King Herla is a figure from British folklore who, along with his host, is eternally trapped in the Phantom Cavalcade of the Wild, also known as the Wild Hunt. This legend is a variation of the pan-European myth of a spectral hunting party that rides across the sky during midwinter storms or at night.
The Legend of King Herla
According to the 12th-century chronicler Walter Map's account, King Herla was an ancient king of the Britons who was visited by a dwarf king. They made a pact to attend each other's weddings. Herla attended the dwarf king's wedding in the Otherworld, a visit he perceived as only lasting three days, though centuries had passed in the mortal realm.
Before departing the Otherworld, the dwarf king gave Herla and his men a gift of provisions and a small greyhound, with a stern warning: no one was to dismount their horse until the greyhound jumped down.
Upon returning to his kingdom, Herla found it occupied by the Saxons and was informed that three hundred years had gone by. Some of his men, forgetting the warning in their astonishment, dismounted their horses and immediately crumbled into dust upon touching the ground.
Herla and the remaining men, still on horseback with the greyhound in his arms, were doomed to wander the world in an endless, wild ride, attracting the souls of the newly dead into their company. They were known to locals as the Herlathing (Herla's host).
The Phantom Cavalcade (Wild Hunt)
The cavalcade is described as a ghostly procession of huntsmen, hounds, and horses, often considered an omen of war, plague, or death for those who witness it. In different regions of Europe, the leader of the Wild Hunt varies and has been associated with:
- Odin or other Germanic gods in Northern and Central Europe.
- Gwyn ap Nudd, the ruler of the Underworld, in Welsh folklore.
- Herne the Hunter in southern England.
- Biblical figures like Herod or Cain in later Christian interpretations.
The legend of King Herla is a specific origin story for the Wild Hunt in British folklore, with his ride supposedly ending during the first year of the reign of Henry II, when the entire host vanished on the banks of the River Wye.