---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A hound it was, an enormous coal-black…"
description: "\"“A hound it was, an enormous coal-black hound, but not such a hound as mortal eyes have ever seen.”\" — Arthur Conan Doyle"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/123/arthur-conan-doyle-273_character-descriptio_a-hound-it-was-an-enormous-coal-black-ho_604209.jpg"
---

#  A hound it was, an enormous coal-black hound, but not such…

![“A hound it was, an enormous coal-black hound, but not such a hound as mortal eyes have ever seen.” quote by Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/123/arthur-conan-doyle-273_character-descriptio_a-hound-it-was-an-enormous-coal-black-ho_604209.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/123/arthur-conan-doyle-273_character-descriptio_a-hound-it-was-an-enormous-coal-black-ho_604209.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/123/arthur-conan-doyle-273_character-descriptio_a-hound-it-was-an-enormous-coal-black-ho_604209.jpg)

> ““A hound it was, an enormous coal-black hound, but not such a hound as mortal eyes have ever seen.””

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A monstrous, unseen hound represents fears that are beyond ordinary perception.

**In simple terms:** Unseen fears are terrifying.

Key Takeaway

Acknowledge hidden fears.

Themes

fear the unknown mythology

Mood

eerie anticipatory

Type

literary descriptive

When to use this quote

- nighttime walks
- reading horror
- confronting anxiety

Key Concepts

psychology symbolism

Questions to Reflect On

- What unseen fears drive you?
- How can you confront the unknown?

A Different Perspective

The description may exaggerate, making fear more myth than reality.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Black Hound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-hound-4482233/) [Character-description](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character-description/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Hound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hound/) [Hound Enormous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hound-enormous-4919266/) [Hound Hound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hound-hound-4482234/) [Hound Mortal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hound-mortal-4482232/)

## Related quotes

> [A hound it was, an enormous coal-black hound, but not such a hound as mortal eyes have ever seen. Fire burst from its open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/a-hound-it-was-an-enormous-coal-black-hound-but-not-such-a-hound-as/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“...when you look at a photo or realistic drawing of a face, you see it as the face of another . But when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-mccloud/when-you-look-at-a-photo-or-realistic-drawing-of-a-face-you-see-it-as/)

[Scott McCloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-mccloud/)

> [Not our logical faculty, but our imaginative one is king over us. I might say, priest and prophet to lead us to heaven-ward, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/not-our-logical-faculty-but-our-imaginative-one-is-king-over-us-i/)

[Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

> [“It was a compound of self-reliance, hard knocks, heart hunger, unceasing work, and generosity. There was no form of suffering with which the girl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-stratton-porter-2/it-was-a-compound-of-self-reliance-hard-knocks-heart-hunger-unceasing/)

[Gene Stratton Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-stratton-porter-2/)

> [“People don't tend to employ me. I'm the wrong personality type. Or rather, people do tend to employ me for a short time and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-keyes/people-don-t-tend-to-employ-me-i-m-the-wrong-personality-type-or/)

[Marian Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-keyes/)

> [“They were handy to have around, Nate's little gang. They were that wonderful combination of talented and noble. The former was useful, while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-r-a-decandido/they-were-handy-to-have-around-nate-s-little-gang-they-were-that/)

[Keith R.A. DeCandido](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-r-a-decandido/)

> [“He was a compact, clearcut man, with precise features, a lot of very soft black hair, and thoughtful dark brown eyes. He had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-byatt/he-was-a-compact-clearcut-man-with-precise-features-a-lot-of-very/)

[A.S. Byatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-byatt/)

> [“I liked it when things went together like that. Not just timing things like the chop/ flick/ knock-stopping, but space things, too. Like all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-levin/i-liked-it-when-things-went-together-like-that-not-just-timing-things/)

[Adam Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-levin/)

> [“I need you to get inside Wayne's head. I need someone who thinks a bit left field and in your own unpleasant way, Helen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-keyes/i-need-you-to-get-inside-wayne-s-head-i-need-someone-who-thinks-a-bit/)

[Marian Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-keyes/)

> [“He was drinking Harriet's favourite, cold tea... not iced tea, but hot tea that had cooled. They liked him so much. They liked the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/he-was-drinking-harriet-s-favourite-cold-tea-not-iced-tea-but-hot-tea/)

[Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/)

> [“Once Addie let someone in, she was impossible to forget. There was something about her that crawled inside a person and built a nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kasie-west/once-addie-let-someone-in-she-was-impossible-to-forget-there-was/)

[Kasie West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kasie-west/)

> [“Phyllida's hair was where her power resided. It was expensively set into a smooth dome, like a band shell for the presentation of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/phyllida-s-hair-was-where-her-power-resided-it-was-expensively-set/)

[Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/)

> [“If you're not who you want to be, at least act like who you want it be. - Bud”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-frazier/if-you-re-not-who-you-want-to-be-at-least-act-like-who-you-want-it-be/)

[Charles Frazier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-frazier/)

> [“Standing on the deck of a San Francisco ferryboat, in a gray suit so precisely the same colour as the fog that he seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sean-greer/standing-on-the-deck-of-a-san-francisco-ferryboat-in-a-gray-suit-so/)

[Andrew Sean Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sean-greer/)

> [“Oliver daydreams about Ionian columns.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/oliver-daydreams-about-ionian-columns/)

[Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/)

## More by Arthur Conan Doyle

> [“shattered the bone and grazed the subclavian artery. I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/shattered-the-bone-and-grazed-the-subclavian-artery-i/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/my-mind-rebels-at-stagnation-give-me-problems-give-me-work-give-me/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [...it was a huge creature, luminous, ghastly, and spectral. I have cross-examined these men, one of them a hard-headed countryman, one a farrier, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/it-was-a-huge-creature-luminous-ghastly-and-spectral-i-have-cross/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“A study in scarlet, eh? Why shouldn't we use a little art jargon. There's the scarlet thread of murder running through the colourless skein…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/a-study-in-scarlet-eh-why-shouldn-t-we-use-a-little-art-jargon-there/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/mediocrity-knows-nothing-higher-than-itself-but-talent-instantly/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“Holy men? Holy cabbages! Holy bean-pods! What do they do but live and suck in sustenance and grow fat? If that be holiness, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/holy-men-holy-cabbages-holy-bean-pods-what-do-they-do-but-live-and/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“Wonderful!" I ejaculated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/wonderful-i-ejaculated/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [Amberley excelled at chess - a mark, Watson, of a scheming mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/amberley-excelled-at-chess-a-mark-watson-of-a-scheming-mind/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [Ex-Professor Moriarty of mathematical celebrity... is the Napoleon of crime, Watson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/ex-professor-moriarty-of-mathematical-celebrity-is-the-napoleon-of/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“When a doctor does go wrong, he is the first of criminals. He has the nerve and he has the knowledge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/when-a-doctor-does-go-wrong-he-is-the-first-of-criminals-he-has-the/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“How small we feel with our petty ambitions and strivings in the presence of the great elemental forces of Nature!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/how-small-we-feel-with-our-petty-ambitions-and-strivings-in-the/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [You wish to put me in the dark. I tell you that I will never be put in the dark. You wish to beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/you-wish-to-put-me-in-the-dark-i-tell-you-that-i-will-never-be-put-in/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“My mind," he said, "rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram or the most intricate analysis,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/my-mind-he-said-rebels-at-stagnation-give-me-problems-give-me-work/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“It is hard luck on a young fellow to have expensive tastes, great expectations, aristocratic connections but no actual money in his pocket, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/it-is-hard-luck-on-a-young-fellow-to-have-expensive-tastes-great/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“In the year 1878 I took my degree of Doctor of Medicine of the University of London, and proceeded to Netley to go through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/in-the-year-1878-i-took-my-degree-of-doctor-of-medicine-of-the/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

[Explore all 740 Arthur Conan Doyle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

## More Character-description quotes

> [“...when you look at a photo or realistic drawing of a face, you see it as the face of another . But when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-mccloud/when-you-look-at-a-photo-or-realistic-drawing-of-a-face-you-see-it-as/)

[Scott McCloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-mccloud/)

> [“Standing on the deck of a San Francisco ferryboat, in a gray suit so precisely the same colour as the fog that he seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sean-greer/standing-on-the-deck-of-a-san-francisco-ferryboat-in-a-gray-suit-so/)

[Andrew Sean Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sean-greer/)

> [“If you're not who you want to be, at least act like who you want it be. - Bud”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-frazier/if-you-re-not-who-you-want-to-be-at-least-act-like-who-you-want-it-be/)

[Charles Frazier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-frazier/)

> [“Phyllida's hair was where her power resided. It was expensively set into a smooth dome, like a band shell for the presentation of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/phyllida-s-hair-was-where-her-power-resided-it-was-expensively-set/)

[Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/)

> [“Once Addie let someone in, she was impossible to forget. There was something about her that crawled inside a person and built a nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kasie-west/once-addie-let-someone-in-she-was-impossible-to-forget-there-was/)

[Kasie West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kasie-west/)

> [“He was drinking Harriet's favourite, cold tea... not iced tea, but hot tea that had cooled. They liked him so much. They liked the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/he-was-drinking-harriet-s-favourite-cold-tea-not-iced-tea-but-hot-tea/)

[Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/)

> [“I need you to get inside Wayne's head. I need someone who thinks a bit left field and in your own unpleasant way, Helen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-keyes/i-need-you-to-get-inside-wayne-s-head-i-need-someone-who-thinks-a-bit/)

[Marian Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-keyes/)

> [“I liked it when things went together like that. Not just timing things like the chop/ flick/ knock-stopping, but space things, too. Like all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-levin/i-liked-it-when-things-went-together-like-that-not-just-timing-things/)

[Adam Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-levin/)

> [“He was a compact, clearcut man, with precise features, a lot of very soft black hair, and thoughtful dark brown eyes. He had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-byatt/he-was-a-compact-clearcut-man-with-precise-features-a-lot-of-very/)

[A.S. Byatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-byatt/)

> [“They were handy to have around, Nate's little gang. They were that wonderful combination of talented and noble. The former was useful, while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-r-a-decandido/they-were-handy-to-have-around-nate-s-little-gang-they-were-that/)

[Keith R.A. DeCandido](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-r-a-decandido/)

> [“People don't tend to employ me. I'm the wrong personality type. Or rather, people do tend to employ me for a short time and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-keyes/people-don-t-tend-to-employ-me-i-m-the-wrong-personality-type-or/)

[Marian Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-keyes/)

> [“It was a compound of self-reliance, hard knocks, heart hunger, unceasing work, and generosity. There was no form of suffering with which the girl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-stratton-porter-2/it-was-a-compound-of-self-reliance-hard-knocks-heart-hunger-unceasing/)

[Gene Stratton Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-stratton-porter-2/)

> [Not our logical faculty, but our imaginative one is king over us. I might say, priest and prophet to lead us to heaven-ward, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/not-our-logical-faculty-but-our-imaginative-one-is-king-over-us-i/)

[Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

> [“Oliver daydreams about Ionian columns.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/oliver-daydreams-about-ionian-columns/)

[Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/)

> [“Peter was a gentle, red-haired bear of a man. Standing at six-four in his socks, he moved everywhere with a slight and nautical sway,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-joyce/peter-was-a-gentle-red-haired-bear-of-a-man-standing-at-six-four-in/)

[Graham Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-joyce/)

[Browse all 39 Character-description quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character-description/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“A hound it was, an enormous coal-black hound, but not such a hound as mortal eyes have ever seen.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Arthur Conan Doyle"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/a-hound-it-was-an-enormous-coal-black-hound-but-not-such-a-hound-as-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Character-description"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/a-hound-it-was-an-enormous-coal-black-hound-but-not-such-a-hound-as-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/123/arthur-conan-doyle-273_character-descriptio_a-hound-it-was-an-enormous-coal-black-ho_604209.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/123/arthur-conan-doyle-273_character-descriptio_a-hound-it-was-an-enormous-coal-black-ho_604209.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/123/arthur-conan-doyle-273_character-descriptio_a-hound-it-was-an-enormous-coal-black-ho_604209.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A hound it was, an enormous coal-black hound, but not such a hound as mortal eyes have ever seen.” — Arthur Conan Doyle",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Arthur Conan Doyle",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“A hound it was, an enormous...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/a-hound-it-was-an-enormous-coal-black-hound-but-not-such-a-hound-as-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/a-hound-it-was-an-enormous-coal-black-hound-but-not-such-a-hound-as-2/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
