John Tryson Shares German Tales of The Wild Huntsman, Aug. 28, 1921

Peter Nicholi Arbo's painting of The Wild Hunt of Oden

Germans Tell Charlotte Man of Weird Ghosts

Followed by the ghosts of drunkards, suicides and other malefactors, often without heads and frightfully mutilated, the Wild Huntsman leads his strange procession along the lonely roads night after night. Such is the actual belief of peasants in lower Germany, according to John Tryson of Charlotte, who returned recently from Germany, where he had been with the Army of Occupation for many months.

It was while in Germany that Mr. Tryson learned the strange superstition from an old German peasant who declared he believed in it as firmly as he believed that the sun shown.

“According to the old German who told me the story,” said Mr. Tryson, “The Wild Huntsman has been riding madly throughout various parts of lower Germany since ancient times. Many people have professed to have seen him with his weird followers. Among the German people the stories of the Wild Huntsman are varied and widespread.

APPOINTED BY WODEN

The notion is a relic of the old days before Christianity gained its foothold, when people believed that all evil doers were degraded into ghosts and demons after death. The Wild Huntsman was appointed by Woden, god of the atmosphere, to lead the ghosts each night along the dark and lonely roads of the country.

“The Wild Huntsman is said to appear on horseback, clad in a wide dark cloak, and with a broad brimmed hat. On rare occasions he shows kindness to the wanderers he meets—but generally he brings hurt and destruction to anyone rash enough to address him, or join in the hunting cry which he utters. Whoever remains standing in the middle of the highway, or steps aside into a tilled field, or throws himself in silence on the ground, escapes the danger.

“In modern times, the Wild Huntsman is said to take the shape of individual sportsmen, who have been given that shape because of their great love for the sport while on earth, or because they hunted on Sunday. As demons, they were no longer allowed to hunt by day, but were condemned henceforth to follow the chase in the darkness of night.

TOURISTS SEE TOMB

“In lower Germany there are many stories about a certain Hakkelberend, whose tomb is shown to the curious tourist, and the tale declared to be true in every particular. The ghost of this man is said to lead the spirits of all dead sportsmen night in and night out during every season of the year.

“The old German who told me the story also declared that there was another strange procession believed to haunt the roads of the country at night. This procession was composed of children who had died unbaptized. They are supposed to b led by an old man with flowing white hair, who runs ahead of the children and warns all travelers of the night to stand out of the way or be struck down by him.

“These superstitions, I learned, are actually believed in parts of France and Spain, also. Loud moaning of the wind at night is thought to be the sign that the gruesome marchers are assembling to begin their mad dash across the country. The recent world war has had a great deal to do with strengthening this widespread superstition.”

From The Charlotte News, Sunday, August 28, 1921. Photo of The Wild Hunt of Oden by Peter Nicholai Arbo. Woden and Oden are different spellings for the same German god of the atmosphere. Also, the last name of the man interviewed for this story was spelled Tryon on first reference in the newspaper; then it was spelled Tryson. I don't know which is correct.