Yule Folklore

[Sage]

What are your favorites? I want to compile a stash of them to read during/on Yule. Spam me!
Sage

[Agaliha]

*FORUM GUIDE MODE*

Moving to Myths and Folklore (http://www.mysticwicks.com/forumdisplay.php?f=298), the subfoum of Gods and Goddesses.
Please try to direct all mythology and folklore threads here.

And just in case you didn't see the announcement: New Myths and Folklore Sub-Forum! (http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=143551) :)

[Rudas Starblaze]

spam is completly unacceptable for yule or christmas thank you very much.:lol:

eat something better.:nyah:

[_Banbha_]

Here are some links to Christmas customs with Pagan origins. I can post some Yule Folklore links and some of my own traditions later.

I have to agree with Rudas in Spam being unacceptable, even for April Fools. :santasmil

Links:
Christmas Customs and their Pagan Origins (http://www.serve.com/shea/germusa/pagan.htm)
Folklore: Tannenbaum (http://www.serve.com/shea/germusa/xmastree.htm): With lots of links.
Wiki: History of Christmas Traditions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pagan_beliefs_surrounding_Christmas)
World Holiday Traditions (http://www.californiamall.com/holidaytraditions/home.htm)
The Real story of Christmas (http://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/Christmas_TheRealStory.htm)
Winter Solstice Celebrations (http://www.religioustolerance.org/winter_solstice.htm)
Medieval Customs (http://historymedren.about.com/library/blxmas.htm)

[Sage]

I didn't know there was a Myth & Folklore sub-forum, my bad! Thanks for moving it.

You guys! Spam :sick: :nuhuh: :eek:

Thanks for the links! Much reading to do, fun reading I might add!
Sage

[Rudas Starblaze]

You guys! Spam :sick: :nuhuh: :eek:


well, youre the one who mentioned it!:lol:

[Sage]

I can post some Yule Folklore links and some of my own traditions later.


Please do! Loved the German and English version of Christmas Tree side by side. Must keep that one!

True, I did mention it first. Um......
Sage

[omar]

Please post them here I love folklore.

[_Banbha_]

Some Green Yule Folklore



Mythology and Folklore of the Holly

For most of us the sight of holly leaves and berries is inextricably linked with Christmas, whether we celebrate this as a secular or a religious festivity. Christmas brings with it many traditions and it is probably the one time when many of us still practice at least a few old folklore customs today. Indeed in some parts of Britain holly was formerly referred to merely as Christmas, and in pre-Victorian times 'Christmas trees' meant holly bushes.

Though holly doubtless was, and still is, brought into the house for its shiny green leaves and berries, which reflect the light and add colour to the dark days of Yule, it has another significance as well. Christian symbolism connected the prickly leaves with Jesus' crown of thorns and the berries with the drops of blood shed for humanity's salvation, as is related, for example, in the Christmas carol, 'The Holly and the Ivy'. Yet even here the reference to these two plants refers to a pre-Christian celebration, where a boy would be dressed in a suit of holly leaves and a girl similarly in ivy, to parade around the village, bringing Nature through the darkest part of the year to re-emerge for another year's fertility.

Holly was also brought into the house variously to protect the home from malevolent faeries or to allow faeries to shelter in the home without friction between them and the human occupants. Whichever of prickly-leaved or smooth-leaved holly was brought into the house first dictated whether the husband or wife respectively were to rule the household for the coming year.

In Celtic mythology the Holly King was said to rule over the half of the year from the summer to the winter solstice, at which time the Oak King defeated the Holly King to rule for the time until the summer solstice again. These two aspects of the Nature god were later incorporated into Mummers' plays traditionally performed around Yuletide. The Holly King was depicted as a powerful giant of a man covered in holly leaves and branches, and wielding a holly bush as a club. He may well have been the same archetype on which the Green Knight of Arthurian legend was based, and to whose challenge Gawain rose during the Round Table's Christmas celebrations.....

More here
(http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/forest/mythfolk/holly.html)




Mythology and Folklore of the Scots Pine

Scots pine has a long and rich history in mythology. In The Golden Bough, James Frazer relates various stories involving pine trees from classical mythology, which may or may not have been Scots pines, such as how the ancient Egyptians buried an image of the god Osiris in the hollowed-out centre of a pine tree. He writes that "it is hard to imagine how the conception of a tree as tenanted by a personal being could be more plainly expressed." As a symbol of royalty the pine was associated with the Greek goddess Pitthea, and also with the Dionysus/Bacchus mythology surrounding the vine and wine making, probably as a fertility symbol. Worshippers of Dionysus often carried a pine-cone-tipped wand as a fertility symbol and the image of the pine cone has also been found on ancient amulets as a symbol of fertility. For the Romans the pine was an object of worship during the spring equinox festival of Cybele and Attis. As an evergreen tree the pine would also have symbolised immortality.

The Scots pine groves or 'shaman forests' scattered over the dry grasslands of eastern Siberia were considered sacred by the Buriats, a Mongolian people living around the southern end of Lake Baikal. These groves were to be approached and entered in silence and reverence, respectful of the gods and spirits of the wood.

Closer to home, Druids used to light large bonfires of Scots pine at the winter solstice to celebrate the passing of the seasons and to draw back the sun. Glades of Scots pines were also decorated with lights and shiny objects, the tree covered in stars being a representation of the Divine Light. It is easy to see how these rituals have given rise to the latter day Yule log and Christmas tree customs.

In the old Gaelic alphabet, where each letter is denoted by a tree whose name starts with the letter, the Scots pine is not listed under its Gaelic name of Guibhas but rather under P for Peith, which is the alternative Gaelic for the tree. Guibhas (pronounced goo-ass) crops up in several place names in Scotland both in its native Gaelic, such as Allt na Ghuibhas in Wester Ross and Glac a Ghuibas by Ardgower, 'Pine Stream' and 'Pine Hollow' respectively, and as Anglicised derivations such as Dalguise and Kingussie; Goose Island, Lough Derg, may originally have been Isle of Pines, not geese.


Scottish folklore surrounding the Scots pine seems to be fairly sparse. This may be due to the sort of uses to which Scots pine was put, mainly as a building material. In the days of wooden boats and ships several of the products of the tree proved useful in shipbuilding. The high resin content of the sap of the pine means that the wood is slow to decay. The tall, straight, flexible trunks proved to be ideal for masts and spars (witness Beinn nan Sparra, Hill of Spars, in Glen Affric), and the wood was also used for the planking, and sealed with pitch made from the resin (which was also used to seal the beer casks!). In fact there used to be a 'superstition' about not felling the pine trees for shipbuilding during the waning of the moon, as the tidal influence of the moon was said to affect the resin content of the wood; and indeed botanists now recognise the complexities of sapflow in plants which are to some extent affected by the gravitational influences of the moon's cycles.

More Here (http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/forest/mythfolk/pine.html)





Mistletoe: Musings in Mythology


Mistletoe features in the mythology of several cultures. It is a parasite that grows on a variety of trees, including the apple and the oak. Because mistletoe remained green throughout the winter when the sacred oak was without leaves, it was assumed that the plant contained the life, the magical essence, of its sacred oak. During medieval times it was also known as Allheal and was used to treat numerous illnesses.

Oak mistletoe was worn around the neck, or its powdered berries were added to wine, water, or milk, and were drunk for the treatment of epilepsy (seizures) and was also prescribed for heart disease,high blood pressure, rheumatism, and tumors. (Warning: the plant is actually quite toxic and should be kept safely away from children and pets!)

Mistletoe's association with peace and good will is so strong that once, if enemies met under a tree that by chance had mistletoe, they were required to lay down their arms and declare a truce until the following day. The strongest connection between mistletoe and the Yule season comes from Norse mythology. Frigga (also known as Freya) was the goddess of beauty, love, and marriage. Wife of the powerful Norse god Odin, Frigga was a sky goddess, responsible for weaving the clouds, and therefore responsible for rain and for thunderstorms.

Her sacred animal was the goose, and in her Germanic incarnation as the goddess Holda or Bertha, she was the original Mother Goose (causing it to snow when she shook out her bedding). Sitting at her spinning wheel weaving the fates, she was also a goddess of divination and credited with the creation of runes...more precisely she was a 'seer', one who knew the future but could never change it or reveal it to others.

Frigga was the mother of Baldur (Balder), the best loved of all the Norse gods. And she foresaw his death. Knowing that there was nothing she could do to avert his fate, the hapless goddess extracted a promise from all things that they would play no part in his death. Unfortunately, thinking the mistletoe was too insignificant to bother with, she neglected to secure its pledge.

And when the malevolent prankster Loki discovered her oversight, he crafted a dart made of the poisonous plant. Devious and evil, he brought it to Baldur's brother who was blind, suggesting a game of darts and agreeing to guide his hand. And this he did, directing the dart directly at Baldur's heart.

The mistletoe's white berries were formed from Frigga's tears of mourning. Some versions of the story of Baldur's death end happily. Baldur is restored to life, and the goddess Frigga is so grateful that she reverses the reputation of the baleful plant, making it a symbol of peace and love and promising a kiss to all who pass under it.

Mistletoe is also thought to be the "golden bough" of Virgil's Aenid, a plant that once offended the gods and was cursed to have to look on while beautiful girls were being kissed. In Rome mistletoe played a role in the Saturnalia, festivals held during the Yule season to celebrate the birth of Saturn. The tradition of kissing under the mistletoe (and removing one berry with each kiss until none remained) emerged from that fertility rite. This may explain why, unlike other pagan traditions, banning the plant from churches is still widely practiced even today.

The Druids (British) also revered the plant's powers as an aphrodisiac, believing the berries to contain the sperm of the gods. On the sixth night of the new moon of the winter solstice, they would use a golden sickle to cut the mistletoe from the sacred oak, letting it fall into a cloth held under the tree by members of the order so that the sacred plant would not touch the ground. The Chief Druid would cut off sprigs for distribution to the people, who hung them over their doorways for protection against thunder and lightning.

Link (http://www.goddessgift.com/pandora's_box/mistletoe.htm)

[_Banbha_]

Here are some more Green traditions for yule:



Sacred Plants of the Winter Solstice

Evergreens

symbolizing: Continuity of Life, Protection, Prosperity
types: Pine, Fir, Cedar, Juniper, other evergreens
forms: boughs, wreaths, garlands, trees
divinities: Green Goddesses & Gods; Hertha; Cybele, Attis, Dionysius (Pine); Woodland Spirits traditions: Roman, Celtic, Teutonic, Christian

Holly

symbolizing: Old Solar Year; Waning Sun; Protection; Good Luck
forms: boughs over portals, wreaths
divinities: Holly King; Old Nick; Saturn; Bacchus; Wood Spirits; Holly Boys
traditions: Roman, Celtic, English, Christian

Oak

symbolizing: New Solar Year; Waxing Sun; Endurance, Strength, Triumph, Protection, Good Luck
forms: Yule log, acorns, wood for sacred fires
divinities: Oak King; Oak Spirit; Sky Gods including Thor, Jupiter, Zeus
traditions: Teutonic, Celtic, Christian

Mistletoe

symbolizing: Peace, Prosperity, Healing, Wellness, Fertility, Rest, Protection
forms: boughs, amulet sprigs above doorways, kissing balls
divinities: Oak Spirit; Frigga and Balder
traditions: Celtic, Teutonic

Ivy

symbolizing: Fidelity, Protection, Healing, Marriage, Victory, Honor, Good Luck
forms: crowns, wreaths, garlands
divinities: Dionysius; Bacchus; Great Goddess; Ivy Girls
traditions: Greek, Roman, English, Christian

Frankincense

symbolizing: Sun, Purification, Consecration, Protection, Spiritual Illumination
forms: incense, oils
divinities: Sun Gods, Ra at Dawn, Bel
traditions: Babalyonian, Assyrian, Egyptian, Jewish, Greek, Roman, Christian

Myrrh

symbolizing: Healing, Death and Afterlife, Purification, Inner Peace
forms: incense, oils
divinities: Isis, Ra at Midday
traditions: Egyptian, Jewish, Christian

Wheat

symbolizing: Sustenance, Abundance, Fertility, Good Luck
forms: grain, straw figures and symbols, cookies, cakes, breads
divinities: Earth Goddesses; Saturn & Ops; Goat Spirit; Fairy Folk
traditions: Roman, Celtic, Scots, Teutonic, Sweedish, Christian

Circle Sactuary (http://www.circlesanctuary.org/pholidays/YulePlants.html)




Yule Log

An oak log, plus a fireplace or bonfire area is needed for this form of celebration. The oak log should be very dry so that it will blaze well. It can be decorated with burnable red ribbons of natural fiber and dried holly leaves. In the fireplace or bonfire area, dried kindling should be set to facilitate the burning of the log.
Begin by having parent(s) or some other family member describe the tradition of the Yule log. The tale of the Oak King and Holly King from Celtic mythology can be shared as a story, or can be summarized with a statement that the Oak represents the waxing solar year, Winter Solstice to Summer Solstice, and the Holly represents the waning solar year, Summer Solstice to Winter Solstice.
Lights are extinguished as much as possible. The family is quiet together in the darkness. Family members quietly contemplate the change in the solar year. Each in her/his own way contemplates the past calendar year, the challenges as well as the good times.
Then the Yule Log fire is lit. As it begins to burn, each family member throws in one or more dried holly sprigs and says farewell to the old calendar year. Farewells can take the form of thanksgiving and appreciation and/or a banishment of old habits or personal pains.
Once the Yule Log itself starts blazing, then the facilitator invites family members to contemplate the year ahead and the power of possibilities. Each member then throws in an oak twig or acorn into the fire to represent the year ahead, and calls out a resolution and/or a hope.
When this process is done, the family sings a song together. The traditional carol, "Deck the Halls," is good because it mentions the Solstice, the change in the solar year, and the Yule log.
Let the Yule Log burn down to a few chunks of charred wood and ashes. Following an ancient tradition, save remnants of the fire and use them to start the Yule Log fire the following year.

Circle Sanctuary Winter Solstice Guide (http://www.circlesanctuary.org/pholidays/SolsticePlanningGuide.html)

[Sage]

WyldeDryad, that was awesome! Thank you! I humbly :fpraise: at your feet.
Sage

[_Banbha_]

Anytime Sage. :D Here are some more Green traditions:


From Herbal Ceremony: Winter Solstice

QUESTIONS TO ASK DURING WINTER SOLSTICE SEASON
by Caitlain Matthews

What am I endeavoring to manifest now in my life?

How can I change my thought patterns, to empower my goals?

What old connections could I release now, for my highest good?

Where can I turn for the best sources of Inspiration and Solutions?

What wisdom is seeking to reveal itself to me at this time?

What are the best ways that I can refresh myself, physically and spiritually?

How can I show my appreciation to others more effectively?

How can I show my appreciation to my Self more effectively?

What new idea has seeded itself this winter, and how can I best nurture it to fruition, as the earth nurtures her seeds??

What are the imprisoning fears that I feel ready to release?

What are the serenity landmarks or symbols of my Spirit Home? Of my Earthy Home?

What parts of me will awaken as the rebirth of Spring arrives?

How can I best focus on the my blessings this season?

How can I turn negatives into positives?

How can I make the best use of this lifetime?


ACTIVITIES FOR WINTER SOLSTICE SEASON

*Remember happy childhood winter memories

*Honor an elder who has passed on and re-establish your spirit bond with him/her.

*Walk outdoors, and honor the Green Standing People's visible "bones" of the winter season.

*Honor the living creatures that survive the winter season because of their own efforts and ingenuity.

*Honor the stones whose patience carries them through the cold and dark, without flinching.

*Welcome the returning sun, every morning or evening, as the days lengthen.

*Look for the first signs of spring growth, and rejoice.

*Bring into your home, as decoration in food ingredients, edible plants that have stayed green and alive all winter. They have absorbed the energy of the earth and rain and wind and sun. Now you can absorb that energy as well, with gratitude.

*Know that you are Blessed.

More Here (http://www.create.org/elchai/herbcer1.htm)

[_Banbha_]

A Traditional Yule Tale:


Sir Gawain The Green Knight -
and the Otherworld Journey.


Gather a handful of pagans or storytellers round a hearth around Yule and thoughts are likely to turn to that most enigmatic and powerful of initiatory myths - Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, linking as it does a story of the Yule season with the characters of Arthur's court in a story of chivalry, magic, temptation, transformation and self-discovery. The story is, no doubt, well known to both magicians and storytellers and cannot be easily summarised - all the more so as the very richness of the story, and in particular its best-known version, are such that any number of interpretations are possible.


The story starts with the invasion of King Arthur's court at New Year by the terrifying and mysterious figure of the Green Knight who lays down a challenge to the assembled court, the challenge being that a volunteer must strike off the Green Knight's head with his axe but must present himself for a return blow a year hence. Only Gawain has the courage to meet the challenge and he strikes off the Green Knight's head with a single blow, only to have the Green Knight pick up his head, mount his horse and ride out of the court.

At the beginning of the following winter, therefore, Gawain rides from Arthur's court to keep the appointment; he rides for some weeks through the dying winter landscape until, just before Christmas, he emerges from the desolate, frozen and still forest and comes upon a castle in the wasteland. There he is welcomed by Sir Bertilak and his wife and entertained until the morning of the appointment, his host having assured him that the place set for the meeting, the Green Chapel, is close by.

During his stay, Gawain and Sir Bertilak make a bargain over three days to the effect that the host will hunt during the day while Gawain will rest in the castle, and in the evening they will exchange their winnings. While her husband is out hunting, however, the wife makes determined attempts on each of the days to seduce Gawain; the first two days she manages to persuade him only to accept kisses from her - one on the first day and two the second. These Gawain duly exchanges for a stag and a boar respectively. On the third day, the wife persuades Gawain to accept three kisses and a magickal garter or belt which, she tells him, will keep him safe from harm. That evening he exchanges the kisses (but not the belt) for a fox.

The next morning he rides to meet the Green Knight at the Green Chapel, accompanied by a squire who tries to persuade him to ride away with his life instead of going to dreaded encounter. This Gawain refuses to do, but meets the Green Knight as he has promised. The Green Knight aims a first blow at Gawain who flinches, then a second which the Knight deflects on the pretext of parting Gawain's hair so he can better see his target. The third blow slightly cuts Gawain's neck and draws blood. The Green Knight then reveals himself and his mission and insists that Gawain keep the belt and take it back with him to Camelot....

More Here (http://www.whitedragon.org.uk/articles/gawain.htm)

[Windsmith]

Wow. Amazing stuff. Thanks, everyone!

Does anyone know of any lore related to poinsettias? Or are they just pretty plants that are around a lot this time of year?

[Agaliha]

Great links Wylde! :)

Windsmith, I found these about poinsettias:

It seems that they're linked to the Aztecs and are a new addition to Christmas time!

Poinsettia History and Lore (http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/poinsettia/history.html) -- Cuetlaxochitle they were called.
Davis Farms | Tips & Lore | Poinsettia Lore (http://www.davisfarms.com/tips_lore/poinsettia.html)
Botannical Lore : The Poinsettia - Folklore (http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art15737.asp)
"Surprisingly, the poinsettia is a new addition to Christmas traditions here in the United States (it’s not even 200 years old yet!). It is a native of Mexico and Central America and the red “flowers” are actually leaves. It was brought to the United States in the 1820s by Joel Robert Poinsett, the first ambassador to Mexico. Legend tells us that while in Mexico, he was so impressed by the beautiful plant that he had some brought to this home in South Carolina, where it flourished in his greenhouse. Mr. Poinsett is more famous for this flower than he is for being the first ambassador to Mexico!"
Wikipedia: Poinsettia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poinsettia)
The History of the Poinsettia (http://www.ecke.com/html/h_corp/corp_joelp.html)
Poinsettia (http://www.novareinna.com/festive/poinsettia.html)They called the plant cuetlaxochitl, which means "mortal flower that perishes and withers like all that is pure." (from here (http://www.illinoistimes.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A2752))

[Teresa]

Wow !!! Wonderful infos Wylde ! Thanks for taking the time to post those for all of us ! :hugz:

[Windsmith]

Windsmith, I found these about poinsettias:Oh, Agaliha, these are great! Thanks so much.

[Agaliha]

Oh, Agaliha, these are great! Thanks so much.

You're welcome :)

[_Banbha_]

Wow !!! Wonderful infos Wylde ! Thanks for taking the time to post those for all of us ! :hugz:

Your're Welcome! I've got some more...:santasmil

Orkneyjar: Heritage of the Orkney Islands (http://www.orkneyjar.com/tradition/yule/index.html)
There are many interesting pages here on Yule folklore and traditions in the Orkneys.

Here are two Wiccan articles that put a more neo-Pagan perspective on the meanings of season. Samhain to Yule: the Death Season (http://www.draknet.com/proteus/Season-1.htm) and Yule to Oimelc: the Dreaming Time (http://www.draknet.com/proteus/Season-2.htm)


Myth*ingLinks: Yule (http://www.mythinglinks.org/wintersolstice~2000.html)
Myth*ingLinks: Winter Solstice (http://www.mythinglinks.org/wintersolstice~YuleLinks.html)
I :heartthro Myth*ing Links.


Wilson's Almanac Big Christmas Page (http://www.wilsonsalmanac.com/xmas.html)
Lots of interesting info and links.

Telling time:
Archaeoastronomy (http://www.archaeoastronomy.com/links.html)
Earth Calender (http://www.earthcalendar.net/index.php)

Pagan Origins of the Christ Myth (http://home.earthlink.net/~pgwhacker/ChristianOrigins/PaganChrists.html)

[Windsmith]

Here's a fascinating tidbit from Greek mythology:

From The Weather Doctor (http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/almanac/arc2002/alm02dec2.htm):
The Halcyon Days encompass the fourteen-day period centered on the Winter Solstice when the sea is commanded to be calm and the wind light by none other than Aeolus, keeper of the winds and one of the lesser Greek deities. In the Mediterranean region where this belief originated, the weather is typically calm around the time of the Winter Solstice.

From Dave's Mythical Creatures and Places (http://www.eaudrey.com/myth/halcyon.htm):
Halcyons are especially remarkable for this- the seas and those who sail them know the days when they breed. The bird itself is a little larger than a sparrow, sea-blue in color and reddish on the underside, with white feathers in the neck, and a long slender beak... They breed at midwinter, on what are called "Halcyon days", during which the sea is calm and navigable, especially near Sicily. They make their nests a week before the shortest day, and lay a week after it.

[Agaliha]

Is there any lore connected with Frosty the Snowman?
You see. I love Frosty. Ever since I was a child. He's so cute. Snowmen in general too. I used to cry in ours melted (when I was little) so my parents bought me this little Frosty pin to remember him :)
Now I have a collection of Frosty figurines, images, and items.
I'm obessed.

So just curious if there is anything related lore wise to Frosty. Or is he just some commercial creation?

ETA: I do know of a tale that could be linked with the Snow-people.
The Russian Snegurochka (Snow Maiden).
Snegurochka, The Snow Maiden (http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geutH8.nZFCioAikVXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTE2MTVidjRkBGNvbG8DZQRsA1dTMQRwb3MDMgRzZWMDc3IEdnRpZANGODQ3X zcy/SIG=126n7gdbd/EXP=1165511804/**http%3a//live-artist.com/fairytales/snegurochka.html)
Synopsis: Snegurochka (http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geutH8.nZFCioAjkVXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTE2azZmczJmBGNvbG8DZQRsA1dTMQRwb3MDMwRzZWMDc3IEdnRpZANGODQ3X zcy/SIG=12se5m8d3/EXP=1165511804/**http%3a//opera.stanford.edu/opera/RimskyKorsakov/Snegurochka/synopsis.html)
Wikipedia: Snegurochka (http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geutH8.nZFCioAlkVXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTE2bzRsNW05BGNvbG8DZQRsA1dTMQRwb3MDNQRzZWMDc3IEdnRpZANGODQ3X zcy/SIG=11s8ucsnb/EXP=1165511804/**http%3a//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snegurochka)
Snegurochka (http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geutH8.nZFCioArEVXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTE3cWZrazB1BGNvbG8DZQRsA1dTMQRwb3MDMTAEc2VjA3NyBHZ0aWQDRjg0N 183Mg--/SIG=12ijd1o50/EXP=1165511804/**http%3a//www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~rjmccall/snegurochka.html)
Russian Fairy Tales, Spring 1998: Snow Maiden (http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geut6A.3ZF8WsAui1XNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTE3bWo4cnRtBGNvbG8DZQRsA1dTMQRwb3MDMjYEc2VjA3NyBHZ0aWQDRjg0N 183Mg--/SIG=12b31u27v/EXP=1165511936/**http%3a//clover.slavic.pitt.edu/~tales/snow_maiden.html)

[_Banbha_]

Andrew Lang (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Lang) wrote _The Snowman and Other Fairy Stories_ in 1903. This is all I found on the first go.
My search ran into alot of abominable snowmen and Yetis. :lol:

[_Banbha_]

Windsmith that was really interesting about the Halcyon Days being around solstice. Here's something else from Greece. :)



From Greek and Cretan Christmas customs

The Killantzaroi

Christmas trees are not commonly used in Greece. In almost every home the main symbol of the season is a shallow wooden bowl with a piece of wire is suspended across the rim; from that hangs a sprig of basil wrapped around a wooden cross. A small amount of water is kept in the bowl to keep the basil alive and fresh. Once a day, a family member, usually the mother, dips the cross and basil into some holy water and uses it to sprinkle water in each room of the house. This ritual is believed to keep the Killantzaroi (Kallikantzaroi or Karkantzaroi) away from the house.

Traditions about the Kallikantzaroi vary from region to region, but in general they are half-animal, half-human monsters, black, hairy, with huge heads, glaring red eyes, goats' or asses' ears, blood-red tongues hanging out, ferocious tusks, monkeys' arms, and long curved nails, and commonly they have the foot of some beast. "From dawn till sunset they hide themselves in dark and dank places .., but at night they issue forth and run wildly to and fro, rending and crushing those who cross their path. Destruction and waste, greed and lust mark their course." When a house is not prepared against their coming, "by chimney and door alike they swarm in, and make havoc of the home; in sheer wanton mischief they overturn and break all the furniture, devour the Christmas pork, befoul all the water and wine and food which remains, and leave the occupants half dead with fright or violence." Many like or far worse pranks do they play, until at the crowing of the third cock they get them away to their dens. The signal for their final departure does not come until the Epiphany, when the "Blessing of the Waters" takes place. Some of the hallowed water is put into vessels, and with these and with incense the priests sometimes make a round of the village, sprinkling the people and their houses.

Besides this ecclesiastical purification there are various Christian precautions against the Kallikantzaroi - e.g., to mark the house-door with a black cross on Christmas Eve, the burning of incense and the invocation of the Trinity - and a number of other means of aversion: the lighting of the Yule (= Christmas time) log, a large log of wood called a skakantzalos, the burning of something that smells strong (sometime the Greeks will also burn old shoes, the smell of which keeps the wicked elves away), and - perhaps as a peace-offering - the hanging of pork-bones, sweetmeats, or sausages in the chimney.

Just as men are sometimes believed to become vampires temporarily during their lifetime, so, according to one stream of tradition, do living men become Kallikantzaroi. In Greece children born at Christmas are thought likely to have this objectionable characteristic as a punishment for their mothers' sin in bearing them at a time sacred to the Mother of God. (interjecting here with a: :wtf: ) In Macedonia people who have a "light" guardian angel undergo the hideous transformation.

Many attempts have been made to account for the Kallikantzaroi. Perhaps the most plausible explanation of the outward form, at least, of the uncanny creatures, is the theory connecting them with the masquerades that formed part of the winter festival of Dionysus and are still to be found in Greece at Christmastide. The hideous bestial shapes, the noise and riot, may well have seemed demoniacal to simple people slightly "elevated," perhaps, by Christmas feasting, while the human nature of the maskers was not altogether forgotten. Another theory of an even more prosaic character has been propounded that the Kallikantzaroi are nothing more than established nightmares, limited like indigestion to the twelve days of feasting. This view is taken by Allatius, who says that a Kallikantzaros has all the characteristics of nightmare, rampaging abroad and jumping on men's shoulders, then leaving them half senseless on the ground."

Such theories are ingenious and suggestive, and may be true to a certain degree, but they hardly cover all the facts. It is possible that the Kallikantzaroi may have some connection with the departed; they certainly appear akin to the modern Greek and Slavonic vampire, "a corpse imbued with a kind of half-life," and with eyes gleaming like live coals. They are, however, even more closely related to the werewolf, a man who is supposed to change into a wolf and go about ravening. It is to be noted that "man-wolves" is the very name given to the Kallikantzaroi in southern Greece, and that the word Kallikantzaros itself has been conjecturally derived by Bernhard Schmidt from two Turkish words meaning "black" and "werewolf." The connection between Christmas and werewolves is not confined to Greece. According to a belief not yet extinct in the north and east of Germany, even where the real animals have long ago been extirpated, children born during the Twelve Nights become werewolves, while in Livonia and Poland that period is the special season for the werewolf's ravenings.

Those who wish to pursue further the study of the Kallikantzaroi should read the elaborate and fascinating, if not altogether convincing, theories of Mr. J. C. Lawson in his "Modern Greek Folklore and Ancient Greek Religion." He distinguishes two classes of Kallikantzaroi, one of which he identifies with ordinary werewolves, while the other is the type of hairy, clawed demons above described. He sets forth a most ingenious hypothesis connecting them with the Centaurs.

Excerpted from Christmas in Ritual and Tradition, Christian and Pagan, by Clement A. Miles, London: T. Fisher Unwin, 2nd Ed. 1913, pp. 229-247.

Link (http://www.sfakia-crete.com/sfakia-crete/christmas.html)

[dragoncrone]

Or 'Yule lads' - this is Scandinavian folklore, Norwegian I believe.
They are mischevous little people, rather dwarf-like, who come down from the mountains, one by one until there are 13 of them, then they depart, one at a time - so the whole custom takes up 26 days. They steal food, blow out candles, tease animals, lick the cooking pots, pull the covers off the bed at night, and generally have a great time. Their nicknames are hilarious.

Allegedly when Xtianity took hold in Norway, the Jolasvienarnir were 'demonized' as evil spirits -- but the people never gave up acknowledging them. The more evil the church made them, the scarier the 'Yule lads' became, until at one point people were cautioned not to place so much emphasis on them because their appearance was frightening the bejesus out of their kids!
You can Google 'jolasvienarnir' and find out more. Who knows, garden gnomes may be their descendants...

[ap Dafydd]

A couple of articles

http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/tm_headline=ah%2D-the-joys-of--christmas-past%2D%2D%26method=full%26objectid=18253441%26siteid=50082-name_page.html

http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/features/tm_method=full%26objectid=18195757%26siteid=50082-name_page.html

gwyn eich byd

Ffred

[_Banbha_]

In all the holiday hustle and bustle I neglected one bit of contemporary Yule folklore:

Festivus: a holiday...for the rest of us. (http://www.msgr.ca/msgr-2/festivus%2000.htm) :santasmil

Festivus Book (http://www.festivusbook.com/) :viking:

Religious tolerance.Org: Festivus History and Origins. (http://www.religioustolerance.org/festivus.htm) _wedgie_

YouTube: Best of Festivus on Sienfeld (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaeQz5HwfoI) :lol: