THE WILD HUNT OR FAIRY RAED
Phantom Riders, Hounds, and Quarry
The ancient belief in the Wild Hunt, Fairy Raed,
or Furious Host, a phantasmal procession of riders
and hounds that rampaged clamorously across fields, woodlands,
and skies, was at one time widespread across Northern and
Central Europe. Wherever it took root, it became very much
a local phenomenon, its details shapeshifting to suit the
angst and concerns of the locale, with the result that the
details of the Wild Hunt vary widely from place to place.
It was mainly in the British Isles that the legend became
associated with fairy lore, and William Butler Yeats, for
one, wrote about a version of it in his The
Hosting of the Sidhe.
Common Themes
The Wild Hunt
by Jane Yolen
One theme is common to almost all regions: sightings of
the Hunt foretold calamity, at times even such great events
as war, and were to be avoided at all costs. Travelers in
lonely places, on hearing the ghostly host approaching,
would throw themselves upon the ground, quaking and averting
their eyes until the fearful procession had passed.
Other common features include a spectral leader, a band
of followers, horses, and hounds, an elusive quarry, and
the accompaniment of a great din, such as the belling of
the dogs, a shrieking of wind or voices, and thunderous
hoofbeats.
Vision of the Wild Hunt by Agostino
Musi (1515)
The Wild Hunt Across Europe
The Wild Hunt has more association with fairy lore in some
areas (most notably the British Isles ) than others, and
I've touched only lightly upon the phenomenon as it occurred
in some regions and mythologies, to give a quick overview.
Norse and Germanic Mythology
The Wild Hunt (or Wilde Jagd in German) was usually led
by the god Odin, or Wotan, who preferred to hunt in the
cold winds of autumn or winter. The quarry might be a boar,
a wild horse, or an ethereal woman known as a Moss Maiden.
Some German legends also have the Wild Hunt led by female
deities, and these are the exception to the rule of the
spectacle as a fearful omen, as the fields the goddess-led
Hunt passed by would double their crops in the next year.
France
King Arthur was most often considered to be the leader
of the Hunt in France, where it is known as la Chasse Artu
or Mesneé d'Helequin.
England
In England the Hunt's quarry is chiefly a stag of purest
white. This country has many elaborate variants of the legend.
The Legend of King Herla's Curse
The Wild Hunt in England was referred to as Herlathing,
after the mythical King Herla.
King Herla had attended the wedding of the Fairy King's
child. As Herla mounted his horse to leave Fairyland, the
Fairie King presented him with a small hound, and advised
him that none of his entourage must dismount until the pup
had of its own will leaped to the ground. This would insure
that the travelers had safely emerged from Fairyland, and
did not set foot on enchanted soil.
After the group had traveled for for some time, before
they could stop him, one man in the procession grew weary,
dismounted -- and instantly turned to dust.
The riders pushed on, until some time later, they met a
man upon the road, who informed them that the name of Herla
had not been heard in those lands for centuries.
The dog never did leap to the ground, and thus Herla became
the Lord of the Hunt, and his entourage his band of hunters.
Other British Hunt Leaders
Another widely-known leader of the Wild Hunt was Cernunnos,
the great antlered Celtic Lord of Animals, whose name is
still found in place names such as Cerne Abbas in Dorset.
In Southern England, there is a tradition that the hunt
was led by another stag-horned entity, Herne the Hunter,
aka Lord of the Wildwood. An appearance of Herne was believed
to portend great tragedy or disaster. In this region, the
Hunt was also was said to be led by King Arthur.
The historical figure Edric the Wild, who fought the Normans
from 1067-1070, and who was said to have taken a fairy wife,
at times also leads the Wild Hunt, appearing whenever England
is threatened with invasion. Edric and the Hunt were widely
reported as having been seen riding in the months prior
to the Crimean War, the First World War and the Second World
War.
Wales
In Wales, Gwynn ap Nudd, who served both as the Lord of
the Dead and of the Fairy realm, rode, wearing a flowing
grey cloak, upon a pale horse, following his shining white
hounds with red-tipped ears.
Ireland
In an Irish version of the Wild Hunt, the Aes Sidhe --
the hosts of the Sidhe
-- ride out from their hollow hills on the eves of the four
great fire festivals, Samhain, Oimelc, Beltane and Lughnasadh.
Orkneys
In the British Orkney Islands, the fairies or trows occasionally
are seen on Yule, Halloween or New Year's Eve, galloping
through the air on white horses.
2005 Copyright © C. Maria Plieger
