The Hellhound is a supernatural phantom dog whose sole duty is to protect the Underworld. That means either it tries to keep souls in, or keep souls out. That is a matter of opinion, but we’ll get into the concept later.
The origins of the Hellhound, like many of the creatures of lore, began as a protector of the Underworld. Later, and with the help of Christianity, the Hellhound transformed into a creature of evil, one with full loyalty to the devil.
There are two legends, or stories, as to why the Hellhound materializes from beyond. First, the Hellhound reveals itself when someone is about to die. Think of this as a kind of omen, one in which the Hellhound guides and protects the soul as they travel into the Otherworld. The second suggests that the black beast is a manifestation of an evil spirit or demon. These two ideologies got me thinking about duality of symbolism.
Before I began my research on the Hellhound, I did a little brainstorming, in which I broke down both black dogs and hell separately in trying to better understand the duality of the Hellhound.
(Hint: Breaking down and finding symbolism is a good exercise to begin the writing process in any genre, for any story.)
Remember, the Hellhound has unwavering loyalty to its master; and as the writer of this tale, you choose who holds that leash.
To begin, a dog in general, is an archetype for loyalty and protection. But when the black adjective is added, the black dog takes on a whole new interpretation. When we think of black, we think of darkness, a shadow of sorts. And shadows have a long list of symbolism within itself. Carl Jung called it the shadow-self.
According to Jung, the shadow-self is the dark parts of ourselves we suppress. Whether those feelings are despair, trauma, guilt, or grief, it’s a place we hide that which we choose to no longer see. But that suppression turns into toxic traits, or portions of our personality that are unappealing to ourselves and those we encounter.
Combing through our shadows is a long, and difficult journey, in which we must face our darkest fears in an infinite void. Consider this process an inward journey where we descend into a personal underworld and are forced to pick up the broken pieces of our souls.
Now think about good ol’ Rusty laying at the foot of your bed. That cute little ferocious terrier will follow you to the ends of the earth, to hell and back again—because he loves you with every ounce of his little being. He will protect you, even if death is inevitable. That’s unconditional devotion.
Hell:
Think about what our society has taught us about Hell, regardless of religion. It is the place of consequence for the actions and decisions that we made in life and those poor decisions will follow us into the next realm.
Hell is associated with pain and suffering, torment and anguish. It’s the reminder that if we lose our sense of empathy, compassion, and love, then we must pay the price for the injustice we’ve brought upon ourselves, as well as, others. But, if we look at Hell from a different, deeper perspective, we will find that Hell is merely a bridge, or threshold helping us travel from one phase of existence to another.
Black Dog & Hell:
If Hell is a threshold draped on the side of torment and black represents the shadow-self, then what is the dog’s role? Again, a dog is a protector to those he’s most loyal. Now look at the Hellhound’s purpose. He is an omen for change and will walk side by side to help you transform—or eat your face off, either way.
Good ol’ Rusty will stop at nothing to help you find the broken pieces of your soul, even if that means walking in death with you. That’s loyalty. That’s love. So, whether he’s guarding the gates of Hell to keep the shadows from penetrating your soul, or guarding the threshold to help keep you from entering, that choice is up to those who see their shadow.
As I stated earlier, I spent some time brainstorming the Hellhound. The reason behind this insanity is that I knew the canine of death was going to have similar research results. And no one wants repetition and boredom.
Try this:
Every object, every subject has even a fraction of duality; though, that polarization isn’t always obvious. So, when working on your speculative fiction story, take some time to find symbolism within the concept you’re trying to share with readers.
Take three personas and three objects from your story idea, and brainstorm as to the hidden meaning behind each. Then incorporate the persona with an object and keep that consistency throughout the story. This will allow the reader to stay engaged and wonder what’s going to happen next.
Happy Writing,
-RADolence
References:
Hellhound: Overview and History – Mythical Encyclopedia
Hellhound – Supernatural Dog in Folklore | Mythology.net
Hellhounds in Mythology: Guardians of the Beyond – Connect Paranormal Blog
Black Dog Archetype Meaning & Symbolism
Hell Spiritual Meaning (Unlocking Dark Symbolism) – Spiritual Mojo
* Not all images are not mine; therefore, I cannot take credit.