still one of the most widely read works of Sherlock Holmes is the story "Hound of the Baskervilles."It has everything necessary for the reader's success: a little mystery, a little humor, a love story and, of course, a brilliant investigation.But that's where the writer Conan Doyle took a mysterious legend of the curse of the Baskervilles?
In the role of "master of horror" in the product acts as a demonic Hound of the Baskervilles, the prototype of which in reality turned out to be half-bred English Mastiff.Until now, there are many versions explaining why the black dog (and, for example, not the cat) became the embodiment of the ancient ancestral curse.On this account, there are several assumptions, which, incidentally, is not strongly contradict each other.
begin with that in the southwestern counties of England, on the premises and is described in the story of Devonshire, in the Middle Ages were very common folklore stories about encounters with black dog, portends misfortune.Throughout the British Isles there were rumors of meetings with a huge, pitch black dog "... From her mouth holes burst flame eyes darted sparks in the face and nape poured flickering fire ...".It is usually met lonely travelers at night in deserted countryside or on the rocky sea shore and in the marshes.
This animal was often black color that emphasizes its relationship with the dark forces.As is known, the English phrase black dog in a figurative sense, means "depressed" and is one of the euphemisms of Satan, who is known to introduce into this grave sin is not particularly solid in the faith of Christians.Therefore, black dogs in England, no less afraid of black cats.
However, the stories of travelers who met the dog, at first it was not shown anything supernatural.And only when she suddenly disappeared (some descriptions when a traveler wanted to stroke her), it became clear that this visitor from the other world (usually a dog fall through the ground or disappeared in the outbursts of bright light).Certificates of attacks on people, generally speaking, was not, however, the tradition continued to exist in some aristocratic families.
The latter belonged to the genus and Baskerville-Vaughan, whose members really lived in Devon for three centuries.(And continues to live there to this day.) With one of them, Sir Henry Baskerville, who at the time the story was 32 years old, was a sign of a close friend of Conan Doyle journalist Fletcher Robinson.By the way, it was he, according to the writer's family belonged to the idea of the story about the dog ghost (of which he heard personally from Sir Henry).By the way, Sir Henry was a legitimate bearer of the title of baronet, he spent all his life in England and had never been to Canada.
The family legend of the Baskervilles mysterious dog is not hunting for members of an ancient race.According to legend, he appeared at the death of every member of the family of the Baskervilles, and not in order to drag him to hell, but on the contrary, to protect from the demons of the underworld.So, in their case, the black dog was not an enemy, but a kind of spirit-defender.
Perhaps legend highlights some "mystic exclusivity 'of the ancient kind of the Baskervilles (their ancestors were in the distant relative of the last king of Wales, and therefore with the very King Arthur).However, Conan Doyle, at first planned to write a detective, namely Gothic novel (without the participation of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson), this option did not arrange traditions.He wanted a dog as the epitome of a family curse.That is why, according to some scholars of the writer, he turned to the brochure "strange and terrible miracle happened recently in the parish of a church in Bangui," the author of which is considered to be the Reverend Abraham Fleming.
The priest is very small book describes in detail the incident that happened in 1577 in the church of a small town, located near Norwich.During an unusually strong storm that broke out on August 4 between 9 and 10 am, when the Church of St. Mary of the town of Bangui listened to a sermon about twenty men, under the lightning flash and the thunder burst into the temple scary black dog.He bit the throat of the two men (apparently, who prayed without much zeal), and then mysteriously disappeared.
A few minutes later, when the storm has passed, the same dog appeared in the Church of the Holy Trinity in Blaysburge, a town 11 kilometers from Bangui.There, he killed two other men and a boy and burned Hellfire hand of one parishioner.Devil dog disappeared, leaving claw marks on the oak doors of the temple (these tracks, by the way, preserved in the time Conan Doyle, so he could see them).
most interesting thing is that the Rev. Fleming was not a witness to this mystical scene: as rector of St. Pancras in London, he rarely left the capital.The brochure mentions some "hand-written documents" stored in both churches, but to find them until now was not possible.Church books of both churches did not report on this very unusual event - they only have a record of that on this day a few parishioners were killed and some burned by lightning strikes during a severe thunderstorm.
turns out, Fleming's message is based only on the testimony of witnesses who strongly frightened by the storm, we could see in the glare of lightning anyone - even a fire-breathing dragon.It is known that after a bright flash in the eyes of people often like to swim black circles (a common reaction of the pupil and the retina at the strong light).Do not they took the frightened, mystically minded believers of the monster?
quite possible and such a scenario.As described by Fleming, thunder that shook the building, and a bright flash of lightning frightened parishioners "to the loss of reason."In this state, they could be mistaken for an ordinary messenger infernal dog that described someone at a church service, or simply ran from the courtyard shelter from the weather.Moreover, as the author writes, the sky darkened ominously, in the church, too, was dark and at this moment all fell on their knees.
dog of medium size may reach the shoulder of a man standing on his knees, and in this case, it may seem like just a giant creature.A flash of lightning in the animal's eyes could glow red, like a man on a photograph taken with a flash.This dog is likely, and left imprints of claws on the door of the church.
horror parishioners could strengthen another circumstance.In the Middle Ages often in case of poisoning with bread infected with a fungus ergot, which is particularly hard hit spikes in wet years.Ergotamine alkaloid contained in this fungus and fall of poisoned grain baked bread on properties similar to well-known hallucinogenic drug LSD.
under the action of ergotamine parishioners could see in a normal dog hell of a monster with all necessary attributes - fire in the back of his neck and in his mouth, glowing eyes and teleportation.By the way, the summer 1577 was just such a warm and rainy when ergot especially rampant.
However, where the dog could occur in the church if you do not accidentally ran through the open door?It turns out that in those days not only aristocrats but also the commoners were allowed to bring with him to the service of four-legged pets.The church even had special servants who look after the dogs and if those plants fuss and distract from the present life, chased them out the door.On the payment of such services is preserved in the church record book containing the above-mentioned report of a terrible storm in the Church of St. Mary in Bangui.
So, most likely, "the ancestor of" the mysterious Hound of the Baskervilles was stray animals living in Bangui, the family dog or one of the parishioners of St. Mary's Church.It should be noted that, according to witnesses, at the time in this part of England it was fashionable to keep a large and vicious hounds, which are often accompanied not only by the local aristocracy, but also simple and rustic shepherds.Perhaps for them the image of Conan Doyle created the appearance of "Grimpen monster."
As you can see, the terrible Hound of the Baskervilles is not a visitor from the other world.This is just a "trace" of the flashes of lightning, and hallucinogen effects ... man's fear of the power of the raging elements.Perhaps those are the reasons born and all the other monsters of folklore.
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