Hunt of the Summer's Herald

During the Festival of the Summer Sun in Wolfsbrunn people gather to compete in the Hunt of the Summer's Herald in Rornach.   The hunt starts at sunrise on the Island of the Snake where the Duke of Rornach releases a thousand swallows into the city. One of these swallows carries a small golden bell that can be heard tinkling whenever the bird moves. People competing in the event are commonly reffered to as hunters and will try to retrieve this bell. The bell itself has delicate engravings of a radiant sun and a number denoting the year. The Hunt of the Summer's Herald can last anywhere from half a day to up to months or years. Sometimes bells are retrieved from far away lands as the swallow carrying it escaped on the day of the festival and migrated to other places. If you are able to retrieve the bell, you are rewarded with a large sum of gold provided by the city and the honorable title of Suncatcher. Suncatchers are very proud of their achievements wear the bell(s) on their clothing during the hunt and other special occassions.  

Superstitions

It is thought that the fate of the swallow carrying the bell is tied to the fate of the person who catches it. The people of Rornach believe that if the bell is retrieved without killing the bird carrying it, the hunter will lead a long and prosperous life. However, if the bird is killed in the effort of catching it, the hunter will lose something that is very dear to them before summer has ended.