In a snow-covered house surrounded by rowan trees live a boy, a cat, and (on some levels of reality) a dog. At least, the boy “thought she was just a cat.” (page 55) At the beginning, the two (or three) of them live a simple, predictable life. Then everything changes, because the Wild Hunt is on the ride… The story culminates with a confrontation between Goddess and God which decides the balance of light and dark.
The Wild Hunt is by Jane Yolen and illustrated by Francisco Mora. It can be classified as a young reader book, for upper-grade-schoolers and middle-schoolers, but adults also will enjoy this simple, elegant Winter Solstice fantasy story.
The story is about fantasy and mythology itself. The symbolism is stronger than the plot. “How and when are not what this story is about. It is about magic.” (page 9) Some readers will find this frustrating. Some pagans will also be upset that darkness and death are portrayed as less desirable than light and life, and that chaos, in this story, is something to be avoided.
Pagan readers will be interested to see how Ms. Yolen makes the God and the Goddess into characters in a novel without diminishing Their divinity, although the ending may leave readers wondering how powerful Ms. Yolen’s Goddess really is.
Ultimately this story is about mortals who are being used by the deities, and are in thrall to the deities, but are not—quite—controlled by the deities.
The Wild Hunt originally was published in 1995. It may be available at your local library or used bookstore, or order it on line.
Page numbers taken from hardcover edition, 1995.
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