11 Mythical Pooches from Across the World Whose Lore Proves That Dogs Are Man's Best Friend

Before we had science, textbooks, and ChatGPT to explain the world around us, we humans had to make stuff up. Where do we come from? How does rain fall from the sky? What even is lightning? Storytellers all around the world and across cultures have come up with all sorts of fascinating myths to explain the natural world, their relationships, and traditions. Because we've been domesticating dogs for as long as we've been eating bread, canines are featured heavily in myths and legends across the world, and some of them are eerily similar despite the distance. Scroll down for beautiful illustrations of the mythic pups by @erinyeart as well as a low-down of their fascinating lore.

01
Anubis (Egyptian)

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This Egyptian god was sometimes depicted as a human with the head of a jackal and other times a full-on, four-footed doggo. He was the god of mummification and the afterlife, known to guide souls to the great beyond. He was also the operator of the scales when a person's own heart was weighed against the feather of Ma'at to determine their place in the afterlife: either devoured and destroyed or in a paradise with endless food.
02
Cerberus (Greek)

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Cerberus: one name, three dogs. The illustration up above depicts him as the goodest boy ever, but in Greek mythology, he was said to be quite monsterous with serpent's tail and snakes literally growing out of his body. He had to be pretty scary as the guard of the literal gates of Hades.
03
Raijū (Japanese)

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Who doesn't love Shiba Inus? Well, what if there was one that was literally made of lightning? That's Raijū, the dog of Raijin, the shinto god of storms. He's a mischevious mutt, falling to earth as lightning onto rice fields and trees, sometimes causing fires. But if you're not really a dog person, he can take on other forms: namely, a cat, a fox, a wolf, a weasel, or even a ball of blue-white lightning.
04
Fenrir (Norse)

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He's not technically a dog: he's a giant god in the form of a wolf. Actually, he's destined to literally devour Odin if the whole Ragnarök, or end of the world, thing plays out how the Norse people thought it would.
05
Black Dogs (British)

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Large, black, with glowing red eyes, these ominous pups mostly had bad luck associated with them, to be honest. But some English folktales do depict them as protectors, especially for travelers. They had many names: Black Shuck, Barghest, Gytrash, and Padfoot. Yep, just like the famous Sirius Black himself!
06
Bul-gae (Korean)

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What causes eclipses, you ask? No, it's not about the movement or positions of solar bodies! They happen because the sun and moon are constantly being chased around by mythical fire dogs. When the sun and moon both happen to get bitten at the same time – BOOM, eclipse.
07
Aralez (Armenian)

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To be honest, Aralez might be the actual best boys. They were said to descend from the heavens with wings to lick the wounds of fallen soldiers in order to bring them back to life. If that's not a good boy, IDK what is.
08
Xolotl (Aztec)

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A black dog that guides souls into the underworld… doesn't that sound a bit like Anubis? Well, Xolotl is the Aztec's own puppy psychopomp, leading souls through the whole 9 layers of Mictlan. He was also a god; in fact, he was said to be the twin of Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent. They were fraternal.
09
Pán Hù (Chinese)

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Pán Hù wasn't just a dog; he was also a worm, a king, and a dragon. The myth is complex, but in short, an old woman had a golden worm plucked out of her ear and placed in a gourd. The worm then turned into a dog, who then married a princess after bringing her the head of her enemy.
10
Sarama (Hindu)

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Sarama is best girl. She is the mother of all dogs according to Vedic mythology. She's as ancient as a myth can be, appearing in the oldest texts of Hindu mythology.
11
Cadejos (Central American)

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Cadejos are supernatural doggos in Central American folktales. A bit like England's black dogs, they have glowing red eyes – that's only when they're attacking, though. When they're getting their bellies rubbed, they've got calm, blue eyes. There's two of them; one is said to be good, and one is said to be evil.