Macphie & The Black Dog

From Fingal’s dog Bran to the terrifying Cu Sith, Scottish folklore has many interesting stories about man’s best friend. Loyal hunting hounds often save the day when heroes are battling giants or witches, putting their natural sixth sense to good use. The following legend of Macphie and his black dog is a mysterious one that might have you wiping your eyes as well as scratching your head.

The Legend of Macphie & The Black Dog

Macphie, the Laird of Colonsay was a brave and courageous clan chief. He was regarded as almost a magical figure, protecting his people with his legendary exploits. While returning from one of his many extraordinary missions, Macphie met an old man selling a litter of puppies.

He wasn’t looking for a dog but when he locked eyes with the only black puppy, its coat as dark as night, he couldn’t say no. The old man warned him, this was no ordinary hound. She wouldn’t hunt like the others, was he sure that he really wanted to take her? Macphie knew that this should be his black dog.

The old man followed up that in fact, she would only work a single day in her entire life. Did he still want her? Macphie confirmed that he did. With a sigh, the old man admitted that when the black dog’s day did come, she would do her work well.

The years passed and the black dog grew into a fine hound. Macphie loved his dog and she loved him. She would follow him around Colonsay like a shadow but as hard as he would try, she always refused to join him on a hunt. His friends all told him just to get rid of her. What use was a dog that wouldn’t hunt? Better to shoot it now and save having to feed it!

Every time the argument arose, Macphie would sagely reply, “No. The Black Dog’s day has not yet come.”

One day, Macphie was leading a group to Jura on a big hunt. He called out to the black dog to join them on the ship but she barely lifted an eyebrow. The hunters set sail, eager for the thrill of the chase but strong winds blew them straight back to shore.

The next day, the sea looked calm, and the hunters decided to try again. Once more, Macphie called to the dog, but she just sniffed the air, yawned loudly, and settled back down to sleep. Just as before, once when the boat had left Colonsay, a terrible storm blew up and the group were forced to return.

On the third day, without anybody calling, they found the dog patiently waiting for them in the boat. Macphie took it as a sign and shouted, “The black dog’s day is growing near!

The sea stayed calm and the wind was favourable for Macphie, the black dog and the hunting party. Across to Jura they sailed and the hunt could finally start. The black dog didn’t seem as interested once they had landed on the island, she just sat and watched. The men might have been irritated but things had been going so well for them that something like that wasn’t going to spoil their day.

With a successful day’s hunt under their belts, the group took shelter in a cave for the night. The men were feasting and boasting, thoroughly enjoying their trip as the black dog snoozed at Macphie’s feet. One of the group declared that the only thing they needed now was a little female company.

Almost immediately, a beautiful woman appeared at the entrance to the cave. The men were speechless as she slowly approached Macphie with a mischievous smile on her face. Macphie’s black dog wasn’t so easily fooled by the creature’s charms. The dog stood up, raised her hackles, and snarled at the woman until she fled into the darkness while the men broke themselves from her trance.

While Macphie was pondering what on earth had just happened, a huge hand appeared through the cave entrance and grabbed him. Whatever had tried to take his life through trickery was now resorting to brute force. Up sprang the loyal black dog, sinking it’s teeth into the giant’s arm and clinging on with all of her strength. A roar of pain shook cobwebs off the cave and the hand was snatched back taking the hound with it.

Barks, yelps and cries of pain sounded from outside as the battle raged. The men were frozen in fear by the things that they had seen. Eventually, as dawn broke, the black dog limped in and collapsed at Macphie’s feet. The giant was nowhere to be seen.

It was clear the dog he loved was mortally wounded, giving her life to protect her master. She placed her head in his lap and looked up into his eyes as Macphie whispered “The Black Dog’s day has come and she did her work well.”

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