Dogs have been given special place in different mythologies and have a lot of respect. In this article, we will tell you what roles do dogs play in different mythologies and why they have so much respect among the believers of those mythologies.
Norse Mythology
In norse mythology, dogs are the guardians of the hel’s gate. The dog that guards the hel’s gate in the norse mythology is Garmr. These dogs will play a significant role at the time of Ragnarok in Asgard.
Greek Mythology
A dog called Cerberus guards the entrance to the underworld. He has 3 heads and its main objective is to prevent any dead soul from leaving the underworld.
Egyptian Mythology
Anubis is very famous from the Egyptian mythology and we can even find video games that mention these dogs. The Egyptians believe that Anubis is a dog god that has canine head. It guides dead people to their afterlife and they even associate it with the mummification. That is why we can see Anubis statues all over the tombs in Egypt.
Hindu Mythology
In the Hindu Mythology, one of the most promising mythologies, a dog is the vehicle of Lord Bhairav. Bhairav is a fierce form of Lord Shiv and he rides on a dog. Hindus treat dogs with respect and they believe that the presence of a dog in one’s life indicates that Lord Bhairav bestows his blessings. In the epic Mahabharat, king Yudhishthir went to the heaven and a dog accompanied him till there. Both the dog and the king reached the door of heaven together with their material body.
Persian Mythology
In the persian mythology, there is a Chinvat Bridge that the souls use to cross into their afterlife. In order to guide those souls properly, there are two dogs and both have 4 eyes. Since they guide souls to their afterlife and rebirth, they have an important duty in the persian mythology.
Japanese Mythology
The japanese people believe that there is a dog deity called Inugami that protects the people who worship him and he brings good luck and fortune to the people. He has a special place during various japanese rituals.
Mayan Mythology
Even though the mayan calendar ended in 2012, we all believed that the world will end too but that did not happen. Still, they believed that the dogs were a great guides to the souls who guided those souls to reach their afterlife. Now since the mayans believed that the world would end in 2012 but that did not happen, we are not sure how legitimate their mythology is. But since it’s a mythology and dogs are important for them too, we have listed the mayan mythology here.
Native American Mythology
The native americans have a belief that the dogs are the guides to the souls to reach their afterlife. Dogs also symbolise loyalty and that is why they are important to them.
Conclusion
Almost all the mythologies believe that the dogs are great companions and guides to the souls to their afterlife. So we can say that yes dogs do have a special importance in all the mythologies.
