Black Shuck - The Hellhound of East Anglia

Britain harbours many tales of supernatural canines. There are countless myths and monikers for ghostly dogs in the British Isles.

There is one of particular notoriety I have always been fascinated by, however. I am, of course, speaking of the legendary hellhound Black Shuck. Origin: East Anglia.

Known for his abnormally large size, fiery, lamp-like eyes and black shaggy coat, Shuck is not only a sinister icon of legend, but a breed of paracanine. And so it is right to identify a shuck as a black-haired, lamp-eyed spectre, just as it is right to know Shuck as a particular, individual beast.

Most shucks tend to patrol byways, lonely footpaths and marshes, churches and places of tragedy. It is no coincidence that the black dog is synonymous with depression.

Shuck is perhaps most well-known for his attack on two churches one stormy night in August of 1577 at first Bungay, and then nearby Blythburgh, where he descended upon the clergy, killing and maiming before fleeing wrathful into the night.

Since, there have been over 700 recorded sightings of Shuck around the East of England. His origins range from his supposed place at Odin and Thor's side as their war dog in Norse Mythology, to being a hound of the fabled Wild Hunt in English folklore. Some say the Vikings brought him to the English shore, while another legend places Shuck as a victim of a shipwreck, who patrols the riverbanks and marshes in search of his lost masters, a Saxon and a Dane who took the hound on a fishing trip that ended in tragedy.

Whatever the beast's origins, Shuck pervades as a powerful figure of British folklore, evoking terror and superstition wherever he is sighted. In this video, we unravel the myth in detail complete with eye-witness accounts.

Видео Black Shuck - The Hellhound of East Anglia канала British Folklore, Myths and Legends