Black Dog

A black dog is a motif of a spectral or demonic entity found primarily in the folklore
of the British Isles. The black dog is essentially a nocturnal apparition, in some cases a
shapeshifter, and is often said to be associated with the Devil or described as a ghost or
hellhound.

The stories that portray our canine friends as very ominous and threatening, most often
originate in old England and are a part of Celtic and German legends.

The idea that the Devil may appear as a Black Dog is found in several accounts of
witch trials and in other printed sources. A violent storm one Sunday in August 1577
damaged the villages of Blythburgh and Bungay in Suffolk, and a contemporary tract claimed
that a black dog of “horrible shape’ accompanied by “fearful flashes of fire” was seen
rushing through both churches, killing or injuringseveral people; it was ‘the divil in such like-
ness’ (Briggs, 1970–1: B. i. 6–8). This black dog is usually called “black shuck”.

Another pamphlet of 1638 described the Black Dog of Newgate Gaol which would
ride in the cart beside criminals going to the gallows. It has been said to haunt the Newgate
Prison for over 400 years, appearing before executions. According to legend, in 1596 a
scholar was sent to the prison for witchcraft, but was killed and eaten by starving prisoners
before he was given a trial. The dog was said to appear soon after, and although the terrified
men killed their guards and escaped, the beast is said to have hunted them down and killed
them wherever they fled.

In Northern English Folklore, the Black Dog is named Barghest. A Barghest is said to
roam the Snickelways and side roads of York, preying on passersby, and has also been seen
near Clifford's Tower. To see the monstrous dog is said to be a warning of impending doom.

There is little in the way of what to do if one sees a black dog, as generally nothing
really can be done. By the time you’ve seen one, it’s supposedly already too late. Ways of
warding off Black Dogs are also vague and nondescript. In Christian countries, simply
wearing a cross or the picture of a saint is enough to keep the dog at bay. Other superstitions
including carrying a coffin nail, sprinkling fresh water on the ground behind you as you walk,
or having a pair of scissors (preferably iron) on your person.
 Tom Thumb

Tom Thumb is another famous character of English folklore. The History of Tom
Thumb was published in 1621, and was the first fairy tale printed in English.

It is the English version of an international humorous fairytale in which a woman’s

wish to have a son, even if he is no bigger than her husband’s thumb, is literally granted, in
this case, by Merlin, known as an enchanter or wizard featured in Arthurian legend and
medieval Welsh poetry. In his often extensive stories, Tom generally gets involved in hoax
and similar situations appropriate to his diminutive stature, such as falling into a pudding
mixture and almost being baked, being carried off by a raven, getting swallowed by a grazing
cow, a fish, a giant and so on.

The earliest allusions to Tom occur in various 16th-century works such as Reginald
Scot's Discovery of Witchcraft (1584), where Tom is cited as one of the supernatural folk
employed by servant maids to frighten children

The earliest surviving version appeared in 1621 and is probably by a popular In more
recent years, Tom Thumb has been the subject of several films. In addition ext stories and
later comic strips based on the Tom Thumb character appeared in the anthology comic The
Beano from the first issue in 1938 until the late fifties.