Man’s Best Friend And His Mythical History

The cat isn’t the only domestic pet with a history of thousands of years of myth and legend. The dog, “man’s best friend,” is also the subject of many magical tales throughout the world.

Like the cat, dogs were companions to the ancients. In Egypt he was represented by the god Anubis and resembled today’s modern greyhound. In Greece, he was sacred to the goddess Artemis, who ruled the woods and the hunt. A massive three-headed monster dog, Cerberus, guarded the Greek underworld and was later captured by the hero Heracles in one of his twelve labors. The brightest star in the night sky, Sirius, is called “The Dog Star” and is a representation of the dark goddess Hekate.

The dog has seldom been successful in pulling man up to its level of sagacity, but man has frequently dragged the dog down to his ~ James Thurber

One of the popular myths of Northern Europe and the Celtic world is that of the Wild Hunt, in which the god Odin would lead his eight-legged hound Sleipnir across the night sky, with the souls of the dead following behind. The “black dog” or Grim, often a straggler from these hunts, was a sign associated with death; many people may recognize this image from the popular Harry Potter series.

Not all dogs were thought to be bringers of death, or monsters in myths. Many of the traditional native American stories feature dogs who are guardians, or bringers of good fortune. In many of the tribes, dogs served as companions, camp guards, and hunting partners.

In the ancient Mayan creation myth of central America, dogs were created before humans, and became angry when the first humans (made of wood) would not feed them properly. Today’s Chihuahua is descended from the sacred dogs of the Mayans and Aztecs.

We also see the dog prominently in Eastern mythology: he is the eleventh sign of the Chinese zodiac. Even today, a type of statuary known as “Foo” dogs are popular as guardians in Chinese homes.

Maybe you have a lazy dog, or maybe one who has too much energy, but chances are he is descended from some magical mutts. If only you could teach him how to walk and feed himself!