Prince Charles says his 'blood run cold' after 1992 Windsor fire
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Stories of Herne the Hunter date back to 1597 with the earliest mention in William Shakespeare’s play The Merry Wives of Windsor. The spirit is said to torment cattle and rattle his chains. It’s not clear to what extent Shakespeare may have incorporated a “real” local legend into his work.
The origin of the Herne the Hunter is still unknown.
One theory is Herne was one of the keepers of the ancient Windsor Forest during the reign of King Richard II between 1377 and 1399.
A mysterious man offered to cure Herne with somewhat unorthodox medical methods.
This involved removing the now dead stag’s antlers and attaching them to Herne’s head.
Herne was eventually nursed back to health and allowed to remove the antlers from his head.
He was rewarded by the king for his bravery at Windsor Castle.
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However, this didn’t go down well with some of Herne’s fellow huntsman who started to spread rumours he was in favour of practising black magic.
The King ordered the rumours to stop but the huntsmen managed to frame Herne for poaching when deer skins were discovered in his quarters.
The conned King fired Herne and, devastated by what had happened, Herne killed himself the next day.
The huntsmen eventually confessed to the King their wicked plan following a lack of results during hunts.
During a walk in the park, the King laid eyes on a horned figure following a huge bolt of lightning hitting an oak tree – the same one Herne had died on.
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The ghost told the King there would be a lack of deer in the woods until the traitorous huntsmen were punished.
The following day the huntsmen were hanged on the same oak tree, which led to an abundance of deer returning to the park.
Legend suggests Herne appears once a year to ride around the forest on a “fiery black steed”.
On his shoulder is a horned owl with piercing red eyes.
Another theory is that he appears when the monarch is ill or close to death or when the nation is in danger.
Patheos website states: “The ghost of Herne has been spotted before the deaths of several British monarchs, and his last appearance was just before the start of World War II.”
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