The Celtic hounds were a breed of dogs in Gaelic Ireland described in Irish legend. They may have corresponded to Greyhound, Scottish Deerhound, Irish Wolfhound, or ancestors of all of these breeds.
Celtic Hounds can be found in Celtic jewelry designs and paintings as far back as the 17th century. Celtic Hounds symbolize hunting, healing, and the Otherworld in Celtic legends. Hounds were the traditional guardian animals of roads and crossways and are believed to protect and guide lost souls in the Otherworld.
The Irish word cú (pronounced [kuË]) for "hound" derives from the Primitive Irish cuna, which is from Proto-Celtic *kÅ« ("dog", "wolf"), which in turn derives from Proto-Indo-European *ḱwá¹", "dog."
In legends
Many Irish myths and legends include mentions of hounds. One of the most famous involves the Celtic hero Cúchulainn (The Hound of Ulster) or (The Hound of Culann) who killed a blacksmith's Celtic hound in self-defense. When Culann, the blacksmith asked who would now guard his shop the young Cuchulainn offered to take the dog's place thus gaining himself the title of 'The hound of Culann'. The offer was turned down and Cuchulainn went on to become one of the greatest warrior legends of that era, but the nickname stuck.
Bran and Sceolan who belonged to the poet warrior, Fionn mac Cumhaill. The mother of Bran and Sceolan was Tuiren, Fionn Mac Cumhaill's aunt, transformed into a hound by a Sidhe woman irritated by Tuiren's affair with her husband. (Audio podcast of one version of Bran's first adventures with Fionn Mac Cumhaill at http://www.podcasts.ie/armchair-ireland/myths-legends/)
In Welsh mythology, Gwyn ap Nudd was the ruler of Annwn (the Underworld) and escorted the souls of the dead there, leading a pack of supernatural hounds, called the Cŵn Annwn (Hounds of Annwn) (see also Wild Hunt). Another well known Welsh legend is that of Prince Llewellyn 's hound Gelert, who was unjustly slain by his master after being wrongly thought to have killed a child.
Use
Irish Wolfhounds were used to hunt wolves, and as war dogs to attack men on horseback and drag them from their saddles to be killed.
Scottish Deerhounds, being more placid, were reluctant war dogs and were more used for hunting game, especially Red Deer. Greyhounds, lighter and smaller, were used to hunt hares and small mammals. Celtic hounds were called Irish Greyhound and the Scottish or Rough Hound, and had other names according to area.
The Galgo Espanol breed is thought to be a descended of the Celtic hound, as is the Austrian Black and Tan Hound and the Tyrolean Hound.
