‘Sweeping the Worlds Clean’ in North-East Scotland: The ‘Wild Hunt’ as a Contemporary Shamanistic Ritual

Abstract

The ‘Wild Hunt’ is a folk myth found mainly in northern European
mythologies associated with an ecstatic ‘soul-ravening’ night light
led by a godly figure who is accompanied by an other-than-human group
of either dead souls or ghostly figures. This particular myth has been
incorporated and celebrated in present-day pagan rites, especially during
Samhainn, the festival for the ‘Celtic’ New Year. Among those drawing
upon the myth in creating their own ‘Wild Hunt’ ritual is Andrew
Steed, a shamanic practitioner residing in Fife, Scotland. Even though
the mythic tale is often linked with figures such as Odin, Gwyn ap Nudd,
or Herne, Steed associates it with the Irish saga of the Second Battle of
Moytura (Cath Maige Turied), as passed to him through the tales and
the spirits. 2016’s three-day ritual, held near Lumphanan, Aberdeenshire,
was his eighteenth. This paper aims to present and examine the
rituals, structures, themes, aims, and functions of Steed’s ‘Wild Hunt’
celebration, as well as his personal opinions on his adaptation and his
role in it, while also addressing my the experiences during the event in
academic terms. It will include a general academic discussion on the
‘Wild Hunt’ concept and the ambiguity regarding its origins and functions,
and will also touch upon the shamanic aspects of the ‘Wild