Mythological dogs

thumb|right|Heracles, wearing his characteristic lion-skin, club in right hand, leash in left, presenting a three-headed Cerberus, snakes coiling from his snouts, necks and front paws, to a frightened [[Eurystheus hiding in a giant pot. Caeretan hydria (c. 530 BC) from Caere (Louvre E701)]]

In Greek mythology, Hecuba (; also Hecabe; , ) was the wife of King Priam and queen of Troy during the Trojan War. With Priam, she was the mother of the warriors Hector and Troilus; Helen's suitor Paris; and the prophetess Cassandra.

thumb|280px|A two-headed Orthrus, with snake tail, lying wounded at the feet of Heracles (left) and the three-bodied [[Geryon (right). Detail from a red-figure kylix by Euphronios, 550–500 BC, Staatliche Antikensammlungen (Munich 2620).]] In Greek mythology, Orthrus (, Orthros) or Orthus (, Orthos) was, according to the mythographer Apollodorus, a two-headed dog who guarded Geryon's cattle and was killed by Heracles. He was the offspring of the monsters Echidna and Typhon, and the brother of Cerberus, who was also a multi-headed guard dog.

thumb|right|Muthappan, Kaalabhairavan worshipped in ancestral form through [[Theyyam form, in the northern region of Kerala, South India. ]] Bhairava (, ), or Kāla Bhairava, is a Shaivite and Vajrayāna deity worshipped by Hindus and Buddhists. In Shaivism, he is a powerful manifestation, or avatar, of Shiva. In the tradition of Kashmir Shaivism, Bhairava represents the Supreme Reality, synonymous to Para Brahman. Generally in Hinduism, Bhairava is also called Daṇḍapāni ("[he who holds the] danda in [his] hand"), as he holds a rod or danda to punish sinners, and Śvāśva, meaning, "he whose vehic

thumb|right|"Hel" (1889) by Johannes Gehrts. In Norse mythology, Garmr or Garm (Old Norse: ) is a wolf or dog associated with both Hel and Ragnarök, and described as a blood-stained guardian of Hel's gate.

thumb|250px|right|A cynocephalus. From the Nuremberg Chronicle (1493). The characteristic of cynocephaly, or cynocephalus (), having the head of a canid, typically that of a dog or jackal, is a widely attested mythical phenomenon existing in many different forms and contexts. The literal meaning of cynocephaly is "dog-headedness"; however, that this refers to a human body with a dog head is implied. Such cynocephalics are known in mythology and legend from many parts of the world, including ancient Egypt, Libya, Greece, India and China. Further mentions come from the medieval East and Europe.

mythological dog of Odysseus

thumb|Goddess Hel (being)|Hel and the hellhound [[Garmr by Johannes Gehrts, 1889]] A hellhound is a mythological hound that embodies a guardian or a servant of hell, the devil, or the underworld. Hellhounds occur in mythologies around the world, with the best-known examples being Cerberus from Greek mythology, Garmr from Norse mythology, the black dogs of English folklore, and the fairy hounds of Celtic mythology. Physical characteristics vary, but they are commonly black, anomalously overgrown, supernaturally strong, and often have red eyes or are accompanied by flames. The behaviors of a He

mythological dog

thumb|"Inugami" from the Hyakkai Zukan by [[Sawaki Suushi]] upright|thumb|"Inugami" from the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō by [[Sekien Toriyama. The one on the bottom-left that looks like a child is a "shirachigo" (白児, "white infant") that was either the inugami's pupil or the yōkai child of a disabled person.]] thumb|Inugami (犬神) from Bakemono no e (化物之繪, c. 1700), Harry F. Bruning Collection of Japanese Books and Manuscripts, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, [[Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University. |alt=]]

thumb|right|Tomori shisa is a traditional Ryukyuan cultural artifact and decoration derived from Chinese guardian lions, often seen in similar pairs, resembling a cross between a lion and a dog, from Okinawan mythology. Shisa are wards, believed to protect from some evils. People place pairs of shisa on their rooftops or flanking the gates to their houses, with the left shisa traditionally having a closed mouth, the right one an open mouth. The open mouth shisa traditionally wards off evil spirits, and the closed mouth shisa keeps good spirits in.

thumb|260px|A pair of komainu, the "a" on the right, the "um" on the left

In Egyptian mythology, Am-heh was a minor god from the underworld, whose name means either "devourer of millions" or "eater of eternity". He was depicted as a man with the head of a hunting dog who lived in a lake of fire. He is sometimes seen as an aspect of Ammit, the personification of divine retribution. Am-heh could only be repelled by the god Atum.

dog-like creature in Armenian mythology

mythical dog of Icarius of Attica

Aztec mythological creature

In Ancient Hindu Text, Sarama (, ) is a female dog of the gods, or Deva-shuni (देव-शुनी, ). She first appears in one of Hinduism's earliest texts, the Rig Veda, in which she helps the king of the gods Indra to recover divine cows stolen by the Panis asuras. This legend is alluded to in many later texts, and Sarama is often associated with Indra. The epic Mahabharata, and some Puranas, also make brief reference to Sarama.

overview of the role and status of dogs in religion

Egyptian hieroglyph

The (literally, 'escorting dog') is a kind of yōkai. There are stories of the okuri-inu from the Tōhoku region to Kyushu, but depending on the area it can be a wolf not a dog, and there are numerous differences in its behaviour. It is sometimes also called simply the 'yama-inu' (; wild dog, wolf) or the 'ōkami' (; wolf).

The Adlet (or Erqigdlet) are a race of creatures in the Inuit mythology of Greenland, as well as the Labrador and Hudson Bay coasts. While the word refers to inland native American tribes, it also denotes a humanoid dog-legged tribe. The lower part of the body of the canine Adlet is like that of a dog and their upper part is like a man's. All Adlet run quickly, and their encounters with men usually end with man as the victor.

One of the seven legendary monsters in Guarani Mythology

mythical creature

thumb|220px|Psoglav. Psoglav (, literally "doghead") is a demonic mythical creature in Balkan mythology; belief about it existed in parts of Bosnia and Montenegro. Psoglav was described as having a human body with horse legs, a dog's head with iron teeth, and a single eye on the forehead.

thumb|220px|right|A Luison sculpture The Luison (Luisõ in Guaraní; Luisón or Lobizón in Spanish) is one of the seven legendary beasts of Paraguay, and is the seventh and last son of Tau and Kerana. The myth is known also in Argentina and says that in a family with seven male children, the last child will become Luisón.

'''Q'ursha (; also Qursha or Kursha''') is a legendary dog from Georgian mythology. Although he appears in a number of different stories, he is best known as the loyal companion of the culture hero Amirani. His name means "black-ear", a common Georgian name for dogs. He was said to be born of either a raven or an eagle and is sometimes depicted as having eagles wings as a result. Apart from his wings, Q'ursha was sometimes described with other special features: colossal paws, "lips of gold, and eyes as big as sieves". He was attributed supernatural abilities such as a thunderous bark, a leap "

thumb|A 2011 painting by Carlos Loarca depicting el CadejoThe cadejo () or cadejos is a supernatural spirit that appears as a dog-shaped creature with blue eyes when it is calm and red eyes when it is attacking. It roams around isolated roads at night, according to Central American folklore of indigenous origin.

Bulgae or pulgae () refers to the mythical fire dogs in Korean mythology. They come from the kingdom of darkness and always chase the Sun and Moon, causing eclipses when they bite both the celestial bodies. Bulgae are strong and fierce dogs or hairy dogs which are likely to be the indigenous Korean dog breed Sapsali, which means "ghost chasing dog".

According to Inuit mythology Amaguq is a trickster and wolf spirit, able to shape-shift. Amaguq is the Iñupiaq word for wolf.

Azeban (also spelled Azban, Asban or Azaban), or "the Raccoon," is a lower-level trickster spirit in Abenaki mythology. The traditional homeland of the Abenaki is Wobanakik (Place of the Dawn), what is now called northern New England, southern Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Azeban is a raccoon, the Abenaki trickster figure. Pronounced ah-zuh-bahn. Azeban does many foolish and/or mischievous things in Abenaki folktales, but unlike animal tricksters in some other tribes, is not dangerous or malevolent.

Qiqirn is a large, bald dog spirit in Inuit mythology, from around the area of Baffin Island. It has hair only on its feet, mouth and the tips of its ears and tail. Its presence will send men and dogs into convulsions, sometimes fatal. However, it is frightened of humans and will run away if an angakkuq sees it. A similar term, also from Inuit mythology, is keelut, a malevolent earth spirit which also appears as a hairless dog.