Herne the Hunter, a Witchy Wednesday article.
Welcome to another Witchy Wednesday. This week it about that ghostly spirit Herne the Hunter.
.jpg)
Those of a certain age will remember the hauntingly beautiful TV series Robin of Sherwood which was aired on ITV in the 1980's which starred Michael Praed as Robin of Loxley who through a set of tragic circumstances becomes the legend Robin Hood. This ran for two series followed, after Michael's departure, by a final third series with Jason Connery as Robert of Huntingdon who was chosen by Herne the Hunter to become the next 'Robin in the hood/Herne's son'.
After many years of sadly being absence from mainstream television the good thing is you can now view it on various TV channels, as I type they are running it on ITV4.
This series with it's mist filled woodland scenery, real historical Castles accompanied by the haunting celtic tones of Clannad really sparked my love of folklore and legends even more than I already had as a child! One of the characters I was partially in love with was that of Herne the Hunter played by actor John Abineri sometimes played in full Stag costume and sometimes as the man of the woods. His mystical character gave the show a rather spooky undercurrent and really enhanced the legend of Robin Hood into something more pagan.
Clips of the mysterious Herne the hunter from the TV series Robin of Sherwood beautifully put together by David Ireland.
 |
| Still image of Herne the Hunter in the series Robin of Sherwood. |
The truth is that Herne the Hunter legend is historically more connected to the time of the Tudor and Elizabethan age. Though there are many legends of green men and woodland creatures that were around during the time that Robin Hood was supposed to be inhabiting the ancient woodlands so not necessarily that far fetched an idea which Richard Carpenter cleverly used in his series.
For more information on the series please visit this link
https://www.robinofsherwood.org/
Historically there is not much of a mention of 'Herne the Hunter' in name until Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Winsor.
Herne the hunter
🌿🍂🌿🍂🌿🍂🌿🍂🌿🍂🌿🍂
There is an old tale goes, that Herne the Hunter
(sometime a keeper here in Windsor Forest)
Doth all the winter-time, at still midnight
Walk round about an oak, with great ragg'd horns;
And there he blasts the tree, and takes the cattle,
And makes milch-kine yield blood, and shakes a chain
In a most hideous and dreadful manner.
You have heard of such a spirit, and well you know
The superstitious idle-headed eld
Receiv'd, and did deliver to our age
This tale of Herne the Hunter for a truth.
.jpg) |
| Appearing to Henry on the Terrace by George Cruikshank 1843 This is George Cruikshank's seventh illustration for W. Harrison Ainsworth's Windsor Castle. An Historical Romance, first published in the January 1843. Passage Illustrated: Herne's Dread Forecast Henry paced slowly to and fro, utterly indifferent to the peril he ran— now watching the lightning as it shivered some oak in the home park, or lighted up the wide expanse of country around him — now listening to the roar of heaven's artillery; and he had just quitted the western extremity of the terrace, when the most terrific crash he had yet heard burst over him. The next instant a dozen forked flashes shot from the sky, while fiery coruscations blazed athwart it; and at the same moment a bolt struck the Wykeham Tower, beside which he had been recently standing. Startled by the appalling sound, he turned and beheld upon the battlemented parapet on his left a tall ghostly figure, whose antlered helm told him it was Herne the Hunter. Dilated against the flaming sky, the proportions of the demon seemed gigantic. His right hand was stretched forth towards the king, and in his left he held a rusty chain. Henry grasped the handle of his sword, and partly drew it, keeping his gaze fixed upon the figure. "You thought you had got rid of me, Harry of England," cried Herne, "butwere you to lay the weight of this vast fabric upon me, I would breakfrom under it— ho! ho!" "What wouldst thou, infernal spirit?" cried Henry. "I am come to keep company with you, Harry," replied the demon; "this isa night when only you and I should be abroad. We know how to enjoyit. We like the music of the loud thunder, and the dance of the blithelightning." "Avaunt, fiend!" cried Henry. "I will hold no converse with thee. Backto thy native hell!" "You have no power over me, Harry," rejoined the demon, his wordsmingling with the rolling of the thunder, "for your thoughts are evil, and you are about to do an accursed deed. You cannot dismiss me. Before the commission of every great crime—and many great crimes you will commit—I will always appear to you. And my last appearance shall be three days before your end—ha! ha!" "Darest thou say this to me!" cried Henry furiously. "I laugh at thy menaces," rejoined Herne, amid another peal of thunder —"but I have not yet done. Harry of England! your career shall be stained in blood. Your wrath shall descend upon the heads of thosewho love you, and your love shall be fatal. Better Anne Boleyn fledthis castle, and sought shelter in the lowliest hovel in the land, thanbecome your spouse. For you will slay her—and not her alone. Anothershall fall by your hand; and so, if you had your own will, would all!" "What meanest thou by all?" demanded the king. "You will learn in due season," laughed the fiend. "But now mark me, Harry of England, thou fierce and bloody kin—thou shalt be drunken with the blood of thy wives; and thy end shall be a fearful one. Thou shaltlinger out a living death—a mass of breathing corruption shalt thoubecome —and when dead the very hounds with which thou huntedst me shalllick thy blood!" |
 |
Falstaff at Herne's Oak, from "The Merry Wives of Windsor," Act V, Scene v By James Stephanoff. Image is in the public domain. Whilst researching online I found this fab youtube video which explains the legend of Herne the Hunter beautifully. "Immerse yourself in the mystical world of British folklore with 'British Folktale: The Legend of Herne the Hunter.' This captivating video delves into the haunting tale of Herne, the ghostly huntsman said to roam Windsor Forest. Discover the origins of this eerie legend, its connections to King Richard II, and how Herne's story has been woven into the rich tapestry of English myth and culture. Perfect for history buffs, folklore enthusiasts, and those who love a good ghost story, this video offers a fascinating look at one of Britain's most enduring and enigmatic legends." I hope you enjoyed this weeks Witchy Wednesday article. |
