Storys of The wild huntsman/The Wild Huntsman

THE

Wild Huntsman.

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The Wild Huntsman of the Danes, is the celebrated king Waldemar IV. who may be called the second founder of the Danish kingdom. The legend of the Wild Huntsman is as follows:

King Waldemar loved Tovelille, a maiden from Ryygen, and was quite inconsolable at her death; so much so, that he resolved never to part with her body, but made it be carried along with him wherever he journeyed.

All his courtiers were highly dissatisfied at this fancy, and one of them became curious to know what was the secret of the king's attachment to the corpse. On examining it with great attention, he found an enchanted ring on one of its fingers, which he took off and kept. After this the passion of the king suddenly changed, and he allowed the corpse to be buried; but the royal regard was now turned upon the courtier himself, so that he rose daily higher in favor,—the king demanded his constant presence, and would do nothing without his advice. Though people thought him happy under this extraordinary favour, he was by no means so in reality; for the excessive attachment of the king actually deprived him of his personal freedom. However, as his well knew from what cause this arose, he resolved to regain his liberty by renouncing the possession of the enchanted ring.

One day, therefore, while riding with the king through the forest of Gurre, he threw the ring into a marsh, and from that moment the king's attachment seemed to be transferred to that marsh, and he could not live comfortably any where else. Here be built the castle of Gurre, and hunted in the forest night and day. So much attached was he to the place, that his love of it drew from him certain sinful words which finally, became his condemnation before the tribunal of Heaven. They were to the effect that God might keep his heaven to himself, provided he, Waldemar, might for ever live hunting in the forest of Gurre.

He now rides every night from Burre to Gurre, and is known throughout the whole country as the Wild Huntsman. When he approaches, their is a great rushing noise and cracking of whips in the air, and all who hear it, step aside and hide themselves behind the trees. Then follows the whole hunt. First come some coal-black, dogs running about, as if smelling at covers, with their blood-red tongues hanging out of heir mouths; then Waldemar appears galloping on his snow white horse, and not unfrequently he seems to hold his head under his left arm. If he meets any person, particularly old people, he commands them to keep his dogs, and leaves them standing with them, till at a signal made by a shot, the dogs burst their leashes and rush off snorting wildly. When the Wild huntsman goes off in this style, he is hard clashing the gates violently behind him; and in those places where there is any thorough fare, he gallops in at one gate, and out at the other, in spite of the strongest bolts, and bars.—At Christmas time he generally rides through Ibshof in Hœiby; and behind Roesklide there is a court where at night-time they always leave the gate open, as he has repeatedly broken the locks.—Sometimes he rides over the roofs of the houses. Thus in the neighbourhood of Herlufsholm is a house the roof of which is considerably sunk, as it is said, by his riding over it:— in the northern part of Zeeland are some ruins which are called Waldemar's castle. Here the old women go out regularly at night during midsummer, to open the gates for him.—Half-a-mile from Gurre lies Valdemar's hill, which is surrounded by water. On this island, tradition says, six priests in black vestments, are often seen at midnight walking about and muttering strange rhymes—There are several places at which he rests himself in his wanderings. People say he has a bed-room with two beds at Wallæe castle, and there he sometimes spends then night in the form of a black dog. In this room stand two large chests, which, when opened once, were found filled with those little round pieces of leather which formed the only species of money known in Waldemar's time. A subterranean passage connects Wallœe castle with Tœllœschof castle; where also Waldemar has a sleeping roam, and where in ancient times it was event usual to keep a servant for his special use. Sometimes he rests himself at Wordingburg, in Waldemar's tower, or in the ruins of the castle, where the ghosts of people who appear to have belonged to his own times, are yet seen going about and making the beds. A peasant who would not believe that the king ever visited this tower at night, once ventured to spend the night there. At midnight the king appeared to him, and greeting him in a friendly tone, said: "Thank you for keeping watch in my tower!" He also gave him a piece of gold but when the peasant took it, it burned a round hole in his hand and fell like a coal upon the ground. From this people conjecture the nature of the punishment which Waldemar suffers—Sometimes however it happens that when old men or women have faithfully kept his dogs for hours, he throws something to them, which at first looks like a coal, but when more narrowly examined, turns out to be a piece of fine red gold.