Earl is part Scandinavian so he has a deep interest in Norse Mythology. We were off running errands for the holidays today and he told me the Norse Yule Log tradition. I loved the story and wanted to share it with all of you. I always think it’s nice to learn the history of the world as you will find that many of our traditions are similar to the old ways.
As you can imagine being as cold as it is in Scandinavia the celebration of the Solstice is very important. While it marks the beginning of Winter it also marks the shortest day of the year which is definitely something to celebrate. They would celebrate with a Midwinter feast that lasted 12 days. Some of us now are familiar with that feast as the 12 days of Christmas. The feast would include 12 days of feasting and almost always had a boar that they sacrificed to the Goddess Freya of fertility and farming. This sacrifice was meant to hopefully earn her blessings for a productive farming year.
Another part of this celebration was the Yule log. They would go out into the forest and choose a large oak tree that they wanted to use for their Yule Log. They wouldn’t just choose a portion of it, they would take down the entire tree. Next they brought the tree home and carved Runes of Protection into it That tree was then burned in one of the long houses to keep everyone warm through Yule. Each year they saved a portion of the Yule Log from the year before to burn the next year for luck and prosperity.
In the same Longhouses you may also find a evergreen Yule tree tucked into the corner decorated with statues of the gods, runes, scraps of clothing and anything else they thought to decorate their tree with.
Have a magickal day!
Much Love and Many Blessings,
Jasmeine Moonsong