From: thorfinn@wixer.cactus.org (Thorfinn Einarsson)
Subject: re: pagan origin of christmas customs
Organization: Real/Time Communications
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 92 09:31:27 GMT


Greetings to One and All!

In a previous post, I said that Old Nick was called that because
he carved runes. I got that info from an article by Garman Lord
in the latest *Mountain Thunder*. After a telephone conversation
with Kveldulfr Gundarsson, in which I was told that this was not
the case, I feel it necessary to retract that statement. 

Santa Claus is related to the Wild Hunt, and Woden is probably 
the original leader of the Hunt. A very good article on this
topic is from Kveldulfr Gundarsson's article in the Yule 1992
*Mountain Thunder* called "Folklore of the Wild Hunt". This article
was originally presented as a lecture to the Cambridge Folklore Society
at the house of Dr. H.R. Ellis-Davidson. 

Concerning Robert Graves' *White Goddess*: 

Margot Adler states in *Drawing Down the Moon* p.59-60, "Bonewits told
me, `Graves is a sloppy scholar. *The White Goddess* has caused more bad
anthropology to occur among Wiccan groups than almost any other work.
It's a lovely metaphor and myth and an inspirational source of religious
ideas to people, but he claimed it was a work of scholarship and that
people were to take what he said as true. There are still a few groups
of Neo-Pagans who use Graves and Murray as a sacred scripture.'
It is likely that certain members of the Craft have interpreted Graves
too literally. Graves himself said that he wrote the first draft of the
*White Goddess* in a few weeks, in a storm of passion, and from the
beginning it was very clear in his mind that the book was poetic
metaphor."

Footnote 27 is a quote from Aiden Kelly: "Graves says many times in 
*The White Goddess* that it is a poetic work and specifically
dismisses it as scholarship in the usual sense. Certainly many in the
Craft who wouldn't know scholarship from a raven have blithely
overlooked this point---but Graves can't be blamed for that."

In the Resources section of the book on p.548 it states:
"Graves, Robert. *The White Goddess*. A great work of poetic prose,
often confused for scholarship."

A few months ago on alt.mythology there was a long thread/debate
concerning Graves and *The White Goddess*, in which this book was
shown NOT to be historically accurate. Read this book if you aspire
towards a fantasy history or a fantasy religion. If you aspire towards
the rediscovery of ancient wisdom, then find more scholarly works from
authors such as Mircea Eliade, H.R. Ellis Davidson, Georges Dumezil,
Edgar Polome', Scott Littleton, E.O.G. Turville-Petre, Jan de Vries,
or Jacob Grimm. Better yet, go back to the sources. The problem with 
this method, is that it requires one to learn several languages.
Always keep a salt shaker handy, though.

Wishing you Well During the Germanic Yule-Tide.

=-= Thorfinn Einarsson =-=-=-=-=-= ALU =-=-=-=-=-= O'dhinn er alfadhir! =-=
"En stundum vakti hann upp daudha menn o'r io"rdhu edha settisk undir hanga;
fyrir thvi' var hann kalladhr draugadro'ttinn edha hangadro'ttinn."
=-= ALU =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ynglinga saga ch. 7 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ALU =-=




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