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I was five years old when I first heard the following story, from the south Italian "Teneriello" (pretty tender) family. Myths and folklore are vivid in areas like the south Italian countryside. It is common to hear tales of ghosts, hauntings, and witchcraft even with shades of extreme Catholicism tainting all the remainders of pagan culture there.
My grand daddy was a plain man : he had no phone. No TV. No radio. No addictions either, and he even didn't like wine. Let alone internet or mobiles - all he did through his lifetime was taking care of his six children, his small cattle, and fields parcels he rented from the Prince, more on this later. And one night... One night in the countryside, he fell asleep after work. His days started at dawn and lasted until dusk, mind you. These were the rough times after World War II, Italy was struck by poverty. And poor grandpa woke up in the middle of the night far away from his house. It was a 10 kilometers walk, but he had no choice left at that time of the day. Most peasants there were still serving the Prince - the Prince of "Prata Principato Ultra" : yes, all fields belonged to a prince and peasants were servants, granted an exploitation right against a small dime. As in the medieval times.
...He reached that crossing, where there was a well. And saw that gigantic, angry black dog barring the way to him. He wasn't a man to crap his pants before a dog, tried to take the other route, but the dog would move around to keep barring the way. And this lasted for a while, until the big black dog jumped in the well. And was not to be heard of or seen any other time.
Grandpa continued to his house and the next day, reported the story. As there now was a black dog corpse probably floating somewhere down the deep well. Rescue squads were organized in the small village, and they sent people down the well. Where they found a corpse indeed. But it wasn't a dog. At all.
It was a woman. And to this day the elder of Prata remember the black dog legend and the macabre discovery that ensued.
I found the story made for a nice campfire story, really... Until I saw things like this, and the thousands of other accounts around the world of similar encounters with black dogs : http://www.djmcadam.com/blackdogs.htm
Not to mention Robert Johnson, who reportedly sold his soul to the devil for blues and sang the curse of the Hell Hounds. Could it be?... Could it be that the legend was 100% true and that there were such things passing through the "real world" from time to time? I dug further. Turns out black dogs have a counterpart in all symbologies and ritual practices of all mythologies worldwide.
Some common traits that accompany totem wolf symbols:
Not at all the picture of ferocity or terror, the Wolf is a creature with a high sense of loyalty and strength. Another misconception is that of the “lone wolf.” To the contrary, the Wolf is actually a social creature, friendly, and The Wolf is an incredible communicator. By using touch, body movements, eye contact as well as many complex vocal expressions – the wolf makes his point understood. Those with wolf totems are of the same inclination – they are expressive both vocally and physically. Those who have the wolf as their totem animal are naturally eloquent in speech, and also have a knack for creative writing.
In history, the totem Wolf symbol appears with the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus. Legend has it that the two founding brothers were raised and suckled by a she-wolf. In Norse mythology, the Wolf is a symbol for victory when ridden by Odin and the Valkyries upon the battlefield.
As a Celtic symbol, the Wolf was a source of lunar power and the hidden secrets of the Shadow Self. Celtic lore states that the Wolf would hunt down the sun and devour it at each dusk so as to allow the power of the moon to come forth. In Asia, the wolf guards the doors that allow entrance to heavenly, celestial realms. The Wolf is also said to be among the ancestry of Genghis Khan."
Wolves, thus, are in reality awesome communicators, harbingers of loyalty, friendship, and in essence, messengers. Their natural animal instinct - ever heard a dog bark at someone despicable? - detects fear and discomfort from miles away, and they appear as protectors and bringers of truth in many depictions.
Of all the black hound figures, the scariest one probably is Cerberus with his Dragon tail. Charon has wolf ears, too, Charon being the sailor who leads souls to hell in the Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. Tied to the moon, the mythology of wolves is one of transformation - which is particularly obvious through the legends of werewolves. Could it be... could it be that what many people perceived as "hounds of hell" simply are messengers and witnesses of death, and that their symbolic counterpart, totem wolves and white wolves, are playing the same role for life? Bringing about transformation, and, as in Norse legends, "eating the sun in order for the moon to be able to come back"?
Could it be that hell hounds are the shadows, the yang, of more peaceful entities who deliver messages of life and lessons that bring about transformation? I leave that up to you, readers - pay attention to Cerberus and Charon being explicit counterparts to the role of the wolf in Asian mythology. This is only one of the many echoes that ties these figures together across diverse legends and folklore - but I can hardly find a hint of aggression in the picture here below. While I easily can relate to the noble wisdom contained in those deep eyes.