SOURCE: The Princess and Curdie (1882) by George MacDonald

DESCRIPTION: "From somewhere behind Curdie, crept forward the same hideous animal which had fawned at his feet at the door, and which, without his knowing it, had followed him every step up the dove tower.  She ran to the princess, and lay down flat at her feet, looking up at her with an expression so pitiful that in Curdie's heart it overcame all the ludicrousness of her horrible mass of incongruities.  She had a very short body, and very long legs made like an elephant's, so that in lying down she kneeled with both pairs.  Her tail, which dragged on the floor behind her, was twice as long and quite as thick as her body.  Her head was something between that of a polar bear and a snake.  Her eyes were dark green, with a yellow light in them.  Her under teeth came up like a fringe of icicles, only very white, outside of her upper lip.  Her throat looked as if the hair had been plucked off.  it showed a skin white and smooth." (The Princess and Curdie by George MacDonald)

NOTES: Lina is one of a number of unsightly creatures probably descended from the goblin animals of the mine. She is dog-like in nature and has the soul of a pure child. When Curdie gives her the magical hand test he sees a small girl's hand. Lina is entirely faithful to Irene's great-great-grandmother and then to Curdie. She knows her appearance is hideous to others and is shamed by it, hiding her teeth in her paws. Lina has a bare patch under chin which shames her greatly. Curdie makes her a collar out of a goatskin pouch to cover it. She is indispensable to Curdie, saving him from the hypnotic birds and then leading the 49 Uglies. She crushes the evil Doctor Kelvin's leg with a bite of her jaws. Lina's ultimate fate is to dive into great-great-grandmother's rose fire, to burn away her sinful ugliness and never be seen again.

HISTORY: Lina shares the role of faithful pet with character's like John Carter's Sola and David Innes' hyaenodon, Raja. The pet's ugliness is part of their charm. Unlike Dorothy's Toto, who can be demanding on occasion, these pets are very faithful and often rescuing their masters. Macdonald, like Edgar Rice Burroughs, was obviously a dog owner.