Barghest

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Barghest, Bargtjest, Bo-guest or Bargest is the name given in the north of England, especially in Yorkshire, to a mythical monstrous black dog with huge teeth and claws. It is said to frequent a remote gorge named Troller's Gill. There is also a story of a Barghest entering the city of York occasionally, where, according to legend, it preys on lone travellers in the city's narrow streets and alleyways.

The derivation of the word barghest is disputed. Ghost in the north of England was once pronounced guest, and the name is thought to be burh-ghest, town-ghost. Others explain it as German Berg-geist, mountain spirit, or Bar-geist, bear-spirit, in allusion to its alleged appearance at times as a bear. Another mooted derivation is 'Bier-Geist', the 'spirit of the funeral bier'.

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[edit] The barghest in literature

Comic book publisher Barghest Entertainment takes its name from the legendary demon-dog.

The image of the barghest is invoked, under the moniker of "the Grim," in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. In this story, the character of Sirius Black -- nicknamed Padfoot -- has the ability to transform into a dog matching the description of the barghest. The main character's sighting of the dog is claimed to presage his imminent death.

When arriving at England aboard the ship "Demeter", Dracula shapeshifts to a big and ferocious dark dog very much like the Barghest.

The image of the barghest is also used in The Hound of the Baskervilles, a Sherlock Holmes story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

The barghest is mentioned in passing in Roald Dahl's The Witches as always being male.

The barghest is depicted as a shapeshifting beast in Soujurn, written by R.A. Salvatore.

The Mauthe Dog appeared as a black spectre spaniel that haunted the guard-room of Peeltown in the Isle of Man, in the novel Lay of the Last Minstrel by Sir Walter Scott.[1]

[edit] In role-playing games

In the Dungeons and Dragons roleplaying game, a Barghest is an evil creature which may take the form of a wolf or a goblin; see Barghest (Dungeons & Dragons).

In the Exalted roleplaying game, the Underworld warlords know as the Deathlords create by unknown means large black semi-intelligent fighting dogs called barghests.

In the World of Darkness role playing game book Antagonists, the barghest is associated with the Beast of Bethlehem, from the Yeats poem "The Second Coming".

A barghest is featured in Icewind Dale II, where it is portrayed as a demonic, dog-like creature of remarkable intellect that nevertheless very much enjoys eating humans.

In the World of Darkness roleplaying game Wraith: the Oblivion, a barghest is a wraith whose corpus has been altered into the shape of a dog-like creature. Hierarchy officers use barghests as bloodhounds when hunting for renegade wraiths.

[edit] The barghest in film

The Barghest is featured as the main villain in the children's TV series Roger and the Rottentrolls, set in Troller's Gill.

The classic made for TV movie Devil Dog: Hound of Hell features a barghest named Lucky, and is now available on DVD.

The upcoming film The Wrath features a barghest as the enforcer of an ancient curse.

The dogs at the cemetery in The Omen are similar to the barghest.

In an episode of the popular BBC TV drama series 'Dalziel and Pascoe', a public house situated on the North York Moors which the episode's plot revolves around is named 'The Barguest', and features a large black dog on its sign.

[edit] The barghest in video games

In the Monster Rancher series of games, there is sometimes a member of the Tiger species known as Bargest.

In the game Lord of the Rings Online from Turbine, barghests are a somewhat common monster type that frequents the Barrow-Downs.

In the Pokémon video game series, from the third generation on there is a Pokémon based on a white bargest called Absol

In the online game of Subeta, a Barghest is a minion.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  • Wirt Sikes, British Goblins (1880); Notes and Queries, first series, ii. 51;
  • Joseph Ritson, Fairy Tales (Lond. 1831), p. 58;
  • Lancashire Folklore (1867);
  • Joseph Lucas, Studies in Nidderdale (Pateley Bridge, 1882).

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

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