The idea of the Wild Hunt is actually equal parts vague and widespread. As Norse Mythology explains, civilizations from the ancient world to fairly modern times — and from across Europe — all told their versions of the Wild Hunt story. The heart of the story stays the same, and it's basically the tale of a group of otherworldly figures who ride across the land in the middle of the night, with one particularly terrifying figure at the head of the hunters.
Different communities called this supernatural hunt different names. Some places in Scandinavia called it the Terrifying Ride, some places in Germany shared whispered tales of the Furious Army, and according to Orkneyjar, other places used the term the Raging Host. Just who they were said to be varied by location, too: Sometimes they were the restless spirits of sinners, and sometimes they were undead armies, souls in Purgatory, or ghosts cursed to wander the land for eternity by other supernatural creatures (via Medievalists).
Most Wild Hunts were said to be accompanied by hunting dogs, and whoever the condemned souls were, they were generally said to be riding black horses. What they were looking for also changed with the telling — some were searching for forgiveness, others were looking for a mythical, magical animal, and in some places, they were simply condemned to wander forever without being able to dismount.
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