"Your secret now belongs to me." Welcome to Murakumo Inn, a curious establishment that opens its doors to the troubled masses, human or otherwise. But to pay for the stay, the equally curious innkeeper takes payment only in the form of one's deepest secrets...Who will come calling today?

"That is your secret, isn't it?" Murakumo Inn welcomes the troubled masses, human or otherwise. But its curious innkeeper accepts only one form of payment: a being's deepest secrets. Tonight's visitors are a beautiful snow phantom, a researcher of the supernatural, and...a baby?! Come witness the fantastical tales spun at this mysterious inn.

"I will take your most revolting secrets with open arms." The troubled masses, human or otherwise, are always welcome at Murakumo Inn. Payment is accepted in only one form-your darkest secrets. The main dish for this evening is...Spider's past?! Enjoy the hospitality of the mysterious inn as you feast upon tonight's banquet of otherworldly tales...

"The most wretched humans are those who dig their own graves..." Murakumo Inn welcomes the troubled masses, human or otherwise. Payment is accepted in only one form-your most unfortunate secrets. And this evening's guests of honor are...Sasaki's classmates?! Relish in tonight's tale of their descent into madness as the inn transforms into a high-stakes gambling den...

"It seems writing...can bring the dead back to life." Murakumo Inn always welcomes the troubled masses, human or otherwise. However, payment takes one form only--your most enigmatic secrets. Tonight's account encompasses the subject of the transmigration of souls. Perhaps a glimpse of the final destination may be revealed in the dark of the night...

“I’m tingling all over…to think I’ll get to see you writhing in agony again.” Murakumo Inn always welcomes the troubled masses, human or otherwise. Only one form of payment is accepted—your most astonishing secrets. The tale this evening is that of a certain youthful writer. Feast upon his suffering as he struggles to “live.”…

An exploration of the many forms of the ancient myth of the Wild Hunt and its influence in pagan and early Christian Europe • Recounts the myriad variations of this legend, from the Cursed Huntsman and King Herla to phantom armies and vast processions of sinners and demons • Explains how this belief was an integral part of the pagan worldview and was thus employed by the church to spread Christian doctrine • Reveals how the secret societies of medieval Europe reenacted these ghostly processions for soul travel and prophecies of impending death Once upon a time a phenomenon existed in medieval Europe that continuously fueled local lore: during the long winter nights a strange and unknown troop could be heard passing outside over the land or through the air. Anyone caught by surprise in the open fields or depths of the woods would see a bizarre procession of demons, giants, hounds, ladies of the night, soldiers, and knights, some covered in blood and others carrying their heads beneath their arms. This was the Wild or Infernal Hunt, the host of the damned, the phantom army of the night--a theme that still inspires poets, writers, and painters to this day. Millennia older than Christianity, this pagan belief was employed by the church to spread their doctrine, with the shapeshifters' and giants of the pagan nightly processions becoming sinners led by demons seeking out unwary souls to add to their retinues. Myth or legend, it represents a belief that has deep roots in Europe, particularly Celtic and Scandinavian countries. The first scholar to fully examine this myth in each of its myriad forms, Claude Lecouteux strips away the Christian gloss and shows how the Wild Hunt was an integral part of the pagan worldview and the structure of their societies. Additionally, he looks at how secret societies of medieval Europe reenacted these ghostly processions through cult rituals culminating in masquerades and carnival-like cavalcades often associated with astral doubles, visions of the afterlife, belief in multiple souls, and prophecies of impending death. He reveals how the nearly infinite variations of this myth are a still living, evolving tradition that offers us a window into the world in which our ancestors lived.