Ominous Origins: The Wild Hunt

Ancient history meets modern times as we explore the folklore motif of the Wild Hunt, an event believed to portend some great catastrophe, such as plague. (17 min) (5.29.20)

Welcome to the Ominous Origins Podcast, a Horror Shots production. If you were previously a fan of the Horror Shots Podcast, this is the same great show with the same compelling content focused on myth, mysterious creatures, unexplained events, spooky stories — and even some of the strangest and most disturbing true crime stories. As always, our goal is to entertain, but also to enlighten with short, well-researched episodes on a variety of fascinating topics.

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THIS WEEK’S EPISODE:

For anybody who fancies themselves a gamer, the term The Wild Hunt might ring familiar from The Witcher franchise. For anybody who studies folklore, history, or mythology, it might also have historical connotations associated with it. And for those of you who have no interest in either, you might not be familiar with the term at all.

Nevertheless, The Wild Hunt is a phenomenon of sorts that was popularized throughout much of Europe, with one of the first mentions of it taking place in 1127. However, the event dates back even further, going into the days of Odin.

The Wild Hunt, like many other semi-religious events, has evolved over the years depending on what religion was in power. It was once considered a Pagan tradition, but eventually morphed into one with more Christian motifs to it.

Regardless of the localization or region, the Wild Hunt always had a distinct leader; for some it was the Fairy King, for others it was a devil. Generally, the Wild Hunt was associated with the dead, an army, and the changing of the seasons.

It seems that every region that experienced The Wild Hunt has its own tales to tell. To learn more, you’ll just have to listen to the episode!

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