Research source

Among the negroes of the Southern States in America I have found the belief that the most frequent form of a…

Date of account: Published 1879
Source: Demonology and Devil-lore
Reference: Demonology and Devil-lore · selected passage 90
Rights: public_domain
Language: English
Record updated: 2026-08-24

Record summary

Published source text

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Source passage

Source text · mention only

Among the negroes of the Southern States in America I have found the belief that the most frequent form of a diabolical apparition is that of a large Dog with fiery eyes, which may be among them an original superstition attributable to their horror of the bloodhound, by which, in some regions, they were pursued when attempting to escape. Among the whites of the same region I have never been able to find any instance of the same belief, though belief in the presage of the howling dog is frequent; and it is possible that this is a survival from some region in Africa, where the Dog has an evil name of the same kind as the scape-goat. Among some tribes in Fazogl there is an annual carnival at which every one does as he likes.

Historical context

Contextual commentary · mention only

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Modern context

Contextual commentary · mention only

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