Wild Hunt

English

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Wild Hunt

Wikipedia

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “this must be a calque”)

Noun

Wild Hunt (plural Wild Hunts)

1. A ghostly hunt that rides across the sky, common to English, German and Scandinavian folklore.
   • 1990, Michael Howard, Understanding Runes, →ISBN, page 35:

     In Germanic myth Woden, in common with his Nordic counterpart, was the leader of the spooky Wild Hunt which rides through the midwinter sky collecting the souls of the dead.

   • 1993, Ed Fitch, The rites of Odin, Llewellyn Publications, →ISBN, page 320:

     Throughout the Continent it was originally she who led the dread and awesome Wild Hunt through the thick forest and the mid-night snows, leading ghosts, wolves, witches and elves.

   • 1998, “The Raven's Call”, in Heartland, volume 1, number 3:

     The night grew lighter as we welcomed the Aelfkin and Frey to join us, the Mothers we honoured and speeches made on Woden and the Wild Hunt.

Translations

folk myth

Basque: Ehiztari beltza Dutch: Wilde Jacht French: chasse fantastique Galician: estantiga (gl) f, santa compaña f, compaña (gl) f, antaruxada f, estadea (gl) f German: Wilde Jagd (de) f Italian: caccia selvaggia f Latvian: Mežonīgās medības Limburgish: Wil Jach Lithuanian: Laukinė medžioklė Norwegian: Oskoreia Polish: Dziki Łów Portuguese: caça selvagem f Spanish: cacería salvaje Swedish: Odens jakt West Frisian: Wylde Jacht