Mythical Dogs Trivia

1. It's biting you in ancient Greece! In English, we would call it 'Spot', But round and cuddly it is not! Its tail's a snake, it's got three heads And it'll guard you when you're dead.

From Quiz It's Biting You

Answer: Cerberus

Cerberus is the multiple-headed guardian of Hades (his number of heads is usually given as three). He is the offspring of Echidna, a snake woman, and Typhon, a monstrous serpent who tried to overthrow Zeus, and his job is to guard the Underworld and prevent the dead from escaping. When Orpheus went there to rescue Eurydice, he managed to calm Cerberus down by singing to him. One of the Twelve Labours of Heracles involved him going to the Underworld to capture Cerberus. He managed to subdue the monstrous dog and took him to King Eurystheus, with the condition that he gave Cerberus back. The lamia is a monster who eats babies, the gorgon is a woman with snakes for hair, and the chimaera is a fire-breathing beast with the head of a lion, a snake for a tail and a goat's head on its back.

From Quiz Beware of the Dog!

Answer: Argos

Greek mythology relates how the faithful Argos waited for his master's return to Ithaca for over twenty years. He was the first to recognize the King on his return from the Trojan wars even though Odysseus was disguised. According to Homer, as soon as Argos recognized his master he released a final whimper and died.

From Quiz Canines in Myth and Legend

Answer: Cerberus

One of Hercules' labors was to fetch the three-headed dog. Another interesting tid-bit about this canine: upon looking at him, it was said one would be turned to stone.

From Quiz Dogs of Myth

Answer: He(Rukuba) stole fire for Nkhango and made the Fire God mad

Rukuba (the Basenji) stole fire and brought it to Nkhango. This made the Fire God mad, and he took away the basenji's ability to talk like a human or bark as his punishment.

From Quiz Beware of the Dog!

Answer: Anubis

Anubis seems to have been a hybrid of both jackal and a wild dog. He was traditionally coloured black and was associated with death and funeral rites.

From Quiz Myths & Legends for the Dogs!

Answer: 20 years

This is another tail of a wonderfully faithful dog. Argos was the first to recognise Odysseus (aside from those that Odysseus had already revealed himself to) after he returned from the Trojan War, despite the fact that Odysseus had disguised himself as a beggar. Once he was happy that he had seen his master again, Argos died. "As they were talking, a dog that had been lying asleep raised his head and pricked up his ears. This was Argos, whom Odysseus had bred before setting out for Troy, but he had never had any enjoyment from him. In the old days he used to be taken out by the young men when they went hunting wild goats, or deer, or hares, but now that his master was gone he was lying neglected on the heaps of mule and cow dung that lay in front of the stable doors till the men should come and draw it away to manure the great close; and he was full of fleas. As soon as he saw Odysseus standing there, he dropped his ears and wagged his tail, but he could not get close up to his master. When Odysseus saw the dog on the other side of the yard, dashed a tear from his eyes without Eumaeus seeing it, and said: 'Eumaeus, what a noble hound that is over yonder on the manure heap: his build is splendid; is he as fine a fellow as he looks, or is he only one of those dogs that come begging about a table, and are kept merely for show?' 'This hound,' answered Eumaeus, 'belonged to him who has died in a far country. If he were what he was when Odysseus left for Troy, he would soon show you what he could do. There was not a wild beast in the forest that could get away from him when he was once on its tracks. But now he has fallen on evil times, for his master is dead and gone, and the women take no care of him. Servants never do their work when their master's hand is no longer over them, for Zeus takes half the goodness out of a man when he makes a slave of him.' So saying he entered the well-built mansion, and made straight for the riotous pretenders in the hall. But Argos passed into the darkness of death, now that he had seen his master once more after twenty years." Taken from Homer, "The Odyssey," Book 17 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argos_%28dog%29]

From Quiz Canines in Myth and Legend

Answer: Garm

The Norns are three goddesses equivalent to the Fates. Jormungand is the Midgard Serpent, the snake that is so large that it coils itself around the world. Gultop is the horse of Heimdall, the watchmen who will blow his horn at the arrival of Ragnarok (the doom of the gods).

From Quiz It's Biting You

Answer: Cadejo

The cadejo is a dog-like creature in Central American folklore, which can either be black or white. Although it can sometimes be the other way round, in Guatemala the black cadejo is usually evil, while the white one is usually good. Cadejos have goat-like hooves and smell of goats. The white cadejo protects people from harm, while the black cadejo manipulates people into making bad choices, and is even said to be the devil himself. The black cadejo is also capable of punching people and standing on two legs like a human. If the offspring of a black cadejo and a normal dog is killed, it rots quickly but leaves behind a stain which prevents anything from growing on that spot again. It is dangerous to turn your back on a cadejo, as doing so will drive you insane. A nagual is a shapeshifter who can turn into animals such as puma or wolves, Sihuanaba is a woman with the face of a horse or skull, and an alux is a tiny sprite-like spirit.

From Quiz Beware of the Dog!

Answer: Barghest

The Barghest was rumoured to be a monstrous dog with huge teeth and claws from the area around Yorkshire, Northern England. It only appeared at night. People believed that anyone who saw the dog clearly would die soon after the encounter. In Wales, they had the red-eyed Gwygli, also known as the 'dog of darkness'. On the Isle of Man it was called the 'Mauthe Dog'.

From Quiz Myths & Legends for the Dogs!

Answer: He was the guardian of the dead

Anubis, while not "fully" dog, had the head of a dog on a human body (though some say it's meant to be a jackal, even though his head is black and jackals are a light brown colour.) Anubis was most commonly portrayed as a man with the head of a black dog/jackal, with the reason being that Egyptians often noticed jackals and dogs skulking around the edge of the desert, and most commonly near cemeteries. Black, the Egyptians believed, was the colour of death, night and of regeneration, hence why Anubis always had a black head. As a dog, he would have had a marvellous sense of smell, which is why the ancient Egyptians insisted on mummifying their dead with sweet and "pure" smelling herbs, as they believed that Anubis would only allow souls that smelled pure into the Underworld. Anubis was also, according to some, considered by the Egyptians to be the go-between between the Egyptians and their gods. Anubis was the guardian of the dead, who weighed their hearts against the feather symbol of Ma'at, who was the goddess of truth, who greeted them, and protected them in the Underworld. As his story got passed down from generation to generation, he eventually came to be known as the ruler of the Underworld

From Quiz Canines in Myth and Legend

Answer: Fenrir

Fenrir's brother is the Midgard Serpent. Talk about a strange family!

From Quiz Dogs of Myth

Answer: Forgetful

Huskies 'woo-aroo' when they feel forgetful. So I guess Huskies are forgetful a lot...

From Quiz It's Biting You

Answer: Qiqirn

The qiqirn is from Inuit mythology, and is a dog spirit which is almost completely hairless, save for its feet, mouth and the tip of its tail. It stalks travellers and likes to scare men and dogs, but is also surprisingly skittish for a vicious creature, and can be frightened away by shouting its name. Seeing it is said to cause seizures. The Qiqirn race in the 'Final Fantasy' series partially resemble the Inuit beast, although they are more rat-like in appearance. The qalupalik is a greenish creatures that lives in water, the tupilaq is a monster created by shamans to attack an enemy, and the ahkiyyini is a skeleton spirit which plays itself like a xylophone.

From Quiz Beware of the Dog!

Answer: Black Shuck

The Black Shuck or Old Shuck was also sometimes known as the 'Doom Dog' and like most of the 'black dog' legends of the British Isles was thought to presage great misfortune and death.

From Quiz Myths & Legends for the Dogs!

Answer: Greek

We would most commonly find Cerberus (or Kerberos, meaning "demon of the pit") in Greek mythology, with a small mention in Roman mythology. Cerberus, in Greek mythology, was believed to be the offspring of Echidna and Typhon, and had Chimera as his sister, and the Hydra as his brother (all of these creatures also being monsters.) Cerberus is the monstrous three headed dog who guards the gates to the Underworld. He stood on the bank of the river Styx, and would wag his tail at all dead souls that were trying to enter, but would snarl and bark viciously at all those who tried to leave. It was also his job to eat any living person who tried to enter into the Underworld. There are several different ideas of how Cerberus was meant to actually look. The most commonly accepted idea is that of three heads. However, there are some who claim that Cerberus had 50, and sometimes even 100 heads! Another description of Cerberus says that he had the head of a lion, wolf, and a dog, with the tail of a dragon, and a mane of writhing snakes. The idea of the three heads possibly originates from the cycles of life; past, present, and future. Dear old Cerberus crops up in quite a few Greek stories. For instance, Hercules' twelfth labour was to capture Cerberus, and when he carried him up to the earth and a little of Cerberus's drool (eww!) fell onto the earth, the first poisonous plants were born, such as aconite. Orpheus used his musical talent to lull Cerberus to sleep. Another story regarding Cerberus was when Psyche, the love interest of Eros, lulled Cerberus to sleep by giving him drugged honeycakes. Running parallel to this in Roman mythology, the Sybil of Cumae lulled Cerberus to sleep in a similar manner in order to permit Aeneas entry into the Underworld. Cerberus has also managed to weasel his way into popular culture. There is a German rock group named "Cerberus," and the name also makes plenty of appearances in Anime and Video games. A "version" of Cerberus appears in Harry Potter, but this time, his name is Fluffy, and he is Hagrid's ferocious, but beloved three-headed dog.

From Quiz It's Biting You

Answer: Gelert

Gelert is a legendary dog associated with the Welsh village of Beddgelert. The story goes that Gelert was given to Prince Llywelyn the Great by King John of England. Llywelyn went hunting, and came home to find his baby son's cradle overturned and his son missing, and to make matters worse, Gelert had bloodstains on his mouth. Llewellyn assumed the worst and killed the dog...only to hear his son's cries and realise that the baby was under the cradle, safe. Coupled with the discovery of a dead wolf in the room, Llywelyn realised that Gelert had protected his son by killing the wolf, and it was the wolf's blood on Gelert's mouth. Llywelyn buried Gelert, but was haunted by Gelert's dying howls and never smiled again. Coblynau are gnome-like creatures who haunt Welsh quarries, the ceffyl dwr is a water horse similar to the Scottish kelpie, and the pwca (or pooka) is a shapeshifter which often takes the form of a hare, though it can impersonate other creatures as well.

From Quiz Beware of the Dog!

Answer: Bran

Bran was one of Fionn's famous fighting hounds. It was described as being 'ferocious, small-headed, white-breasted, sleek-haunched hound; having the eyes of a dragon, the claws of a wolf, the vigour of a lion, and the venom of a serpent.'

From Quiz Dogs of Myth

Answer: Herla's Hound

Redbeard gave King Herla a tiny Bloodhound that was only 2 inches tall that the king named Herla's Hound.

From Quiz It's Biting You

Answer: Q'ursha

Q'ursha (literally 'black-ear') is a dog from Georgian folklore, the companion of Amirani, a hero who was similar to Prometheus, in that he gave humans a gift and was punished for it. In this case, it was metal, and the gods punished him by chaining him to the Caucasus mountains and having an eagle eat his liver. Q'ursha is also associated with Dali, a hunter goddess and Amirani's mother. He is said to have 'eyes as big as sieves', golden lips, eagle's wings - due to being born of an eagle - and a powerful bark. Q'ursha also features in a legend about a human man called Betkil, who falls in love with Dali, but cheats on her with a human woman. In revenge, Dali traps him and Q'ursha on a mountain. In some versions, Q'ursha runs to get help and the villagers try to get Betkil down, but he falls to his death; in others, Q'ursha willingly allows Betkil to kill and eat him. Ochokochi is a being with pointed bones on his chest, who kills people by hugging them; the ali is a demon who steals babies and organs from pregnant women, and the kudiani is a witch with a tail and massive teeth.

From Quiz Beware of the Dog!

Answer: Cabal

The hound of Arthur according to the Welsh historian Nennius. When Arthur was pursuing the gigantic boar Troynt, Cabal's footprint was left on a stone in Wales.

From Quiz Myths & Legends for the Dogs!

Answer: Skye Terrier

Hailed by some as "the most famous Skye terrier of all time," Bobby really did exist, although the some of the stories surrounding him differ slightly. Bobby was a small Skye terrier who lived with his master, John Gray, between the 1855 and 1858. John "Jock" Gray was a policeman who worked as a night watchman(some sources say he was a shepherd) who lived in Edinburgh at the time, with his faithful dog, Bobby. Unfortunately, John Gray passed away on February 15th, 1858 of tuberculosis. Gray was buried in Greyfriar's Kirkyard, the graveyard outside of Greyfriar's Kirk. Bobby survived his master by 14 years, and is said to have sat at his master's grave EVERY day, keeping watch, and only leaving for meals, and according to some, to spend cold winters in houses. Bobby died in 1872 at the age of 16 years. Unfortunately, he was not allowed to be buried in the Greyfriar's Kirkyard, due to the fact that it was consecrated ground, but was instead buried just inside the gate of the Kirkyard, nearby to his master's grave. His headstone states "Greyfriars Bobby - died 14th January 1872 - aged 16 years - Let his loyalty and devotion be a lesson to us all." A street nearby to Greyfriar's Kirkyard has a small statue of Bobby on top of a drinking fountain, as a tribute to his memory.

From Quiz Canines in Myth and Legend

Answer: Anubis

Horus is the god of the sky and is depicted as a falcon. Seth is the god of chaos and storms; he is often depicted as a man with the head of an anteater-like animal. Taueret is identified with the hippo and is the goddess of pregnant women.

From Quiz It's Biting You

Answer: Psoglav

Psoglav (literally 'dog head') is a Slavic monster, specifically from Serbian mythology, as well as Bosnia and Montenegro. It has the legs of a horse, the body of a human and the head of a dog, with iron teeth and a single yellow eye in its forehead, like the Greek cyclopes. It stinks of corpses because of its habit of robbing graveyards and eating dead bodies, and has an aversion to light, preferring to live in caves. A Slovenian legend tells of a psoglav attacking and killing a giant; the giant's daughters fled to Krvavec (literally 'blood mountain'), which got its name from the bloody tears they shed. Chernava is a mermaid and the Sea Tsar's daughter, Gamayun is a bird with the head of a woman, and the raróg is a fire demon which resembles a falcon.

From Quiz Beware of the Dog!

Answer: Cerberus

In Greek mythology Cerberus was the gigantic hound which guarded the gates of Hades. He was described as a three-headed dog with a serpent's tail, a mane of snakes, and a lion's claws. One of the extra clues I embedded in the question referred to a Herculean task. This was because one of the twelve 'Labours of Hercules' was to fetch Cerberus from the underworld.

From Quiz Myths & Legends for the Dogs!

Answer: Sirius

The star Sirius is located in the constellation, Canis Majoris, and is the brightest star visible from earth. It is called the "dog-star" because it is the biggest and brightest star in the "Big Dog" (Canis Majoris) constellation, and is also one of the nearest stars to earth. There are several versions of legends surrounding Sirius, with the following being one of the Greek myths. According to this version of the legend, Sirius was one of the hunting dogs owned by the great hunter, Orion. Orion was in love with Merope (sometimes called Metrope) a King's daughter, but was never allowed to marry her. However, one day when he was drunk, he forced himself upon her, and her father asked Dionysis (one of the Greek gods,) to curse him. Orion lapsed into a coma, and discovered that he was blind when he woke up. He went to an oracle, in order to try and solve this problem, who told him to travel east. After having been told this, Orion moved to Crete, where Artemis (a Greek goddess) fell in love with him, so hard, in fact, that she forgot to light up the sky at night. The sun god, Apollo, became jealous of Artemis's love for Orion, and so devised a plan. He bet her that she couldn't hit a speck on the horizon with an arrow. Not knowing that the speck was in fact Orion swimming in the ocean, Artemis accepted this challenge, and shot her arrow, which hit Orion and killed him. When she realised that she had killed Orion, she was overcome with guilt, and placed him as a constellation up in the heavens. Now this is where Sirius finally comes in. Sirius was the faithful dog belonging to Orion, and when Orion was killed, he would not stop searching for him, and cried out for his master. So Artemis placed Sirius, the dog-star, at Orion's feet in the heavens.

From Quiz Dogs of Myth

Answer: Son

The prince killed Gelert b/c he'd thought he'd killed his son, when he'd really killed the wolves, that tried to kill the prince's son.

From Quiz It's Biting You

Answer: Anubis

If you want to be really technical, Anubis is a jackal god - jackals being scavengers - but his head in Egyptian art resembles that of a black primitive dog, the colour black representing the soil of the Nile bed. One of the most recognisable ancient Egyptian deities, he was the son of Nephthys and like her, guarded the dead and was associated with the mummification process. He would accompany the dead to the afterlife and weigh their souls against Ma'at, the feather of truth; if the soul outweighed the feather, it would be fed to the demon Ammit. His wife Anput was also a goddess of death, and their daughter Kebechet gave water to the dead during the embalming process. Khnum was the god of the source of the Nile and a potter who made children out of clay, and had the head of a ram; Sekhmet was a warrior goddess with the head of a lioness; and Thoth was a god associated with scribes and science, and had the head of an ibis.

From Quiz Beware of the Dog!

Answer: Fenrir

In Norse mythology the day of Ragnarok would see Fenrir break the chains placed on him by the gods and join the giants in their battle against the gods. He will seek out Odin and consume him. The new world order would see Vidar, Odin's son, avenge his father by killing the wolf.

From Quiz Myths & Legends for the Dogs!

Answer: Garm

Garm, in Norse mythology, is a bit like Cerberus in Greek mythology, in that he was the dog who guarded the gates to the Land of the Dead (Hel) although some sources claim that he was meant to be a wolf. Garm sat alongside Hraesvelgr, the giant corpse swallower, and he lived in and was chained up in the cave called Gnipahellir, which was an overhanging cave over Hel. There was an old Norse prophecy regarding Garm, in that, in the end times (Ragnarök) Garm and the god of combat and glory, Tyr, would kill each other, signalling the end of the world. Garm is described as being a large dog or wolf, with a bloodstained chest.

From Quiz Canines in Myth and Legend

Answer: Orthrus

Charon is not quite a canine, though I have heard that he wore wolf's ears. He is the one who ferried the dead across the Acheron River, not the Styx as is usually believed nowadays. Scylla is a six-headed sea monster; you've probably read about her in the Odyssey, along with Charybdis. Remember the giant whirlpool?

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