The Wild Hunt is the name for the spectral chase alleged to take place over the northern European skies, particularly during stormy nights. The Norse god Odin is said to lead a Wild Hunt during Winter Solstice to herald the arrival of spring. To witness this ghostly event was said to portend a calamity and sometimes a death. The hunters would thunder through the clouds, with Odin riding his eight-legged horse, Sleipnir, blowing on horns, and followed by a pack of hellish hounds. The lead huntsman is said to be deceased wealthy landowners, sinners pursuing lost souls, and some believed it was the devil himself. The royal forests of Britain are said to be haunted by the phantom knights of King Arthur, who ride out to hunt the white stag on nights when the moon is full.
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