[Today we sit down for a quick interview with Morgan Daimler. Here, Daimler discusses their forthcoming book on the Wild Hunt; the research that went into it; and their forthcoming projects.]

Forests Haunted by Holiness: Your new book about the Wild Hunt is coming out in July. First, congratulations! Second, how did this book come about? Why write about the Wild Hunt?

Morgan Daimler: I have had a fascination for the Wild Hunt since the mid-2000s and had done a few presentations about it over the years at conferences, but it had honestly never occured to me to write a book on the subject. But then I talked to a friend of mine, Allison, and she suggested that it would be a good topic to write about and one that really isn’t out there much, and I realized she was right — there just aren’t any books on the Wild Hunt aimed at a pagan audience on the market. So I took her suggestion and ran with it. I hope that my book will fill that gap and offer people an introduction to the Hunt in all its variations. 

FHBH: What sort of research went into the book? Big stacks of book? Long hours online hunting down hard-to-find lore?

MD: yes to both of those things. I had a fairly solid understanding of the Norse Wild Hunt, but quickly found out how much more widespread the idea of the Hunt was and that meant a lot of research. Partially big stacks of books, because I’m fortunate to have a large home library, but I also spent a lot of time online finding articles and public domain copies of older texts. It was fun and challenging

FHBH: There are many different stories about the Wild Hunt, both old and in modern fantasy fiction. Do have a favorite old story and a favorite new story?

MD: My favourite old story is a bit random, but there’s an English tale of a priest who loved hunting so much that he skipped Mass on Sunday to hunt instead. Because of this he was cursed to spend eternity hunting and became the leader of the Wild Hunt in that area. I just love the idea that this curse was a punishment from a certain perspective but a blessing from another — yes he’s stuck hunting forever but on the other hand he’s spending eternity doing his favourite thing.

For modern stories, there’s a trilogy called Faerie Sworn that centres on the story of King Herla’s Wild Hunt and I really liked the way it portrayed everything. It stayed pretty true to the folklore but also had its own unique approach to the story, and I always appreciate work like that. 

FHBH: In addition to your own work, which books or sites do you recommend to people curious to learn more about the Wild Hunt?

MD: Claude Lecouteux has a great book called The Wild Hunt: The Ghostly Processions of the Undead that is a foundational book if the subject interests you. It was translated from French and is an academic work so its a bit thick to get through but it’s an amazing resource. 

FHBH: What other projects are you working on?

MD: I’m currently working on a book about changelings, which has been an interesting project. Much like the Wild Hunt book I thought I knew a lot about the topic until I started writing and researching and then I realized how much more there was on the subject. I love books like that where I feel like I’m learning as I write. After that one I’ll be working on a book about the ancient druids in Ireland and the UK.