Tradition / Region: Dutch Mythology, Belgian Mythology
Alternate Names: Twaalfuurshond, Negenuurshond, Tienurenhond
Category: Dog, Ghost
The Myth
In parts of Utrecht and the region around Antwerp, people once spoke of a spectral animal known as the Tienuurshond.
He was said to appear on lonely roads during winter evenings. At exactly the same hour each night — most often at ten o’clock — a large black dog would come into view ahead of a traveler. Around its body hung chains that rattled as it moved, their sound echoing through the cold darkness.
The creature did not usually attack. Instead, it walked in front of the traveler, leading the way along the road as though guiding them through the night. It remained just out of reach, always ahead, never allowing itself to be caught.
Because it appeared at a fixed hour, people gave it its name: the Ten-O’Clock Dog. In some places, where it was believed to appear at other times, it was known as the Nine-O’Clock Dog or the Twelve-O’Clock Dog instead.
Thus the Tienuurshond was remembered as a chained black hound of the winter roads, a ghostly figure that emerged at the appointed hour and walked before the lonely traveler until it vanished again into the night.
Gallery
Sources
Abe de Verteller. (n.d.). Van aardmannetje tot zwarte juffer: Een lijst van Nederlandse en Vlaamse elfen en geesten. From https://abedeverteller.nl/van-aardmannetje-tot-zwarte-juffer-een-lijst-van-nederlandse-en-vlaamse-elfen-en-geesten/
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