Swabian Pride

Part 2: Frau Holle and Perchta; seasonal symbolisms of the Wild Hunt by Sean Jobst 31 December 2020 "Frau Gode" by the German painter Ludwig Pietsch (1824-1911)    Continuing from Part 1  concerning the Wild Hunt, special attention should be made about the Germanic goddess variously known under her regional names as Perchta/Berchta in Southern Germany, Frau Holle in Central Germany, and Frau Herke/Freke/Gode/Wode in Northern Germany (Heath, 5). She is Vrouw Holle in Flanders and the Netherlands. All share such close associations with Frija, the wife of Wodan, that we can hypothesize they're one and the same - as is most pronounced with the Wild Hunt: "Frau Holle, elsewhere called Perchta, rushes through the airs at the head of her procession, and the people below either put some food on their roofs, or set a special place at the table"(GardenStone, 110). She is mentioned in many fairy tales and folklore. Jacob Grimm conceived of Holle as originally a sky goddess

Part 1: Introduction; various cosmic and natural symbolisms; timing and relation to holidays by Sean Jobst 29 December 2020 "The Ride of Asgard" (1872) by Norwegian painter  Peter Nicolai Arbo, portraying the Wild Hunt    There is an undercurrent of ancient wisdom deeply embedded in folklore and traditions. This is a basic truth I have come to recognize these past few years, leading me on a journey I can only describe as enlightening. It was a task I took up in my past examinations of folklore, identifying remnants of the ancient Germanic goddesses Zisa  and Ostara , and the various traditions and legends around the auspicious time of Walpurgisnacht . Using that same basic format, I will now examine traditions, folklore, and legends about the Wild Hunt - a pan-European motif with its regional variants. I will focus more on the Swabian and Alemannic, Flemish, and Iberian traditions of my ancestral lands, with parallels in nearby cultures so as to gain a deeper picture of what