Hedge is a word that describes the border between the wilderness and civilization. In medieval Europe a hedge was a physical boundary between the forest and the village, a tangle of wild plants and undergrowth that separated the village from that which lay beyond. Those who lived beyond the hedge lived closer to nature and were often thought to possess hidden knowledge, practice folk magic, or even have the ability to cross the boundary into the Otherworld, the lands of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the abode of the Fae.
Those who lived beyond the hedge acted as defenders of the forest and guardians of nature, and could, at times, be called upon to aid those who had become lost or injured in the wilderness. They might provide herbal medicines to heal the sick, wild bounty to feed the hungry, and charms to protect travelers through the dark forest.
Yet, those who lived beyond the hedge didn’t necessarily adhere to the many rules of government, nor follow the logic, ethics, or morals of the cities. They had their own set of rules, which to many might seem very “gray”. As Christianity gained power during the Middle Ages, and spread across Europe through sword and flame, traditional nature-based beliefs and healing were declared to be evil, the work of the devil. Those who lived beyond the hedge and held to the old ways were particularly vulnerable to accusations of witchcraft and subjected to persecution “in the name of God”. Many who lived Beyond the Hedge withdrew deeper into the forests or climbed to the mountain crags, away from the plagues of the cities and the vexations of the Church.
No longer were those who lived Beyond the Hedge healers of the sick and guides to the lost, but rather they sought only to be left alone. If one traveled deeply enough into the wilderness one might still encounter these forest-dwellers. Provided that you didn’t interfere with them, they wouldn’t say or do anything to you, and whilst still mostly benevolent to those in need, they could be very dangerous to anyone who sought to destroy the forests or interfere with the ways of the Fae.
Today there are still those who live Beyond the Hedge, who make their homes in remote, isolated, and coastal regions, far from the cities, past the suburbs, and beyond the small towns and villages that dot the land. Like those before them, they want only to be left alone, to live their lives close to nature, without interference from the governments of men, or the encroachments and pestilence of the cities.
For what reasons do people retreat into nature, today?
There are many reasons why people retreat to the forest. One thing in advance, it is often forbidden by law to simply 'move to the forest'; for safety reasons, among others. Nevertheless, people often let the modern "forest people" have their way. Because many of them are harmless. They withdraw gradually and voluntarily, for example because they initially live professionally in and with the forest and gradually reduce their contacts with "civilization". Others see themselves as "guardians of the forest", want to make themselves useful, remove waste and simply be left alone. Quite a few forest dwellers have gone through psychological or social problem phases in the course of their lives and have chosen the forest as a place of retreat.
Only very few can be described as conscious dropouts who abruptly turn their backs on civilization. And they often don't stay long - while the better-known forest dwellers in Switzerland can often pursue their way of life undisturbed for decades and are tolerated to a great extent.
It should be mentioned here that there are of course also people who live in the forest in order to hide there: because they are criminals hiding from the law, and want to attract as little attention as possible, but these people do not remain very long beyond the hedge.
A life in the forest - a romantic ideal?
How healthy or hard life is in the forest depends on the individual case. Frugal hermits sometimes manage without the benefits of civilization at all. Others are resourceful, fiddle around with their own wind and solar energy supply and even have a telephone connection. It's all a question of attitude. Those who live (over)in the forest for decades are usually quite healthy. After all, everyday life often entails a lot of strenuous physical work, as well as a lot of consumerism. This can even be good for you, especially when it comes to food. And here we can state: only the hardy get into the garden, or the forest. Those who do not adapt well to the way of life of their ancestors and take care of themselves will either give in quickly or even fall seriously ill. Because outdoor life is not a bed of roses, nor is it a romantic commune.
How healthy is the distance to civilization?
The way of life and daily routine of modern forest dwellers is very different. Some of them go or went about a normal activity. The cultivation of fruits and vegetables for daily use alone takes up a lot of time, as does the collection of wood for personal use in many cases.
Life in the forest does not exclude contact with civilization.
Many "forest people" are not hermits at all - like the Swiss "Diesel-Sepp", who liked to drink his beer in the nearby village. And many a forest dweller has a telephone and internet, but all in the solitude of the forest. Others want to turn their backs on civilization and not even claim social benefits, like the group of forest dwellers who made the exit just a few minutes' drive from Bern, Switzerland.
The life forms are thus as diverse as the "forest people" themselves - however, one can assume that by no means all of those who temporarily or forever retreat under the trees are known. Who knows how many people live in the forest today and consistently avoid contact with civilization?
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