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The Bog Hound[2] was a giant dog-like entity that haunted an Irish police officer, Deputy Chief O'Malley.

History[]

A long time ago, the head of the O'Malley clan stole a pot of gold from a Leprechaun. It cast a curse on the O'Malley clan. When there is a full moon on St. Patrick's Day, a Bog Hound carries away the current head of the clan. The Deputy Chief's great grandfather was almost carried away but escaped with a keepsake, a piece of the Hound's green fur.[3] He also advised his great grandson that the one thing that can stop it is a four-leaf clover.[4]

In the 1980s, a Bog Hound journeyed from Ireland to New York City to drag away Deputy Chief O'Malley. O'Malley feared his time had come and made a special arrangement with the newly incarcerated Ghostbusters. O'Malley told them everything he knew, even about the four-leaf clover weakness. Ray Stantz confirmed this by quoting Chapter 27 of Tobin's Spirit Guide, "Botanical Specific Avoidance in Spectral Manifestations."[5] Egon Spengler was skeptical and tried to stop the Bog Hound alone at the Bronx Zoo with his Proton Pack. Peter Venkman attempted to find a four-leaf clover to get rid of the creature, but it was eventually trapped by Egon Spengler at the St. Patrick's Day Parade.

Personality[]

The Bog Hound acted very much like a typical dog: it chased after cats, wanted to play fetch, and chased cars.

Trivia[]

  • The design of the Bog Hound is based on the Terror Dogs from the movie, Ghostbusters.[6]
  • Based on Michael Edens' commentary for "The Scaring of the Green," the Bog Hound was created from research into Celtic Mythology. He stumbled upon the legend of the Black Dog but chose to rename the episode's entity to a Bog Hound because it sounded better.[7]
  • The Bog Hound does bear some similarities to the Cù Sìth. It was said to be an enormous, otherworldly hound that haunts the Scottish Highlands. Roughly the size of a cow, the Cù Sìth was said to be dark green in color with shaggy fur and a long braided or curled tail. In Irish mythology, specifically, the Cù Sìth was said to be an immense, coal black hound with glowing or flaming eyes. The Cù Sìth was feared by man as a harbinger of death and would appear to take the soul of a person to the afterlife. Its green fur is unique among supernatural dogs in Celtic myth and is believed to be derived from the color used by Celtic fairies.
  • The Leprechaun that cursed the O'Malley clan may well be the Leprechaun from the Extreme Ghostbusters episode, "The Luck of the Irish" where there is a minor supporting character with a last name of O'Malley.
  • In Ghostbusters Issue #2 page 12, the head of a Bog Hound is mounted inside Wander Hills Orphanage.
  • On page 10 of Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #20, the Bog Hound makes a non-canon cameo on the mantle

Appearances[]

The Real Ghostbusters

References[]

  1. Marsha Goodman (1986). Episode Call Sheet and SAG Report - "The Scaring of the Green" (1986).
  2. Deputy Chief O'Malley (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "The Scaring of the Green" (1987) (DVD ts. 5:30-5:49). Time Life Entertainment. O'Malley says: "A long time ago, the head of the O'Malley Clan stole a pot of gold from a Leprechaun. The Leprechaun put a curse on the O'Malleys. And now, when there's a full moon on St. Patrick's Day, a Bog Hound rises and carries away the head of the clan O'Malley."
  3. Deputy Chief O'Malley (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "The Scaring of the Green" (1987) (DVD ts. 6:30-6:47). Time Life Entertainment. O'Malley says: "Me great grandfather himself was almost carried away. He even felt the jaws of the hound close on him before he escaped. He used to show me this when I was a wee babe as proof of the tale. The hair of the Bog that bit him."
  4. Deputy Chief O'Malley (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "The Scaring of the Green" (1987) (DVD ts. 7:27-7:33). Time Life Entertainment. O'Malley says: "According to me great grandfather, there's only one thing that will stop the Bog Hound. A four leaf clover."
  5. Ray Stantz (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "The Scaring of the Green" (1987) (DVD ts. 7:49-7:56). Time Life Entertainment. Ray says: "You're forgetting Chapter 27 in Tobin's Spirit Guide. Botanical Specific Avoidance in Spectral Manifestations."
  6. Andy Mangels, Michael Swanigan (2009).The Real Ghostbusters- "The Scaring of the Green" (1987) (DVD ts. 02:47-03:10). Time Life Entertainment.
  7. Michael Edens (2009).The Real Ghostbusters- "The Scaring of the Green" (1987) (DVD ts. 02:03-02:10). Time Life Entertainment.

Gallery[]

Collages[]

Primary Canon[]

Secondary Canon[]

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