From: gerda@eagles.uucp (Gerda Thunarsson)
Newsgroups: alt.pagan
Subject: Yule Customs
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 92 16:02:03 CST
Organization: Eagles Reaches Church of Asatru - Elder Hof

This is an Asatru viewpoint of Yule Customs and Traditions.  Please
do not take offense if you are Wiccan or follow another tradition.
The differences in Customs and traditions are simply those of 
different cultures.  Any comments or questions, please email

ymir%eagles@brewich.hou.tx.us

Yule
Customs, Comments and Ceremony
	by:	Ymir Thunarsson

"Wassail, Wassail, all over the town,
Out toast is white, our ale is brown,
Our bowl is made of a maplin tree;
We be good fellows all - I drink to thee!"
		---Worcestershire Wassailing Song

	Ahhhhhhh! The smell of evergreen, of  apples, cinnamon,
cloves and ale alters my senses.  They carry me away to a time
and place of both joy and struggle.  A time of kinship, ancient
and modern.  A time to celebrate life and its fullness; while
always mindful of those ancestors dead but not forgotten.  Oaths
and boasts abound as merriment and Frith rule the day.  Hail
Jolnir and the Oaths of Yule!  Yes, it is that wondrous time of
year once again.  Yule, when presents are freely given and
goodwill is the watchword of the hour.  But, what is Yule?  Is
it the celebration of the birth of a minor Middle Eastern
teacher?  Does this holiday exist only as an excuse for parades,
football games and commercial profits?  Or perhaps...it is much
more...Sacred and Rich in meaning and steeped in lore!
Yule-tide was and is recognized as the most important blessing
of the Teutonic year.  Yule (sometimes referred to as Midwinter)
serves as the perfect counterbalance to Midsummer representing
the extremes of Light to Darkness and Darkness to Light.  At
Midsummer, Sunna is celebrated at her highest stead where all
"secrets and mysteries" are exposed to her light.  During the
dark nights of winter these mysteries lay hidden in an
Etin-cover of ice and snow.  There they remain, in a dark and
secret place, awaiting  their rebirth with the coming of the
Mother Night (winter solstice).  This event marks the most
accepted beginning of the Yule season and continues through
Twelfth Night (called Yule Proper by those of Eagles Reaches).
The Twelve Nights of Yule serve both as a symbol of the old
year's passing and as a nurturing process for the seasons to
come.  The symbolism and rituals surrounding this most Holy of
blessing have always been one of life, death and rebirth.  Even
in the bastardized form of "Christmas" this essential truth
remains.  Yule, besides all else, is a celebration of life
coming from death, warmth from icy cold and hope in times of
despair.  It is the "natural" embodiment of the triumph of the
will; that special quality which turns struggle and ordeal into
heroic achievement.  Yule-tide customs and traditions are as
many and varied as the folk who celebrate them.  These
festivities, both ancient and modern, will be explored in the
following pages.  Also, it will be the attempt of this author to
present this knowledge in a practical and usable form for
today's Germanic Heathen.  The dark nights of Yule are a time of
deep reflection and of ancestor worship.  In the teutonic way of
thinking, it is from our "ancestral memory banks" that personal
enlightenment has its roots.  It is through our ancestors that
we have a "genetic link" to the past and in part it is this link
that we honor in ritual and ceremony.  In this sense our Yule is
somewhat similar to the Irish Celtic Celebration of Samhain
(pronounce sah- wayne).  Both the Celtic and the Teutonic
peoples believe that their blessing was at a time in which the
realm of the dead and the world of the living drew closer in
some magical and mysterious way.  Of course, the observance of
Samhain was traditionally done during what is now known as the
month of October and time-wise closer to the Germanic Blessing
of Harvest and Winter Findings (Winter Nights to those in Eagles
Reaches).  While Yule is closer to midwinter, occurring in the
months of December and early January.  What is important for the
followers of Asatru/Odinism is to remember that honoring the
name and spirit of our ancestors should be of primary focus
during all future blessings of Yule.  As evidence of another
Yule-tide tradition is the wassailing song presented at the
beginning of this commentary.  The custom of wassailing is as
important as it is ancient.  The most common use of the term
"wassail" is one of describing a festive drink.  There are
various recipes.  A favorite of mine is a personal variation of
one made during the reign of Charles I:

...Slowly boil five pints of ale (Double Diamond is my personal
choice).  While the ale is heating beat together six eggs (both
whites and yolks) and add to the ale.  Add roasted apples, 1/2
cup of honey, fresh nutmeg, 1 handful of cloves and 1/2 cup of
sliced fresh ginger root and finally 1/4 cup of brown sugar.
Let the mixture brew for at least 10 minutes and serve piping
hot.

	There are many folks today that prefer the use of apple
cider to the Ale.  Whichever you chose, the result is quite
appealing.  It is also the custom to take the brew about the
neighborhood carrying it in a wooden bowl (Wassail Bowl) while
leading a procession from door to door singing and spreading the
feeling of Frith and good cheer.  In ancient times the
traditional Yule feast was marked by an event known as
ale-frith.  The actual name was mungatstidhir or ale days.
Another related tradition is that of the Yule Cup.  During this
celebration a Yule-tide peace was declared.  Here is a custom
which continued despite the christianization of Europe.  In the
old days, the feasting and drinking itself was a test of the
individual.  It was from such a test that a person's, an entire
family or even a clan's luck (in the archaic sense of the word)
was determined.  Woe would be unto the one that did not feel the
frith and the ale grip them!  One that could not drink oneself
into "spiritual fellowship" with the rest of the celebrants must
be a person forsaken by luck (a niding).  When the Gods depart
from the festivities the ale would degenerate into strong
alcohol and divine intoxication would then give way to
drunkenness pure and simple.  One strange event would be that of
the celebrants feigning to be drunk and slowly sliding down to
the floor to avoid the nidh or shame of being luckless.  Even
worse, would be the event of almost no one being touched by the
Gods.  This would mean that he ale was no good and that the
entire House (feudal sense) was then held in contempt and that
their coming year's ordeal would be tragic.  Another serious
offense was that of refusing to partake of the holy ale,
insulting not only the celebrants, but the Gods themselves.  One
such accounting was the story of the famous feast at Hladi.
Earl Sigurd got Hakon AEthelstansfostri (then Christian King of
Norway) to celebrate a blot.  The Earl began as the chairman of
the blot and drank a toast to the King, thus drawing him into
the Holy Circle of Frith.  The people watch closely to see if
the King would do his part.  When King Hakon hesitated, riot
broke out.  If Hakon would not eat and drink holiness with them,
he was not of their frith and who could then trust him to share
and answer for their luck and honor?!  His refusal was a
scornful challenge because by just sitting there and not
partaking he created a dead spot in the circle.  Magically put,
it broke the energy or cohesive force created by all those in
attendance and placed the goodwill of the rest; one towards the
other in greatest peril imaginable.  A very important lesson in
both etiquette and magical practice is addressed here.  If a
person plans not to partake of a particular blessing...DO NOT
COME AT ALL!!  Otherwise, the aim of the blessing, the festive
or mystic mood of the celebrants and the honoring of a great
house (including their ancestors) could be put in jeopardy.
Even though the concepts of the Yule Cup and Ale-Frith may not
have a direct line of connecting them to today's custom of
Wassailing historically, it is this author's firm conviction
that the spirit (both magically and religiously) of all three
remain essentially the same.  Namely, they are all blessing of
health, good fellowship, peace and a oneness with the Aesir and
Vanir.  Proof of this assertion may lie within the etymology of
the word Wassail itself.  The common spelling and meaning of the
term is derived from a mongrelization of the Anglo-Saxon
"Waes(thu)hal" which means "be thou healthy or hale" when used
as a toast or a greeting.  From the American Heritage Dictionary
of Indo-European Roots, it is shown to have stemmed from both
the terms Kailo, meaning "whole or of good omen" and Wes(wesan
or waes) meaning "to be."  In Old English Hal means "hale or
whole." The Old English word Halig means "holy" and is also
derived from the same roots.  Thus, it is most appropriate to
celebrate our highest holiday (holy day) of Yule with a
refreshment whose very name validates the essential gifts of the
season.  Another form of wassailing is evident in the British
Isles.  Here, besides the drink being observed the locals also,
"wassail" trees.  A hymn is usually sung to the tree wishing it
good health and long life.  A blessing is also bestowed upon it
to be fruitful and then guns are fired or some other loud noise
is made in order to  drive off any woeful wights.  Toasts to the
tree are then drunk from the wassail bowl.  When all have
finished their toasts, the remainder of the holy liquid is pour
out on the earth around the trunk while toast or cakes from the
wassail are placed upon its branches.  This is a
christianization of the old form of "tree wassailing."  It is
not advisable to try and scare off any of the wights as you may
frighten friendly ones as well.  Gifts of varying types are
quite sufficient in placating these folk.  This leads us to one
of the more recognizable traditions...the Yule Tree.  The Yule
Tree, called the Christmas Tree in today's world, goes back to
the Germanic Heathen tradition of providing "gifts" for the
alfar (elves) in order to gain their aid in the coming year (or
at least not provoke their wrath).  The symbol of the tree has
always been of tantamount importance to those whose ancestry
stems from northern and central Europe.  Even in our cosmology
we refer to the term World-Tree or Yggdrasil when talking about
the nine worlds of existence.  The Yew tree is an evergreen that
is special to Odhinn and is believed to possess magical and
curative powers.  Even in modern medical science, the Yew has
become an important source of research for a cure for cancer.
It is also a link to our relationship with the Gods and
Goddesses.  From our lore it is said that both those we call
Gods/Goddesses and the race known as humanity came from trees.
Female from the Birch and males from the Ash or Yew.  With this
in mind, it is no wonder why the symbol of the tree is one of
holiness to us.  Just as it is not a surprise that the
christianized degeneration of trees, (and for that fact all of
nature) as sacred images, to be insulting.  The practices of
decorating the tree was a form of sacrifice and whether want to
admit it or not it still serves basically the same purpose
today.  It is best to keep in mind when you adorn your tree with
ornaments just what those decorations stand for.  From personal
experience, those of us at Eagles Reaches have found that making
sacral gifts to be a powerful, as well as, enjoyable experience.
The symbolism of the gifts offered is also very important.
Would you try to honor the elves with trappings denoting the
birth and celebration of the leader of a middle-eastern cult
that has spent the last 2,000 years trying to eliminate them
from the face of the earth?  I think not!  It was only because
our ancestors were under the scrutiny of "the church" that the
trees had to be brought indoors in the first place.  The most
appropriate types of "gifts" to be hung should be those that are
either natural and edible or symbolic, such as a Golden Eagle
placed at the tree's top.  Some personal suggestions would be:
strings of popcorn, candy or cranberries, sugar cookies with
runic or other symbolic figures on them, candy canes, cinnamon
sticks tied with ribbon into the shape of the Gebo ( )  rune and
golden delicious apples covered in cinnamon and nutmeg, as well
as, being stuffed with cloves and wrapped in netting tied by a
brightly colored bow.  For an even greater religious effect you
may add other symbols that relate to the World-Tree such as two
ravens, mimir's well at the bottom, the Norns and the World
Serpent.  This might sound like a lot of trouble but, the
rewards are worth the effort.  Speaking of leaving gifts for the
elves...what about that most famous (in the Hollywood sense) elf
of all?  yes, that "rotund fellow" dressed in red, whit and
black (Hmmmm! interesting color scheme), Santa Claus.  As it is
sung in our carols and shown on our television sets, we leave
milk and cookies for this kindly imp.  But why?  First of all,
it is appropriate to leave the alfar gifts of milk and cookies.
It works quite nicely as an appeasement in our home and has
served us well on numerous occasions.  Secondly, because Santa,
St. Nicholas, etc. is not a Christian "saint" or figure at all!
Even though there is a St. Nicholas in Christianity, he has
almost nothing in common with the figure that we know and love.
Think about this rationally for a moment.  Here is this fellow
who descends from the north pole around the time of the winter
solstice.  He has a long white or grey beard and dresses
predominately in red (note:  red is as symbolic of the Germanic
Alfs as green is to the Celtic Wee People) with black and white
trim.  He drives a flying sled pulled by reindeer (two of which
are said to be named Donner (Thunder); also the German name for
Thorr and Blitzen (Lightning); one of Thorr's symbols) and is at
times referred to as the "jolly old elf."  It does not take a
scholar to see that this so-called Santa Clause has absolutely
nothing to do with Christianity.  "So, who is St. Nick," you
ask?  He is none other than the supreme God of the Aesir,
Odhinn!  Here is a deity that has a white or grey beard  hailing
from the ancient north.  He is a God with many names.  One such
name is Nick.  It is well documented that he gave up one eye to
gain his famous wisdom.  With his remaining eye he was able to
indicate a "secret" with just "a wink of an eye" (remember your
Christmas songs and stories, kids?).  Satan or the Devil is
sometimes called "Old Nick" in England.  He is the stealer of
souls.  The followers of Odhinn's path wore the Valknutr or Knot
of the Slain as a sign that they have already forfeited their
lives in the service of Odhinn in exchange for wisdom and
knowledge.  Still not convinced?  Then let's turn to the realm
of folklore through Jacob Grimm's Teutonic Mythology in his
description of Odhinn and the Wild Hunt:

"...He hunts the twelve nights of Yule with the barking of his
dogs and a hoto, hoto cry (could this be related to Ho, Ho, Ho)
has a white beard.  Once a carpenter had the courage to add his
own ho, ho and a black mass came tumbling down the chimney
(sound familiar?)...  Later in the passages it says: "...The
folk leave him a bundle of oats for his horse.  He visits the
land upon the holy tide bringing welfare and blessing, accepting
gifts and offerings..."

It is more than evident to a person with an open mind and a true
heart as to just who this "saint" is.  A person would do well to
remember that fact in any and all blessings concerning Yule.  As
a side note, there is another name in which he travels by and
has a close association to the Yule-tide season:  Jol or Jolnir.
This is even evident in a "Christmas Card" I once received from
Sweden.  On the inside was written the Greeting "Gut Jol" or
"Good Yule"  which is roughly equivalent to the English "Merry
Christmas." Perhaps the greatest symbol of light in the times of
darkness is the unextenguished flame that burns throughout the
long nights of Yule.  Here is an all too often forgotten
tradition that symbolizes the eternal light (solar might) that
warms and nurtures us the year round.  The Yule log is a piece
of wood (preferably ash, yew, birch or some other wood
considered sacred to your area) that is either found lying upon
the ground of your sacred grove or is cut from a tree (after
asking the tree its' permission of course) and taken to the
hearth to be burned over twelve hour period each and every night
on the holy tide.  It should be lit on the first night of Yule,
though some say it should be set to flame on December 24.  The
basic disagreement is on exactly when the season begins.  My
advice is to stick with the solstice as your customary starting
point and you will not be far off.  The standard way in which to
light the faggot is from the fragments of the previous year's
log.  In areas such as Houston, where a hearth is for the most
part impractical, candles are often used in place of the log
itself.  A particular variation of this tradition is practiced
at Eagles Reaches.  First, a log is taken in the traditional
manner.  It is then bedecked with evergreen branches,
poinsettias, holly and other seasonal items.  At the top rest
three candles; red, white and black (the three holy colors of
our ancestors) and are lit each night of the tide.  They are
replaced with fresh candles the following morning in keeping
with the spirit of the original practice.  There is also another
light that shines during this most holy of festivals.  It is
known as the Light Tree or Light Apple.   This structure is
composed of an apple or several apples supported by sticks.
Upon it are attached various nuts and sprigs of holly, ivy and
possibly mistletoe (though not usually the case).  Also,
evergreen leaves are attached with a circle of candles towards
the top.  Cloves and other spices add a nice touch as well.  The
Yule Light Apple is used as the centerpiece during the main
feast.  With all of these beautiful and meaningful customs why
is it that their original luster and impact have been lost on
today's world?  The answer lies disturbingly on the infiltration
of the aforementioned middle-eastern cult called Christianity.
In a letter from Pope Gregory I to Augustine on the method of
converting the Heathen of England he says:

"...tell him of the plans I have for converting the Angles.  The
temples should not be destroyed (as had been done previously),
but the idols which are housed in them should be.  ...If the
temples are soundly constructed, then they must be transformed
from places in which demons are worshipped into places that are
pleasing to God....These festivals (such as Yule)...need to be
changed into "dedication days" and the birthdays of holy
martyrs, whose relics should be housed in the tabernacles made
from the boughs of the trees around the temples that have been
transformed into churches.  Let them celebrate their festivals
as (Christian) religious feasts..."

	The lies, manipulations and insidious perversions by the
minions of the Christ Child have "almost" destroyed the most
holy of all blessings.  It can only be revived by a return to
the spirit of the old ways whenever possible, by staying true to
our ancestral Gods and Goddesses and to our ancestors
themselves.  For without them that which is and that which is
becoming would be empty and hollow.  We MUST reclaim what is
rightfully ours...Our Religion...Our Birthright...OUR CULTURE!

Wassail!!


References



 1.	Branston, Brian, Gods of the North, London 1955

 2.	Branston, Brian, The Lost Gods of England, London 1956

 3.	Chadwick, H. M., The Cult of Othin, London 1899

 4.	Christian, Roy, Old English Customs , New Abbot 1962

 5.	Drake-Carnell, F. J., Old English Customs and
Ceremonies, London 1938

 6.	Eliis Davidson, H. R., Scandanavian Mythology, London
1969

 7.	Ellis Davidson, H. R., Gods and Myths of Northern
Europe, London 1964

 8.	Gomme, G. L., Folklore Relics in Early Village Life,
London 1883

 9.	Grimm, Jacob, Teutonic Mythology, Trans. S. Stallybrass,
New York 1966

10.	Gronbech, Vilhelm, The Culture of the Teutons, London
1931

11.	Gundarsson, Kveldulf, Teutonic Magic, St. Paul 1990

12.	Idunna, A Journal of Pre-Christian Northern Tradition,
various articles and authors from 1989-1992.

13.	Page, R. I.., Norse Myths, Austin 1990

14.	Penick, Nigel, Practical Magic in the Northern
Tradition, Wellingborough 1989

15.	Thorsson, Edred, A Book of Troth, St. Paul 1989

16.	Tiller, Alexander, Yule and Christmas, London 1899

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