This story begins sometime in the 7th century when the son of a duke decided that hunting was infinitely more fun than going to church.

I’m not a fan of either, so I don’t see the appeal here, but in the 7th century, if you weren’t dying of the plague, you had limited entertainment options.

The son of a duke in question would later become a saint – Saint Hubert to be exact.

VICE explains how that supposedly happened:

According to his very Catholic origin story, he skipped mass on Good Friday and, while he tracked a stag through the Ardennes forest, the deer stopped, turned around and locked eyes with him.

A large glowing cross appeared between its antlers, and it spoke to him in a not-at-all unsettling human voice. “Hubert, unless you turn to the Lord, and lead a holy life, you shall quickly go down to hell,” the deer said, and Hubert was freaked out enough to listen. After his wife’s death, he gave away his money and possessions, moved to Maastricht in what is now the Netherlands, and became a priest.

Whatever he was on, we’d all like some, please.

Hubert kept the faith until he died (of natural causes) and was sainted because of his talking stag encounter.

He is now known as the patron saint of hunters, mathematicians, and metalworkers. (He’s supposedly the patron of not getting rabies, however that works.)

He’s also the inspiration for the stag and crucifix logo used by Jägermeister. Jägermeister translates as ‘master of the hunt’, so you can see how it’s all coming together.

Modern-day Christians, however, aren’t impressed with the iconography on the popular liqueur.

The Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property had previously tried to prevent Jägermeister from putting its stag-and-cross logo on anything but its own alcohol bottles and branded articles of clothing, because it could potentially be upsetting due to “the religious leanings of some consumers” in Switzerland.

The judges who presided over the case in the Federal Administrative Court disagreed. They reckon that despite the Christian inspiration, most people don’t make the association.

Because Jägermeister has used those symbols for decades, the judges said that Jägermeister had “weakened its religious character,” which makes it less likely to be offensive as, like, an improperly appropriated Christian symbol.

As a result of the ruling, Jägermeister is now free to use its logo on a much wider range of products in Switzerland, including everything from the brand’s own promotional activities to “cosmetics, mobile phones, or telecommunication services.”

If you’re partaking in libations, and come across a talking animal, chances are you should slow down, and drink some water.

Do it for Saint Hubert.

[source:vice]