different names. The huntsman in parts of Germany is still called Wôde, and the chase after him Wüthendes Heer.[1] In Danzig the huntsman is Dyterbjernat, i. e. Diedrick of Bern, the same as Theodoric the Great. In Schleswig he is Duke Abel, who slew his brother in 1250. In Normandy, in the Pyrenees, and in Scotland, King Arthur rides nightly through the land. In the Franche Comté he is Herod in pursuit of the Holy Innocents. In Norway the hunt is called the Aaskarreya, the chase of the inhabitants of Asgarth. (Hence perhaps our word skurry.) In Sweden it is Odin’s hunt. This is the Netherlands account of it: In the neighbourhood of the Castle of Wynedal there dwelt, a long time ago, an aged peasant, who had a son that was entirely devoted to the chase. When the old peasant lay on his deathbed, he had his son called to him, for the purpose of giving him a last Christian exhortation. He came not, but whistling to his dogs went out into the thicket. At this the old man was struck with despair, and he cursed his son with the appalling words: ‘Hunt, then, for ever!—ay, for ever!’ He then turned his head and fell asleep in Christ. From that time the unhappy son has wandered restless about the woods, and the whole neighbourhood re-echoes with the voice of the huntsman and the baying of dogs.
“In Thuringia and elsewhere it is Hakelnberg, or Hackelnbärend, who thus rides, and this is the reason:
“Hakelnberg was a knight, passionately fond of the chase. On his deathbed he would not listen to the priest, nor hearken to his mention of heaven. ‘I care not for heaven,’ growled he, ‘I care only for the hunt!’ ‘Then hunt until the last day!’ exclaimed the priest. And now, through storm and rain, the wild huntsman fleets. A faint barking or yelping in the air announces his approach, a screechowl flies before him, called by the people Tutösel. Wanderers who fall in his way throw themselves on their faces, and let him ride over them.
“Near Fontainebleau, Hugh Capet is believed to ride; at Blois, the hunt is called the Chasse Macabée.
“Children who die unbaptized often join the rout. Once two
- ↑ The German word wuth is cognate with the name Odin. Our old English word “wood,” equivalent to mad, is similarly related.
