in mythologies around the world, with the best known examples being Cerberus from Greek mythology, Garmr from Norse mythology, the black dogs of English folklore, and the fairy hounds of Celtic mythology.
Goddess Hel and the hellhound Garmr by Johannes Gehrts, 1889Ī hellhound is a mythological hound that embodies a guardian or a servant of hell, the devil, or the underworld. For other uses, see Hellhound (disambiguation).
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