As the end of the year draws to a close, so does the light and the warmth it provides. It’s time to build fires and decorate our homes in lights and festive garlands. To sing songs of old traditions and feast with family and friends. We take part in many of these ritualistic activities, but how many of us stop to think of what they mean or where they came from? It’s hard to believe that reindeer, holly, wreathes, mistletoe, Santa Clause, Yule logs, evergreen trees, seasonal ham, snowy winters, or elves ever had any part of the middle eastern or Christian origins. So where did they come from? If you follow any of our other blog posts you’ll begin to see a trend in Christianity and old Norse culture, as well as Anglo-Saxon and Germanic tribes, blending together. Not always by choice and not always one sided. In this article, we’ll lightly cover and break down these concepts to help clarify what they mean and where they come from.
The changing of the seasons, a very important aspect to all cultures and faiths. Not just because of the physical relationship ancient people had with the changing of the seasons, but also the spiritual parallels that accompany them. Many monoliths and religious practices have been documented to have strong ties to the Summer and Winter solstices. Much like the ancient world of Rome before Christ, it too was pagan. Yet they kept their statues and traditions and integrated it with new ones. TV and Entertainment hardly talks about this side of Rome unless it involves the crucifixion, chariots, or war. Which is incredibly unfortunate, because only a small portion of reality is being acknowledged. Things that we ignorantly take for granted and use as simple decorations today were used by our ancestors, and maybe not so distant relatives, with a deeper more meaningful connection. The holiday we come to know as Christmas is one of the biggest examples of this. It has images and practices that make no sense to what we’re told its spiritual implication is. If Christianity was first established as an official religion just over 2,000 years ago, what religions did it replace? And when was Christmas first recognized as an official celebration? I believe these questions are important to research, not only so we may better understand our history, but to also help shed light on how this misunderstanding has shaped our present-day society. Often-times chronological and geographical evidence is a good starting point to determine something’s authenticity or origins, following this train of thought I hope the information provided will be interesting and/or illuminating.
Establishment of Christianity in Rome: Constantine the Great was the beginning of the Christian establishment in Rome, by creating a city free of paganism, called Constantinople in 330 ce. He also gave concessions to the church and its bishops, actions like these altered the relationship between the church and government and carried on to his predecessors; thereby creating a new social dynamic between politicians and their career choices. During 361-363 ce. state and church were in conflict over the scrutiny’s in Jesus’s relationship with God and the divine power he holds. In 375-395 ce. Emperor Theodosius applied consistent pressure against paganism, one way he did this was by closing many Pagan temples. By the end of the 4th century, Catholic Christianity was the official religion of the Empire.
Establishment of Christianity in Scandinavia: Christian missionaries came to Denmark in and around 700-800 ce., reportedly Vikings adopted aspects of Christianity to help increase civil and successful trading between 700-900 ce. By 1050 ce. Paganism in the main land (excluding Iceland) was, for the most part, replaced by Christianity. Harald Bluetooth conquered Norway and is credited for converting Denmark to Christianity around 960 ce.
Winter solstice traditions-Rome: Saturnalia was a Roman festival, much like the Greek’s Kronia (Both correlated to Kronos/Saturn), was originally celebrated on December 17th then extended to 3 to 7-days of celebration. During which time: slaves were granted temporary privileges, social moralities were loosened, houses were decorated with candles and greenery, and presents such as candles and things made of wax were given.
Winter solstice traditions-Scandinavia: Celebrated during Dec. 21-22, the Yule-tied celebration was integrated with Christianity in Norway by King Haakon Haroldsson (10th century) after his visit to England. Likewise, in the early 8thcentury an English historian Monk named Bede wrote about an old pagan winter solstice celebration called Guili. Guili was a two-month period in the Old Germanic tribe’s calendar (this includes Norse and Anglo-saxon), which celebrates the rising of the sun at the end of winter.
Christmas: n. 1100 ac. Cristesmessa, literally, Christ’s festival, Christmas Day, found in Old English Cristes maesse(Cristes, genitive of Crist Christ and maesse festival, feast day). Because there is no definitive date for the birth of Jesus, the Roman Empire integrated Christmas on one of their already established holy days. Dies solis invicti nacti (day of the birth of the conquered sun), December 25, is that day. Without going too far down the rabbit hole, I would like to briefly stress the importance behind the sun’s use and symbolism in Christianity; God’s son/sun, 12 apostles/12 zodiacs follow him, he adorns a crown/corona of thorns/rays. He died and on the third day resurrected/ fell below the horizon for three days then returned to the heavens. It also has a place in politics and other ancient cultures but that it is a conversation for another time. Every country and culture that celebrates Christmas seems to do so in different ways for different reasons. Such as exchanging gifts on the 24th or early morning on the 25th, use of fireworks and having picnics, leaving a boot outside your door for candy, setting out cookies and milk for a more than likely diabetic Santa. At one point Christmas was banned in America and England for being too secular and didn’t focus on the birth of Jesus enough, which in hindsight is a bit comical in its hypocrisy.
Reindeer: Can be found in the Arctic tundra, Boreal forests of Greenland, Scandinavia, Russia, and Canada.
Holly: Having many purposes, holly has been used for banishing lighting and hostile spirits, as well as commanding evoked entities. This must be why it’s called “Hollywood”. Hanging holly on a door as a wreath or by windows was said to help ward off evil and witches. It also symbolized fertility, do to it being an evergreen, and has been used by the Druids, Romans during Saturnalia, Nordics, and Christians for a variety of magical applications. The Christians were said to have later adopted this plant to symbolize the crown of Christ with red berries representing the blood he shed. Holly is indigenous to parts of the USA, UK, Europe, North Africa, and Asia.
Wreathes: Not just for decoration, wreathes have superstitious, magical, and religious purposes as well. Some meanings behind a wreath’s shape have been interpreted as the eternal life that God provides, the cycle of the seasons/sun and moon/and the year.
Mistletoe: If you’re a fan of the Icelandic Sagas as I am, hearing the word mistletoe doesn’t invoke the urge to kiss everyone in the room. But rather stirs emotions of tragedy and loss. This one plant plays a pivotal role in the death of a beloved god and cements the prophecies of Ragnarok. Baldr, Son of Odin, was struck with an arrow made of mistletoe and died, which was the beginning stages of Ragnarok. This plant was also supposedly important to the Druids and was called “all heal”, and has been used in magical practices to help banish disruptive spirits.
Santa Clause: The image and name of this winter icon was partly shaped by Saint Nicholas a 4th century Turkish saint who is typically depicted in red bishop robes, preformed miracles, and delivered gifts to children. A day of celebration in his honor called Saint Nicholas day was held on December 6th, and traditionally gifts are exchanged. Further images of old saint nick were influenced by cartoonist Thomas Nast in 1823, who in turn was influenced by the poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas”. In this poem, we find Santa to be described as “dressed all in fur”, “the beard on his chin was white as snow”, and “a miniature sleigh and eight tiny rein-deer”, amongst other things. These descriptions are strikingly similar to iconic Norse folklore, such as the legendary beard of Odin who often disguised himself as he wondered around Midgard. Although there is no mention of reindeer in the Eddas that I’m aware of, perhaps the eight reindeer could even represent Odin’s eight-legged horse Sleipnir. The Vikings, being one of the most revered hunter gatherer cultures in history, could have certainly played a part in Santa being dressed all in fur. As for the sleigh, there are four Norse gods that famously have chariots. The first two are Sól and Manni, who carry the sun and moon across the sky. Third, is our dear Freyja, a worrier goddess who has a chariot pulled by two cats. Last, but not least, is the mighty Thor who rides a chariot pulled by two he goats.
Evergreen trees: Christmas trees, primarily consisting of pine, spruce, and fir, have been used worldwide including ancient Egypt, China, and used by the Hebrews. More commonly acknowledged places like Germany and Scandinavia (1600’s) would use them to represent life and ward off the devil. The concept of a Christmas tree was brought to England and popularized by German-born prince Albert in the early 19th century.
Seasonal (Christmas) ham: There are many online sources that point to the Nordic God Freyr being the main reason behind this tradition. In the Icelandic sagas, Freyr was given a gift made by Dwarves in the form of a Golden Bristle haired boar. Because of this it is said that during festivals boars were sacrificed in Freyr’s honor.
Snowy winters: The snow fall in Israel is minimal at best, unless you visit Mount Herman’s ski resort. Though snow fall is reportedly light and uncommon it does occur. Scandinavia on the other hand, is well known for being blanketed in snow or ice for most of the year.
Elves: A common reference to elves can be found in Old Saxon (In or around the time of Beowulf) and Middle High German (Viking age and later in the Icelandic Sagas). I believe the most notable reference to be the Sagas, where the elves inhabit two of the nine realms amidst Yggdrasil, called Alfheim (light elves) and Svartalfheim (dark elves). *side note: This spelling of Alf for Elf in early German could also explain the TV character’s appearance and name.
Sources:
Encyclopedia of natural magic
Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
National museum of Denmark.com
The Prose Edda
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