Herne the Hunter
In English folklore, Herne the Hunter is a ghost associated with Windsor Forest and Great Park in the English county of Berkshire. He is said to have antlers growing from his head, ride a horse, torment cattle, and rattle chains. The earliest mention of Herne comes from William Shakespeare's 1597 play The Merry Wives of Windsor, and it is impossible to know how accurately or to what degree Shakespeare may have incorporated a real local legend into his work, though there have been several later attempts to connect Herne to historical figures, pagan deities, or ancient archetypes.
's lost opera, Herne le chasseur (1773), is an adaptation of The Merry Wives of Windsor giving Herne the title role.
François-André Danican Philidor
's opera Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor (1845/46) includes Falstaff, disguised as Herne, on the musical stage.
Carl Otto Nicolai
composing a libretto for Verdi's opera Falstaff by improvising upon materials in Merry Wives and Henry IV, built the moonlit last act set in Windsor Great Park around a prank revenge played upon the amorous Falstaff by masqueraders disguised as spirits and the spectral "Black Huntsman", in whom Herne the Hunter is recognisable. Carlo Prospero Defranceschi wrote a similar libretto for composer Antonio Salieri that specifically mentions Herne.
Arrigo Boito
' opera Sir John in Love, an adaptation of Shakespeare's Merry Wives, feature an impersonation of Herne the Hunter to misguide Falstaff.
Ralph Vaughan Williams
"The Legend of Herne the Hunter" was part of ballet Victoria and Merrie England of 1897, which portrayed various scenes from British folklore and history.
Sir Arthur Sullivan's
In the light opera by Sir Edward German (1902), the librettist Basil Hood introduces another impersonation of Herne as a device to induce a change of heart in Queen Elizabeth I.
Merrie England
One of the earliest recordings by British progressive rock band is an instrumental song titled "Herne the Hunter" based on the legend.
Marillion
Herne is a track on the 1984 LP by Clannad, the soundtrack album to the ITV television series Robin of Sherwood (q.v.).
Legend
Herne the Hunter features in the lyrics of the song "English Fire" by on their album Nymphetamine.
Cradle of Filth
On the 2008 album Blessings by , a song is titled "Hymn to Herne".
S.J. Tucker
On the 2014 EP Just Let Go by , a song is titled "Herne and the Red Kite".