Viking Yule & the great Wild Hunt!
Setting the Record Straight:
If you are a fan of Vikings or Norse culture and mythology, or even if you are a modern Wiccan or any other form of “heathen”, than you have likely heard about Yule (Jul). Point being, even though Yule and the Yuletide season are considered to be a bit archaic, it is still pretty popular! But how much do we really know about this thousand-year-old tradition?
The Vikings weren’t the best a keeping records, but thankfully around the year 900AD, some other cultures who were a bit more concerned with preserving history started documenting their interactions with Vikings and their cultural practices. Unfortunately, many of the writings we possess today are journals and letters written by cultural ‘outsiders’, which means that the accounts of events and practices may not have really demonstrated the meanings behind the ancient rituals, as much as the spectator’s own surprise at their novelty.
What is Yule?
Despite not having the greatest accounts of the traditions of Yule, and certainly no first-hand accounts from the Vikings themselves, we do still remember a lot of the practices that were carried out by our heathen brethren so long ago.
Yule was a holiday season more than a ‘holiday’ like what we know as Christmas today. Yule was a festival of sorts, incorporating (as best we can tell) fertility rite for both women and farming lands, blessings to the harvests and heath of flocks, praises and toasts to the gods and the fallen, and of course lots and LOTS of feasting and drinking! While we may think a 2-month long holiday, stretching from mid-November all the way to the new year may be a bit extreme, as you can see, the Vikings had a lot more to do than just open presents in front of the hearth.
Yule Feasting and Festivities:
The Yule feasts that we think of today were 12-day long events, with more than a few rituals to carryout, with royal decrees to drink mead and beer, I think we can all agree that it must have still been a pretty great time to be alive. I can’t even imagine the electricity that must have been in the air as the massive oak Yule log burned through the night, as stories were being traded with cheers and jests, poets rehearsed epic ballads, and children waited for Thor to deliver them gifs from is chariot.
During Yule, farmers would bring their families to the feasting places (temples and mead halls) and bring with them all of the food their family would need for the duration of the feast. This was of course, to be eaten in addition to all of the food and drink provided by their Jarl (lord) and the meat gifted to the gods after it was offered in ritual sacrifice. I know that animal sacrifice is one of those cringy things that makes us recoil just a bit, and for some, it defines the Vikings as much more Occultist that Heathen, but the reality is… we sacrifice animals EVERY time we consume a meat product. The only difference is, we no longer respect the animal’s “sacrifice” so that we might be nourished and live on.
Before anyone could partake of the sacrificial meats though, they needed to give thanks to the gods and remember the fallen, who had sacrificed themselves in order that their brothers, sisters, wives and husbands, children, and parents might live to see another day of battle.
1st Toast!
A toast was raised to Odin (also known as Julnir – being of Yule, or Julfaðer – father of Yule), in order to praise his power in battle and ask that he grant victory in battle.
2nd Toast!
A toast was raised to Njörðr and Freyr, to praise them and ask for a good harvest and peace for the coming year.
3rd Toast!
A toast was raised to the king’s health and wisdom to lead the people to prosperity.
Following Toasts:
After these three toasts were caried out in order, great heroes, fallen warriors, loved ones, and all manner of people and events were toasted by all who were willing to drink to them.
Rites and Rituals:
Feasting for the Vikings wasn’t about gluttony, as it may have been for the Romans and Greeks of ancient times. In Norse culture a feast may have seemed hedonistic but was in reality the biproduct of divine ritual which if not indulged, may have been a foreboding of ill omens.
Before the feast, we know that bovine (cows, goats, pigs) animals were brought too the priests to be sacrificed as an offering to the gods. These animals were not sparingly or begrudgingly given, as they were to represent life itself and so only the best and purest of the animals would ever be thought to be worthy of giving to the gods. To the onlooking crowds, these animals were a symbol of themselves and of their own nature as creatures molded from the Earth, and even had their own special titles.
The blood from the animals sacrificed (hlaut) was sprinkled on the people, the images of the gods, and even used to used to mark the walls of the temple. Though we have no records of how the temple walls were “smeared with blood,” as certain records indicate, we can assume the priests were using the blood to reinvigorate magical runes at each passing year. After the sacrifice, the meat would be placed into a large cauldron above the temple fires, boiled, and given back to the people for their feasting!
Yule Décor:
Yuletide was not just known by its rituals, but by the festive décor! Just imagine the scene of a secluded Viking village of timber houses and halls all covered in snow and decorated with holly and evergreen boughs. Fires would be burning in the hearths and great halls, giving a soft glow through the windows and a glint of the red and white berries of the holly branches and mistletoe wreaths. Such an image like that would certainly make any Hallmark card jealous.
Evergreens:
Evergreens like the fir tree were thought to be quite special to the Vikings. This was likely due to their ability to stay green for many months, even after a branch had been cut from the tree. Or maybe because of how they would snap and hiss if thrown into a fire. Certainly, it must have seemed that the branches took offence to being burned, giving them a life and personality all of their own.
Holly:
Holly was both bright and festive, and while also able to stay green long after having been cut, it was also one of the only plants to produce ‘fruit’ in the harsh winter season. This was a favorable omen of the ability to survive the winter, even if the berries themselves were actually toxic.
The Tale of Mistletoe:
Mistletoe is an interesting one though, as it was once something Loki had used to kill one of the gods. Mistletoe was seen as the weakest of the plants, having no roots and no stalk, and only surviving of the life of another. It was this simple plant that was fashioned into a small dart, and when hurled at the god Baldr, killed him on the spot. It was not the fault of the mistletoe though, but it was Baldr’s mother Frigg who may truly have been to blame
Baldr was beloved of the gods, and to protect him form harm, Frigg made a pact with every creature, rock, wave, or tree that maybe have been able to harm her son; all except for the humble mistletoe that is… Frigg laughed at the small plant with no roots and branches too small to fashion club or spear, and passed it by. Loki of course saw this and took his chance to cause as much mischief as possible due to this oversight, and eventually tricked Hod (the blind god) into throwing the poisonous dart at Baldr, causing his death.
So suppose that because Baldr was eventually brought back to life due to no small effort by Odin himself, that maybe the Vikings saw mistletoe as a reminder of either the need to respect all things in nature, not just the big and the bold, or as a symbol of the love of a mother that persuaded even the chief of the gods to bring her son back to life. I think that both of these maybe true in their own way, but certainly we can understand how the promise of new life is very much tied to winter and the changing of the seasons.
The Great Wild Hunt!
There is another portion of Yule that lies far outside the realm of the brightly colored holly berries and the festive laughter at the warm hearth of a loving home, and that is the “Wild Hunt”. The truth about the Wild Hunt as it is known to our Norse brethren, is something that was all but lost to history, but what still remains is likely something that many would have wished to forget! Are you curious yet?
For the 12 days of the Yule feast, it is said that the mead and poetry of the feast built a bridge for the gods, “…as if of brick and mortar” which let the gods freely traverse between the worlds, directly into Midgard. This wasn’t a side effect however, it was fully intentional! During Yule, the veil between worlds was at its thinnest, and any demon, ghost, or wraith could easily pass through into the world of the living. While it may have been wonderful for families to see lost loved ones, attending the feast right beside them… the activities of the draugar (undead beings) were another matter altogether.
The Wild Hunt was not for man, as we might think of a noble going out to spear a boar or goad a deer for all to enjoy during the feast, but it was for the gods to hunt the forlorn and malicious draugar, to protect Midgard against the beasts and trolls which might pierce the veil. Oddly enough, this meant that there was an inverted relationship between the quality of the celebration and the amount of danger the Vikings may have suffered at the hands of the undead. Vibrant celebrations gave the gods a well paved road to Midgard and more opportunity to protect them.
Closing Thoughts:
The Yuletide was a wonderful time to be alive. There was so much magic in the air and so many things to be hopeful for. There was feasting and the promise of the new year, the chill of winder and the wish for longer days. Thor may have delivered gifts to your house, or you may have spent the evening with your dear departed grandfather and listen to his tales of Valhalla first-hand… but no matter how beautiful, every token was bathed in the realization that life was short and the events of the future unknowable. There was love in all things, but Loki only delighted in mischief which may get you killed in the process. It was a time when the harder you celebrated and the more you forgot your fears, the more the gods would protect you from them…
Truly, it was a wonderful time to live. But, until we all meet in Valhalla, a merry Yuletide to you and yours.
To all my modern Vikings, live long and stay strong!
Cody Dees, Ph.D.
“Resident Viking”
Norse Tradesman
The guess of the wise is truth. -Grettir Saga, c.31
If you are a fan of Vikings or Norse culture and mythology, or even if you are a modern Wiccan or any other form of “heathen”, than you have likely heard about Yule (Jul). Point being, even though Yule and the Yuletide season are considered to be a bit archaic, it is still pretty popular! But how much do we really know about this thousand-year-old tradition?
The Vikings weren’t the best a keeping records, but thankfully around the year 900AD, some other cultures who were a bit more concerned with preserving history started documenting their interactions with Vikings and their cultural practices. Unfortunately, many of the writings we possess today are journals and letters written by cultural ‘outsiders’, which means that the accounts of events and practices may not have really demonstrated the meanings behind the ancient rituals, as much as the spectator’s own surprise at their novelty.
Despite not having the greatest accounts of the traditions of Yule, and certainly no first-hand accounts from the Vikings themselves, we do still remember a lot of the practices that were carried out by our heathen brethren so long ago.
Yule was a holiday season more than a ‘holiday’ like what we know as Christmas today. Yule was a festival of sorts, incorporating (as best we can tell) fertility rite for both women and farming lands, blessings to the harvests and heath of flocks, praises and toasts to the gods and the fallen, and of course lots and LOTS of feasting and drinking! While we may think a 2-month long holiday, stretching from mid-November all the way to the new year may be a bit extreme, as you can see, the Vikings had a lot more to do than just open presents in front of the hearth.
The Yule feasts that we think of today were 12-day long events, with more than a few rituals to carryout, with royal decrees to drink mead and beer, I think we can all agree that it must have still been a pretty great time to be alive. I can’t even imagine the electricity that must have been in the air as the massive oak Yule log burned through the night, as stories were being traded with cheers and jests, poets rehearsed epic ballads, and children waited for Thor to deliver them gifs from is chariot.
During Yule, farmers would bring their families to the feasting places (temples and mead halls) and bring with them all of the food their family would need for the duration of the feast. This was of course, to be eaten in addition to all of the food and drink provided by their Jarl (lord) and the meat gifted to the gods after it was offered in ritual sacrifice. I know that animal sacrifice is one of those cringy things that makes us recoil just a bit, and for some, it defines the Vikings as much more Occultist that Heathen, but the reality is… we sacrifice animals EVERY time we consume a meat product. The only difference is, we no longer respect the animal’s “sacrifice” so that we might be nourished and live on.
Before anyone could partake of the sacrificial meats though, they needed to give thanks to the gods and remember the fallen, who had sacrificed themselves in order that their brothers, sisters, wives and husbands, children, and parents might live to see another day of battle.
1st Toast!
A toast was raised to Odin (also known as Julnir – being of Yule, or Julfaðer – father of Yule), in order to praise his power in battle and ask that he grant victory in battle.
2nd Toast!
A toast was raised to Njörðr and Freyr, to praise them and ask for a good harvest and peace for the coming year.
3rd Toast!
A toast was raised to the king’s health and wisdom to lead the people to prosperity.
Following Toasts:
After these three toasts were caried out in order, great heroes, fallen warriors, loved ones, and all manner of people and events were toasted by all who were willing to drink to them.
Feasting for the Vikings wasn’t about gluttony, as it may have been for the Romans and Greeks of ancient times. In Norse culture a feast may have seemed hedonistic but was in reality the biproduct of divine ritual which if not indulged, may have been a foreboding of ill omens.
Before the feast, we know that bovine (cows, goats, pigs) animals were brought too the priests to be sacrificed as an offering to the gods. These animals were not sparingly or begrudgingly given, as they were to represent life itself and so only the best and purest of the animals would ever be thought to be worthy of giving to the gods. To the onlooking crowds, these animals were a symbol of themselves and of their own nature as creatures molded from the Earth, and even had their own special titles.
The blood from the animals sacrificed (hlaut) was sprinkled on the people, the images of the gods, and even used to used to mark the walls of the temple. Though we have no records of how the temple walls were “smeared with blood,” as certain records indicate, we can assume the priests were using the blood to reinvigorate magical runes at each passing year. After the sacrifice, the meat would be placed into a large cauldron above the temple fires, boiled, and given back to the people for their feasting!
Yuletide was not just known by its rituals, but by the festive décor! Just imagine the scene of a secluded Viking village of timber houses and halls all covered in snow and decorated with holly and evergreen boughs. Fires would be burning in the hearths and great halls, giving a soft glow through the windows and a glint of the red and white berries of the holly branches and mistletoe wreaths. Such an image like that would certainly make any Hallmark card jealous.
Evergreens like the fir tree were thought to be quite special to the Vikings. This was likely due to their ability to stay green for many months, even after a branch had been cut from the tree. Or maybe because of how they would snap and hiss if thrown into a fire. Certainly, it must have seemed that the branches took offence to being burned, giving them a life and personality all of their own.
Holly was both bright and festive, and while also able to stay green long after having been cut, it was also one of the only plants to produce ‘fruit’ in the harsh winter season. This was a favorable omen of the ability to survive the winter, even if the berries themselves were actually toxic.
Mistletoe is an interesting one though, as it was once something Loki had used to kill one of the gods. Mistletoe was seen as the weakest of the plants, having no roots and no stalk, and only surviving of the life of another. It was this simple plant that was fashioned into a small dart, and when hurled at the god Baldr, killed him on the spot. It was not the fault of the mistletoe though, but it was Baldr’s mother Frigg who may truly have been to blame.
Baldr was beloved of the gods, and to protect him form harm, Frigg made a pact with every creature, rock, wave, or tree that maybe have been able to harm her son; all except for the humble mistletoe that is… Frigg laughed at the small plant with no roots and branches too small to fashion club or spear, and passed it by. Loki of course saw this and took his chance to cause as much mischief as possible due to this oversight, and eventually tricked Hod (the blind god) into throwing the poisonous dart at Baldr, causing his death.
So suppose that because Baldr was eventually brought back to life due to no small effort by Odin himself, that maybe the Vikings saw mistletoe as a reminder of either the need to respect all things in nature, not just the big and the bold, or as a symbol of the love of a mother that persuaded even the chief of the gods to bring her son back to life. I think that both of these maybe true in their own way, but certainly we can understand how the promise of new life is very much tied to winter and the changing of the seasons.
There is another portion of Yule that lies far outside the realm of the brightly colored holly berries and the festive laughter at the warm hearth of a loving home, and that is the “Wild Hunt”. The truth about the Wild Hunt as it is known to our Norse brethren, is something that was all but lost to history, but what still remains is likely something that many would have wished to forget! Are you curious yet?
For the 12 days of the Yule feast, it is said that the mead and poetry of the feast built a bridge for the gods, “…as if of brick and mortar” which let the gods freely traverse between the worlds, directly into Midgard. This wasn’t a side effect however, it was fully intentional! During Yule, the veil between worlds was at its thinnest, and any demon, ghost, or wraith could easily pass through into the world of the living. While it may have been wonderful for families to see lost loved ones, attending the feast right beside them… the activities of the draugar (undead beings) were another matter altogether.
The Wild Hunt was not for man, as we might think of a noble going out to spear a boar or goad a deer for all to enjoy during the feast, but it was for the gods to hunt the forlorn and malicious draugar, to protect Midgard against the beasts and trolls which might pierce the veil. Oddly enough, this meant that there was an inverted relationship between the quality of the celebration and the amount of danger the Vikings may have suffered at the hands of the undead. Vibrant celebrations gave the gods a well paved road to Midgard and more opportunity to protect them.
The Yuletide was a wonderful time to be alive. There was so much magic in the air and so many things to be hopeful for. There was feasting and the promise of the new year, the chill of winder and the wish for longer days. Thor may have delivered gifts to your house, or you may have spent the evening with your dear departed grandfather and listen to his tales of Valhalla first-hand… but no matter how beautiful, every token was bathed in the realization that life was short and the events of the future unknowable. There was love in all things, but Loki only delighted in mischief which may get you killed in the process. It was a time when the harder you celebrated and the more you forgot your fears, the more the gods would protect you from them…
Truly, it was a wonderful time to live. But, until we all meet in Valhalla, a merry Yuletide to you and yours.
To all my modern Vikings, live long and stay strong!
Cody Dees, Ph.D.
“Resident Viking”
Norse Tradesman
The guess of the wise is truth. -Grettir Saga, c.31
