Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-12-20
LEGENDS OF THE XMAs-TREE.
Origin of n Beautiful Custom Lost
In Historical Uncertainty.
(New York Herald)


Nearly every Christian nation claims
the honor Of having given to the world
the custom Of the Christmas-tree. Yet
its origin is so obscure that no man may
rightly say whence or when the beau
tiful usage began. A Scandinavian myth
of great antiquity speaks Of a service
tree" sprung from the blood-drenched
soil where two lovers had been killed
by violence in their innocence. At GER
tain nights in the Christmas season mys-
FERROUS lights were seen flaming in its
branches that no wind could extinguish.
The French have their legend as well.
In a romance of the thirteenth century
the hero finds a gigantic tree whose
branches are covered with burning can
dies, some standing erect, the others up
side down, and on the top the vision OF
a child, with a halo around his curly
head. The knight asked the Pope for
an explanation, who declared that the
tree undoubtedly represented mankind,
the child the Saviour, and the candles
good and bad human beings.
Wolfram Won Eichenbach. the famous
minstrel, sings of a prevailing custom OF
welcoming guests with branches orna-
mented with burning candles.
AsCRIBED TO LUTHER.
One tale bestows the honor upon Mar
tin Luther One Christmas-Eve, ira
yelling alone over the snow-covered coun-
try, the sky, with its thousands OF
glittering stars, made such a deep i'm
preston upon the reformer that after
arriving home he tried to explain IL TO
his wife and children. Suddenly an idea
suggested itself TO him. He went into
the garden, cut Off n little fr-tree,
dragged IL into the nursery. put some
candles on its branches, and lighted
them.
The most beautiful legend IS Of Ger
man origin, and comes from that border
land of history between pagan and
Christmas days:
BEAUTIFUL GERMAN LEGEND.
"'Harken, We sons OF the forestl No
blood shall flow this night, save that
which pity has drawn from a mothers
breast. For this is the birth-night of the
white Christ. the Son OF the All-Father,
the Saviour of mankind. Fairer is He
than Baldur the Beautiful, greater than
Odin the Wise. kinder than Freya the
Good. Since he has come sacrifice is
ended. The dark Thor. on whom We have
vainly called, is dead. Deep in the shades
Of Niffelheim he is lost forever. And
now on this Christ-nght We shall begin
to live. This Blood-tree shall darken
your land no more. In the name of the
Lord. / will destroy IT,.
HE grasped the broad axe from the
hand OF Gregor, and. stridng to the oak.
began TO hew against IT, Then the sole
wonder in Winfrid's life came 10 pass.
For. as the bright blade circled above
his head, and the fakes OF wood few
from the deepening cash in the body OF
the tree. a whirling wind passed over
the forest. 1t gripped the oak from its
foundations. Backward Il fell. Ike n
tower, grooming as it split asunder in
four pieces. But just behind it. and I'M
harmed by the ruin, stood a young fir
tree. pointing green spire toward the
stars
''Winfrid let the axe drop. and turned
to speak to the people
"'This little tree, a young child OF the
forest. shall be your holy tree tonight.
1t Is the wood OF peace for your houses
are built Of the fir 1t Is the sign OF an
endless life, for its leaves are ever green.
See, how II points upward 10 Heaveni
Let this be called the tree OF the Christ
child; gather about IT, not I'm the wild
wood, but In your own homes; there IL
will shelter no deeds % blood, but loving
gifts and rites OF Kindness
80. they took the tree from It's place
and carried il in joyful procession 10
tho edge OF the glade. and laid IL on one
OF the sledses. The horse tossed his
head and drew bravely az his load rs II
the new burden had lightened II. When
they came to the village. Alvold babe
them open the doors OF HIS great hall,
and set the tree in the midst OF It."
IN HISTORY.
Historically, the Christmas-tree can
only be traced back 10 the sixteenth CEN
fury. During the Middle Ages IL sud-
denly appears I'm Strasburg. A valuable
authentic manuscript Of ICES. by n Strass-
burg bureher. now in a private collec-
ton in Friedburg. Hesse. describes the
holidays very much as We are used 70
celebrate them. The manusc--St of
book entitled. 1.-THE MIX OF Catechism."
by the Strasburg Theologian Danhauer.
mentions the same subject. In a similar
way During the next 200 years tho
Christmas-trec could only be met along
the Rhine. when. suddenly. at the begin
ming of this century. the habit spread all
over Germany. and fifty years later had
conquered the world.
The FIRST description Of Christmas-sree