The Dog Mosaic: Part Four

:: BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL ::
Over the course of all time, man has given dog both the roll of good and evil, some dogs representing heavenly things, and others representing hellish nightmares –for example, take the mythological canines Qitmir and Barghest. These two dogs are from completely different sides of the globe, one being the Saluki, whose origins are from the Middle East, and the other, a Mastiff, which was first bread in northern Europe.

Qitmir is the traditional name for the dog that appears in the Islamic version of "The Seven Sleepers." This Saluki protected the humans inside a cave for over three hundred years, and then supposedly ascended with the people to paradise.

Barghest is quite the opposite, and appears in many forms in European culture. Sometimes, Barghest is simply known as "The Black Dog," but the idea that it brings misfortune of some kind is always present in each culture. You may recognize this symbolism of bad luck from the famous book, Harry Potter, in which there is a character named Sirius Black, who turns into the dog of misfortunes. However, Barghest at one point did not just bring about bad luck, but supposedly death, storms, and was even known to haunt people.

Myths like the one Barghest originates from are the most often told stories about dogs. However, this does not reflect their nature well at all. Sure, dogs have their vicious, powerful moments, which are to be feared and respected, but those of us that have owned a pet, know that no Mastiff is a Barghest.

Regardless, I was always curious about dog mythology, and over the years, I've done quite a bit of research regarding the topic. Stories like those of Qitmir are quite hard to find, especially because in many cultures, owning a dog for something other than work purposes is considered unholy, dirty, or plain stupid. This leads many to believe that dogs are vicious fighting tools, or lower then the human. I personally disagree. I think the dog has a lot of superiority over us. The dog speaks in simplistic language, through body movement and several vocalizations. It's not that they can't communicate with us… they do! Most of us are just too dumb to see it, or have not been educated on the topic. In addition to that, man's best friend shows an unconditional love that humans tend to not grasp. For example, take a pack of wolves. They arrange themselves in a hierarchy to be efficient and successful in the wild. At the top of the pack is the Alpha, who decides the course of action the pack will take, and is usually the only one allowed breeding rights. Then there are normal wolves, which establish their own spots in the pack through play at a younger age. They build confidence this way, 'fighting' each other over who gets to be top dog. And then of course at the lowest of the pack is the Omega.

Often, people mistake the Omega as the one in the pack that gets tortured, hurt, or even killed. While from far away, this may seem true, it is all part of the delicate balance of the pack. It is extremely rare for an Omega to really get hurt or killed. It was once recorded that when the Omega of a pack of wolves had died, the entire group stayed by his corpse for days, seemingly mourning over his death.

While it is true that humans mourn as well, this example of love has been passed down onto dogs and intensified. No matter how many wrongs you do, or rights, or nothings… your dog will always adore you more than anyone else ever could. They will always forgive, and they will always, always touch you in a way that no human companion ever could.