Shaggy Dog Stories: A Celt’s Best Friend

In one of my previous articles, I discussed some of the famous Cat legends of the Celts. So it’s only fair that we give some of our canine friends a turn.

First, I should point out that humanity owes a lot to our four-footed comrades. In ancient days, our Stone Age ancestors were terrified and for good cause—there was a particular predator related to the hyenadon that was particularly deadly. Not to mention the other big predators of the time. Scientists have recently discovered that right around the time we domesticated dogs, all of a sudden, humanity starts spreading across the world. And why wouldn’t it? Humans and dogs are the one-two punch, an incredible team.

Dogs carry some of the finest natural abilities (scent, speed, stamina, hearing, sight, and of course, a mouth full of sharp teeth) that are, luckily for us, packaged up with strong pack loyalties. Humans and their technology (fire and spears, among others) help dogs take down animals they could never have taken themselves. Imagine if you will, moving across the land-straits and your dogs are your first lines of defense, ever vigilant, giving you that needed chance to sleep, and protecting you, helping you herd, and chase down game.

The early Celts took great advantage of this team work, and in fact some of the greatest Irish heroes were named after dogs. It is said that in Irish society, dogs were treasured. So much so that by brehon law, the quality and number of dogs were set. A bard was allowed two by law. The King Fion Mac Cumhal (Finn McCool) was said to have three hundred. To my mind, this is probably not an exaggeration. War dogs have been around for some time, and many of the breeds we have today descended from the meticulous animal husbandry. Dogs were used to hunt, both animals and humans. The Fianna traveled with many dogs, and these dogs were trained to take people out of chariots, fight in battles, and so on. Likewise, if you are an army on the hoof, the ability of these dogs to chase down game becomes critical.

One of the most famous breeds of Celtic Hounds is said to be a shadow of the glory days, but oh, what a shadow! Irish Wolf Hounds were known and admired in Rome as early as 391 CE. Roman Consul Quintus Aurelius received seven of them as a gift which it was reported that “all Rome viewed with wonder.” Irish Wolf Hounds are called gentle giants, standing up to three feet tall at the shoulder, lightning fast, smart, strong, and are scent and sight hunters. Their progenitors helped eradicate the Wolves of Ireland, and not a few war bands. After the wolves passed on and deer hunting became a “lord’s sport,” the breed thinned down and was saved by a dedicated few. Now you can go to Irish and Scottish Faires and see them, and the breed is doing better. For hundreds of years, their predecessors were a principle trade commodity, worth a great deal, traded, and valued.

One of the most famous of all the great heroes is Cu Chullain, called literally “the hound of the Smith Cullan.” Now it may seem an odd name. Cullan was a legendary smith who invited the king to a feast. The king invited Setanta, who was to be the greatest of all warriors. At the party, the king forgets about Setanta, and Cullan lets loose his hound. This hound was so terrifying, so huge, that no warrior or war band in Ireland would dream of coming near the fort. Enter the young boy. Hound attacks boy. Boy defeats hound. Says Cullan the smith, “You are welcome, boy, but I wish I had never given this feast. I loved that hound, and he guarded my life and my honor. I had no fear for our home or our herds, and never in the like of Ireland was there one like him.” Setanta seeing this despair immediately and nobly offers to take the place of the hound, guarding Cullan and his fortress until he finds an equal dog and trains it to take its place. The druid hearing legend in the making renames the boy “Cu Chuallain.” You’ll find his statue in the Dublin Post office.
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We see Fionn MacCumhal with two other great hounds, Bran and Sceolan. These dogs were have said to be even greater hunters and warriors than Fionn MacCumhal himself. They were said to be of almost human intelligent. To this storyteller, that makes perfect sense. Legends say that they were his nephews born into dog form. Their mother (while pregnant) had been transformed by an angry fairy woman into a dog, and then she was given to a man who hated dogs. She gave birth, and the two pups were given to Fionn and became his life long companions.

It is said that King John gave one to Welsh Prince Llewellyn, who made the gentle creature a playmate for his toddler son, who loved it. They named it Gelert. While out hunting, Gelert suddenly turned back from the hunt, and ran back, howling. When Prince Llewellyn got back to the room of his son, Gelert greeted him with a bloody muzzle, and the room was in shambles. Llewellyn drew his sword and slew the dog immediately. But on further examination, the baby was found sleeping and safe, next to the corpse of a large wolf. Gelert had been protecting the child, and Llewellyn had been too rash. He created a monument to Gelert, and there is a village named Beddgelert (Gelert’s Grave) to this day.

Fairy folk had their share of fairy hounds, usually white with red ears (Cu Sith) and they had many magical properties. Celtic folklore is rich in legends of scary black dogs that act as ghostly guardians, terrible monsters, or protectors that warned of imminent bad events. There is even one in Celtic legend named Dormath, who guards the door of death itself.

Should you go out camping sometime or just be sitting by the fire at home, and you see your dog dreaming in his sleep, just remember this: They have legends of their own, and we are quite lucky to have them at our side.

—Blessings