Yule Lore: The Coming of the Sun God
Of The Oak and Holly King, Birth of The Sun God, The God and The Goddess, Holly and Ivy and other Yule Traditions and Lore
The nights have began to darken, the frost is creeping in and the paving flags are glittering. Autumn is phasing out and the last crisp brown leaves are falling from the trees as many others already contrast against the grey sky in their bare spidery appearence whilst the mighty evergreens stand proud and vivacius, a lustrous dark emarald amongst the silvery hues of winter and the holly berries a ruby red, a jewel in the crown of regality of winter plants. Fires are lit and hot cocoa is brewed and the dressing gowns, fluffy slippers and hot water bottles are removed from their dark cupboards from whence they were imprisoned in the hot long days of summer. As many await the 25th December for their Christmas celebrations many pagans are awaiting their winter celebration, their next turn of the wheel of the year for Yule, the 21st December, the Winter Solstice (or summer solstice, Litha, in the Southern Hemisphere). The Rebirth of the Sun.
Yule, from the old Norse word jul, is the shortest day of the year, where the night is longest. The winter solstice is an old fire festival from may ancient religions and is sacred to many deities including Mithras, Dionysis, Horus, and now in Christian faiths, Jesus.
The Duel of the Two Kings
"The winter solstice festival of Yuletide marks the longest night of the
year; the turing point from when the days become longer and the Holly
King is said to give way to the Oak King for the next six months."- Realm of the Ring Lords by Laurence Gardner
The year can be divided into two halves, light and dark, summer and winter. The light half the year is the half of summer, the days are warmer and longer, fertility is rampant, plants are blooming and splendid in colour, crops are growing and the people celebrate this half of the year, it is a symbol of life itself, the summer sun. The other half of the year is cold, dark, plants are dying, the climate is harsher, the frost bitter and merciless, animals in hibernation, we wait in hope for the sun to return from the darkness.
In NeoPagan and Wiccan faiths the Sun God, the Summer sun, is named the Oak King and the Winter Sun, the dark period of the year, is named the Holly King. The Oak King is at his height during Midsummer but the Holly King starts to take control and reign afterwards as the days slowly begin to get shorter when he defeats the Oak King.
"In Celtic mythology the Oak King and the Holly King are twins. Every year at the Winter and Summer Solstices, these two fight for dominance. In actuality, these brothers are two parts of the same thing, the waxing and waning of the yearly cycles of the Earth. The Holly King rules the waning year, from Midsummer to Yule, and the Oak King rules the waxing year from Yule to Midsummer. The Holly King represents darkness, decay and destruction, and is often seen as Pluto, the Lord of the Underworld , who kidnapped beautiful Persephone and plunged the earth into winter. He also represents inner knowledge and mysteries. The Oak King, on the other hand, represents light, growth and expansion. These two mighty kings fight a symbolic battle to win the Crown of the year, at Yule when the Oak King wins, and at Midsummer when the Holly King wins. To the early Celts, trees, especially the Oak tree were considered sacred. Oak trees are deciduous, meaning that they go into a dormant state during the winter months. English Christmas Holly trees are evergreen, and maintain their foliage year round. As the cold weather approached and the Oak trees lost their foliage, the Holly trees, which had been hidden amid the leafy Oaks now stood out in their full beauty in the barren landscape. At Midwinter, it seemed that the Holly King had won and his brother, the mighty Oak King now stood naked in defeat. But, the Holly King did not really win the battle, because as the Sun begins to return once again, The Oak King rallies, and begins to re-establish his supremacy, even though it won’t be until Midsummer when the Oaks will once again be in full foliage."- The Holly King and The Oak King by Linda J. Paul, http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art6133.asp
Although there is dispute about the story appearing in Celtic tradition, as it appears to be a modern telling, Graves states that it echoes a number of archetypal pairings seen in the likes of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, or Lugh and Balor,
"in which one figure must die for the other to triumph", and therefore has a basis in old traditions and is being given new life in a modern context in order to shape the customs we see today. The archetypes of the warring brothers has been ascribed an identity which can be known to all through the Oak and Holly King, encapsulating the guardian of nature so aptly that anybody can connect to them and find truth within it, perhaps they are alive. The two can also be percieved as a single energy.
Some believe the Holly and Oak King to be the dual aspect of the horned God, he is both the light and the dark, they are the two sides of his personality, for we must suffer the darkness to appreciate the light, cycles are necessary, things must wither and die to make way for new life, the mystery of nature itself. The Holly and Oak King can therefore be described as an archetypal deity representing the journey of the sun and its affects upon the natural world. A Tree or Nature spirit, King of Nature Sir George James Frazier writes in
The Golden Bough:
"His life must therefore have been held very precious by his worshippers, and was probably hedged in by a system of elaborate precautions or taboos like those by which, in so many places, the life of the man-god has been guarded against the malignant influence of demons and sorcerers. But we have seen that the very value attached to the life of the man-god necessitates his violent death as the only means of preserving it from the inevitable decay of age. The same reasoning would apply to the King of the Woods; he too had to be killed in order that the divine spirit, incarnate in him, might be transferred in integrity to his successor. The rule that he held office till a stronger should slay him might be supposed to secure both the preservation of his divine life in full vigour, and its transferrence to a suitable successor as soon as that vigour began to be impaired. For so long as he could maintain his position by the strong of hand, it might be inferred that his natural force was not abated; where as his defeat and death at the hands of another proves that his strength was beginning to fail and that it was his time that divine life should be lodged in a less delapidated tabernacle".
The
two Kings duelling are also seen as featuring in Druidic
lore, where the Solar
King is reborn after previosuly losing his power after the height of
his reign on summer solstice, Alban Hefin, and defeated by his dark twin
who takes his crown. The Solar King is reborn on Alban Arthan, winter
solstice, and so marks the passing of the wheel of the year.
Alban
Arthan means "light of winter" as it celebrates the day the Solar King
is reborn and the sun and life will once again return.
The Holly King
So in this period of year, Yuletide, the Holly King is in his full power and the decorations of holly and evergreens are a veneration of him.
"The Holly and the Ivy, when they were both full grown,
Of all the trees that are in the wood, the holly bears the crown...
I am the Holly King, Lord of the Waning Year. You may know me as the Green Man or as the winter King. I rule from Midsummer to Midwinter, and my reign culminates in the festivities of Yuletide. As the wren dies to make way for the robin, soon I will bow before my brother the Oak King.You will not see me again until the Sun once more begins to wane. As I prepare to withdraw into the deep midwinter, I contemplate the glowing light of the reborn Sun in my cup- and in this holy grail, I see visions and dreams of the year to come.
Carry a sprig of holly with you as my token. It will protect you against fierce winter storms, and will bestow upon you the focus, direction and courage you need to succeed in your own spiritual quest.
Birth of the Sun God
The winter solstice marks the day the Solar King is reborn and people will once again triumph, the sun will bring us blessings and new life.
Baldr is loosely associated with Yule for he is a God, described as the bright one, who is killed by a plant associated with Yule, the mistletoe, after Loki tricks his brother Hodr, to shoot him with a spear of mistletoe.
Mithras is the Sun God in an ancient mystery Roman religion, and Persian tradition earlier, who was born around the time of winter solstice. Horus is another solar deity celebrated at Yule time.
There are others including Amaterasu, Hephaestus and Saturn.
The Goddess
Yule is also a celebration of the Goddess, she is passing her dark stage, for example Persephone has spent her time in the underworld and will rise again now that winter has passed, and so the season of light and fertility will come. She becomes fertile to give birth to the Solar King who will bring new life to the world. She becomes the Great Mother.
There are a few Godesses directly associated with winter solstice.
"In ancient Europe, this night of darness grew for the myths of the Norse Goddess, Frigga who sat at her spinning wheel weaving the fates, and the celebration was called Yule, from the Norse word Jul, meaning wheel."- http://www.goddessgift.com/Pandora's_Box/Winter-Solstice.htm
Frau Holle is a Norse Goddess associated with Yule whom is associated both with evergreen and snow:
"She is associated with both the evergreens of the Yule season and with snowfall, which is said to be Frau Holle shaking out her feathery mattress"- Patti Wigington, http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/yulethelongestnight/a/Winter_Sol_Gods.htm
Rhea is venerated as she gives birth to Saturn in Roman traditions, God of agriculture and seasons.
"The 'Reign of Saturn' lasted thirty days and culminated with the mid-winter feast which afterwards became Yule, or Christmas"- The White Goddess by Robert Graves
Yule also celebrates the birth of Sarasvati, the Hindu Queen of the Heavens.
The Hopi festival of Soyal is a winter solstice celebration which honors the Spider Woman and the Hawk Maiden.
Skadi is also a Norse Goddess of winter time.
Father Christmas and Yuletide Gifts
"As we have seen the concept of Father Christmas (with the customary holly-sprig in his cap) is a direct representation of the gift-bearing Yuletide Holly King, sometimes called Father Winter or Grandfather Frost. His one-time pagan image was brought into line with the Christian festival in the 17th century, where as Santa Claus first appeared by that name in America as late as the middle 1800s. And then, of course, there is the Kriss Kringle portrayal. Are they all the same character and, if so, how can an historical Christian bishop possibly equate with the jolly, pipe-smoking Yuletide Elf?"- Laurence Gardner, Realm of the Ring Lords
Father Chrismas is often referred to as St Nicholas in origin, however there are other influences which factor together in order to draw the Father Christmas legend we have today.
One old tradition which has evident links to Father Christmas is that of Odin. During the winter solstice Odin would head a party called the 'Wild Hunt'. Children would leave their boots filled with carrots to feed the horse Odin travelled upon, Sleipnir, who flew through the sky. Odin was said to leave Yuletide gifts to children upon his passing. When compared, images of Rudolph spring to mind with children leaving carrots and mincepies as gifts to Santa and his reindeers, who, like Odin leaves gifts in his wake.
"After Christianity took hold, this practice was later adopted in relation to St. Nicholas. Children would leave their shoes on the windowsill or bedroom door on the evening of Dec. 5 for the saint to reward them with nuts, fruits and sweets, as CatholicCulture.org pointed out."- Zoe Mintz, http://www.ibtimes.com/santa-claus-pagan-origins-5-influences-behind-father-christmas-1736863
The tradition still continues in some Germanic countries,
however in others has been replaced with hanging stockings, much like ours.
Frau Holle is also a deity associated with travelling through the night sky and bestowing gifts to children on her carriage, and is described as wearing a red or white goosedown cape.
The Holly King also contributes to our image of Father Christmas with his frosty white hair and beard, his once green clothing, and holly crown or sprig in his hat.
"There are many Celtic scholars who point Santa's beginning to the Holly King, who has been depicted with a holly wreath as a crown. Or as the Druid Holly King who wore holly in his hat. In both cases, the Holly King traditionally wore green garments with red accents. What else would a "holly" king wear."- Lady Spring Wolf, https://www.paganspath.com/magik/yule-history2.htm
Shamanism from Siberia is also said to have its influence over the Father Christmas tradition.
December was the time of year where they shared gifts of hallucinogenic mushrooms
. This could be where the lore from dropping presents through the tree comes from by the means in which they enetered and exited homes.
"As the story goes, up until a few hundred years ago these practicing shamans or priests connected to the old tradition would collect Amantia Mascaria (the Holy Mushroom), dry them, and then give them as gifts on winter solstice," Rush told LiveScience, "Because snow is usually blocking doors, there was an opening through the roof which people entered and exited, thus the chimney story."- John Rush to LiveScience, Magic Mushrooms May Explain Santa & His 'Flying' Reindeer by Douglas Main, http://www.livescience.com/25731-magic-mushrooms-santa-claus.html
Reindeers
One can not think of Father Christmas without also thinking of his reindeers, particularly Rudolph, just as one could not imagine Odin without his horse Sleipnir on the wild hunt. Sleipneir is a magical horse, eight-legged compared to eight reindeers, who can be described as
leaping great distances, as are reindeers.
Another origin for the symbolism of the reindeer, again, harkens back to the Horned God.
"Although Reindeer have been extinct in the British Isles since the 12th Century, the horned God continued to be commerorated. Ceremonies using the reindeer antlers were often performed at Yuletide, during the twelve days of Christmas." A.T Mann and Jane Lyle, Sacred Sexuality. Sourced from: https://christmaspagandeception.wordpress.com/2013/07/02/whats-with-the-reindeer/
"Santa's reindeers evolved from the Celtic Horned God. Eight reindeer's pull Santa's sleigh, representative of the eight solar sabbats. From their late Autumn dramatic rutting displays, stags represented strength, sexuality and fertility."- The Holly King and Other Lore- Yule- the Winter Solstice "Reindeer". Sourced from: https://christmaspagandeception.wordpress.com/2013/07/02/whats-with-the-reindeer/
The number of eight reindeers can also have a loose symbolic pagan tie. If you add up Santa and his eight reindeers, the figure comes to nine. Nine is an important number in Pagan beliefs.
"in those ancient times the number 9 was an important spiritual number. 9 witches often made up a coven. 9 feet was the diameter of a perfect circle. And maybe that's why "the whole nine yards"; which refers to the 9 yards of material for the Great Kilt worn by many Celtic highlanders is so important. When we think of Santa and his 8 tiny reindeer. And most people focus on the 8 reindeer. Well now add Santa. 9 souls travelling through the skies to bring presents for the rebirth of the year. It's a stretch, but there are those who believe this is where the 8 reindeer got their start."- Lady Spring Wolf, https://www.paganspath.com/magik/yule-history2.htm
Shamanism may have also contributed directly to our flying reindeer, especially the red nose Rudolph. The Amantia Muscaria they held sacred was red with spotted white. The shamans were also familiar with reindeer and another connection is that a 'trip' can be described as flying.
"Amongst the Siberian shamans, you have an animal spirit you can journey with on your vision quest," Rick continued. "And reindeer are common and familiar to people in eastern Siberia"- Sourced from: http://www.livescience.com/25731-magic-mushrooms-santa-claus.html
"It's amazing that a reindeer with a red-mushroom nose is at the head leading the others."- Sourced from: http://www.livescience.com/25731-magic-mushrooms-santa-claus.html
The Twelve Days of Christmas
The duration of Saturnalia, was twelve days, and the feasting is said to have influenced the christmas celebrations we have today and
hence the twelve days of Christmas as it is said the three wise men took twelve days to reach Bethlehem.
The Celts also believed the sun
stood still for twelve days in the middle of winter.
Yule Log
A customary tradition for Yule, or Christmas is the decorating and burning of the Yule log. The Yule log was traditionally taken from either of two trees. One such tree was the oak tree sacred to the sun God of the Druids. The Druids burned the log in the belief that the fire would banish evil spirits and bring back the sun and with it good fortune in the new year. Ash tree is the other and was sacred to the teutonic tradition.
"The ceremonial Yule log was the highlight of the solstice festival. In accordance to tradition, the log must have either been harvested from the householder's land, or given as a gift... it must have never been bought. Once dragged into the house and placed in the fireplace it was decorated in seasonal greenery, doused with cider or ale, and dusted with flour before set ablaze by a piece of last year's log, (held onto for this purpose). The log would burn throughout the night, then smolder for 12 days after before being ceremonially put out. Ash is the traditional wood of the Yule log. It is the sacred world tree of the Teutons, known as Yggdrasil. An herb of the sun, Ash brings light into the hearth at the solstice."- Akasha, Herne and The Celtic Connection wicca.com, sourced from: https://wicca.com/celtic/akasha/yule.htm
Evergreen
Nearly all Yule traditions and customs include decorating the home or the Yule log with evergreens, this is because evergreens are the only plant which last through the harsh climates of winter, they stay luscius and a deep green, a symbol of both the Holly King and eternal life, that life is a great cycle and the sun will continue to return.
Holly and Ivy and the Christmas Wreath
The Holly is an evergreen plant of deep green leaves and red berries, the colours adorned by the fabled deities of Yule, the Holly King and Frau Holle.
The Holly and the Ivy represent the sacred union, the masculine and the feminine principles united in the wonderful celebrations of death and rebirth and both can be attributed to the God and Goddess.
The Christmas wreath is in the shape of the wheel, paying homage to the Great Wheel, or the Wheel of the Year, the completion and renewal of a cycle. It is also circular and therefore the symbol of the Goddess. The decorations upon the wreath, holly, berries, pine cones therefore could represent the masculine God, and the male plants are born from or unite with the Goddess.
Holly is arguably the symbol of the God, it is thorny, a deep fiery red and symbolises the Holly King, where as it is also arguably a symbol of the Goddess. Holly is the sacred plant of Frau Holle.
"Another evergreen of protection, holly's spiky are believed to repel unwanted spirits. Newborn babies used to be sprinkled with "holly water", water in which holly had been soaked, especially potent if left under a full moon overnight. Holly is sacred to Holle, the Germanic underworld Goddess, and symbolises everlasting life, good will and potent life energy. Its red berries represent feminine blood."- Sourced from: https://www.goddessandgreenman.co.uk/yule
Ivy is similar in the sense that one can connect it to both the God and the Goddess. Ivy is sacred to both Osiris and Dionysus who symbollise rebirth or the return of the sun, however ivy also symbolises the feminine. It grows in spirals, as seen with the wreath, which symbollises the Goddess and is a plant linked to the underworld and death, often found at gravesites, and can therefore represent the feminine mysteries.
It is clear that what ever plant you associate with either the God or the Goddess, the combination of the two symbollises the unification of these principle energies.
Mistletoe
Mistletoe was very sacred to the ancient Druids as it grew on the sacred Oak tree, representing the God, and so five days after the new moon following winter solstice a druid priest would climb the oak tree and with a golden sickle they would cut some to distribute the sprigs amongst the people. It was then hung above the door as they believed the misteltoe to carry magical properties including protection and increasing fertility. Tradition said on the cutting of the mistletoe the plant could not touch the floor as it would profane the magical plant so they used cloth to catch it.
Mistletoe can also be found in the legends of the Norse. Frigga loved her son Baldr so much she sought the promises of the four elements, everything across the land, to protect him and prevent him from death or harm, however she overlooked the mistletoe. Loki guided the arm of Hodr and shot Baldr. Upon discovery Frigga wept and her tears are said to have formed the white berries upon the mistletoe. Some people of modern pagan belief believe that there is a version of the story were Baldr is revived and so Frigg blesses the mistletoe of love and peace and speculat that this gives rise to our tradition of kissing under the mistletoe today as Frigg says she will bestow a kiss upon any whom pass under it, however it is worth noting that this version does not appear in the poetic Edda, only the revival of Baldr- no specifics on Frigg's blessing, and is likely a modern creation. Either way, mistletoe is a sacred plant and should be of no surprise to have inspired our own seasonal traditions.
Wine and Mulled Wine
Bacchus and Dionysus are both deities associated with Yuletide, so perhaps it is convenient a customary drink is mulled wine, or simply red wine, around winter celebrations as they are both Gods of Wine.
