For those of you who don’t know what Hellhounds are; be thankful. Prominent and frequently-reported features include mangy fur, the colour of night, glowing red eyes, a pungent odour and possessing supernatural speed and strength. Often used as guardians of the entrances to the underworld, legend has it that if you stare into their eyes three times, you are doomed to die. The legend of the Hellhounds is told around the world, and is known by many names – some of which you may be familiar with; Black Shuck, Barghest, Cerberus, Gwyllgi or Cadejo to name but a few.
According to a submission to the paranormal database (www.paranormaldatabase.com), a mystery “large hound” has been spotted on the A93 north of Blairgowrie. With reports that the phantom dog patrolling the road is “huge” and “its presence makes normal dogs nervous and horses shy”, it seems to allude to the suggestion that this beast has been spotted more than once. Checking through the website, there are a LOT of references to large hound sightings up and down the country.
Bungay, in the English county of Suffolk is one such place where the legend holds possibly the largest sway and centres on the events of a stormy Sunday in 1577. The church service had begun, and it was between 9am and 10am when a violent and sudden storm broke out. As the sky darkened, the church began to shake, and, before the eyes of the parishioners, a huge dog appeared as if from nowhere. It ran about inside the church, lit by flame and is said to have killed two people just by passing them and causing a man to shrivel up and burn. As if this wasn’t strange enough, similar phenomena was reported in a church seven miles away, the incidents having occurred simultaneously. This time, three were left dead and scorch marks were left on the North church door – marks which are still there today!
One person submitted a photograph to www.britishwildboar.org.uk – it’s undated, so we don’t know the year – of a wild boar that was spotted in woods north of Blairgowrie on New Year’s Day. The shot isn’t great, as the submitter acknowledges, but it’s quite clearly a boar. Could it be possible that the Hellhound of Blairgowrie is, in fact, a big, fat, wild boar? Sounds more likely to us, but then, we’ve never encountered it ourselves, so who are we to say? Why not take a walk there one night and find out for yourself if there’s any credence to the stories?
Happy hunting.
Top image credit ‘thegopfather.deviantart.com’
– DD Tours operates walking tours in Dundee city, covering dark local history such as wars, battles, murders, diseases, riots, disasters and executions. Walk with us for an unforgettable storytelling experience.
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