A page from The Book of Imaginary Canines
Since I’ve been doing dog breeds for the past two weeks, how about Dog Magic?
The first dog magic, of course, was the human domestication of dogs. From what I’ve read, the first dog was a now-extinct subspecies of wolf similar to the present-day Arabian Wolf, which roams the Middle East. In other words, a smallish wolf that, while still carnivorous, ate a more varied diet than its brethren and was prone to scavenging. The hypothesis was it hung around early humans to get at their discarded hunting scraps. As the story goes, it feared man less and less and “domesticated” itself.
I’ll also note here that wolves are one of the most adaptable of species, like humans. Over time they’ve differentiated into dozens and dozens of different subspecies and are still differentiating today. The Sea Wolves of Victoria Island, anyone?
There’s a Hollywood movie called Alpha that gives a romanticized and male-dominated view of wolf domestication. In prehistoric times, a young man bonds with an injured wolf he encounters while hunting; he nurses it back to health and they become partners. When he returns to his tribe, the wolf drops a litter of puppies – she was a lady wolf! Domestication proceeds from there.
I say, bunk. It’s far more likely the women of the tribe domesticated the scavenging wolves, raising the puppies alongside their own children to ensure loyalty. Perhaps they nursed the cubs, and the mama wolf, the infants. Such so the legend of Romulus and Remus was born. The bond was mystic, familial. These first dogs protected the tribe and their young ones and kept them warm at night. Their hunting function was perhaps secondary.
I’ll say, too, that perhaps wolf domestication was the reason Homo sapiens prevailed over Homo neanderthalis and denisova. The latter species just couldn’t get the hang of taming the wolf.
Anyway, here’s a bunch of canine-oriented spells and magic items.
Dog Magic
| Spells |
Canine Landscape: Makes an area especially attractive to canines of all types. They will stray from their business or regular path just to check it out.
Dispel Barrowdog: Many ancient kings were buried with their beloved hunting hounds, and over the ages, the dogs became wights along with them. But unlike their masters, the dogs gave into their wild instincts and became free-roaming pack animals with others of their ghostly kind. This necromantic spell dispels the ghost dogs so they won’t attack. Face of the Wolf: Creates a subliminal image of the visage of a snarling wolf over the recipient’s own face. Instills respect and fear in anyone they have dealings with. Frisky Husky: Makes the lead dog of a dogsled team start to caper and prance, sending the entire sled off on a wild goose chase. Gerhnhardt’s Dog Water: This dastardly spell changes drinking water from tasting fresh to tasting like it came from a big dog bowl in a kennel that has been slobbered over for days. The amount transformed depends on the level of the mage. Stazure’s Mutable Hound: Cast only on dogs. It lets the mage change their breed, as many times as the caster wants, for the length of the spell. Wolfsteen’s Canine Commentary: When cast on a person giving a speech, all the local dogs will bay, bark, and howl as long as the person is talking. The spell must be cast in an area where there are dogs around, like a village or town, or it won’t work. |
| Magic Items |
Amber Dog Bone: Prized by royalty, this chew toy is not only indestructible, but entertains a royal pet for hours. It also magically maintains the dog’s teeth and gums.
Book of Imaginary Canines: Treatise detailing many different dog breeds, dog species, and dog/canine monsters… but none of them are real. The reader will be convinced they are, however. Chain of Flying Dogs: Made of a light, silvery metal and used by a sled dog team, this harness makes a pack of running dogs literally fly over snowy and icy terrain so their feet barely touch the ground. Astonishing speeds can be thus generated. In addition, the dogs will use only 1/4 of the energy they normally would. Mead of the Mastiff: An enchanted drink beloved by berserkers of some indigenous Northern cultures. It makes them fierce and brave as mastiff dogs and even gives them a biting attack at close quarters which can be extremely unpleasant. |
