Black Shuck
Also called BlackShuck.
In East Anglian folklore, Black Shuck is a black dog but with a single, cyclopean eye. It roams coastlines and graveyards, its howl causing disorientation among the living.
At a glance
- Tradition
- English folklore
- Region
- East Anglia (habitat)
- Kind
- British black dog
- Trait family
- The Death-Criers
- Symbols
- Cyclops/Giant
Near this figure
and 8 more
Symbols
Judged against the description by a model. Meanings are our own paraphrase.
- Cyclops/Giant bears image-domain The Cyclops denotes brute appetite in near-human form, single-eyed and lawless, born of earth and sky, forging thunder yet seeing without depth.
why
This spectral hound is not merely a black dog, but a monstrous entity with a single, glowing eye in the center of its head, reminiscent of the mythical Cyclops.
Traits
Read from the figure's description, which a model wrote. Open "why" for the sentence a trait came from.
Form
- Single large eye
why
a single, cyclopean eye
Behaviour
- Disorienting howl causes victims to lose way
why
This otherworldly howl is said to cause extreme disorientation in those unfortunate enough to hear it, leaving them unable to find their way home or, in some cases, driving them to the brink of madness.
Sight and sound
- Single glowing eye
why
This spectral hound is not merely a black dog, but a monstrous entity with a single, glowing eye in the center of its head, reminiscent of the mythical Cyclops.
- Absorbs light appearing pitch black
why
Its fur is described as being darker than the blackest night, seeming to absorb light rather than reflect it.
- Chains dragging sound heralds approach
why
Its presence is often heralded by the sound of chains dragging along the ground or by a blood-curdling howl that seems to pierce through both the air and the mind.
- Blood curdling scream
why
a blood-curdling howl
- Cry drives victims insane
why
This otherworldly howl is said to cause extreme disorientation in those unfortunate enough to hear it, leaving them unable to find their way home or, in some cases, driving them to the brink of madness.
Omens
- Harbinger precedes disaster
why
It is often considered an omen of death, with sightings supposedly preceding tragedies or marking the imminent passing of the witness.
Offensive powers
- Fear-inducing roar
why
This otherworldly howl is said to cause extreme disorientation in those unfortunate enough to hear it, leaving them unable to find their way home or, in some cases, driving them to the brink of madness.
Roles
Judged from the works' own entries, not from the description. Carries: the figure holds the role. Meets: the role is in its stories, held by something it meets.
- Death carries both readings
2 citations
- Carol Rose, Giants, Monsters, and Dragons, s.v. "Black Shuck."
- Carol Rose, Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins, s.v. "Black Shuck."
- Threshold carries
2 citations
- Carol Rose, Giants, Monsters, and Dragons, s.v. "Black Shuck."
- Carol Rose, Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins, s.v. "Black Shuck."
- Hero meets
2 citations
- Carol Rose, Giants, Monsters, and Dragons, s.v. "Black Shuck."
- Carol Rose, Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins, s.v. "Black Shuck."