BLACK DOGS
Black dogs are something from British folklore, much larger than normal dogs, seeing one is supposed to be very bad luck...usually meaning a death very soon.
It makes me go cold just writing this!
It happened a long time ago when I visited Avebury stone circle. It was late afternoon and still light and I had been at the circle most of the day. I remember it was a lovely sunny day and there were lots of people visiting Avebury. The circle is so big even when there are lots of people there you can walk round parts of it and not see anyone. But the path from the car park is always full of people - it being the main route back to the village for visitors. I was not aware at the time but thought after, there was not a soul in sight!
I was walking back to my car and there was no one else about but at the time it just did not register. A nice day, late afternoon, loads of people should have been walking back to the car park. I became aware of something behind me and on turning around I saw a huge, black dog. It did not seem to have an owner near by. I only caught sight of it for a few seconds, but it was the size of the thing which struck me most. It appeared just like a huge, black Labrador, but probably half as big again. It was trotting quite fast and not that far from me.
It's a very long and narrow path with a thick hedge to one side and a smaller hedge on the other side, where there is an open field. It was only a few feet away - maybe ten, or fifteen feet. As the path was so narrow I carried on walking, but stepped to one side to let it pass, so it didn't knock me flying...it never did pass though! I looked back and it had gone. The hedge was far too thick for it to have gone through and I'm sure I would have heard the noise it would have made. If it went the other way, which again was a very thick hedge, I would have seen the dog in the field. That was very strange I can tell you.
I did look about for it because it was so strange. I could not believe a dog that size and so close could just vanish. I could see no way a dog that size could have squeezed through a very thick hedge and I would have heard it anyway. There was no gaps or anything for it to go through - that I'm sure of. And to the other side is a field, the hedge is lower, but still I would have seen it jump or heard it, and then seen the dog plainly in the field.
It was not long after that I heard that my friend, Becky who lived in America had died.
It was not until much later I read about black dogs and how they are the
bringer of death. Maybe the black dog was some kind of omen!
This is what I have found out about black dogs. They have been in English folklore for hundreds of years. Most English counties will have its own story associated with a black dog. Also known as phantom dogs. In appearance they are much larger than normal dogs, often with large, long teeth and can have large glowing eyes. Even fiery!
Sometimes the dog can be silent or just the sound of its feet can be heard. Few ever bark or growl. They are usually seen outside, often in lonely rural settings. In some cases the witness was making their way home alone at night. Or may report that they suddenly become aware of a black dog trotting along beside them. Some sightings of black dogs have been reported to have two heads. Sometimes even headless. In other reports it has stood on its back legs and walked like a man.
A black dog is usually associated with a certain place or area like roads, crossroads, lanes, footpaths, bridges, gateways, doorways, staircases, boundaries, fields, hedges, ancient sites, wayside burials, graves and gallows, wells and trees. It's thought that black dogs might patrol ley lines and disappear at various ley points such as, churchyards, prehistoric remains and ancient trackways. There have been terrifying black dog apparitions at churches and churchyards. Notably the black dog of Bungay Suffolk.
Most black dogs either vanish or gradually fade from sight. Or the dog appears to sink into the earth or may disappear with a flash or explosion. Appearances in East Anglia are often accompanied by lightning, fire and explosions. Black dogs have also been known to increase or decrease in size. Other times black dogs appear to be able to change form into a human or another animal. Black dogs are often seen to walk through solid objects and sometimes the sound of chains is reported.
The appearance of black dog apparitions has often been regarded as an omen of death or bad luck or bad weather. Some appearances are good omens, Black dogs in Lincolnshire have often been considered to be harmless and protective but they are mostly believed to be bad omens.
What Was The Black Figure On The Highway?
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By Andrew Searle, copyright 2010 @ World Mysteries and True Ghost Tales
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