Black Dog

Dogs  - frightening or friendly?

I've just read a superb ghost story by Penelope Lively called 'Black Dog' in the highly commendable Virago Book of Ghost Stories. It made me think of other Black Dogs:

Anubis, Egyptian God of the Dead

a name for Depression, used by Winston Churchill, and further back in time by Samuel Johnson, James Boswell & Hester Thrale

Guytrash, Barghest and Padfoot - three legendary haunting Black Dogs of Yorkshire

Shucks, Cappels, and any number of other scary  hounds from the rest of the UK

The Guardian Black Dog - a traditional story where the Black Dog saves a man's life - which can be found in K. M. Briggs' Dictionary of British Folk-Tales (a wonderful resource for any fantasy writer)

Monty Hall's mad Black Alsatian Reuben

Do hounds haunt you - or delight you? 

Ghost Dresses

I find these enchanting - so delicate and ethereal in appearance - yet made from such a humble material. Sadly, I do not know the original sculptor - if you do, I'll happily credit them.

It occurs to me that hanging these from nylon fishing wire would make an even eerier effect - they were turn as though dancing to unheard music.

There's a link here to a sequence showing the construction of something similar - and spooky.