| Yule | |
|---|---|
 A drinking scene on theTängelgårda IVimage stone fromGotland, in theSwedish Museum of National Antiquities inStockholm | |
| Observed by | Germanic pagans,Modern pagans (Heathens,Wiccans),LaVeyan Satanists |
| Type | Pagan |
| Significance | Winter festival |
| Date | Middle of winter (see§ Date of observance) |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Related to | Midwinter,Christmastide,Christmas |
Yule (Old English:ġēol,Old Norse:jól) is a winter festival and time of the year historically observed byheathenGermanic peoples that was later merged with the festival ofChristmas during the process ofChristianisation. The oldest accounts describe two Yule-months around thewinter solstice in early, and sometimes explicitly heathen,Germanic calendars.
Later, and more extensive,Old Norse sources also describe a Yule festival occurring during this period, which possibly began onHǫkunótt and continued for several days. During it, feasting, ceremonial drinking andoath swearing was central, and plays and games likely took place. Tales set at this time frequently feature supernatural beings visiting halls and farms, such as trolls and undeaddraugar. Such traditions closely resemble folk practices and beliefs from the modern period such asjulebukking and theWild Hunt, which may have partly heathen roots.
Because of the blending of the festival period and Christmas, Yule and its cognates are still used to refer to Christmas and the season ofChristmastide in English and some otherNorthern European languages, includingSwedish andFinnish. In addition to this, adherents of somenew religious movements, such asModern Germanic paganism, celebrate Yule as an independent festival to Christmas.
The modern English noun 'Yule' descends fromMiddle English:ȝol (alternative forms includeȝeol andyoole), in turn fromOld English:ġēol, earliergeoh(h)ol,geh(h)ol, andgeóla, sometimes pluralised. The Old English term is thought to derive from aProto-Germanic word such as*jehwlą- or*iehwulo.[1][2] Other Old English forms of the word 'Yule' wereiūla andgiuli.[3]
Various theories have been put forward on the meaning and origin of the Proto-Germanic root of 'Yule'. Scholars includingJacob Grimm have proposed a now widespread, but largely rejected, idea, that it is related to 'wheel', in reference to the completing of a solar cycle at the winter solstice. In support of this, it has been noted thatrunic calendars often represent the Christmas celebration with a wheel.[2][4] It has been noted, however, that this in Old English ishweol, and there is no clear reason to connect it togeol ('Yule'). A more plausible etymology is to link it toLatin:jocus, the ancestor ofEnglish:jokecode: eng promoted to code: en. In the ancient period and Middle Ages, 'joke' referred to "entertainment" or "festivity". 'Yule' could therefore be interpreted as having originally meant a "period of joy and public celebration".[2] Despite these efforts, the ultimate origin of*jehwlą-, and related terms, remains unclear.[2][4][1]
'Yule' is cognate withGothic:𐌾𐌹𐌿𐌻𐌴𐌹𐍃 (jiuleis),Old Norse:jól, and its descendantsIcelandic,Faroese and NorwegianNynorskjól, andDanish,Swedish, andNorwegian Bokmåljul.[5][6][7][8][1][2][9] The Proto-Germanic root was also loaned into the Finnic languages, giving rise toFinnish:juhla. Later, a North Germanic word for Yule (such asjól) was loaned again, givingjoulu. This possibly occurred throughNorthern Sami:juowˈlâ as an intermediate with the same Germanic root.[10][11] 'Yule' and its modern cognates typically denoteChristmas and theperiod around it, with a slight exception beingFinnish:juhla, which can have that meaning but normally carries the more general sense of "celebration".[5][6][7][8][1] It remains uncertain if there are anyIndo-European cognates that are not derived from Proto-Germanic, though numerous speculative attempts have been made.[12] It has been suggested thatOld French:jolif (later,French:joli), which was borrowed into English in the 14th century as 'jolly', may itself borrowed fromOld Norse:jól (with the Old French suffix-if; compare Old Frenchaisif "easy", Modern Frenchfestif =fest "feast" +-if).[13][14][15]But theOxford English Dictionary sees this explanation forjolif as unlikely.[16] The French word is first attested in the Anglo-NormanEstoire des Engleis ("History of the English People"), written byGeoffrey Gaimar between 1136 and 1140.[14]
In addition to denotingChristmas and the period around it, 'Yule' is also used for a heathen midwinter festival celebrated by Scandinavians, and likely other Germanic peoples, before their Christianisation.[17][18][19][20] In scholarly usage, the same English term is also applied as an umbrella label for pre-Christian Germanic midwinter observances, including Old Norsejól, which can denote the midwinter season itself.[21][22][23] This association withOld Norse religion is reflected in terms derived fromjól such asjólnar, used in the poetry ofEyvindr skáldaspillir to refer to thegods.[24][25] The singular formJólnir ("Yule man") is also one of the many names of Odin.[25][26][27] While the 12th century Old NorseÁgrip describesjól as coming fromJólnir, the opposite is true.[24][25] Other Old Norse terms derived fromjól includejólaǫl ("Yule ale"),jólagjǫf ("Yule gift"),jólaaptann ("Yule-eve") andjóladrykkja ("Yule drinking").[28][29][30][31] Some compound nouns derived from "Yule" in English are first attested long after Christianisation, includingYuletide ("Yule-time"; c. 1475),yule-candle (1808),yule-game (1611) andyule-log (1725).[32]
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Yule is attested early in the history of the Germanic peoples, and over a wide geographical range; the earliest of such records is aGothic calendar, found in thec. 350 CECodex Ambrosianus, that mentions the monthfruma jiuleis ("the month before the Yule-month"), implying a subsequent unrecorded*jiuleis ("Yule month").[34]
Two adjacent months named after Yule are recorded by the English historianBede inThe Reckoning of Time, dated toc. 726 CE. Bede writes that before his time, theheathen Anglo-Saxons had reckoned their months based on the phases of the moon, and that they had called both December and JanuaryGiuli (the months of Yule).[35] A 10th century English text refers to these two months asse ǽrra Geola andse æftera Geola, "the earlier" and "the latter Yule month".[36][33] Bede further writes that the heathen English started their year on 25 December, when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, and says that they called thisModranecht ("Mothers' night").[35] This day likely fell between the two months ofgiuli.[37] Bede further says the night got its name from the ceremonies he believed they performed then; the mothers are typically interpreted as goddesses, possibly thedísir.[33][38]
Old Norse sources also record two Yule months:Jólmánuðr ("Yule month") andÝlir, a term with the same root that is likely pre-Christian.[39][40] The IcelandicBókarbót, usually dated to around 1220, placesÝlir from the middle of November to the middle of December in the Julian calendar, andJólmánuðr following afterwards into the middle of January.[41] After the officialChristianisation of Scandinavia, the Church gradually introduced the Julian calendar, with it being largely established by the middle of the 1100s.[42] Nonetheless, a lunisolar time-reckoning was practiced in Sweden as late as the early 1900s, where theJultungel ("Yule moon") was the moon that was seen duringEpiphany and theDísting market was held on the following full moon.[43]
Given the large geographic area over which there is evidence for moon-based calendars with two Yule months, it has been suggested that they originated substantially earlier than their first attestations, when the relevant Germanic peoples lived closer together. This may be before the migrations of the Goths from the Baltic coast, and possibly theAngles from southern Scandinavia to Britain. An early dating would further support the development of the calendar in a heathen context, before the adoption of Christianity.[44]
The exact timing of the pre-Christian Yule celebrations is unclear and debated among scholars. The earliest record of a seasonal celebration in Scandinavia is given by the 6th century historianProcopius of Caesaria who writes of theHeruli who lived in "Thule" (likely around modern day Norway). He describes how the sun is not seen there for 40 nights in winter and that their greatest festival of the year is celebrated 20 days after thewinter solstice, when the sun appears again. This would be mid January in the Gregorian calendar.[45][note 2] Scholars since the 17th century have suggested this is describing heathen Yule celebrations. The nature of Procopius' account, including the possibility that he is describingSámi rather than Germanic peoples, complicates interpretations of the source.[46]
Bede in the 8th century says that the twoAnglo-Saxon Yule months (Giuli) are linked to the winter solstice. He writes that they "derive their name from the day when the Sun turns back [and begins] to increase", with one month before the solstice and one following it.[35][33] In surviving Anglo-Saxon calendars, the winter solstice was generally deemed to be December 25, following theJulian calendar.[47][48] According to Andreas Nordberg, an issue with this is that the heathen Anglo-Saxons used a lunisolar calendar, which Bede describes, in which each month lasted a full waxing and waning of the moon. The two Anglo-Saxon Yule months would therefore move relative to the winter solstice and it could not always fall in the middle of them.[49]
In Old Norse sources, the only exact timing of theNordic Yule (Jól) is found inHákonar saga góða. It describes how the Nordic heathen Yule began onhǫkunótt, which is equated withmiðsvetrarnótt ("Midwinter Night"), and continued for three days.[50] Although the Englishmidwinter referred to the time of the winter solstice[47][48] the Scandinavian Midwinter Night was about one month after the winter solstice.[51][52][53] Winter in Scandinavia is deemed to last longer than in southern Germanic regions. In Old Norse sources that divided the year into two seasons, winter was deemed to begin with the "Winter Nights" in mid-October and to end in mid-April.[54]Hǫkunótt only occurs in this passage, and is alternatively spelthǫggunótt inFríssbók.[55] The etymology ofhǫkunótt is not clear but various interpretations have been put forward, including relating it to the verbhǫggva ("to hew", "to slaughter") in reference to the sacrifice of animals at theblót that took place at that time.[56][55]
Scholars have argued that the Nordic heathen Yule feast took place at the winter solstice, despite Snorri Sturluson not placing it then.[57][58] Andreas Nordberg proposes, instead, that the Nordic heathen Yule was celebrated on thefull moon of thelunar month following the winter solstice (the lunar month starting on the first new moon after the solstice). This could range from 5 January at the earliest to 2 February at the latest in the Gregorian calendar. Nordberg places the Nordic Midwinter Nights on 19 to 21 January in the Gregorian calendar, falling roughly in the middle of his range of Yule dates. In addition to Snorri's account, Nordberg's dating is consistent with the account of the great blót atLejre byThietmar of Merseburg.[51] This interpretation has received scholarly support.[59]
In medieval Scandinavia,blót often took place during Yule celebrations, whereby animals were sacrificed to the gods and their meat cooked and shared among those present. This was typically accompanied by ceremonial drinking of ale or mead.[60][61]
Communal eating was central to Yule, which is seen in the use ofjól inskaldic poetry to mean 'feast' in thekenning for 'battle':hugins jól ('a raven's (Yule) feast').[62][57][note 3]Jólaveizlur ("Yule-feasts") are also widely attested in medieval Old Norse accounts of pre-Christian celebrations,[64][65] including the Yule-feast of KingHalfdanr svarti in hiseponymous saga, where all the food and ale was made to disappear by aSámi man.[66] Another notable example is inHákonar saga góða, whereHákon the Good is forced to take part inblót-feasts inMære andLade, including eating meat from thesacrificed horses, as part of his responsibilities as a king.[67][68] Yule has further been identified by some scholars with theálfablót ("elf-blót") recorded inÓlafs saga helga, though this has been rejected by others asálfablót were likely held in autumn, not winter.[69]
Drinking ceremonies also likely took place at Yule, consistent with their prominence inGermanic paganism more widely.[70][note 4] Early evidence of this is found inÞorbjǫrn hornklofi'sHaraldskvæði, written around 900 CE, whereHarald Fairhair "drinks Yule", or "drinks to Yule":
| Old Norse text | Translation[72] |
|---|---|
|
|
Here, "drinking Yule" seems to be synonymous with celebrating it.[73] At the feast in Mære, King Hákon also drinks toasts that were poured for him, consistent with the importance of ritual drinking at Yule.[67]
The importance of drinking at Yule is likely reflected in surviving customs after Christianisation.Den ældre Gulathings-Lov, an early law code from Norway, imposes punishments for incorrect preparation of ale forjól ('Yule' or 'Christmas'). The required practices include brewing in groups, unless one lives very remotely, and hallowing the ale to thankChrist andSt Marytil árs. oc til friðar ("for prosperity and peace") - a ritual formula that likely originated in heathen contexts.[74][75] This has been interpreted as an example of missionaries Christianising a heathen custom by replacing heathen gods with Christian figures.[76] Furthermore,Hákonar saga góða says that in King Hákon's effort to Christianise Norway, he shifted Yule to Christmas time. He also imposed a fine on anyone who did not have a measure of ale at Yule (estimated to be around 16.2 litres), and made it law for the holiday to continue as long as the ale lasted.[77]
The swearing of solemn vows,Heitstrenging, on Yule-Eve are attested inHelgakviða Hjörvarðssonar andHervarar saga ok Heiðreks, the first of which reads:
| Old Norse text[78] | Bellows translation[79] |
|---|---|
Heðinn fór einn saman heim ór skógi jólaaftan ok fann trollkonu. Sú reið vargi ok hafði orma at taumum ok bauð fylgð sína Heðni. "Nei," sagði hann. Hon sagði: "Þess skaltu gjalda at bragarfulli." Um kveldit óru heitstrengingar. Var fram leiddr sónargöltr. Lögðu menn þar á hendr sínar ok strengðu menn þá heit at bragarfulli. | Hethin was coming home alone from the forest one Yule-eve, and found a troll-woman; she rode on a wolf, and had snakes in place of a bridle. She asked Hethin for his company. "Nay," said he. She said, "Thou shalt pay for this at the king's toast." That evening the great vows (heitstrengingar) were taken; the sacred boar (sonargöltr) was brought in, the men laid their hands thereon, and took their vows at the king's toast (bragafull). |
Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks similarly takes place on Yule-Eve and describes people placing their hands on a pig referred to as asonargöltr before swearing solemn oaths at thebragafull ('toast', 'libation').[80][81] Some manuscripts of the text explicitly refer to the pig as holy, that it was devoted toFreyr and that after the oath-swearing it was sacrificed at ablót.[82]
Games during Yule are widely attested in the Old Norse record, includingglíma inKróka-Refs saga,knattleikr inHálfdanar saga Eysteinssonar andtug-of-war inHjálmþés saga ok Ölvis.[83] Performances and plays, possibly such as those depicted on theSutton Hoo helmet, may also have been connected to the pre-Christian festival.[84]
The earlier discussed stanza fromHaraldskvæði uses the term "Frey’sleikr", which may be a Yuletide ritual dedicated to the god.[72]Leikr, and the verbleika, typically refer to an activity such as a "game", "dramatic performance" or "dance" .[85] The phrase is, however, also used in the laterRagnars saga loðbrókar as a kenning for battle and this may be the meaning intended inHaraldskvæði.[72][86] This interpretation has alternatively been suggested to be a misunderstanding of the earlier meaning.[72] Furthermore,leikr is cognate withOld English:lāc, which has diverse meanings from 'play', 'sacrifice', 'gift' and 'battle'.[70]
A further possible attestation is thegothikon, a performance described in the 10th centuryByzantineBook of ceremonies as taking place onTwelfth Night. The performance consisted of two groups of men, each performing a circle dance, one circle inside the other, while accompanied by two pairs of men wearing masks and skins. Throughout the dance, the performers hit their shields with sticks, while shouting "Toúl" ("τούλ").[87][88][89] This word's meaning is debated but is widely identified as a misspelling or misunderstanding ofjól ("Yule"), and the performance as part of a Yule tradition.[88][90] While the text identifies the dancers asGoths, these are not elsewhere attested inConstantinople after around 500. It is possible they were instead Scandinavians, possibly fromGotland orGötaland, who are widely attested asVarangians.[88][90][note 5] This description has been noted for its similarity to afresco of two fighting warriors on the ceiling ofSt Sophia Cathedral inKyiv. One has a round shield and anDane axe, likely intended of a visual marker of their identity as a Varangian and a Scandinavian elite. The other fighter has the head of a dog, possibly a mask like in theBook of ceremonies, that may derive from heathen religious dramas connected toberserkir.[91] Notably, two felt animal masks dating to the 10th century have been discovered inHedeby.[91][92]
Yule visits from supernatural beings, such asberserkir, trolls and undeaddraugar, are widely attested across Northern Europe in modern folklore.[93] Given their early attestations, without clear Christian underpinnings, it has been proposed such ideas were present before Christianisation.[94] An early account of these visits is inEyrbyggja saga, in which the farm onBreiðafjörður inIceland is taken over by ghosts of those who have died both at land and sea.[95] This motif is also seen with the arrival of the half-etayn Green Knight in thec. 14th centurySir Gawain and the Green Knight and in later tales, such as the balads ofÅsmund Frægdegjeva andSteinfinn Fefinnson.[96][97][98]
Often the visits result in conflict, as inGrettis saga, in which Grettir beheads the undead shepherd Glamur, who had been haunting the area at Yule.[99][95] Another Yule, a troll-woman who was attacking a hall is driven back to her waterfall home by Grettir, who then kills her.[100][95] This section of the saga closely resembles tales such as the Old English poemBeowulf and is likely part of a shared tradition.[95] Strong similarities are also seen between these tales and folktales recorded in the 18th century in Iceland, such asSagan af Grimi Skeljungsbana.[101] Changes are seen over time, however, with an overall shift from the hero defeating the visitor with his own strength, to relying on external factors like calling onJesus or the light of dawn. Furthermore, there is a general increase in the number of invading beings and in Iceland, they arehuldufólk or elves, rather than the older trolls and ghosts.[102]
A specific type of supernatural visitations that have been connected to the heathen Yule and the winter solstice is theWild Host (or Wild Hunt).[103][20] This is a constructed academic category for a diverse collection of traditions found throughout North-Western Europe for groups of supernatural beings travelling across the landscape, often in winter or around Christmas.[104] Names for these customs vary greatly between regions, including the NorwegianOskoreia,Juleskreia ("the yule host"),Julereia ("The yule/Christmas ride") andJulesveinane ("the Yule lads"). Traits of the variants are largely independent of the name of the host or its leader.[105] The beings of the host are often noisy and harmful dead, but may also include goats (in particularJulebukkane ("the Yule billy-goats"). According to folktales, as they travel through the land, they invade farms in their way, stealing Christmas food, Christmas ale, and sometimes even people or horses. Taken horses are almost ridden to death while people may be thrown down after a time, either where they were abducted or far away.[106] In the 20th century, tar crosses were painted on farmhouse doors in Western Norway for protection against them.[107]
The host is variously led by a diverse range of figures, for example the figures fromGermanic heroic legend,Sigurd Svein andGuro Rysserova.[108][107] In several regions of northern Europe,Odin leads the hunt (or the similarWodenjäger orOdinjœgeren).[109][103][20] Old Norse sources also describe Odin and his group in a way that closely resembles almost all aspects of Wild Host traditions, such as his leading of a host of the deadeinherjar, along withvalkyrjur, who collect the newly dead. Odin is recorded as stealing Yule food inFlateyjarbók'sHaralds þáttr hárfagra, similar to in later accounts of the host.[110][111] Furthermore, he is often equated in historical sources withMercury, a Roman god who has a role inguiding the dead to the afterlife.[110] Odin's role as leader of the Wild Host may be the origin of his name, which literally means "lord of frenzy" or "leader of the possessed".[112][113][26] Similar to Norwegian traditions of leaving out food and drink for the Wild Host, in Southern Scandinavia, the last sheaf cut in harvest or grass during haying would be left for Odin's horse or horses around Christmas.[110]
The supernatural host cannot be separated neatly from the interlinked tradition of hosts of costumed humans travelling the countryside around Yule or Christmas and performing similar acts recorded in the modern period. The ambiguity between the two groups is seen for example in how the supernatural host is sometimes flying in the sky but could also walk along roads as the guised humans would.[104] The costumed figures could also be the same as those in the supernatural host, for example thejulebukk ("Yule-goat"), in which the top half of the guiser was dressed as a goat. Other figures include thehalmgubbar ("strawmen"), who were wrapped in straw or corn. Similar to the supernatural host, they often travelled between buildings, variously grunting like animals, singing, dancing and being given food and drink.[114] Guisers sometimes would jokingly whip with brushwood those who refused to give them what they demanded.[115] Sometimes these offerings were nearly compulsory, with the visitors not leaving until a "tax" had been paid.[114] The figures could also have sexual facets, sometimes having penises as part of the costume and kissing young men and women. In one account fromTrøndelag, thejulbukker became so angry they butted people with their horns and it was said the first person each one butted was to become their wife.[116] These traditions resembles those of theSámiStallo, an ugly costumed figure who would poke girls with a stick (sometimes shaped like a penis) until he was paid to leave.[117]
The origins of such practices are debated. Some visitations have clear Christian imagery, such as theStjärnspel in which the figures are theThree Kings bearing a star, while others lack obvious Christian or foreign influence.[118] The traditions also developed over time, and between regions, with figures such as thejulbukk never being homogenous throughout Scandinavia.[119] An early attestation of a practice resembling late guising traditions is given inÞorleifs þáttur jarlsskálds, found in the late 14th centuryFlateyjarbók manuscript. It tells how one Yule in heathen times, the skald Þorleifur visits the Norwegian rulerHákon Jarl at a feast to get revenge on him for a previous insult. To avoid being recognised, he goes disguised as a food beggar, wearing a goat beard, placing a leather bag behind it, and using crutches such that he walked on all four legs. When the jarl invites him to eat, he secretly puts the food into the leather bag rather than his mouth, before saying a ritual curse to Hákon which makes him lose hair from his head.[120] Though the disguise traditions are typically attested late, they do closely resemble visitations by figures such asGrýla,groleks andskeklers that may in turn have roots heathen ritual dramas and are found across a large geographical area, including Shetland, Iceland and Sweden. Similar to thejulebukk, people dressed as these figures sometimes spoke in reverse speech, in which sound is made while breathing in, and could have a wooden penis as part of the costume. Notably,Grýla is attested in 13th century sources such as theProse Edda'sþulr oftroll-women,Íslendinga saga andSverris saga.[121] Comparisons have also been drawn between these customs, particularly those of straw figures, andFreyr, who inGunnars þáttr helmings travels around Sweden in winter between farms, partaking in feasts and ensuring good harvests.[122][123]
_b_856.jpg)
As early as the 1600s, researchers identified Yule as a solstice festival, possibly being a feast for the newborn sun. By the 1890s, this had become generally accepted among scholars. This theory became challenged later on, particularly through the belief that the pre-Christian Germanic peoples were not culturally sophisticated enough to know about solstices. Part of the reasoning for this is that 'solstice' is a Latin word. Germanic terms seemingly independent of Latin do seem to exist, however, includingsólhverf ("sun-turning") andsolhof ("sun-heightening"), and it is now widely accepted that solstices were known about by these peoples before Christianisation.[124] However, the evidence has been interpreted as indicating variation by region and period, rather than a single uniform heathen midwinter festival fixed exclusively to the solstice date.[125][126] More recently, Yule has been variously argued by scholars to be part of the cult of the dead, a fertility festival and a new year festival.[25][127][20] Interpretations typically draw attention to the liminality of the time, including the threat from supernatural forces, and the prominent darkness in the middle of winter.[25][127] In Scandinavian contexts, midwinter observance is described as being shaped by environmental constraints and risk management, including reliance on stored provisions, restricted mobility, and vulnerability of livestock and households.[128][129] Scholarly discussion has also emphasised the role of midwinter customs in reinforcing household order and social cohesion during prolonged indoor confinement.[130]
TheYule log, Yule boar, Yule singing, and other late customs may have connections to pre-Christian Yule traditions and have been proposed bySimek to indicate the importance of the festival before Christianisation.[25]
British historianRonald Hutton wrote of the term "Yule" that there is "doubt over whether it was originally attached to a midwinter festival which preceded the Christian one [of Christmas]".[131] It is suggested that theVikings who settled in England introduced or popularised 'Yule' as a name for Christmas among the Anglo-Saxons.[131][48] The Gothic form of 'Yule' is, however, attested in a calendar fromc. 350 CE, while Bede writes it in its Old English form inThe Reckoning of Time, written in the 8th century.[36] Hutton further writes that the earliestScandinavian literature, before Snorri, makes no reference to Yule as a pagan feast.[131] The typical view in scholarship is that Yule was indeed a heathen winter feast inNorth Germanic communities that was later applied to Christmas as Christianity became established.[17][132][103][24] Yule feasts feature extensively in Old Norse texts such asHeimskringla, written in the early 13th century and based on earlier sources. These includeHaraldskvæði, composed around 900 CE in praise of a heathen king who "drinks Yule".[133][134]
It has further been stressed that, even disregarding all speculation about the nature of pre-Christian Yule celebrations, it is very unlikely that Germanic peoples did not have seasonal or midwinter festivals when Christian missionaries arrived.[135]
As Christianity became established among Germanic peoples, Yule slowly merged with the Christian festival of Christmas.[20]Ágrip, for example, tells thatÓlaf Tryggvason Christianised Norway, Iceland,Shetland,Orkney and theFaroes in the late 10th century. In the account, he bannedblót andblót-drinking, replacing these with holiday feasts at Yule, Easter and ale at St John's Mass and Michaelmas.[136][137] Similarly,Hákon the Good, according toHákonar saga góða, passed a law in Norway to make Yule celebrations take place at the same time as the Christians celebrated Christmas.[138] These actions have been compared toPope Gregory's recommendation in 601 toAugustine to convert the heathen English by renaming existing traditional practices and taking over holy sites rather than trying to eradicate them.[136] In England, Yule was used to refer to Christmas by the second half of the 9th century, where it is attested in theDoom book ofAlfred the Great (c. 890) asgehhol, and theOld English Martyrology (c. 800-900) asgeolum.[1][139][140] Some later Old English texts call Christmas DayGeohel-dæg (Yule Day).[141]
Today, variants of "Yule" are the main names for Christmas in theNorth Germanic languages as well as in theFinnic languages. "Yule" and "Yuletide" are alternative names for Christmas and Christmastide in English. Traditionally,Yule orYuil is also the main name for Christmas inScots.[142]
Ascontemporary pagan religions differ in both origin and practice, these representations of Yule can vary considerably despite the shared name. SomeHeathens, for example, celebrate in a way as close as possible to how they believeancient Germanic pagans observed the tradition, while others observe the holiday with rituals "assembled from different sources".[143]
In most forms ofWicca, this holiday is celebrated at thewinter solstice as the rebirth of theGreat horned hunter god,[144] who is viewed as the newborn solstice sun. The method of gathering for thissabbat varies by practitioner. Some have private ceremonies at home,[145] while others do so with theircovens:
Generally meeting in covens, which anoint their own priests and priestesses, Wiccans chant and cast or draw circles to invoke their deities, mainly during festivals like Samhain and Yule, which coincide with Halloween and Christmas, and when the moon is full.[146]
Some members of theChurch of Satan and otherLaVeyan Satanist groups celebrate Yule at the same time as the Christian holiday in a secular manner.[147]
December. The month was called Ærra iula 'the former Yule' in the vernacular; December and January shared the name Iula (Giuli, Geola) and Ærra 'former' or Æfterra 'latter' was added to distinguish the two
translated with introduction, notes, and commentary by Faith Willis
So for the Yule holiday season we enjoy the richness of life and the company of people whom we cherish, as we will often be the only ones who know where the traditions really came from!
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