Overview: This book is an introduction to the Wild Hunt, the group of spirits which hunt the sky, heralded by the baying of hounds and the sound of horses’ hooves in the air. With stories from across Europe and its history, the Wild Hunt is as intriguing today as it’s ever been, and many modern pagans are drawn to learn about it and even interact with it.

Here you will explore the history of the Wild Hunt and similar groups of spirits from Europe to the US, looking at who may lead the Hunt and what its wider purpose might be.

Verdict: For me, growing up, I was informed that The Wild Hunt was an otherworldly procession that rode through the sky or land, especially during certain times like the Rauhnächte. The hunters can be gods (like Wotan/Odin) or other mythical or folkloristic figures, together with spirits of the dead, cursed people and so on. They are usually not like human beings and are not making moral choices. They act because they are bound by a curse or supernatural necessity, not because they deliberately choose to hunt people.

Furthermore, the riders are supernatural and eternal. They do not return to a normal state or are redeemed, they are cursed to ride forever. People who are killed or taken would be dragged into the supernatural realm. Sometimes they are forced to join the Wild Hunt themselves.

And so with all that having been handed down to me via bedtime stories - yes, that was my childhood - I soon realized growing up that there is no single origin story. The Wild Hunt exists in many regional versions with different explanations. There are very probably common indoeuropean myths and motifs though.

Indeed, often there is no specific prey at all. Living people just get swept up in something they’re not supposed to be in contact with. The “hunt” is a restless movement of souls in a supernatural procession rather than a literal chase.

The Rauhnächte (the twelve nights between the 25th of December and the 6th of January) are a liminal time, when the boundary between the human world and the supernatural is thin and ghosts and spirits come into closer contact with the living (like Halloween as well).

Good Christians were supposed to stay away from and fear everything otherworldly, hence all the cautionary tales around the Wild Hunt. In parts of Germany there was a belief that if you did laundry in the time of the Rauhnächte and hung up the sheets to dry outside, you’d invite the Wilde Jagd to come and take you.

Many other rules and superstitions like this exist worldwide and what prolific author Morgan Daimler does here with her new prose Pagan Portals: The Wild Hunt is bring forth her own diligently, and dutifully crafted exploration on the subject matter to the fore.

Thus, what we get here - from the Nordic Odin to the Welsh Gwynn ap Nudd, and inclusive of a whole host of other versions in-between - is a fascinatingly well-researched must-read for all those with an interest in the subject matter.

About the Author - Morgan Daimler teaches classes on Irish myth and magical practices, fairies, and related subjects in the United States and internationally. She has been published in multiple anthologies as well as articles in various magazines, and she is one of the world’s foremost experts on all things Fairy.

Besides the titles available through Moon Books Morgan has a high fantasy novel Into Shadow through Cosmic Egg and has an urban fantasy/paranormal romance series called Between the Worlds. Morgan has also presented papers on fairies and on fairies and witches at several university conferences.

Official Book Purchase Link