HELLHOUNDS!

           
Now THATS what I call a guard dog! HellHounds in folklore were guardians of the underworld, what most would call Hell. And they were perfect for the job! legend has it that if you stare straight into a hellhounds eyes 3 times or more you will definitely die. Hellhounds didn't just guard hell. Theywere supposedly found guarding any entrance to the world of the dead. this includes graveyards and burial sites. Whoa. That makes graveyards seem even more frightening! these supernatural dog is found in legends and myths around the world. Hellhound were often described with a horrible shade of dark black fur, glowing red or yellow eyes, incredible strength and/or speed, ghostly characteristics, a disgusting and foul odor, and occasionally evn the ability to speak.  Puts a frightening picture in your mind, doesn't it? 
One of the most famous hellhounds was Cerberus, the three headed guard of the underworld, or Hades. He was in Greek mythology.  
Hellhounds are most famous in Northern European mythology. In Southern Mexico and Central America, the hellhound is known as Cadejo, and was said to haunt those who traveled late at night on rural roads.
Black Shuck, or Old Shuck was supposedly a ghostly black dog that roamed the Norfolk, Essex and Suffolk coastlines. He was also called " the doom dog" . I wonder why! There are many more legends of these hounds, and through every story the beasts seem to have common traits. They all have phantom-like qualities, and have black fur. They are often said to be omens of death.... But worst of all.......THEY ALL HAD SUPER SCARY NAMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Ha, just kidding. But seriously, they shared common traits in legends.


There are many horrifying stories about these gruesome, unholy, phantom-like,frightening, omens-of-death guardians of HELL. I will list some if you want to look them up ( halloween is in about a month in a half, so, you know, you might want some good old fashioned ghost stories, maybe some costume ideas...).
The question that is probably lingering in your mind is this: Do hellhounds exist? honestly, I am not sure. 
Scientifically, it does not seem likely. A dog that kills you just by looking at it? But then again, Some things simply cannot be explained, like ghosts ( which i believe in ). And we just can't shrug off the fact that these legends come from several separate cultures. There must have been SOMETHING that horrified all these people. And the similarities between the legends are remarkable. 
Will we ever unlock the secret of hellhounds? Perhaps we will never know. All I know is that i will no longer look at black dogs in graveyards twice. I just can't work death into my schedule!
Thank you for reading. hope i didn't scare you too much! ( I probably didn't, but I'm gonna go ahead and pretend I did ) :).  
Your buddy and blog writer,
Avigail                                                                                                           


   
P.S: ( here is a list of  some hellhound stories!)    
1.Black Shuck
2.Cw^n  Annwn
3.The hound of Baskervilles
4.The Hounds of Tindalos
5.Hellboy film ( A hellhound named Sammael is one of the main antagonists)
6. Several hellhound appearances in The wheel of time
7.Church Grims