Saint Hubert

[kdean]

Had a very interesting chat last night with an eminent slipper who asked me to find information about a hunting religion!!

I was intrigued and quickly looked up the aforesaid information on the internet.

For those coursers amongst you for whom country sports is a religion log onto www.saint-hubert.org and register your support.

In these very troubled times it is important that we all do everything we can to prevent the labour back benchers from obtaining a victory over the countryside.

Log on and see what you think

Karen

 

[John E Greenwood]

I am not religious at all......but have read quite a bit on the subject.

I believe that it is obvious that ritualised hunting played an important part in the evolution of organised religion....Cernunos the antlered god, was worshiped in Britain and throughout North West Europe....Fate "the weird" was the fulcrum of pre-christian religions in Britain, what activity exemplifies fate better than the chase?....How did the Anglo Saxon warriors summon the courage to stand shoulder to shoulder in the shield wall, with their battle axes etc...Wierd is swythe (fate is powerful), the fated men will fall....

When Ceasar came to Britain, he said that the British worshipped the hare and the goose....Boudiccea released a hare on the field of Mansetter before her final battle with the Romans....She believed that the way it ran would predict the future....In the middle ages geese were known as the "hounds of Gabriel" etc. etc.

In the Middle Ages...the devious clergy used religion to control the great unwashed, they would have had problems trying to wipe out "the old ways" and lost favour with the masses. So they incorporated much of pagan belief into the new christianity.... I would say, hence St. Hubert.

I wouldn't say hunting and the love of countyside/nature is a religion....but I think, on reflection, it is not difficult to understand why it stirs such deep feelings, and emotion.....Some of the first evidence of religion are pre historic cave paintings, and what do they depict.....hunting scenes.