As you may know, behind Aeternum is a small business based in Brittany (specifically in the south of Finistère). It is well known that this region lives to the rhythm of legends, myths, and magical practices, some more or less known (Brocéliande, Merlin, the Fairy Viviane, the Alignments, and many others). Thus, to highlight our beautiful region, we will regularly publish little-known legends from Breton history. This week, we head to the center of Brittany.
A haughty lord named Erwan once ruled the lands surrounding the Quénécan forest. A passionate hunter, he was known for his arrogance and disdain for traditions. One day, in the middle of winter, he decided to organize a great hunt despite the villagers' warnings. According to an ancient belief, that day was dedicated to the forest goddess, and no human was to disturb the calm of the woods.
Erwan, mocking, ignored these warnings and gathered his dogs and men.
"Neither gods nor spirits will stop me from hunting wherever I want!" he shouted as he entered the forest, gun on his shoulder.
In the heart of the forest, Erwan spotted a magnificent white stag, a rare creature said to be the messenger of the gods. Obsessed with the idea of capturing this trophy, he ordered his dogs to chase it. The stag dashed off in a frantic run, leading the lord and his party deeper and deeper into the forest.
The sky suddenly darkened, and a cold wind rose. The dogs, frightened, refused to move forward. Erwan’s companions begged their master to turn back, but he did not listen.
"This stag is mine! Nothing will stop me!" he shouted.
When he shot at the stag, the arrow flew through the air but never hit its target. Instead, a howl echoed. The spirit of the forest appeared in the form of a dark, spectral figure.
"You who have defied the sacred laws, be cursed for eternity!" it proclaimed.
Erwan disappeared that day. It is said that he was condemned to wander endlessly in the forest, accompanied by a pack of ghostly dogs. The cursed hunt, known as the "Erwan Hunt," echoes through the Quénécan forest on stormy nights. The howls of the dogs and Erwan’s sinister laughter haunt the place.
Villagers still avoid going too deep into the forest after nightfall, fearing to encounter the Wild Hunt and to be lost forever in the shadows of Quénécan.
