Black Shuck
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Black Shuck is the name given to a ghostly black dog, probably a type of barghest, which is said to roam the Norfolk and Suffolk coastline.
The Legend
For centuries, inhabitants of East Anglia have told tales of a large black hellhound with malevolent flaming eyes that are red or alternatively green. They are described as being 'like saucers'. According to reports, the beast varies in size and stature from that of a typical calf to that of a large draft-horse.
The legends of the Black Shuck roaming the Anglian countryside date back to the time of the Vikings. His name derives from the Anglo-Saxon word scucca meaning "demon".
Sometimes Black Shuck is referred to as the Doom Dog. It is said that his appearance bodes ill to the beholder, though not always. More often than not, Black Shuck terrifies his victims out of their wits but then leaves them alone to continue living normal lives. Many other black dogs exhibit a similar trait. Sometimes Black Shuck has appeared headless, and at other times he appears to float on a carpet of mist rather than run. According to folklore, the spectre often haunts graveyards, sideroads and dark forests.
The legend was part of the inspiration for the Sherlock Holmes novel The Hound of the Baskervilles.
Famous encounters
One of the most vivid reports of Black Shuck, though, is of his appearance at the churches of Bungay and Blythburgh, both near the Suffolk border. On the 4th of August 1577, at Blythburgh, Black Shuck is said to have burst in through the church doors. He ran up the nave, past a large congregation, killing a man and boy and causing the church tower to collapse through the roof. As the dog left, he left scorch marks on the north door which can be seen at the church to this day. Other accounts attribute the event to lightning or the Devil. Indeed, the scorch marks on the door are referred to by the locals as "the devil's fingerprints". The event is remembered in this verse:
All down the church in midst of fire, the hellish monster flew, And, passing onward to the quire, he many people slew.
Apparitions similar to Black Shuck in other locations are commonly called "Black Dogs". These apparitions allegedly haunt church yards and crossroads, appearing before lonely travellers.
Black Shuck in popular culture
A song about the Blythburgh animal entitled "Black Shuck" appears on the 2003 album Permission To Land by The Darkness.
A sinister dog known as "the Grim" is mentioned in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which may derive indirectly from the legend of Black Shuck, via The Hound of the Baskervilles.
According to the children's book The Runton Werewolf by Ritchie Perry, Black Shuck is a Gronk, a race of friendly shapeshifting aliens, the ancestors of which were accidentally left behind on Earth when one of them suffered from stomach troubles.
He is the leader of a group of mythological characters in the 2000 AD series London Falling
See also
External links
- [The Hell Hound of Norfolk]
- [EDP24 The tale of Black Shuck]
- [Apparitions Of Black Dogs]
- [Black dogs in folklore]
- [Paranormal Animal Research Group]
- [The black dogs of Bungay story]
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