It’s no surprise that man’s best friend has several features in the myths and folklore that lace through history. We see gods of revenance, creatures that embody both loyalty and rage, and the many ways that our canine friends have shaped us in our thousands of years together.
While the real list is endless, here are a few of the most prominent dogs from myths and tales around the world.
1. Anubis (and other Egyptian Protectors)
Egypt’s Anpu (known better by his Greek rendering “Anubis”), God of funerary rights and guide to the underworld, bears the head of a jackal and often the body of a man. The jackals, cunning African scavengers, represent the inevitability of death. They were commonly seen digging up shallow graves.
History is full of different variations of his role. During the First Dynasty he was a protector of graves, but through time he was replaced by Osiris. Later records show him guiding the dead from the world of the living. He’s also known as the “Guardian of the Scales” that determines whether one is worthy enough to enter the underworld.
Other jackal-headed figures like Duamutef and Wepwawet also show up in Egyptian mythology as regional gods in similar roles. They work alongside Anubis to protect canopic jars and direct the dead.
2. Cerberus and Orthrus
Cerberus has more than earned his role on this list as the famous three-headed guard dog of the Greek underworld. It’s said that his three heads represent the different aspects of a person’s journey through death:
- One to look into the past
- One to represent the present
- One to look ahead into the future
Some tales also describe him with manes made of snakes, a snake head of a tail, and lion-like talons.
Cerberus is undoubtedly loyal and ferocious, and he was greatly loved by Hades. When Hercules came to capture the three-headed beast for his twelve laborers, Hades permitted it as long as he did not harm the dog.
Orthrus, Cerberus’s two-headed brother, didn’t fare as well. Also a fierce protector, he was killed by Hercules while guarding the red cattle of Geryon.
3. The Golden Dog of Greek Mythology
There are a plethora of myths surrounding the Golden Dog of Greek mythology, known as Kyon Khryseaos, Laelaps, and Canis Major. Often thought to be a Molossian hound, his closest living relatives would be Mastiffs.
Some speak of a dog who was sent by Rhea to guard the infant Zeus and his goat nurse Amaltheia while he matured on the Island of Crete. Sometimes they stop here, with Zeus thanking the dog with immortality in the stars.
In others he’s gifted to the goddess Europa. She passes the dog, famed for catching anything he hunted, to King Minos, who then rewards him to the Athenian princess Procris. Her husband Cephalus decides to use him to hunt the uncatchable Teumessian fox, and Zeus eventually sets their chase in the stars (Canis Major and Minor) to interrupt their paradox.
4. Argos of Homer’s The Odyssey
Fans of Homer’s The Odyssey (or even just Jorge River-Herrans EPIC: The Musical) should be familiar with the loyal dog who waits for his master to return from the Trojan war.
Argos passes two decades neglected on Ithaca, and Odysseus finds him immobile from old age and resting in miles of manure. The loyal hound recognizes his master immediately, despite his disguise as a beggar, wags his tail, and passes from life.
Argos’s death uses language typical with that of noble death, not animals, and emphasizes the virtue of his devotion. Argos was thought to be a Laconion, a now-extinct breed with descendants like the Hellenic Hound and other hare hunters like the Harrier.
5. Sarama of Hindu Mythology
Dogs are celebrated in many Indian cultures. Kukur Tihar, an annual Hindu festival originating from Nepal, dedicates its second day to dogs, who regularly show up in myths with loyalty.
Sarama is companion to the Hindu goddess Indra and known as the mother of all dogs. She’s recorded in the Rigveda, one of the earliest written records, as a quick and wise creature who assists her mistress in retrieving cattle stolen by malevolent creatures.
6. Fenrir and Garm
Fenrir isn’t a dog but a wolf, but his infamy earns him a spot on this list. Born from the Norse trickster god Loki and his giantess wife Angrboda, Fenrir was fated for a life of chaos. He grew terribly large, and the gods had to chain him up to prevent his rampant destruction.
Fenrir plays a major role in the Norse end times, Ragnarök. Tales say he will break free of his bindings, swallow the moon and everything else in his path. The head of the Norse pantheon, Odin, will follow behind the moon, and his sons will avenge this death by slaying Fenrir.
Not all Norse dogs have a bad reputation, though. Garm, declared as the best of hounds by Odin All-Father, serves as a loyal guardian of the afterlife. He’s also fated to play a part in Ragnarök with his howls ringing out when the time finally strikes.
7. The Hounds of the Wild Hunt
The hounds of the wild hunt have an array of descriptions depending on the version of the story. Generally, they are massive, ghostly or fae-touched dogs that run with the hunters, baying and braying along the way. In a supposed record of their appearance from Abbott Henry d’Angley in 1127, they’re described as “jet black, with eyes like saucers”.
Many British myths explain them as hell hounds that chase after sinners or unbaptized folks, but all iterations show them as untamed and chaotic creatures whose quarry you don’t want to be.
