This is from ANSAX List sited sources especially an 1843 WINNEMORE & REPS Cudjo's Wild Hunt Song. The ancient Germans believed in a Wild Hunt. Woden's Hunt. Where they would go in search of souls. Woden was pictured as the Devil in Medieval times with a band of demons riding around for wicked souls. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Al Magary" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, September 07, 2003 5:44 PM Subject: Re: Hants Haunting the OED2 as I often do, I found these in the online edition (guess at etymology is under haunt as verb): hant, ha'nt Obs. and local U.S. form of HAUNT n. --- haunt, n. Also 4-6 haunte, 6-7, 20 hant. [f. HAUNT v.] ... 5. local U.S. and Eng. A spirit supposed to haunt a place; a ghost. Also (occas.) in wider use. 1843 WINNEMORE & REPS Cudjo's Wild Hunt (song) 3 It am de hunt ob Cudjo dat nigger so bold. 1878 MRS. A. W. HUNT Hazard of Die I. vi. 131 Our Cordy is terrible for being afeard o' haunts. 1896 MRS. STOWE Oldtown Folks vi. 80 But this 'ere's a regular haunt,..they both on 'em said..they'd seen a figger of a man. 1902 Westm. Gaz. 5 Feb. 2/1 This is the 'haunt' that troubles all our minds, and, especially, that comes forth..when the question is of peace by arrangement. 1933 M. EMMONS in B. A. Botkin Treas. S. Folklore (1949) III. ii. 540 One never knows when the most sociable of cats may turn out to be a witch or a 'ha'nt'. 1934 B. A. BOTKIN in W. T. Couch Culture in South xxvi. 589 A Bible or a sharp object under the pillow will keep away both 'hants' and witches. 1935 Scribner's Mag. XCVII. 121/2 Old Joe's daid an' gone But his hant blows de hawn. 1943 W. C. HENDRICKS Bundle of Trouble 98 Then the wife told the hant who her husband is, and the hant begun at the start and told it all over agin. 1952 W. R. TITTERTON in Columba Aug. 102/1 We had a haunt in our flat. Father Vincent came home with us that day, and blessed the place, and the haunt was no more. 1965 'MALCOLM X' Autobiogr. i. 20 It was spooky, with ghosts and spirituals and 'ha'nts' seeming to be in the very atmosphere when finally we all came out of the church. --- haunt, v. Also 3-4 haunten, 4 hauntyn, hanten, 4-6 haunte, 4-7 hant(e, 5 hawntyn. [a. F. hante-r (12th c. in Littré), of uncertain origin: see Diez, Littré, Hatz.-Darm. >From the uncertainty of the derivation, it is not clear whether the earliest sense in F. and Eng. was to practise habitually (an action, etc.) or to frequent habitually (a place). The order here is therefore provisional.] ... 5. transf. and fig. Of unseen or immaterial visitants. a. Of diseases (obs.), memories, cares, feelings, thoughts: To visit frequently or habitually; to come up or present themselves as recurrent influences or impressions, esp. as causes of distraction or trouble; to pursue, molest. 1576 FLEMING Panopl. Epist. 228 One that is haunted with a fever or quivering ague. Ibid. 363 Heavinesse shall never haunt your heart, whiles your mind is marching with the Muses. 1594 SHAKES. Rich. III, I. ii. 122 Your beauty, that did haunt me in my sleepe, To vndertake the death of all the world. 1615 J. STEPHENS Satyr. Ess. (ed. 2) 240 He is ever haunted with a blushing weakenesse. 1724 R. WELTON 18 Disc. 469 He hath no secret guilt that haunts and doggs him. 1838 LYTTON Alice 7 Regret of another kind still seems to haunt you. 1855 BAIN Senses & Int. III. i. §12 A painful recollection will haunt a person through life. b. esp. Of imaginary or spiritual beings, ghosts, etc.: To visit frequently and habitually with manifestations of their influence and presence, usually of a molesting kind. to be haunted: to be subject to the visits and molestation of disembodied spirits. 1590 SHAKES. Mids. N. III. i. 107 O monstrous. O strange. We are hanted; pray masters, flye masters, helpe. 1593 Rich. II, III. ii. 158 Some haunted by the Ghosts they haue depos'd. 1602 MARSTON Antonio's Rev. III. ii, Bug-beares and spirits haunted him. 1660 F. BROOKE tr. Le Blanc's Trav. 312 They were told..how there was a Chamber haunted with spirits, and strangely molested with horrible rumblings. a1679 LD. ORRERY Herod Gt. iii, My ghost shall haunt thee out in every place. 1722 SEWEL Hist. Quakers (1795) I. IV. 244 It was much talked of, that spirits haunted this dungeon, and walked there. 1847 LYTTON Lucretia 301 We need not that boy's Ghost amongst those who haunt us. 1871-4 J. THOMSON City Dreadf. Nt. VII. i, Phantoms haunt those shadowy streets. ********************************************************************* Reminder: For assistance write to Bill Schipper ([email protected])