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Spectral Wild Hunts and a Cruel Huntsman

© Jill Stefko

While the roots of the Wild Hunt are in mythology, people have reported seeing this paranormal procession. Most of the reports are from Great Britain, although there have been some from Germany and France. It is said that Herne the Hunter and Sir Francis Drake have led these spectral hunts astride ghostly horses. There are also the Devil's Dandy Dogs and Whist hounds. These nocturnal hunts have been sighted in Windsor Great Park, near Windsor Castle, Devon, Cornwall and Yorkshire and are accompanied by the sounds of baying hounds and horns.

One of the most dramatic accounts sighting Herne the Hunter and his hunt was reported by youths in 1962. They found a hunting horn in the forest of Great Windsor Park and blew into it. They heard an answering call from another horn and hounds baying. Suddenly, Herne, riding on a black horse, along with his baying spectral hounds charged through the woods. The youths dropped the horn and fled from the forest in terror.

Herne's phantom is said to appear in times of major crisis. He was sighted before the depression, in 1931 and before the start of World War II. There have also been sightings in connection with alleged activity of witches practicing their craft.

Herne was a royal of huntsman of either Henry VII, Henry VII or Richard II, according to lore. While the king and Herne were hunting, the huntsman saved the monarch from death by placing himself between the king and a wounded stag who mortally wounded him. A wizard appeared and told the king to cut off the deer's antlers and tie them to the huntsman's head. Herne recovered after this was done.

The king was grateful for what Herne and he gifted him with many favors which made the other huntsmen jealous. They convinced the king to discharge him. Herne was distraught and hung himself in the forest.

Peter Underwood, an English paranormal investigator, believes that Herne was Richard II's royal huntsman. There was a huntsman who hung himself from an oak tree during his reign. The tree was blown down and Queen Victoria replaced it.

Sir Francis Drake was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I for his naval exploits on the empire's behalf. He was reputed to be a wizard. The Spaniards believed Drake had a magic mirror that allowed him to see ships in all parts of the waters. Legend has it that he sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his excellence as a naval leader and navigator.

The copyright of the article Spectral Wild Hunts and a Cruel Huntsman in Paranormal Behaviour is owned by Jill Stefko . Permission to republish Spectral Wild Hunts and a Cruel Huntsman in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.