Spooky Season is upon us, and Halloween is lurking just around the corner. With its time-honored traditions of carving pumpkins, trick-or-treating, and wearing scary costumes, Halloween is one of the most popular holidays in the United States. It’s a time to celebrate all things dark and macabre, and it conjures images of witches, vampires, ghosts, and other things that go bump in the night – like witchy black cats and devilish black dogs.
Negative stereotypes abound when it comes to black cats and black dogs on Halloween, mostly due to how they are portrayed in popular culture. But a deeper dive into their shadowy world reveals that not every culture holds these same beliefs. So, in the spirit of the season’s most spine-chilling holiday, we’re pulling back the veil of mystery surrounding the myths and superstitions behind these two most irrationally feared creatures of the night. Read on to learn more… if you dare!
And don’t forget to get your dog ready for Spooky Season with our frightfully fun Halloween dog toys!
BLACK DOGS
Folklore
In European folklore, black dogs are often portrayed as guardians of the underworld or harbingers of bad luck. This is especially true in the British Isles where variations of the supernatural black dog are featured prominently in folklore throughout the region. Commonly seen as an abnormally large black dogs with burning red or glowing yellow eyes, two of the most well-known of these black dogs of Britain are the Barghest and Black Shuck.
The Barghest is a mythical monstrous black dog with huge teeth and claws that only appears at night. It’s said that those who see the Barghest clearly will die soon afterwards, while those who only a catch a glimpse of the creature will live on but die some months later.
Black Shuck is a fiendish phantom in the form of a large black dog that haunts the countryside at night. Black Shuck made its first appearance in a story from 1577 in which a lightning strike is said to have unleashed the apparition upon the congregation of a church, killing several parishioners.
Other similarly ominous black dogs of Britain that share many of the same traits as the Barghest and Black Shuck include the Black Dog of Newgate Prison, the Church Grim, Dando’s Dogs, the Gytrash, and the Moddey Dhoo. And, if you can believe it, there are even more. It’s no wonder black dogs tend to get a bad rap in the modern world.
Superstitions
Superstitions related to black dogs exist throughout the world. Irrational as they may be, many of these superstitions have stood the test of time. However, not all foretell bad luck and misfortune. In fact, in some cultures black dogs are considered good omens. Let’s take a look at some of these competing superstitions.
A black dog…
- following you to your home brings good luck to you and your family.
- chasing you while it is raining indicates bad luck for you.
- following you on the road foretells bad luck on your journey.
- following you as you leave home is a sign of impending bad luck.
- crossing your path means that you will have bad luck for the day.
- appearing in your vehicle warns that you will have bad luck or may have accident.
- as a pet brings good luck and protects you and your home from evil.
- appearing at your door means you will soon meet an old friend – if the dog enters your home, that friend is coming to your home.
- fed at night brings good luck.
- seen once brings good luck. Seen twice, it’s bad luck. If seen a third time, it is a sign of someone’s death.
- barking at night may predict bad luck, death, or the presence of an evil spirit.
- in or by your bed, especially if barking, means that they are protecting you from harmful energies.
- crossing between a romantic couple predicts bad luck for their relationship
Popular Culture
The way in which black dogs are portrayed in popular culture also reinforces many of the existing stereotypes, myths, and legends. Examples of this can be seen in many popular movies throughout the years. Here are some of our favorite films featuring frightening black dogs.
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Inspired by the black dogs of British folklore, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1902 novel and its many film adaptations is one the earliest and most popular depictions of the beastly black dog.
Harry Potter (film series)
Have you seen this dog? Sirius Black from the Harry Potter film series appears in his Animagus form as the terrifying black dog Padfoot (another name used for the black dog of British folklore).
The Omen (1976)
In the 1976 supernatural horror film, The Omen, a black Rottweiler hellhound acts as servant to Damien, the child anti-Christ in the story. In folklore, hellhounds are usually depicted as servants to Satan, or the devil himself.
BLACK CATS
Folklore
One of the most iconic symbols of Halloween is the black cat. With its arched back, raised hair, hissing face and glowing eyes, the black cat could be considered the unofficial mascot of Halloween. The subject of much myth and superstition, black cats are often associated with witches and bad luck in most Western cultures. However, some cultures view black cats as being good luck omens.
Like the black dog, the black cat’s reputation as a supernatural creature is due largely to myth and folklore. In the Middle Ages, the black cat became associated with evil and witchcraft, with many believing that they were familiars to witches, or witches themselves. In 1233, Pope Gregory IX issued a papal decree called Vox in Rama that condemned black cats as agents of Satan, leading to the killing of many cats in the name of the Catholic Church.
Regarded as the origin of many of today’s black cat superstitions, the Cat-Sìth of Scottish folklore is said to be a fairy in the form of a cat the size of a large dog – or a witch that could transform into a cat nine times. Black all over with a white patch on its chest, the Cat-Sìth walks on its hind legs as it haunts the Scottish Highlands.
The people of the Scottish Highlands believed the Cat-Sìth could steal a deceased person’s soul by crossing over their corpse at their wake. To keep the Cat-Sìth from stealing a soul, they would sometimes perform an all-night funeral watch called Fèill Fhadalach to keep the Cat-Sìth away from a corpse before burial. Some of the methods of distraction that were employed involved playing, riddles, catnip, music and dancing.
Superstitions
Witches
For centuries, black cats have been linked to witches. Either as a witch reincarnated, a witch masquerading as a cat, or as a witches familiar. According to Britannica, a familiar is a small animal (often a cat) kept as a witch’s companion, that is either gifted to them by the devil or inherited from another witch.
Bad Luck
We’re all familiar with the superstition that a black cat crossing your path will bring bad luck. In fact, it’s one of the oldest and most enduring superstitions in Western culture. This belief largely stems from medieval times, when black cats were considered omens that signaled death. Similarly, it’s believed that a seeing a black walking away from you is also a sign of bad luck.
Good Luck
Not all superstitions pertaining to black cats carry negative connotations. In some cultures black cats are regarded as good omens. Some believe that keeping a black cat as a companion pet will bring you good luck. Others believe that spotting a black cat could indicate that you will soon find love. Gifting a black cat to a bride on her wedding day is a way to bless a marriage. Sailors with a black cat on their ship are said to be granted a safe journey. A black cat is also seen as a sign of coming wealth and prosperity.
Popular Culture
Black cats are also featured prominently in popular culture. And while they are usually depicted as being associated with witchcraft or the occult, they tend to be portrayed as being more mischievous than evil. Check out a few of our favorite black cats from some of our favorite movies and television shows.
Hocus Pocus (1993)
In the 1993 comedic film Hocus Pocus, Thackery Binx is a human who is turned into a talking black cat by the Sanderson Sisters. After their initial deaths, he spends the next 300 years trying to prevent the witches return.
Sabrina the Teenage Witch (TV Series)
Salem Saberhagen, the snarky talking cat from the popular television series Sabrina the Teenage Witch, is Sabrina’s familiar. Fun fact: Salem appeared in every episode of the show from 1996 to 2003.
Coraline (2009)
From the stop motion animated film Coraline, based on the work of Neil Gaiman, The Cat is another snarky and sarcastic talking black cat who is Coraline’s companion in the story. Not only can he talk but he has an uncanny ability to appear and disappear on a whim.
