St. Hubert, the holy huntsman

Born into a noble family, St. Hubert [also, Hubertus] married and his wife died giving birth to their son. Hubert retreated from the court, withdrew into the forested Ardennes, and gave himself up entirely to hunting. But a great spiritual revolution was imminent. 

On Good Friday morning, when the faithful were crowding the churches, Hubert sallied forth to the chase. As he was pursuing a magnificent stag or hart, the animal turned and, as the pious legend narrates, he was astounded at perceiving a crucifix standing between its antlers, while he heard a voice saying: "Hubert, unless thou turnest to the Lord, and leadest an holy life, thou shalt quickly go down into hell". Hubert dismounted, prostrated himself and said, "Lord, what wouldst Thou have me do?" He received the answer, "Go and seek Lambert, and he will instruct you."

The story of the hart appears first in one of the later legendary hagiographies (Bibliotheca hagiographica latina, nos. 3994–4002) and has been appropriated from the legend of Saint Eustace or Placidus. It was first attributed to St. Hubert in the 15th century, seven centuries after the events were supposed to have taken place.

Sankt Hubertus (German) is honored among sport-hunters as the originator of ethical hunting behavior.

During Hubert's religious vision, the hart is said to have lectured Hubertus into holding animals in higher regard and having compassion for them as God's creatures with a value in their own right. For example, the hunter ought to only shoot when a humane, clean and quick kill is assured. He ought shoot only old stags past their prime breeding years and to relinquish a much anticipated shot on a trophy to instead euthanize a sick or injured animal that might appear on the scene. Further, one ought never shoot a female with young in tow to assure the young deer have a mother to guide them to food during the winter. Such is the legacy of Hubert who still today is taught and held in high regard in the extensive and rigorous German and Austrian hunter education courses.

Whatever the case may be about the professorial stag with the crucifix, Hubert did seek out Bishop Lambert and eventually became bishop himself, dying in 727 near Brussels. His relics were venerated by pilgrims until the coffin holding them disappeared in the upheavals of the Reformation. 

His feast is kept on November 3.

One often sees Hubert's symbol, a stag with a crucifix or cross between its antlers, on German beverages, most notably Jägermeister.