Schattenjäger

Schattenjäger are a kind of detective/monster hunter.

The Gabriel Knight Series follows the last of the Schattenjäger; Gabriel Knight.

Meaning
Schattenjäger (IPA: [ˈʃatn̩]-[ˈjɛːɡɐ] ) is a German word that translates literally as "Shadow Hunter".

Background

 * It is the title used by a German family of supernatural investigators. The Ritter family of Bavaria is descended from Inquisitors, Jesuits, and Witch-hunters, and claims that some ancient charge to "serve the light" has shaped its destiny.
 * In Gabriel Knight 3 it is shown through a vision at the end of the game, that this charge was put on the ancestors of the Ritters by Jesus on the cross himself. This was hinted at in GK1 when Wolfgang Ritter talks to Gabriel about his Family and says: "Some believe this role was given to us when... Ah, but such fantasies cannot be of use to you at the moment, Gabriel."
 * The line of the Ritters as Schattenjäger started about 1210, the date of the first entry in the prayer book kept in the Schloss Ritter chapel. The family's patron saint is St. George, and it was in possession of a talisman of ancient design, which is alleged to have protective powers. That was until 1693 when Gunter Ritter lost it to the witch Tetelo. Since then, the glamour of the family line waned.
 * In 1993, the last German member of the family, Wolfgang Ritter, died while retrieving the talisman. He passed the family castle and title to his nephew, Gabriel Knight, an American, who then moved to Germany and paid off all debt on the castle and grounds, giving the Family a fresh start.
 * There are other "Hunters of Shadows" throughout the world, but the title of "Schattenjäger" seems to be exclusively used for the Ritter Family.