A Glossary of Dog Spirits &
Dog-Loving Gods & Goddesses

Aesculapius: Greek—God of healing whose symbol was a dog

Anubis (Anpu): Egyptian—The jackal-headed god of opening the way of death

Apollo Cunomaglus: Greek/Roman/Celtic—Apollo of the hunting dog in the United Kingdom

Arawn: Celtic—Lord of the underworld (Annwyn, Annwn), a leader of the wild hunt and its dogs

Ares (Mars): Greek—God of war associated with war dogs

Argo: Greek—The loyal dog of the divine hero Odysseus

Artemis: Greek—Moon goddess of the hunt; dogs were her symbol

Arthur: British/Celtic/possibly Roman—Divine hero king, has Cavall, the divine dog

Asteria: Roman star goddess often associated with Sirius

Barong: Mystical Lion Dog of Bali and Balinese legends and rituals

Bau (or Baba): Sumerian/Akkadian—Goddess associated with healing and dogs

Belit-ili: Akkadian—Goddess of healing whose symbol was a dog

Bhairav Shiva: Hindu—Terrible aspect of Shiva whose vehicle is a dog

Black Dog: United Kingdom/Europe—A spook dog spirit who appears to foretell death

Buddha: Trans-Asian—Buddha was guarded by a Lion Dog and loved dogs

Calu: Etruscan—Wolf-lord of the underworld

Canis Major: A very famous constellation (with Canis minor) of Orion’s dog; see Sirius

Cerberus: Greek/Roman—Three-headed huge dog god who guards the underworld

Cernunnos: Celtic—Horned god of nature and wildlife accompanied by dogs

Chinvat: Philippines—A god whose partner, lightning, is a divine dog

Coyote (Old Man Coyote): There are many tribal variants, like the Aztec Coyolto

Cú Chulainn: Celtic—Famous divine hero associated with dogs and loyalty

Cu Sith: Celtic—Giant green faerie dog with supernatural powers and an omen

Cunomaglus: Celtic/Roman—Minor dog god of hunting found in the United Kingdom

Dattatreya: Hindu—Guru god who was always shown with devoted dogs

Dharma: Hindu—Dharma has many meanings and is used in two distinct ways in this book. In both instances, though it is not translatable, it generally means “right way” or “correct actions.” But in pre-Vedic religion (what later became Hinduism), Dharma was a god-form that personified the correct way of doing things (Rta), for example, in line with ritual mores or traditions. In Buddhism, Dharma became a key part of the philosophy generally meaning “Univeral or Cosmic Law” within a Buddhist context.

Diana: Roman—Goddess of the moon, famed for her hunting dogs, similar to Artemis

Dingo Ancestor: Australian Aboriginal—An ancestor spirit and divine helper

Epona: Celtic/Roman—Horse goddess associated with dogs

Erlang: Chinese—God whose divine dog helped defeat the Monkey King and monsters

Faunus: Roman­—God, similar to Pan, associated with wolves and the Lupercalia

Fenris: Norse—Giant wolf god who bit off Tyr’s arm and brought Ragnorok (the end of the world)

First Dog: The first ancestor of the Sioux and other people, such as Mongolians

Flora & Vina: Roman—Agricultural goddesses (flowers and vines) honored with dogs

Foo Dogs or Fu Dogs: Lucky or magic dogs; see Shi

Fox Spirit: Pan-Asian—Trickster spirit who is in many tales and myths; see Inari

Fushi: Chinese and Pan-Asian—Luck or Power Dog; see Shi

Garm (Garmr): Norse—Underworld dog god, like Cerberus

Geki & Freki: Norse—Wolf spirit companions of Odin

Grim: Old English—A phantom spirit dog or a dog sacrifice at the base of churches

Gula: Sumerian—Goddess of healing whose symbol was a dog

Gwydion: Celtic—Hero who also was said to lead the wild hunt

Hachiko: Japanese—Hero dog, semidivine now, symbol of eternal loyalty

Hades (Pluto): Greek/Roman—God of the underworld, Cerberus’s master

Hecate (Hekate): Greek (pre-Greek)—Goddess of magickal crossroads; her helpers are dogs, often three, often black; connected with Cerberus

Hel: Norse—Goddess of the underworld whose symbol was a dog

Hercules Kynagidas: Greek—Hercules the Hunter whose helper was a divine dog

Hermanubis: Egyptian, Greek—Dog-headed god who blended Hermes and Anubis in Ptolemaic Egypt; his worship spread throughout the ancient world

Hermes/Mercury: Greek/Roman—Dog of travelers, thieves, merchants, etc. As the psychopomp or guide of the dead, his symbol was a dog. He can be dog headed.

Herne: Anglo-Saxon—Horned god of the wild, said to lead the wild hunt with his dogs

Holda (Holle): German—Goddess of nature, said to lead the wild hunt with her dogs

Inari: Japanese Shinto—Goddess of rice and prosperity whose spirit/aspect was a fox

Innana: Sumerian—Goddess often associated with the moon and dogs

Inu: “Dog” in Japanese, also “dog kami” or spirit

Isis: Egyptian—Isis is one of the greatest Goddesses of ancient Egypt, though not until the later dynasties by which time she had “absorbed” many other goddesses and their attributes. She is everything from a great Earth Mother to a supreme sorceress who managed to trick Ra out of his powers. Among her many attributes was a connection in spells to dogs and dog magic.

Itzcuintli: Aztec—Dog god of the twentieth day in the Mayan cyclical calendar (Mayan: Oc)

Jupiter (Jove): Roman Zeus—Also associated with a golden dog

Kitsune: Japanese—Fox spirit; see Inari

Kwan Yin (Quan Yin, Guan Yin): Chinese—Goddess of compassion and mercy

Kyon Khryseos: Greek—”Golden dog” who guarded the infant Zeus in some myths

Laelaps: Greek—Orion’s great hunting dog, also sometimes ascribed to Zeus

Legba, Elegua, and Exu: African/Afro-Caribbean—Gods of the crossroads who have dog helpers

Lupa: Roman—Divine wolf-mother of Romulus and Remus, the divine founders of Rome

Maira: Greek—A minor goddess associated with Sothis or Sirius

Mary: Christian—Mother of Jesus, often shown with a dog, symbol of faith and devotion

Minerva/Athena: Roman/Greek—Dogs were associated with both these goddesses

Ninisinna: Sumerian—Also called Gula, mother of Gilgamesh whose symbol was a dog

Nin-karoc (Nin-Karrak): Another name for the Babylonian goddess Nintinugga, goddess of healing and wife of the god Ninurta. She is the same as the Akkadian goddess Bau who later became Gula, though she was likely originally a separate goddess. All had the dog as their symbol and protector, and dogs were honored at her temple.

Nodens: Celtic—God of deep waters and hunting whose aspect and symbol were a dog

Odin: Norse/Germanic—All-father who has pet wolves and was said to lead the wild hunt

Ogu (Ogun, Gu): African/Afro-Caribbean—Dog of war and strength, associated with dogs

Omisto: Japanese Shinto—God of suicide, associated with dog spirits

Orion: Greek—Giant hunter demigod constellation whose dogs include Canis Major

Osiris: Egyptian—God of the dead who took dog form when he traveled in the underworld

Pan: Greek—Horned god of wild nature, who bred dogs for Artemis; associated with wolves; Pindar called him “the shape-shifting dog of the great Goddess”

Pan Ku: Chinese—Creator god who was said to be a dog and founded humanity

Robigus: Roman—God of grain disease who was propitiated by dog sacrifices

Romulus and Remus: Roman—Divine founders of Rome, raised by Lupus, a wolf

Rudra: Hindu—God, meaning “the howler,” conflated with Shiva; his vehicle is a black dog

Rundas: Hittite—Dog god

Saint Christopher: Christian—Saint strongly associated with dogs due to his everlasting devotion and loyalty, sometimes shown as dog-headed

Saint Dominic: Christian—Head of the Dominican order symbolized by an attack dog

Saint Domino: Christian—Saint who heals disease symbolized by a dog

Saint Guinefort: The only dog who became a saint. This saint was actually a greyhound dog belonging to a knight in thirteenth-century Lyon, France. He was mistakenly killed defending the infant son of the knight from a serpent when the knight thought the dog was the aggressor. Buried in a well with trees about, this became a shrine for a “saint” and both are still venerated today, but not recognized by the Catholic Church.

Saint Hubert: Christian—Saint symbolized by a dog

Saint Roch: Christian—Saint symbolized by a dog

Sarama: Hindu—Goddess connected with the moon

Shi: Chinese—“Lion dogs” who are powerful demi-god guards and magic makers

Siegfried: Germanic—One of many divine heroes or tribal founders raised by a wolf

Silvanus: Roman—God of the woods, fields, and boundaries, whose divine helper was a dog

Sirius (Sothis, Sopdet): From several cultures—The important divine Dog Star in many cultures

Skin Walkers: From several cultures—Dog Spirits who can become human

Suijin or Suitengu: Japanese—Shinto Kami who protects and eases childbirth and is symbolized by a dog

T’ien K’uan (or T’ien kou): Chinese—Good and bad divine star god connected with Sirius

Taranis: Celtic/Gaul—God of lightning associated with and could be a dog

Tishub: Hittite—Dog-headed, winged god of lightning

Tu Kueh: Turkish—Mythic hero who prehistorically founded the Turkic peoples, was raised by a “blue” she wolf

Tyr: Norse/Germanic—Hero/war god whose arm was eaten by Fenris, associated with wolves

Wepwawet: Egyptian—War god who was a wolf god (or jackal) and protector of the king

Werewolf: Cross cultural—People who become wolves or part-wolves; see skin walkers

Wild Hunt: Celtic/European—The myth of a divinely led spirit hunt with spirit dogs and led by Odin or Herne or Holda; it sweeps through the skies as fall becomes winter

Xolotl: Aztec—Dog-headed god of the underworld who guides the sun to rebirth

Yama: Pan-Asian—God of death who guards the underworld with two four-eyed dogs

Yudhishthira: Hindu—A star of the Mahabarata (Hindu epic), his name indicates a great warrior. He was the son of King Pandu and Queen Kunti and became a great and noble king who, through the grace of Indra, outlasted all his brothers and ascended to heaven, but not without his dog. It was revealed then that his loyal dog was really the god Dharma. The moral, it seems, being that “dharma always follows you even after death.”

Zeus/Jupiter: Greek/Roman—Father God who has a divine dog and used divine war dogs

Zoroaster: Parsee—Divine founder of Zoroastrianism (now Parsee) whose holy book The Avesta praises dogs and has an entire section on caring for dogs, the spiritual power of dogs, etc.

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