Wild Hunt

Wild Hunt
   A retinue of the ghostly restless dead, who ride through the sky on their phantom horses, accompanied by their spectral DEMON hounds (see BLACK DOGS), shrieking and making wild noises. The hounds and horses are black, with hideous eyes. The Wild Hunt is prominent in Celtic and Germanic folklore. The retinue flies through the skies on pagan holidays associated with evil by Christianity, such as Walpurgisnacht (Beltane, April 30–May 1) and Samhain (Halloween, October 31– November 2).
   There are different versions of the Wild Hunt. Witches join the phantoms, and the ghostly train is led by demonized pagan goddesses such as Diana, Holde, Herodias, Hecate, and Berchta. (See CHTHONIC DEITIES.) Diana’s night train punished the lazy and wicked but were generous on occasion: If a peasant left out food for them, they ate it and magically replenished it before they left. In Cornish lore, the Wild Hunt is led by Devil’s Dandy Dogs, who hunt the countryside for human souls. The Sluagh, or the Host of Celtic lore, is a band of the unforgiven dead of the Highland FAIRY folk.

Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology. . 2009.

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  • Wild Hunt — For other uses, see Wild Hunt (disambiguation). The wild hunt: Åsgårdsreien (1872) by Peter Nicolai Arbo The Wild Hunt is an ancient folk myth prevalent across Northern, Western and Central Europe.[1] The fundamental prem …   Wikipedia

  • Wild Hunt — (in northern European legend) a phantom hunt, conducted either in the sky or in forests. * * * Wild Hunt noun In Germanic legend, a host of phantoms rushing along, accompanied by the shouting of huntsmen and the baying of dogs • • • Main Entry:… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Wild Hunt — noun A ghostly hunt that rides across the sky, common to English German and Scandinavian folklore. In Germanic myth Woden, in common with his Nordic counterpart, was the leader of the spooky Wild Hunt which rides through the midwinter sky… …   Wiktionary

  • Wild Hunt —    This comes from folklore all over the world. These are ghost hunters, the restless dead, who ride through the sky on stormy evenings. Seeing the Wild Hunters is a bad omen for the community. The Wild Hunter s horses and dogs make eerie noises… …   The writer's dictionary of science fiction, fantasy, horror and mythology

  • Wild Hunt — (in northern European legend) a phantom hunt, conducted either in the sky or in forests. * * * …   Universalium

  • Wild Hunt — /waɪld ˈhʌnt/ (say wuyld hunt) noun Germanic Legend a host of phantoms hunting, accompanied by the cries of hunters and baying of dogs …  

  • Wild Hunt —    This is the general term for any ghostly or demonic huntsman or group of huntsmen, accompanied by phantom hounds, seen or, more often, simply heard galloping across the sky by night. Local terms include *Dando s Dogs in Cornwall, Wish Hounds… …   A Dictionary of English folklore

  • The Wild Hunt (album) — The Wild Hunt Album par The Tallest Man on Earth Sortie 13 avril 2010 Durée 34:38 Genre …   Wikipédia en Français

  • The Wild Hunt — Filmdaten Originaltitel The Wild Hunt Produktionsland Kanada …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Wild Huntsman — the leader of the Wild Hunt, often associated with Odin. [1790 1800] * * * Wild Huntsman noun The leader of a Wild Hunt • • • Main Entry: ↑wild …   Useful english dictionary

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