 In
2014, Burning Man and
the Gathering had begun attracting such huge crowds
that states were
threatening to shut them down. With the
massive influx into the
nomad
community, these annual celebrations were far to
important to let die,
but the
organizers of the events were getting old, and the
meaning of the
events
themselves were being lost in the ever growing
Corporate sponsors and
materialistic attitudes that eventually destroy all
celebrations of
freedom.
 More
than just a
celebration, The Wild Hunt was centered around a
mish mash of old
Greek, Roman,
Norse and Celtic religions and practices, most
importantly the practice
of the
Wild Hunt, a week long celebration culminating in a
simulated hunt of
virgins
which leads to a giant orgy of anyone
attending. The Wild Hunt is
organized by
a Snake affiliated family known simply as Herne’s
Hunters. The
actual
membership of Herne’s Hunters is meager, with a
little over 150 members
nationwide, and about 200 more in Europe.
Herne’s Hunters are one
of the
harsher tribes to belong to. Their rules are
simple, you keep
only what you
can take and defend, wisdom is to be respected, and
strength is to be
honored.
Not to say that they are heartless, but they have no
room for weakness
in their
membership, and all advanced is based on what you
can take and what you
have
only lasts so long as you can keep it. The
hunt is also very in
tune with
nature and places importance on living simply and
close to the earth.
 Replacing
Burning Man, the
Wild Hunt has become a national Nomad holiday and
attracts huge
crowds. Most
come just for the party, and have little interest in
adopting the
religious
aspects personally, which is how Herne’s Hunters
like it. Statics
are invited
as well, but caution is given, leave your morals and
hang-ups at home,
if you
show up and start railing against the “heathens”
don’t be surprised if
you wake
up crucified to a tree.
 It’s
not all just a
drunken party. Art, stories, the trading of
goods, much like an
impromptu
Nomad Market. There is live music everywhere,
and over the course
of a week at
the center stage, plays and dance performances are
put on. The
Hunt itself
lasts only 7 days, however people begin setting up
and arriving for the
festivities up to two weeks early.
The
Wild Hunt is
held on the week culminating in the Autumnal Equinox
(Sept. 22-23)
every year.
 The
official events
include the performances on stage, and the last five
nights each
revolve around
a central contest. The first night is a fire
walk, where artistic
merit is
judged as men and women dance across the
flames. The second night
is a pole
sitting contest, where participants perch atop high
poles to prove
their
balance and patience. The next night is the
most taxing, a
triathlon
consisting of a 5km run, a 1 km swim, and a 10km
mountain bike
ride. On the
fourth night is the most brutal event. A giant
free-for-all
brawl, this years
brawl had over 100 participants. The winner
and top five
finishers of any one
of these events is assured a place in the Wild Hunt
itself.
Anyone who
participates in all the events and isn’t either too
injured or doesn’t
die from
exhaustion, is given special honor, and a five
minute head start on the
Hunt
itself. To date, no one has ever won every
event, however Swift
of the Broken
Saints, did manage to place second in every event
this year. 
On
the fifth and
final night of the official festivities, a huge
feast is given.
Afterwards 100
of the prettiest women among the gathered crowds
volunteer to act as
“virgins”. They are stripped naked and painted
red in a variety
of tribal
designs, then released into the woods. They
are given one hour to  hide,
though
most remain quite visible and easy to find.
After that hour, the
winners of the previous events are similarly
stripped naked and painted
blue, and
then released to hunt down the “virgins”. The
return of the
virgins to the
camp signals the beginning of an orgy that lasts
until dawn. The
rules of the
orgy itself are simple, anyone wishing to partake
strips naked and
paints
themselves (no one else can paint you unless you ask
in the open, in
front of
witnesses) white. If you do wish to partake,
you are declaring
yourself free
for anyone who wishes to couple with you, though of
course you can
refuse
anyone you wish. Participating in the hunt is
seen as truly
becoming one with
the wild and any activities undertaken during are
NOT considered a
betrayal of
marriage vows or moral law within the community
(though you should
definitely
make sure your spouse feels the same way).
Condoms are provided
copiously, and
are always within reach. Anything goes;
nothing is considered
taboo during
this time, so long as consent is given.
When
dawn breaks,
one more communal feast is had, as well as
ceremonies of rebirth and
cleansing. And everyone goes on their way.
This
year’s event
was held in Alabama, at the Horseshoe Bend national
park. Next
years will be
held at Crater Lake in Oregon. Plan now; trust
me you haven’t
lived until you
have seen 125, lust driven, inebriated, painted,
nomads running naked
through
the woods…
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