Creation

The Huntsman was character from folk tales written down by Brothers Grimm for the original tale of Snow White from 1812 as a pawn of The Evil Queen.

Origin

In the original Snow White story, The Huntsman was hired to kill the young princess and to bring her lungs (or heart depending on interpretation) back to the Evil Queen as proof of Snow White's death.

However he was unable to kill the young girl, allowing her to flee and instead brings the Queen the organ of an animal, either a lamb or a pig depending on which version.

Other Versions

Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs

The Huntsman is a minor character in the animated movie from 1937, playing the same role as he does in the original Snow White story, although the brutal organ collecting of an animal isn't shown on screen.

Fables (DC Comics/Vertigo Comics)

In a world after the fairy tales, The Huntsman is still alive, shown to have gained the trust of Snow White, who she speaks highly of since sparing her life.

Once Upon A Time

In the live action ABC series, The Huntsman is named Graham Humbert, his character was originally meant to be Sherlock Holmes but was changed to The Huntsman due to rights issues. The Huntsman like the original story didn't go through with killing Snow White, however now had a romantic relationship with The Evil Queen. After discovering Graham's relationship with Emma Swan, The Evil Queen crushes his heart, killing him.