Yule Divination

[Flar's Freyja]

Thanks to Mnemosyne for letting me use her post in M&R to start a thread on divination associated with Yule in this forum :)


Originally posted by Mnemosyne
Here's some divination practices used on around Yule throughout the world.

In Russia, there's a Christmas divination that involves candles. A girl would sit in a darkened room, with two lighted candles and two mirrors, pointed so that one reflects the candlelight into the other. The viewer would seek the seventh reflection, then look until her future would be seen.

The early Germans built a stone altar to Hertha, or Bertha, goddess of domesticity and the home, during winter solstice. With a fire of fir boughs stoked on the altar, Hertha was able to descend through the smoke and guide those who were wise in Saga lore to foretell the fortunes of those at the feast.

http://ancienthistory.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.candlegrove.com%2Fsolstice.html

[Mnemosyne]

I think of Yule as being a Northern holiday, so I think that the runes would be the best form of divination. I don't know much about divination and Yule practices. Don't people use the Yule log for divination purposes? For Samhain, people put hazlenuts in a fire and interpret how they pop for divination purposes. I think that people may do the same for chestnuts. Do you know anything about using the Yule log and chestnuts for divination?

[Flar's Freyja]

I'll research that a bit when I have some time - interesting you should mention the Yule log! I attended a ritual last night, and when we burned the log, I saw Uruz, Kenaz, Sowilo and Hagalaz in the embers - thanks for giving me an opportunity to write them down before I forgot!

There's some related information in the Pyromancy and Candle Divination thread in this forum that was just bumped up yesterday :D

[Flar's Freyja]

An interesting bit of info I received from a list this morning:

In Scandinavia, the Norse celebrated Yule from
December 21, the winter solstice, through January. In
recognition of the return of the sun, fathers and sons
would bring home large logs, which they would set on
fire. The people would feast until the log burned out,
which could take as many as 12 days. The Norse
believed that each spark from the fire represented a
new pig or calf that would be born during the coming
year.

The Real Story of Christmas (http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/holidays/)

[Flar's Freyja]

Originally posted by Mnemosyne
Here's some divination practices used on around Yule throughout the world.

In Russia, there's a Christmas divination that involves candles. A girl would sit in a darkened room, with two lighted candles and two mirrors, pointed so that one reflects the candlelight into the other. The viewer would seek the seventh reflection, then look until her future would be seen.

The early Germans built a stone altar to Hertha, or Bertha, goddess of domesticity and the home, during winter solstice. With a fire of fir boughs stoked on the altar, Hertha was able to descend through the smoke and guide those who were wise in Saga lore to foretell the fortunes of those at the feast.

http://ancienthistory.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.candlegrove.com%2Fsolstice.html