Dog-Headed Men (Cynocephali)

[Anonymous]

(name supplied)

The Doghead Men

In the late 60s we lived in Station Street, Crewe, which we left when the whole area was to be slum-cleared. The houses were old fashioned, very basic terraced ones opening directly onto the street, and as everyone knew everyone else it was safe to 'play out' quite late at night. One evening, Mark (aged about 9) was walking along the wide pavement when he saw some characters coming toward him. There were 3 I think, and they were somewhat taller than people.

They were dressed as men in suits, but had very large DOGS' HEADS!! These heads swayed widely from side to side as the creatures walked. Mark was absolutely terrified as they approached, but they seemed not to notice him and he passed them safely. He ran all the way home and only told me about the 'Big Dogs' as he called them some time later. I laughed my head off, thinking he was trying to scare me. When it became obvious that he was really scared, I tried to figure out what he'd seen. My 10-year old brain could only come up with ghosts or aliens, neither of which seemed to fit the bill.

Mark's experience came to mind when I read 'The Thing on the Doorstep' on these pages. Could a camel's head and a dog's look alike? Did Joshua see the same critter as did Mark? I seem to remember that Mark saw the Big Dogs again but will have to pick the time to ask him about it.

 

[Anonymous]

Similar things have happened elsewhere

Though I have never run across other tales of nocturnal dogheaded men, the theme of "nighthawks bumping into the Strange on city sidewalks" is common around the world. For example, in the early 1970's a report came from a Latin American country (I think Argentina) of a night-time encounter between a man and three black-suited creatures. He was walking on one side of a city street, the creatures were walking down the other side, going the other way. Each of the beings wore what looked like a black spacesuit; their heads were covered and pointed, their eyes a glowing red. All were short humanoids. I think they did not notice the witness, who later told the police.
While this sighting could be lumped in with UFO "phenomena" because the things looked like aliens, your sighting of the dogmen was very similar. What I've noticed with all witness accounts of weird creatures (non-UFO) is that they either take no heed of the witness, or they react to him/her in some strange way (physical attacks, running away, staring, or telepathic communication.) Luckily the dogmen seemed intent on popping into our reality, clumsily walking through it, then vanshing back from whence they came.

 

[Anonymous]

Anubis?

In Egypt, the Jackal headed God, Anubis, is an urban legend. He has been seen in physical presence and in shadow. He is the guuardian of the underworld and guides spirits to Abydos. He has often been seen shortly after or before a person's death.
I'm not saying that this is what you saw but a Dog Headed man and Anubis are pretty much anatomically identical in my book...

 

[Pete Younger]

Was'nt there a humanoid creature a bit like this in the latest star wars movie? perhaps it's a question of precognition of the movie kind.:eek!!!!:

 

[Anonymous]

Could have been joe camel out for a night on the town,he gets around.

 

[Anonymous]

Reminds me of the following report:


Location: Jenin to Dotan road (Israel)

Date/Time: [not specified].

A resident of the Arab town of Jenin was driving one evening towards Dotan and picked up a hitch-hiker, who who sat in the passenger seat beside him. After a while he noticed his companion's face had transformed into that of a one-eyed dog. Stopping the car, he ran away from it and fainted.

Debate in Jenin and the neighbouring towns interpreted the figure variously as a demon, or 'the blind liar' - an evil figure that is to spread evil abroad before the coming of the Messiah.

Source(s): Daily Maariv (Israel) 14 October 1996; 'Chillers on the road' (Fortean Times, issue uncertain).

 

[Anonymous]

I've been checking up on this...

Turns out that there is one form of Demon that becomes human to entice it's victims, then becomes a hideous Jackal type creature...often with one eye or a shroud over is face and nose, covering it's eyes...

 

[whippsa]

Animal headed thingies

When I was in high school in Portland, Oregon, USA, around the year 1969. A friend, Mike E. (name changed to protect a heck of a great guy), told me that he liked to rent a 'bear' costume and go the mall or some other public place and hand out candy and wave to people!

He kept wanting me to go along! Doh! No way. But one night he asked me to drive him around, late at night. Gosh, what are friends for (no really, what ARE friends for?) Whenever we saw someone, and this episode was late on a Friday night in residential neiborhoods, he'd get out and walk around and wave to people. Remember, it was dark and there is this person in a rented bear costume (more like a cartoonish bear with a big head), waving at the few people who were coming home or going out at that hour.

That was the last time I got roped into doing that but I'm sure it went on without my help or approval.

I'm also sure that what one person thinks up, someone else, somewhere, sometime will also try. Perhaps pranksters or costume party goers are the cause of some unusual stories.

 

[Anonymous]

I think the dog-headed men must be some sort of archetype we Westerners don't dwell on; still, it comes out every so often. Are any of you familiar with Wildstorm's (a subsidiary of DC Comics) book by Alan Moore and Gene Ha, entitled "Top Ten?" If I'm not mistaken, there's a dog-headed man in the book. Or the dog's using a cybernetic human body...I'm not certain. Sorry--I'm a "Planetary" fan.

 

[Anonymous]

This is addressed to everyone who has encountered "dog-headed men." I am an artist, and a paranormal researcher in my spare time. Could you please tell me what -type- of dog these people's heads resembled? That is, wolf, collie, boxer, poodle, etc.
The reason that I ask is because there is a record of a similar incident having occured a while back somewhere in the USA, although two things were different. Nevertheless, the man who had the encounter said that the figure's face resembled a certain type of dog, and I am curiious to see whether or not there is a connection.
Also, what were these dog-headed people wearing when you all saw them? Are we talking about dogs walking around on its hind legs or are we talking about men in suits with heads that look like the faces of dogs? Also, how tall were these people? Did they ever open their mouths?
Please answer as soon as possible.

 

[Mattattattatt]

This rings a bell... I remember reading years ago of a whole race of Dog-Headed men supposed to originate in Africa, I think. It was in a book of legendary creatures...

 

[Mattattattatt]

http://www.lehigh.edu/~cjs6/yahoo.htm

Take a look - One-eyed, two-eyed, dog-headed cannibals and a bibliography to boot!

The link is dead. An archived version of the cited webpage can be accessed via the Wayback Machine at:

https://web.archive.org/web/20010118022900/http://www.lehigh.edu:80/~cjs6/yahoo.htm

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I've heard of those. I've heard a theory that they might have been seen on Madagascar where there used to live a species of gorilla-sized lemurs. If they could mistake gorillas for men why not lemurs.

 

[Anonymous]

I also remember a commercial where you see a grand danois sitting there dressed in a business suit. Maybe it was out taking a stroll during takes

 

[evilsprout]

Xanatic, good point about the Madagascar case. Lemurs are, or course, famous for having decidely vulpine heads.

All this dog-headed men business is pretty freaky... an Egyptian god on the prowl in Manchester and Crewe?!

There are so many weird creatures documented in Fortean history (Mothman, Owlman, Jersey Devil, Dover Demon, Chupacabras) that are so much weirder than the relatively normal cryptids such as Bigfoot (big ape!) and Nessie (big sea reptile!). What if there's some very regular sighted creatures like these dog-men, who just aren't documented cos people feel stupid giving reports of them because a) they're completely ridiculous sounding, and b) they're seen in areas where weird creatures like this just can't be conceived exist, like the middle of busy cities.

From a very bizarre 'It Happened to Me' entry, we've got one report of a very similar case, and that's just among the users of this website. How many other people have seen something similar?!

 

[Anonymous]

What if there's some very regular sighted creatures like these dog-men, who just aren't documented cos people feel stupid giving reports of them because a) they're completely ridiculous sounding, and b) they're seen in areas where weird creatures like this just can't be conceived exist, like the middle of busy cities.

I'm not sure that the first part of this is anymore relevant to 'dogheads' than to the Owlmen etc. The literature is full of apparently 'one-off' entities being reported. (For example the Longendale 'slug' referred to on the cryptozoology section) I'm sure that reported anomalous experience is only the tip of the iceberg, but I suspect that there are other factors more important in non-reporting than whether the entity/phenomena is previously known to the witness.

Your second point about location is more likely to have some truth to it. If I saw a 'doghead' out on the moors, I'd be pretty freaked, but if I saw one walking through Huddersfield town centre on a sunny lunchtime, and no-one else seemed to notice it, I'd probably think I was either mistaken or that it was someone in a 'doghead suit'. I wonder if there's a link to the fact that your chances of being helped by a stranger if you collapse in the street decrease rather than increase the more people are around at the time. This counter-intuitive behaviour on the part of the passers by is apparently because they all assume someone else will deal with the situation, whereas if they were on their own they'd feel they had to deal with it.

 

[Anonymous]

As you mention, Evilsprout, there is the god Anubis of ancient Egyptian religion/mythology. Whether the dog-headed god was based on a belief or 'reports' of such creatures, or vice versa, we will never know.
The Egyptians, of course, had a range of gods with the heads of animals (a convention not confined to that religion). I wonder if any reports of other kinds of animal-headed people have been reported - for instance cat/lion heads, based on the Egyptian goddess Bast/Sekhmet? Or, for that matter, dog-headed females?

Returning to the former, perhaps someone should re-interview Dr Anne Ross, the Celtic archaelogist, and her daughter, after their publicised sightings of a wolf-headed creature in her home whilst studying the infamous Hexham Heads?

Then, again, considering the outcome of the Hexham investigation, perhaps Dr Ross would by now be loathe to discuss her experiences?

 

[Anonymous]

Well, if all those creatures form egyptian mythology were real, there would be some very strange creatures out there.

As for having a heart attack in a city. If that happens don't yell "somebody call an ambulance". Everybody will expect soebody else to do it. Point your finger at some guy and tell him to call an ambulance. Much better chances of an ambulance arriving.

But also in the city, do you want to be know as the guy who got spooked by a guy dressed in a vampire costume? I'd also feel a lot safer reporting something I had seen on a moor.

 

[Anonymous]

Who saw this post coming?

--Well, if all those creatures form egyptian mythology were real, there would be some very strange creatures out there. --

Don't tell me you wrote this in anything other than sarcasm! But just in case, let me the one to say it (*ceck-kem...*)

You have nooooooo idea!

At least that's how we would say it here in the U.S.

Anyway, I, too, have recognized that strange affect as it would occur in a crowded open space. I dare say there could be a dozen or so dog-headed people living in New York City, and probably no one would think enough of it to conclude they were anything out of the ordinary. Strangely, it is like the phenomenon of people's reactions to people who are in a wheel-chair; some feel awkward when even making eye contact with one of those people.
In fact, I watched a thing on television once about a man who lived in a very busy city -- I believe it was New York City, in fact -- and every day he covers his body in silver, and becomes "Silver Man!"
He then procedes to go out into the crowded city, and act like something between a cross of a mime and a human sculpture. People do stop in stare, and others avoid him. For all the citizens there know, he could really have silver skin and hair! So who knows what's lurking among us.
It is a strange society, ours.

 

[Anonymous]

Well, what I meant was that there would be a lot of creatures with animal heads that would look quite strange. Cat heads, bird heads and so on.

As for the silver man, why would people really notice him? You can see people like him in every major city. I once saw one in full pharaonic costume. Must be lonely to just stand there all day.

 

[escargot]

I've only just come back to this thread and I'm amazed to find that others have seen the dogheaded men too!
I will have a chat to my brother and find out more about them.
He was crazed with fear at the time, I remember.

 

[Anonymous]

Actually, I think you'll find it is I who mentioned Anubis...

 

[Mattattattatt]

Y'know, it's kinda wierd...Last time I was in Huddersfield I passed a dog-headed man dressed in silver, busy phoning an ambulance for a guy who'd just had a heart-attack. He then walked off, humming the Bangles' "Walk Like an Egyptian".

But seriously...

I think that people, more than not noticing, are more likely to pretend they saw nothing, as they think that they're hallucinating, or fear rejection by "sane" aquaintances. I don't think that "no one would think enough of it to conclude they were anything out of the ordinary"...

I think it'd startle me a little! Yes, I do live in a village, but I'm not that sheltered

 

[escargot]

One thing I've noticed all through people's accounts of personal Forteana (PF?) is that certain people just aren't believed, and know they won't be, no matter how sincere they are. Children are certainly disbelieved. My brother and I never even considered telling adults about some weird things we'd seen and I'm sure that if, say, we'd been flashed by a pervy, we wouldn't have expected to be believed about that, in our innocence.
Women too are traditionally disbelieved and the word of an 'unsupported woman' found meaningless.
It's not that people don't notice things: they just filter out what can be described from what cannot. Otherwise they can be accused of lying, madness, drunkenness or plain hysteria. ( A predominantly female condition, of course!)

 

[Anonymous]

Sombody Elses Problem

The SEP was fully described by Douglas Adams in the Hichhikers series. A phenomina where your brain would filter out .. out of place things... and blank them from your vision.

Has anyone seen a girl faced dog... I seem to go on a lot of dates with them.

 

[Pete Younger]

Re: Sombody Elses Problem

Originally posted by Gordon

Has anyone seen a girl faced dog... I seem to go on a lot of dates with them.

Takes one to know one.

 

[Breakfastologist]

Its all gone a bit Tim Powers.

 

[escargot]

Dog-breathed blokes. Brrrr.

 

[evilsprout]

I've found some interesting dog-headed men stuff online... to summarise:

* In Pliny's 'Natural History', he writes of a race of dog-headed men in India called Cynocephali, who hunt with spears and javelins, speak in barks, and dress in animal skins.


*Dog-headed men were featured in many Christian works, for example Psalter shows the Cynocephali as savages being converted by Jesus.

*Saint Mercurius used converted Cynocephali as fierce soldiers in his Christian army. The dog-heads ate Mercurius's grandfather, and were going to eat his father too, but they were converted when an angel surrounded them in a ring of fire.

*St Christopher, patron saint of travellers, was himself a dog-headed man! He lost his bestial looks when he denounced his wolfy nature and found Christianity. A list of 8th Century saints says "was one of the Dog-heads, a race that had the heads of dogs and ate human flesh. He meditated much on God, but at that time could only speak the language of the Dog-heads."

*St Augustine described the Cynocephali as the monstrous children of god, and descendents of Adam.

*Columbus wrote in his diary of Native Americans being dog-headed cannibals. This image was picked up in popular woodcuts of the New World.

*Marco Polo described a dog-like race living on Andaman Island (near Ceylon): "You may take it for a fact that all the men of the island have heads like dogs, and teeth and eyes like dogs; for I assure you that the whole aspect of their faces is that of big mastiffs. They are a very cruel race: whenever they can get a hold of a man who is not one of their kind, they devour him."

*Isidore of Seville said of the Cynocephali: "The Cynocephali are so called because they have dogs' heads and their very barking betrays them as beasts rather than men. These are born in India". Sir John Mandeville said they were from an unknown island called Macumeran. Apparently the ruler wore a huge ruby round his neck, and they worshipped the ox (another India reference?).

*And, of course, aren't werewolves dog-headed men?

I think it would be naive, however, to suggest that these were in any way "real" dog-headed people, however. It seems to me that the dog-headed man was a motif to describe the "savage" races of the world (which often goes hand in hand with cannibalism). This is reinfoced by the way that the dog-heads usually lose their animalistic traits once they are converted to Christianity.

But, of course, you never know...

...............................................

http://www.geocities.com/pilotwolf143/banulf/cynocephali.htm

http://www.yalchicago.com/Unusual_Icons.html

http://www.lehigh.edu/~cjs6/yahoo.htm

http://www.eaudrey.com/myth/cynocephali.htm

http://www.wolfcross.com/weresecret.html

 

[FelixAntonius]

I seem to remember that David Atinborough, in I think one of his zoo quest series, (don't look now my age is showing), reckoned that there wise a type of ape out Java way with a protrubant muzzle that was the origin of the story of dog headed men.