MYTHS AND LEGENDS

The figure of the dog is firmly deep-rooted in mythology and folklore of the most diverse human cultures. Even when the European religions didn't pay much attention to dogs, they kept its allegoric and mythic value in the different occidental traditions. The dog, as a part of an ancient cultural inheritance, are the stars in infinity of stories, myths and fables proceeding from such opposite tradition as classic Greek and Islamic.

One of the most famous dogs of the Greek mythology is Argos, Odyssey's dog. When it came back home, after the war of Troy, in which he was thought dead for more than 20 years, his loyal Argos came to his encounter running in order to greet him, but as Odiseo couldn't reveal his identity, he was forced to ignore the animal, which died from sorrow that same moment. Dog Collars

In the Egyptian mythology, Anubis was the god with a dog head that used to lead the souls of the dead people to the place in which they were going to be judged as they deserved of the ultra life or not.

On the art uric stories appears Cavall, king Arthur's dog that always used to leave its fingerprints marked on the rocks in Wales.

The hero of the ancient Celtic mythology, Cuchulainn, which means "dog of Culann", received that name for killing a gigantic guardian dog.

The very ancient Fu Dog or Lion Dog appears in numerous Chinese legends and master pieces as the dog that brings fortune and happiness to its owner.

According to the Yorkshire legend, in the north of England, any person who sees Barghest, a monstrous dog with really huge claws and teeth that appears only at night, irremediably dies a little after. In Wales, the dog is called Gwyllgi (the dog of the darkness) and has red eyes and on Man Island, Mauthe Dog, and it is a demon with the shape of a Spaniel that appears around the PeelCastle. It is probable that Arthur Conan Doyle took these phantasmagoric canine apparitions as inspiration to write The Baskerville's Hound.