This is the beginning of the dark half of the year when darkness rules. The atmospheric changes are not in a battle like they are when Winter changes over to Spring, but the last remnants of hot Summer linger with the harvest of apples, grapes, and squash. This harvest time of year is overseen by Frey. This generality is true because every living thing is guided and directed by the light of day and darkness of night. Where the angle of the sun's rays make contact on the earth's surface, the elliptical path, and position of the Earth dancing around the sun determines the seasons.
Winter occurs in the northern hemisphere when the sun is farthest away.
On the Winter Solstice, the day light hours are the shortest during the entire year with the darkness of night as the longest. Our earliest ancestors did not understand the yearly path of the Earth around the sun and panicked when the daylight hours were shortened and there was absence of or very little sunlight for days on end. From this fear came appeasement and worship to a higher source for a savior. When the days became longer, they attributed this to the birth of Light. That turning point, known as the Winter Solstice, is the beginning of the time of year ruled by Light.