The Gytrash /ɡaɪˈtræʃ/[citation
needed], a legendary black dog known in northern England, was said to haunt lonely roads
awaiting travelers. Appearing in the shape of horses, mules, or dogs, the Gytrash haunt
solitary ways and lead people astray but they can also be benevolent, guiding
lost travelers to the right road. They are usually feared.
This provides further
evidence to support my theory that in legend and tales within our culture large
beasts and large hounds have become less a simple antagonistic presence but
rather a philosophical judge of character. Judging human victims waying the
darkness of their nature. Resultantly they choose to curse or guide the
subject.
In some parts of Lincolnshire and Yorkshire,
the Gytrash was known as the Shagfoal and took the form of a spectral mule or
donkey with eyes that
glowed like burning coals. In this form, the beast was believed to be
purely malevolent.
As this horse
approached, and as I watched for it to appear through the dusk, I remembered
certain of Bessie's tales, wherein figured a North-of-England spirit called a
"Gytrash," which, in the form of horse, mule, or large dog, haunted
solitary ways, and sometimes came upon belated travelers, as this horse was now
coming upon me. It was very near, but not yet in sight; when, in addition to
the tramp, tramp, I heard a rush under the hedge, and close down by the hazel
stems glided a great dog, whose black and white colour made him a distinct
object against the trees. It was exactly one form of Bessie's Gytrash -- a
lion-like creature with long hair and a huge head [...], with strange
pretercanine eyes [...]. The horse followed, -- a tall steed [...]. Nothing
ever rode the Gytrash: it was always alone [...].
— Excerpt from
Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, chapter xii
The Gytrash's
emergence as Rochester's innocuous dog Pilot has been interpreted as a subtle
mockery of the mysteriousness and romanticism that surrounds his character and
which clouds Jane's perception. Brontë's reference in 1847 is probably the
earliest reference to the beast and forms the basis for subsequent citations.
Gytrash – 10
Creepy English Monster Legends
Gytrash is a huge monstrous black dog who appears before lonely travelers. They haunt the remote roads and pathways all across England, where people rarely pass by. But when they do, the Gytrash will appear as a friendly figure – maybe a dog or a horse. They convince the traveler to follow them, and them lead the traveler away from the road. When deeply in the wilderness, the Gytrash will disappear, leaving the traveler lost and alone. They were believed to be absolutely evil beasts with eyes that glow red like burning coal fires. Gytrash were, and still are in some parts, deeply feared.
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