Magical Dogs

Dogs have lived among humankind since they were domesticated from wild dogs and wolves 10,000 to 15,000 years ago; thus it's no surprise to find them loping through magical tales world-wide. Famous dogs in myth and legend include Anubis, the dog or jackal headed god of Egyptian myth, guardian of the Underworld; Garm, who stands at the gateway to Hel in Norse mythology; Cwn Annwn, the white, red-earred hounds of Annwn, the Celtic lord of the afterlife; Cerebes, the fearsome Hound of Hades in Greek mythology; Cu sith, a green fairy dog with a long braided tail who roams the Scottish highlands; the spectral Yell Hounds of the Isle of Man and other black ghost dogs of English folklore; the Dobhar-Chu, a dangerous creature part dog and part otter in Irish folk tales; Dip, the hairy black devil-dog of Catalonia; Gaueko, a dog-headed lord of black magic in Basque folklore; Keelut and Qiqirin, two treacherous hairless dogs in the myths of the Inuit; Azeban, a magical dog trickster from Abenaki myth; Chantico, a hearth-fire goddess turned into a dog in Aztec legends; the Koma-inu, the guardian lion-dogs of Chinese statuary; Argos, the faithful dog of Odysseus in Homer's The Odyssey; the dogs with eyes as big as tea-cups, mill wheels, and round towers in the Andersen fairy tale The Tinder Box; and many others. To learn more about magical canines, I recommend The Mythology of Dogs by Gerald and Loretta Hausman, a fascinating compendium of dog lore through the ages. On-line, try Paul Kekai Manansala's article on "Dogs as Deity, Ancestor, and Royal Animal," Alby Stone's article on "Hellhounds, Werewolves, and the Germanic Underworld," and U.A. Casel's "Japanese Dog Folklore".

Crow Mother and the Dog God is an absolutely stunning art book featuring the work of Meinrad Craighead, a mythic artist who uses dogs in her paintings as personal, spiritual, and mythic symbols. (The painting at the top of this post, and the one just below on the right, come from Crow Mother and the Dog God, published by Pomegranate Press.) Pythia Peay gives an evocative description of the painter and her world in the book Soul Sisters: Five Sacred Qualities of a Woman's Soul: "Located on the valley floor between the Rio Grande and the pyramidic mountains of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Craighead has designed and built a studio that is a sanctuary for beauty and the creative spirit. Enclosed within the protective circumference of an old grove of cottonwood trees, it is a simple, light space, warmed by a wood burning stove. Dogs sleep in corners, and a profusion of geraniums blooms in the ceiling high windows. A work table stands in the center of the room. Here Craighead, like a medieval craftsman, paints image after image of God the Mother...Once a cloistered religious, Craighead brings a contemplative focus to her life as an artist. Her day begins with a walk along the riverbank, or before her altar where she builds a fire in the belly of a gourd shaped vessel, gathering in the energy of nature so it will be with her as she works."

Craighead herself says, "Every drawing is a quest for origin, a return to the source following the hidden threads in the labyrinthine matrix. Making is worshipping." Visit Craighead's website to learn more about her art (and the various retreats and artistic journeys she leads in New Mexico and Europe). There's also a documentary film about Craighead in the works; you can find out more about it here.

Holly Roberts is another artist who lives in New Mexico and uses dogs, wolves, and other animals (deer, horses, bears, birds) in her work. Roberts is an interstitial artist who combines painting and photography to create iconic, dreamlike images that range from the whimsical and lyrical to the disturbing and frightening. You can view more of her work on the Holly Roberts Studio website, and on the Edelman Gallery site.

On the other side of the Atlantic, Nicola Grellier is another artist who makes wonderful use of dog imagery. Gellier studied at the Wimbledon and Chelsea Schools of Art, and now exhibits her work throughout the United Kingdom. Dogs have been central to her art, she says, since she was a small child and believed she was a dog herself. You can see her delightful dogs in the  First Decorated Dog Era gallery, the Second Dog Era gallery, and the Third Dog Era with Wolves and Deer gallery. I also recommend the Wild Dogs of Devon sculptor Nick Mackman, whose work was profiled previously on this blog.

-- This post is dedicated to Tinsel, a furry friend who recently visited us here in Devon.

Comments

[Midori]

Terri,

I also thought of the work of Jeanie Tomanek who often has her luminous mystical figures paired with a companion dog. "Old Dog's Dream" is one of my favorite of her pieces. All her work can be seen on her website:
http://www.jeanietomanek.com/gallery.htm

And in the Journal's art gallery:
http://www.endicott-studio.com/gal/Tomanek/Tomanek.html