*humans cost extra - the wish hound project

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"The Wish Hound" acrylic painting from 2009

The wish hound project

NEW! Baby Wish Hound postcards on sale!

What is a wish hound?

A wish hound is a spectral, faerie or otherwise supernatural dog in British mythology and fairytale, particularly associated with the West Country. The word "wish" may be a corruption of "witch". Wish hounds are also known as yell hounds, yeth hounds, hell hounds, gabriel's hounds, wisht hounds, the devil's dandy dogs or black shucks. Wish hounds together are the dog pack of the Wild Hunt, who (depending on the mythology in question) are a group of eternally riding horsemen who hunt down the souls of the damned to drag them to hell. The Wild Hunt have also been associated with Herne the Hunter and the unseelie sidhe, and have many counterparts in mythologies from around the world. On wild, stormy nights in England, unexplained noises and cries heard in the wind and the sky were often said to be the sound of the Wild Hunt passing through. A wish hound alone can be referred to as a black shuck, barghest or shug dog, generally considered an evil omen. The shuck usually appears to one person travelling alone on the road and can foreshadow bad luck, injury or death.

What do wish hounds look like?

As they are supernatural things, nobody's quite sure! A wish hound generally appears as a large, often skinny, black or white dog. Their eyes will be evidence of their supernatural origins, being usually either glowing red or milky white. Unseelie wish hounds may also betray their heritage with spines, scales, poisonous claws and other additions not usual to dogs. In keeping with their masters, the Wild Hunt, they are often insubstantial and able to run through the sky. They can also change their shape to become more efficient hunters or to fool their prey.

What is the wish hound project?

I have been drawing an unseelie wish hound character over the past year, and I have an ongoing art project to produce a set of illustrated papers using the hound as a focus. If you have a wish hound story to tell me, or anything on wish hounds you would like to share with me for my project, I would love to hear from you. Send me an e-mail.