The Black Shuck

The legend of the black shuck

 

Black Shuck, Old Shuck, Old Shock or simply Shuck is the name given to a ghostly black dog which is said to roam the coastline and countryside of East Anglia. The name Shuck may derive from the Old English word scucca meaning "demon", or possibly from the local dialect word shucky meaning "shaggy" or "hairy".

 

Image taken from this website.

According to reports, the beast varies in size and stature from that of simply a large dog to being the size of a calf or even a horse. According to folklore, the spectre haunts the landscapes of East Anglia, primarily coastline, graveyards, sideroads, crossroads, bodies of water and dark forests. According to some legends, the dog's appearance bodes ill to the beholder - for example in the Maldon and Dengie area of Essex, the most southerly point of sightings, where seeing Black Shuck means the observer's almost immediate death. However in some cases it has supposedly happened before close relatives to the observer die or become ill. By contrast, in other tales the animal is regarded as relatively benign and said to accompany women on their way home in the role of protector rather than a portent of ill omen. Some black dogs have been said to help lost travellers find their way home and are more often helpful than threatening.

 

Some historians say the hound originated from Norse mythology and arrived in East Anglia when the Vikings settled there thousands of years ago.

 

Real life sightings-

Shaggy Creature

Location: A1075 - Between Thetford and East Wretham, half a mile from the level crossing

Type: Cryptozoology

Date / Time: June 1986, and 22 December 2007

Further Comments: Driving towards Thetford from the direction of Watton, this witness spotted a large, long haired creature coloured greyish white. It had small ears, a long snout, large eyes, and stood on four legs. The witness drove past the beast three times in total, in order to get a good look at it; on the third pass the creature rose up on its hind legs, taking an almost human form, and stood between six to eight feet tall. The driver quickly returned home, only returning two days later to look at the area again - the creature had gone, but there were tracks at the site suggesting something had been dragged. Another witness, a similar creature in December 2007, but said it was more grey in colour with black patches.

Vanishing Hound

Location: Aylesbury (Buckinghamshire) - Unnamed field in a village close to the area

Type: Shuck

Date / Time: Pre twentieth century

Further Comments: For several nights, a man walking to milk his cows in the early hours of the morning encountered a large black dog which blocked his path. He finally grew tired of having to walk around the hound and, while walking with a friend, struck the creature - the dog vanished but the man fell down paralysed, never to be able to move or speak again.

 

The sightings above were provided by the paranormal database, click the link to view more real life sightings.

 

Note- The story ‘Don’t go out in the woods today’ is only based on the legend of the black shuck, it includes information taken from Wikipedia, the rest of the story is fiction. The description of the black shuck and the murders in the story is made up, if you would like to know about how others have described it feel free to have a look at this website.