Herne the Hunter is a prominent figure in English folklore, primarily known as a horned phantom huntsman who haunts Windsor Forest and Great Park. He is often described as a horned wraith or a spectral leader of the Wild Hunt.
Description and Legend
- Appearance: Herne is typically depicted as a ghostly figure with a set of large stag antlers growing from his head. He is often seen on horseback, accompanied by a pack of spectral hounds, and known for the rattling of chains.
- Haunts: His legend is strongly tied to a specific "Herne's Oak" tree in Windsor Forest, where he is said to appear at midnight, especially during the winter months.
- Actions: Folklore describes him as a malevolent spirit who torments cattle (making their milk turn to blood), blasts trees with his anger, and is a general omen of misfortune. Sightings of Herne are traditionally believed to portend national disasters or the death of a monarch.
Origins and Associations
The exact origin of the Herne legend is debated, often blending historical possibilities with pre-Christian mythology.
- Historical Basis: Some theories suggest Herne was based on a real person, a yeoman or a keeper named Richard Horne (or Herne) during the reign of Henry VIII or Richard II, who was accused of poaching and hanged himself from an oak tree in disgrace.
- Pagan Deity: Many modern pagans and some folklorists link Herne to the Celtic deity Cernunnos, the horned god of fertility, animals, and the wild, or to the Anglo-Saxon god Woden (Odin), who also led a "Wild Hunt" of fallen warriors.
- The Wild Hunt: Herne is widely considered a local manifestation of the pan-European myth of the Wild Huntsman, a spectral chase that rides across the night sky to gather the souls of the dead.
In Popular Culture
Herne the Hunter's legend has been widely used in modern media and literature. He is a prominent figure in works such as:
- William Shakespeare's play The Merry Wives of Windsor (1597), which provides his earliest written mention.
- The 1980s television series Robin of Sherwood, where he appears as a shamanic, guiding spirit of the forest who anoints Robin Hood as "the Hooded Man".
- Novels like William Harrison Ainsworth's Windsor Castle (1843), Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising sequence, and the Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne.
- Comics, video games (like The Elder Scrolls series), and music.