Welcome to another two-part episode of LOST IN THE RABBIT HOLE -- this is PART ONE. In this episode, we cover just some of the variants of The Wild Hunt tales, which come from Europe, but can also be found in some form all over the world.
The Wild Hunt is a tale of a pack of spectral beings riding horses, sometimes flying, late at night. Sometimes there are demon dogs, or other packs of animals. These tales are moral tales, with the riders or hunters presaging something really bad -- war, plague, discord, or even the death of the person who sees the riders.
We see in this episode (both parts) that the frame of the pack of ghost hunters carries across cultures, but with some interesting shifts and detail changes.
PART ONE: focuses on the background of the tale frame; from WODEN/ODIN leading the pack to the HERLE KING, this is an old lore that is still somehow very elastic. Part one includes the history of FRAU BERCHTA , one of the female figures to lead the pack of night riders.
PART TWO: shares other cultures' tales, including THE NIGHT OF A HUNDRED DEMONS from Japan, HAWAIIAN NIGHT MARCHERS, the Canadian New Years tale of THE BEWITCHED CANOE, and the Old American West tale of the GHOST RIDERS.
References for Part One of this episode:
Jacob Grimm, German Mythology, volume 1
D. L. Ashliman, THE WILD HUNT LEGENDS
Katharine Briggs, An Encyclopedia of Fairies, Hobgoblins, Brownies, Boogies, and Other Supernatural Creatures
Brian Branston, The Lost Gods of England
Ari Berk and William Spytma, Penance, Power, and Pursuit: On the Trail of the Wild Hunt
Jennifer Westwood. Albion: A Guide to Legendary Britain
The Old Magic of Christmas, Linda Raedisch
The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas: Roots and Rebirth of the Folkloric Devil, by Al Ridenour
Ridenour also has a terrific podcast, here is the episode on Frau Berchta
Also, from 2011, the VoVatia blog, Baby, Baby, It's a Wild Hunt
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