I totally sign! When they came out with 'Gift of the gods' I thought about curses as well! I have a website bookmarked that may offer some good ideas:
Encyclopedia Mythica: Bestiary There is also a section on folk lore and such.
But of all the creatures of the night, I would love to have (here on Gaia) the
'Black Dog.'
Encyclopedia Mythica: Bestiary: Black Dog
The black dogs are found all over the British Isles, especially on deserted roads. They are roughly the size of a calf and they move in utter silence, except for the clicking of their claws. The chill despondency and despair these dogs cause is the reason why there are no detailed descriptions of their appearance. While a companion is no guarantee for safety -- for one might see the dog and the other might not -- it offers a better protection than walking alone. It is said that the best companion is a descendant of Ean MacEndroe of Loch Ewe. He rescued a fairy once and in return he and his descendants were given perpetual immunity from the power of the black dogs. (See also Barghest).
Black Dogs are known by many names all over the place, but the descriptions and what not are all the same. I have seen instinces where the Kludde had been mistaken for the Black Dog.
Encyclopedia Mythica: Bestiary: Kludde
In Belgian folklore, a water spirit which roams the Flemish country side. This creature, called Kludde, hides in the twilight of dawn and sunset and attacks innocent travelers. Warned travelers listen for the only sound which betrays that Kludde is in the vicinity: the rattling of the chains with which the spirit is covered.
Kludde usually appears in the shape of a monstrous black dog that walks on his hind legs. The faster one walks, the faster this monster follows, often swinging through the trees like a giant snake. No one can ever hope to outrun or escape this creature. The dog is not the only shape in which it can be seen. It can also assume the shape of a huge, hairy, black cat or a horrible black bird.
While the two are
similar, they are most definitly
not the same.