Strange Dream Animal, Dog with a snake's head. Options

Hey forum, I'd like some help.

A couple nights ago a weird animal kept showing up in my dreams. Now, whenever I'm not lucid, my dreams usually flow and change setting and context rapidly, the way most people's dreams do. Early on in my night's dreams, a weird animal showed up.

It had the body of a medium sized dog and the head/neck of a snake. It was black and short haired with a long, thin tail with the dog part. The snake part was a darker brown. The neck was snake-like, but no longer than a normal dog's neck.

It moved funny. It trotted along on its legs but its body did a graceful sort of slither.

This animal followed me through all my different dreams that night as far as I can remember. Dream logic told me that this dogsnake was more or less my best friend ever. Y'know, the whole 'man's best friend' bit.

In the days sense I haven't been able to get this creature off my mind. Now, I'm decently versed in cryptos/folk-lore/mythologies, but I've never heard of a classical beast that had the body of a dog and the head of a snake. I'm hoping one of you has, and can point me to some kind history or information on the creature.

Thanks for your help, forum.

Greetings Dooley!
This rings a bell in my mind...(remember...my brain has gone soggy)
I've been immersed in the last thirty or so years in various aspects of ancient Egypt and what I had always considered
my own province of Egyptian shamanism. Alas this was not a new idea (I kinda knew this by d'Nile-al has its ways...).
One of the older references attributed to the god Set was an animal called, today, the 'Set-beast', which had some peculiar characteristics...No, these did not match your 'dog' but even older references tell of a four-limbed dog-like snake! Now (here comes the soggy bit(s) ) this animal was either attributed to Set OR to Apep! There are pictographs still in existance showing this beast! I'm not sure of the source material...but you've piqued my interest and I will endeavor to supply them to you.

In another vein...in Michael Harners book "the Way of the Shaman" he tells of how certain categoeries/types of shamans gain their 'power-animal' is to encounter this spiritual friend/guide in their dreams or in a trance. The animal presents itself (eventually) in three distinct views. It is not supposed to act hostile or 'show its teeth' at you in a menacing way. You are to take the animal up and either confer a name or it tells you a name. Then you learn how to 'dance' with the animal. This power animal will become your 'go-between' when dealing with the spiritual realms/denizens. I'm NOT saying that this 'beast' is a power animal...this should be researched carefully. Perhaps take up the Tarot-card reading offer from one of our members to help you ascertain what this dream is telling you...at least, think on it! Well...enough for now, I'm hungry and the food isn't fixing itself (mores the pity). I will run down that info. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

BACK again! Well....I'm still not entirely sure about the Egyptian connection BUT I did find another reference to something that makes much better sense! This is the beginning blurb from the Wikipedia on the Arthurian Legend of the Questing Beast!

"The Questing Beast, or the Beast Glatisant (Barking Beast), is a monster from Arthurian legend, the subject of quests by famous knights like King Pellinore, Sir Palamedes, and Sir Percival. The strange creature has the head and neck of a serpent, the body of a leopard, the haunches of a lion and the feet of a hart.[1] Its name comes from the great noise it emits from its belly, a barking like "thirty couple hounds questing". 'Glatisant' is related to the French word glapissant, 'yelping' or 'barking', especially of small dogs or foxes."

Even tho''ve seen a pictogram of a four-legged snake in my Egyptian texts I have also read on the Arthurian legend extensively. The Questing Beast was supposedly a very loquacious and even friendly beast to some...? Originally it was spawned by the coupling of a human princess with an incubus (in the image of her brother). It represented lust, incest and villainy. In Arthurian legend it fell in love with Sir Pallomides and King Pellinor. There are both good and bad revues about it. Some have it being very large, almost draconian, whilst other tales have it the size of a dog.

About your dream...I haven't a clue! Even if I did, I'd rather not stick my neck out as it keeps getting chopped off! LOL! My interpretations don't mix with the younger set....at all. Hopefully another member will come up with some viable ideas for you. I'd make note of its behavior and what, if anything, it does to you, with you and or says to you. What kind of scenarios does it appear? If something like this appears throughout various dreams consistantly it means something and you'd best pay attention (I know, duh...) I'm sorry if this wasn't much help but I will continue to search my files on the Egyptian angle, for what it's worth. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/horse.gif)

Thanks for the help, bym.

Though familiar with it, I had not thought of the Questing Beast. Although it doesn't match the creature very exactly, it is an interesting comparison.

I've never heard of this Set-Beast, and although it too fails to match the creature exactly, it piques my interest.

I'm positive I've downloaded 'The Way of the Shaman.' A months back I got it and started reading. I (perhaps unfortunately) stopped after only a chapter or two. I might call it back up and skim over what Harner has to say about it.

The creature really didn't do much out of the ordinary, it merely followed me around. This in itself was more than a little peculiar, though, because all context and subject in my dreams shift and change radically, entirely and often in my non-lucid dreams. For one aspect to be present the whole night through all the different changes was very out of the ordinary.

I do remember playing with it once. Sort of wrestling it playfully, as one does with a dog.

It most definitely didn't 'speak' to me, mostly just followed me around and kept me company. Like I said, in-dream I had great affection for and loyalty to the creature, and I knew the feelings were reciprocated.

It hasn't appeared any night since its first appearance, although it has only been a week or so since it first showed up. I've been trying to call it up while LD-ing, but I've only managed to get good and lucid once since the night it visited me. And during that time I didn't have any luck and lost lucidity fairly quickly. (I used to be good at LDing, but it's been a couple months since I've purposefully done it and I'm rusty.)

In any case, thanks for the help, bym! And any other ideas or info would be greatly appreciated.