Black Shuck the ghostly dog

The myth of a demonic dog with flaming red glowing eyes that was seen in East Anglia, who frightened the locals for the past several centuries, has been discovered! As a skeleton.

Or is it the legendary dog itself?

This dog was nicknamed "Black Shuck". Over the last thousand years, people reported witnessing a huge black dog with glowing red eyes, and very sharp teeth and claws. People that came across it were paralyzed on the spot. Some people died of fatal heart attacks when they encountered it. Other people found their lives turned with ill luck after having seen the Black Shuck entity.

One day, 4th of August 1577, at the time of the Protestant Reformation, people sought sanctuary in the Holy Trinity church in Blythburgh during a thunderstorm. Whilst there, the evil dog entered the abbey and killed two people who were praying. Some people were injured by the dog and told everyone their story about what had happened in there. As the dog fled the church, it left deep scratch marks on the door, and actually these marks can still be seen now if you go there and have a look.

Black Shuck entered another church on the same day later that evening. It was at St Mary's church in Bungay, miles from the other church. The thunderstorm was so strong and clashes of lightning struck at the church. The demonic dog burst through the door and killed other people inside. All of it was reported by the vicar, who was horrified by the whole thing. These churches were not safe from that monstrous creature.

It must be said that the two churches are connested by a ley line. Both churches built on sacred pre historic sites of worship. It's where ancient kings have been buried along with their treasures. The Holy Trinity church was destroyed by lightning during Black Shuck's terrible appearance and wasn't restored until three centuries later. Bungay is an ancient town with Roman traces and objects found there. Today Black Shuck is a mascot for Bungay's sporting events and the dog appears on Bungay's Coat of Arms.    

It happened during the Elizabethan era that caused much shattering changes in English society, amid a rise of public paranoia, witch hunts as well as tensions with Spain. It was the age of William Shakespeare who wrote plays drawing in elements of history and folklore. There was a social feeling of compassion towards the vulnerable in society then. Children were educated in schools by the help of parishes who then offered them apprenticeships so that they had work set out for their futures. There were charities in place looking after the needy. Work houses were set up to take in a number of unemployed stronger people that were interested in work. Despite the amount of criminals, outlaws, robbers and conspirators, the country developed the notion of providing a welfare system within a climate of fear and superstition.

There was plenty of darkness and sinister shadows in that era. The outbreaks of the Black Death plague killed many. Superstitions turned into mass hysteria. Beliefs in magic and herbs became illegal. Poor people, especially the vulnerable and women in particular, were always targetted by mobs of cruel witch hunters.

Since the Reformation, the respected convents were closed, and many women and girls from poorer backgrounds didn't have anywhere else to turn to. Yet Queen Elizabeth the First of England was less harsh towards punishing those accused of witchcraft. Her England was less brutal towards witches than in other European countries. She didn't want people to go through torture or to have the accused executed by fire. This is the state of the country during the killings by Black Shuck.

Now there was a recent discovery of a dog, who appears to be the legendary "Black Shuck"! This is what people are speculating so far. Archeologists found a skeleton of a 14 stone and 7 foot tall dog, buried in a shallow unmarked grave at the ruins of Leiston Abbey near Bungay.

Radio carbon dating will provide an answer to the age of the dog and the era it came from. Could it have been Black Shuck? All we can do now is imagine. First of all, it's a huge dog and it was found buried in the ground of, what used to be, the abbey's kitchen! Is it the hell hound? Was Black Shuck simply a vicious dog on the loose instead of a supernatural beast? If the latter then does this explain the thunderstorms occuring with the dog's sightings? The dog, if it was the same Black Shuck, appeared to travel across a ley line accompanied with a storm. Both churches are built on ancient sites. Were the canine remains of someone's pet? The team Dig Ventures were those who unearthed the mystery dog. Now we'll anticipate the results of the tests....

Links:
Dig Ventures and the huge dog      
The Legend of Black Shuck     
Black Shuck claw marks on door