What are Hell Hounds and can I use or make one?~~~~

Dear Readers,

I think this is one of the most frightening lines to read in English literature:  “Mr. Holmes, it was the foot prints of a Gigantic Hound!”   ---- “Hound of the Baskervilles” by A. Conan Doyle.

Conan Doyle, in that novel, was describing what was believed to be a Hound from Hell or Hellhound.  In the novel the Hellhound was called upon when in 1750 Sir Hugo Baskerville lorded over the Baskerville mansion in Devonshire, England. Hugo was lecherously obsessed with a local yeoman's daughter, whom he kidnapped. 

Trapped in an upstairs room, the girl escaped climbing down an ivy-covered wall and fled across the moors outside. Enraged finding she escaped, Hugo shouted a bargain to the devil and mounted his horse in pursuit of the young girl, his friends drunkenly  followed him across the moors only to come across the body of the girl dead from exhaustion and shocked to discover Sir Hugo with his throat ripped out by "a foul thing, a great, black beast." 

Ever since, according to the legend in the novel, the supernatural hound has haunted the family, allegedly killing every Lord of Baskerville Hall with Sir Charles Baskerville, the latest inhabitant of Baskerville Hall, as the hound’s latest victim and Sherlock Holmes is asked to investigate and prevent another death, that of Sir Henry Baskerville the new Lord of Baskerville Hall.   

 Read the novel, it is entertaining on a dark, cold, foggy or rainy night.

Conan Doyle in that novel gave the best idea and concept of what a Hell Hound is supposed to be in Modern Times.

This post is going to be what I consider “off-topic” for my blog, but I also believe that anyone who does “the work” should know about all kinds of strange and occult things.     I say this because one time (many years ago) I was helping out at a metaphysical shop owned by an acquaintance of mine who was a practioner of the Ifa and Santeria beliefs, now she was born, raised and educated in the USA and she got her degree in psychology and comparative religions, became attracted to Santeria and traveled all over the world to understand and be trained in this practice.  

That day she needed to do a consultation for a client and her regular store worker was running late, I happened into the shop to pick up some candles and maybe chat with her when this situation arose and I agreed to watch the shop while she did her consultation in the rear office of her shop.  

She was back there for some 15 minutes when she came out and asked me “What is a Hell Hound?”   I looked at this college educated in comparative religions graduate and thought “She doesn’t know what a Hell Hound is?”  So I quickly educated her, I saw the light go on in her eyes and she said “Ahh, thanks” and went back in.   An hour later they came out, the client was satisfied.   Then my acquaintance said to me “I had no idea what a Hell Hound is.”  

Now anyone who does “the work” had really better know what various creatures are out there in the metaphysical world and now with the internet you can get a very fast update on such information.   But this was long before the internet and she didn’t know about this creature, it was not part of her Santeria training.   To her if she was not trained in it, it didn’t exist, I told her it Does exist and she better open her mind, because that is what my Granny taught me, and I have a degree in “common sense”.

So I have been asked by several of you about “What are hell hounds?” and in some instances “How can I call upon one to use”

First I want to make it very clear, I’m writing from my own personal opinion, research and understanding about Hell Hounds and I will be reprinting a portion of an earlier post about how a friend of mine created a Hell Hound and directed it to do what she needed, and maybe it was not exactly like the Hell Hound as one would think but for her it certainly did the work.

So where did the concept of Hell Hounds or Hell Hound begin?

Hellhounds show up in many cultures and have many names including three-headed Cerberus in Greek mythology, Anubis in Egyptian mythology, Garmr in Norse mythology, Perro Negro in Latin America, and Black Shuck in England. More recently hellhounds were used in fiction in  such as The Hound of the Baskervilles, the Grim (although not technically a Hell Hound, but displays those tendencies) in the Harry Potter series, and in movies like The Omen and the Television Show “Supernatural”.

According to Wikipedia a hellhound, or devil dog, is a supernatural animal found throughout mythology, folklore, and fiction. Hellhound legends date back to ancient times and alleged sightings and attacks have been reported throughout history. Hellhound descriptions tend to have black fur, glowing eyes, supernatural strength or speed, large teeth, long claws, and sometimes multiple heads (of course that could be from an over exaggeration by the observer).  In cultures that associate the afterlife with fire, hellhounds may have fire-based abilities and appearance and that their paw-prints will appear as if burned into the ground.

According to various legends these Devil dogs/Hell Hounds in mythology may guard the entrance to the Underworld such as Cerberus, and the grounds of graveyards, or they are sent to hunt lost souls or could be set to protect a supernatural treasure. In European folklore, seeing a hellhound or hearing it howl is believed to be an omen of doom or the cause of death, especially if seen or heard three times.

Certain Goddesses are associated with Dogs or wolf-like Hell Hounds such as the Norse Goddess Hel and her dog Garmr,  it is said that when the Titan Hecate she walks Dogs or Hell Hounds bay  to announce at her coming, and the Goddess Diana hunts with Dogs, another is Herne the Hunter who hunts with a wild pack of dogs.

It seems the mythology behind these creatures is a bit contradicting such as it’s an omen of death, or nothing may occur, or possibly a protector of something, a guardian at the gates of a cemetery etc. sometimes they may be benign;  so where did it start?  

I’m going to go on record here and say, In My Humble Opinion, that it started with Anubis the black Jackal headed dog God of the Ancient Egyptians who oversaw the mummification of the dead and guided their souls to the afterlife, along with his wolf brother Wepwawet (also called Upuaut),  who was sometimes called “the opener of the way.      

 Anubis is considered a benign God of the ancient Egyptians in the First Dynasty from 3100 B.C. to 2890 B.C. he was depicted as a protector of graves and was also an embalmer. By the Middle Kingdom 2055 B.C. to 1650 BC he was replaced by Osiris in his role as lord of the underworld. One of his prominent roles was as a god who ushered souls into the afterlife.

 He attended the weighing scale during the "Weighing of the Heart," in which it was determined whether a soul would be allowed to enter the realm of the dead. According to Wikipedia that despite being one of the most ancient and "one of the most frequently depicted and mentioned gods" in the Egyptian pantheon, Anubis played almost no role in Egyptian myths.

So from the description of Anubis we get the concept of the black fur, as a guide of the souls of the dead, as a protector of graves which gives us the earliest inkling of a Hell Hound’s duties.  As a guardian of the gateway to Hades we have the most famous hellhound Cerberus from Greek mythology, but even Cerberus could be outwitted if sweet music was played to lull him to sleep.

Perhaps the most ferocious is two of them in Norse Mythology, Garmr or Garm is a wolf or dog associated with both Hel and Ragnarök, and is described as a blood-stained guardian of Hel's gate.  Hel is referred to as a daughter of Loki, and to "go to Hel" is to die.  So if anyone curses you by saying “You can go to Hell” they are saying for you to die.   

The other hell hound is Fenrir wolf, but it is believed when comparing the various stories that Garmr and Fenrir became merged as one.   Garmr is sometimes seen as a hellhound, much like Cerberus, but is supposed to destroy (in his Fenrir incarnation) Odin with the coming of Ragnarok.

In Greek mythology like the Titan Goddess Hecate, the dog is a creature of the threshold, the guardian of doors and portals, and of crossroads, so it is appropriately associated with the frontier between life and death, and with demons and ghosts which move across the frontier, and Hecate is considered a Goddess of the Crossroads, to be in the mortal world and in the underworld, which is why when one hears baying hounds it means Hecate walks in the night.

Some people believe that the idea or myth of the Hell Hound started in the early 1500’s when they were used in combat and died; in ancient combat soldiers used dogs as an elite attack force. These deceased dogs are said to look like their former selves’ but reek of brimstone and ash.  According to legend they are supposed to warn people of coming death but it says you have to see it three times.

However hell hounds were known in the Bible, in 2^nd Samuel 16:5-8 it says “When the king (David) got to Bahurim, a man appeared who had connections with Saul’s family. His name was Shimei son of Gera. As he followed along he shouted insults and threw rocks right and left at David and his company, servants and soldiers alike. To the accompaniment of curses he shouted, “Get lost, get lost, you butcher, you hellhound! God has paid you back for all your dirty work in the family of Saul and for stealing his kingdom. God has given the kingdom to your son Absalom. Look at you now—ruined! And good riddance, you pathetic old man!”

So the concept, the word Hellhound could go back as far as before the birth of Jesus as a demon thing, possibly changed and morphed from benign Anubis to a demon creature.  Because it appears that the basic attributes of Anubis and Cerberus coupled with the ferocity of Garmr/Fenrir, became merged to the idea of the Hell Hound as we know and understand it today.

According to Wikipedia these hounds are given several different names in local folklore, but they display typical hellhound characteristics. The myth is common across Great Britain, and many names are given to the apparitions: Moddey Dhoo of the Isle of Man, Gwyllgi of Wales and other ghostly black dogs that exist in legend. The earliest mention of these myths are found in both Walter Map's De Nugis Curialium (1190) and the Welsh myth cycle of the Four Branches of the Mabinogi (ca. tenth to thirteenth century).

The Welsh Cŵn Annwn, were regarded as benign hell hound, but encountering them was still considered a sign of imminent death.   In southern Mexico and Central America folklore, the Cadejo is a big black dog that haunts travelers who walk late at night on rural roads. The term ‘hell hound’ is also common in American blues music, such as with Robert Johnson's 1937 song, "Hellhound on My Trail".

Going further (according to Wikipedia) “The Bearer of Death” is a term used in describing the Hellhound and it’s described as black as coal and smelling of burning brimstone.  Again they tend to leave behind a burned area wherever they go. Their eyes are a deep, bright, and almost glowing red. They have razor sharp teeth, super strength, and speed, and are commonly associated with graveyards and the underworld.

These Hellhounds are called The Bearers of Death because they were supposedly created by ancient demons to serve as heralds of death. According to legend, seeing one leads to a person's death. Sometimes it is said to be just once; other times it requires three sightings for the curse to take effect and kill the victim. These factors make the Hellhound a feared symbol and worthy of the name “Bearer of Death”.

According to the Mythical Creatures Guide " While considered a bad omen, the hellhound has often helped many as well. The supernatural dog was said to warn people of danger and protect them when they needed it. The dog is often very loyal to those who call upon one and is said to be very watchful. While the creatures are often known as evil, they are not as evil as one would suggest.

Hellhounds have been reported all around the globe and about half of the time it is of bad things about to happen. The other half of the time, they cause the bad things to happen. Hellhounds not only are guards for cemeteries but they are often seen as helper dogs for those who are about to pass. But they also can show up to said loved ones and sort of inform them or a loved ones passing.

While most pictures show the Hellhound as being evil and vicious, this is simply not the case. Hellhounds do not have to be evil looking or scary looking. They can look like any large dog only with pure black fur. Hellhounds can be very good creatures and feel remorseful when they do something they do not fully agree with."

I'm not sure where the writer of that post (The Elegant Shadow) got his/her information unless it was a legend that combines the attributes of Anubis and has softened it.

The Hellhound, allegedly has been seen several times throughout history, and it is not specific to any one place.  The most recent sightings of alleged Hell Hounds have occurred in Connecticut, Kentucky, Louisiana, Ohio, and Vilseck, Germany, as well as Hawaii in or near cemeteries.   So the myth or legend has traveled and migrated as people have migrated.

They have appeared in literature, the most famous is Doyle’s “Hound of the Baskervilles”, in Piers Anthony's fantasy novel “On A Pale Horse”, where Satan sends hellhounds to attack Zane (Death) and bring him back to hell. The hounds are immortal but are dispatched by Death's magical scythe.   And they have appeared in movies such as “The Omen”. 

But for the last 5 to 8 years they’ve been either seen or mentioned in the T.V. show “Supernatural” and two of them have been named, Juliet and Ramsey. Ramsey (according to “Supernatural” legend) was the mother of all Hellhounds and was Lucifer’s pet. Only Lucifer could control Ramsey so when she was set loose by dissatisfied demons,  Crowley told the Winchesters they had problems because only Lucifer could control Ramsey, Crowley couldn’t and Ramsey was killed in that episode.   Juliet, the other Hell Hound was guarding the First Blade in a cemetery and was told by Crowley to stand down to allow Sam and Dean to retrieve the first blade. 

Many devices in film and television have come up on how to keep a Hell Hound away, such as putting Sea Salt across the threshold of your room, or a barrier of either Goofer Dust or Devil’s Shoestring.   Can they be killed?  Well not according to the various legends I’ve read with the exception of the events in Ragnarock, but in the T.V. show “Supernatural”  they supposed to be killed with either the First Blade or an Angel Blade, but then that’s T.V. for you, always coming up with an “out”.

Granny and her ladies had heard about Hell Hounds from the different stories that they had heard from their various countries and they said the only way to keep one away was to live a good and kind life, to help folks, go to church and pray, do no evil, and never make a deal with the devil, if you think you hear one then pray the Lord’s Prayer and the St. Michael's prayer and wear (at least among Catholics) a blessed Sacred Heart of Jesus medal and a St. Michael s medal.   Mrs. Byrd was Lutheran but she wore them as well, “Faith in the Lord” she told me and so did Mrs. Washington and she was a Baptist.

I do believe that some of these attacks by alleged Hell Hounds which resulted in death may have been by Dogs or Wolves that had contracted rabies, which would explain the agonizing death of the receiver of the Hell Hound attack, since wolves have really a tendency to avoid humans as much as possible and only extreme starving hunger or rabies would have them behave in such a manner.  

But the mind and the negative energy that can be out there can form strange things.  And so can anger and fear.    A friend of mine went so far as to create her own version of a Hell Hound and I posted it in another post and I’ve re-printed it here.

“A casual acquaintance of mine that I’d sometimes have coffee with when she wants to discuss metaphysical matters,  told me how after hearing an old recording of Robert Johnson’s song “Hell Hound on my Trail” got an idea to create the use of a hell hound  using Hot Foot Powder, which I will describe further down….

… this casual acquaintance of mine who got an idea to have a type of Hell Hound Hot Foot done on a cheating, despicable, lazy, pot smoking, no-good (and abusive) boyfriend of hers and get him out of her life and to make sure he never cheated on (or abused) any other woman either.

Trust me I knew the fella and he was bad news from the very beginning, why she let him into her life even she had no idea, but after a few weeks she knew he had to leave but he wouldn't, no matter what she threaten to do.  

What gave her the idea was when she was listening to a new blues CD of old style Delta Blues and heard Robert Johnson’s “Hell Hound on my Trail.”

She realized that there were things she could use, but the main thing was the type of graveyard dirt she’d use.  She found a Pet Cemetery that had several K-9 and Military Dogs buried.  She did the usual ritual to gather graveyard dirt and she asked each spirit who would be willing to serve and although all of them were willing she decided upon one and thanked the rest by leaving flowers and dog biscuits saying that she made need their services later on.   And then completed the purchase of the one that she chose and in that case besides the usual payment she added 9 large Milk Bone biscuits.  Well it was a Dog! 

She called it  Hell Hound Hot Food Powder

2 parts cayenne pepper

2 parts any very hot red pepper

2 parts black salt for banishing

1 part ground black pepper

1 part graveyard dirt (from a Military or Police Dog)

1 part anvil dust

1 part iron shavings

1 part sulfur

And a few hairs from a living black dog (her neighbor’s dog is a black German Shepard and she brushed him so used his shed hairs---she also thought if she could get some shed wolf hair that would be good as well, but no poodles or Labradors)

She said the full  Psalms 35 and 59 and her intent which (she chanted as she charged the powder) was “Be as a Hell Hound on so and so’s trail, never let him rest, never let him deceive another woman again, keep him moving from place to place, to never lay his weary head,  until the skin falls off his bones and his lungs breathe no more, then you, faithful friend can return to your place of rest, until I call upon you once more.”

Then she mixed it thoroughly using a wooden spoon labeled for that use and stored it in an airtight container.

Now she told me that the portions were small so 1 part was equal to 1 teaspoon, and she had made it to consecrate it towards a specific person, and she applied it in the usual manner (as like regular Hot Foot Powder). 

What happened to him?  He left her in a week, sold off or gave away most of his stuff packed what he could in two duffel bags, got into his Beater of a car and drove off.   She hears about him from time to time, and told me that the last time she heard about him was that he didn’t look too good.  “Too much drug use.” She said.

 But as we talked she realized she could make a Master batch and then when ready, add the Graveyard dirt and then activate it when she says the Psalms and then direct it towards whom she wishes out of her life.   It was just important to keep it in a sealed crock until ready to active what every portion she wished to use. But she also realized that if she had one dog working on one person, she'd have to have a different dog work on another, until the previous dog had done its duty.  

It made sense to me.”

Then just recently a reader asked about the application of the Hell Hound Hot Foot Powder and I responded:

      

 “Funny that you would ask that. The other day my friend who had come up with making and using the Hell Hound Hot Foot Powder dropped by for coffee and as we chatted that very same subject came up.

        She remarked that she had last seen the horrible, abusive bad-news ex-boyfriend earlier this year and he looked horrible, a few months later she saw his obituary in the newspaper.    I asked her if that is what she wanted and she replied, without any guilt, “yes” because he was bad news for any woman.

        We talked about the Hell Hound Hot Foot Powder, she said she applied it the same way as you would any standard hot foot powder, a little in his shoes (all of his shoes), a little in the back pocket of his jeans, a little in the pocket of his jacket, a little on the side of his bed where he usually gets up out of bed (and usually barefoot).

        She even put a tiny amount between the bottom sheet and mattress cover of his bed. She made sure she never slept in his bed. She put it in any of his clothes that had pockets. She even put a tiny amount in the bill-fold section of his wallet, but it had to be tiny amounts so he wouldn’t wonder about it. (seeing the dust etc.)

        He even had a pair of favorite Jeans that he rarely washed so she sprinkled a bit on the inside leg of those jeans. She was creative.

        So he left her, but he could never settle down, couldn’t hold a job for any long period of time, he said to mutual friends that he thought he was being followed, they thought he was being paranoid, “stop smoking the mary jane” they said.

        He couldn’t even keep an apartment so he’d bunk out at any friends place but didn’t stay long.

        One of them that knew her said when her ex-boyfriend was staying with him that he thought there was a dog in his apartment because he could hear panting and like the sound of dog nails on the wood floor when the bad-news boyfriend was staying with him. One time he heard what sounded like a dog growling, it stopped when the ex-boyfriend left.

        Once she read that he had died, she went to the jar of the left over graveyard dirt of the K-9 that she got it from, (she kept some of it in reserve to keep a spiritual connection to the dog) she held it between her hands and thanked the dog/hound for his service and he could now rest from his duties.

        Later she went back to the cemetery and put on that dog’s grave 9 more biscuits for services rendered as a reward saying “Good Boy, that’s a Good Dog!”

        She said that if she needed to do it again, she’d once again ask the dogs at the cemetery to see which one would like to take on the job, she said if it’s the same one that’s fine.

        But she knows you have to do payment.”

So what did she create, was it a Hell Hound?  Maybe but it never directly killed him, but it did stalk him to the point that he never rested,  just like Robert Johnson the blues singer never rested and he did die young.  Was what she created a demon?  I would say more like commanding a spirit with a specific purpose.  

Would she do it again?   I’d say only if the need was extremely great, because if anything you cannot create something just ‘willy-nilly’ or as a joke or for a lark, no this is done with great responsibility and a full understanding of the possible consequences, otherwise it can backlash on you.   And she knew and understood that responsibility.

I have in my office a beautiful statute of Hecate where she is standing at a cross roads, and with a dog next to her.   Whenever I hear of any cruelty to animals I call upon her to wreak vengeance on the persons who would do such a thing.

My husband and I own a very large muscular pit-bull/boxer mix breed dog, the dog never smiles, and most dogs do sort of smile but he doesn’t.   When he was a puppy who ever had him tortured this poor dog and tried to make him mean and into a fighting dog, but this dog never wanted to fight, in the end the dog was abandon and then rescued by an animal shelter that socialized the dog and we adopted him, he is incredibly gentle and friendly, especially with children, even with all the abuse that poor dog had been put through, he is gentle and friendly.   But because the dog has such a serious looking face he intimidates strangers while not even trying.   He sleeps in our bedroom to be near us and he goes everywhere with us, unless the day is too hot, then he stays home with the air conditioning.    He is our guardian at the gate, our own non-ferocious hell hound.

So that is all that I can squeeze into this blog post, there is more information out there, one could devote an entire book to the legend of the Hell Hound but I don’t have the time for it, but at least what I’ve posted here is a start for you.

Bright Blessings,

Ms. Q