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Dogs
were the usual attendants of the Celtic Mother Goddesses. When a god accompanied
the Mother, he often took the form of a dog. The Celtic healer god Nodens took
on his zoomorphic aspect as a dog.
The
dog is important in Celtic myth and appears frequently with hunter-gods, such as
Sucellos, the 'Good Striker', and with the Horse-goddess Epona. Dogs are
associated with the healing waters and Nodens, God of Healing, could manifest a
dog. Dogs are also psychic animals and connected with divination and they are
frequently metamorphosed people in Celtic lore. There are endless accounts of
ghost, supernatural or enchanted dogs who could be either helpful or malevolent.
The
dog or hound has ever been a faithful servant of humanity and this is reflected
in British myth and folklore where the dog is frequently one of the helping
animals of the hero's search. Arthur's Cabal is one such dog, and Fionn's Bran
and Sceolan are others.
The hounds of the Otherworld or Underworld are always white with redtipped ears, and these are the pack which ride with the Wild Hunt. CuChulain was named after he overcame Culainn's hound and it was geise for him to eat dog's flesh - a proscription he broke just before his death, since it was also his geise never to refuse hospitality offered to him: the Morrighan invited him to eat of a roasted dog.
