Middle Earth is filled with whimsical creatures both cuddly and dangerous. From the famous eagles, across the Oliphaunts, scary wargs, and majestic horses, many species have found their way into the Tolkien’s famous book. However, dogs will always have a special place in the fantastic universe, and that’s where the star of the day, Huan, comes in.

Huan was the great hound, famous also by the name of the Hound of Valinor. The legend says that he was so big that he actually had the measurements of a smaller horse (imagine having him as a lap dog!). The Valar gave Huan many special powers, such as immortality, ability to go without sleep, to never tire, and even speak three times before his death.

Huan is probably the only hound who could brag about meeting Lúthien, the fairest elf maiden in the world. Due to his special bond with her, he helped her escape from Celegorm’s prison by telling her how to do it, which was also the first time he spoke. After he helped her escape, Huan followed her to Tol-in-Gaurhoth, where he managed to slay all of Sauron’s evil werewolves. At that moment, Sauron shapeshifted into “the greatest wolf that ever lived”, and was supposed to be able to kill Huan, however, our hero defeated him, which made Sauron run.

The second time Huan spoke was the time when he shared his plan to enter Angband with Beren and Lúthien. He showed them a way to disguise in the form of a werewolf and a bat, whose skins he brought to them. In the end, when they obtained the Silmaril, Huan spoke for the third time, wishing them farewell, and dying in Beren’s arms.

Even though Huan was never explicitly described in the book, it is believed that he was similar to an Irish Wolfhound, a dog famous for its wolf-hunting abilities. Some of the illustrations portray him as a mixture between a large dog and a fox, and some believe that he was a Greyhound, due to certain connections between Tolkien’s work and The Divine Comedy by Dante.