the Wild Hunt
E250340
The Wild Hunt is a spectral, nocturnal procession of ghostly riders and hounds from Germanic and Norse folklore, often seen as an omen of war, plague, or death and sometimes led by the god Odin.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| the Wild Hunt canonical | 1 |
Statements (68)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
European folklore motif
ⓘ
mythological motif ⓘ supernatural procession ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
Odin
ⓘ
Yule ⓘ shamanic journeys ⓘ storms ⓘ the afterlife ⓘ the dead ⓘ the underworld ⓘ winter ⓘ |
| consideredOmenOf |
death
ⓘ
disaster ⓘ plague ⓘ war ⓘ |
| depictedAs |
pack of spectral hounds
ⓘ
riders flying through the air ⓘ |
| encounterConsequence |
abduction
ⓘ
being forced to ride with the hunt ⓘ death ⓘ |
| firstAttestedIn | medieval sources ⓘ |
| folkloreFunction |
explanation of strange noises at night
ⓘ
warning against traveling at night ⓘ |
| hasAlternativeName |
Herlaþing
ⓘ
Mesnie Hellequin ⓘ Wild Hunt of Odin ⓘ Wilde Jagd ⓘ Wildes Heer ⓘ Wütende Heer ⓘ |
| hasCharacteristic |
ghostly hounds
ⓘ
nocturnal procession ⓘ ominous appearance ⓘ spectral riders ⓘ supernatural noise ⓘ |
| hasCulturalOrigin |
Continental European folklore
ⓘ
English folklore ⓘ Germanic folklore ⓘ Norse folklore ⓘ Scandinavian folklore ⓘ |
| hasTheme |
boundary between living and dead
ⓘ
danger of encountering the supernatural ⓘ punishment of the wicked ⓘ pursuit of souls ⓘ |
| influenceOn |
The Witcher
ⓘ
surface form:
The Witcher franchise
modern fantasy literature ⓘ role-playing games ⓘ video games ⓘ |
| leader |
Cain
ⓘ
Charlemagne ⓘ Diana ⓘ Herne the Hunter ⓘ Reginherus ⓘ
surface form:
King Herla
Odin ⓘ Woden ⓘ Odin ⓘ
surface form:
Wotan
the Devil ⓘ |
| region |
Central Europe
ⓘ
England ⓘ France ⓘ Germany ⓘ Northern Europe ⓘ Scandinavia ⓘ |
| scholarlyInterpretation |
Christianized demonization of older beliefs
ⓘ
reflection of shamanic ecstatic journeys ⓘ survival of pre-Christian cult of the dead ⓘ |
| typicalSetting |
night
ⓘ
sky ⓘ storm ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.