There are seemingly endless stories across many different cultures involving visions of a giant black dog. However, it seems as though the tale is originally either Celtic, Germanic, or British. It has since expanded as far as the Americas.
Many say this creature is a manifestation of the devil, or a guardian to lead you into the underworld - but most agree that the dog is in some way or another an omen of death. Despite this grim imagery, there are some that state that the creature itself is generally harmless, and even friendly at times.
Given that this spectral dog spans many cultures, there are many different names given to the creature. Depending on who you ask, he could be "the yeth hound", "huay chivo", "capelthwaite", "gytrash", "oude rode ogen", "cadejo", and/or "dip".
