‘He (Sigurd) traditionally held, as long as paganism prevailed, three sacrificial feasts each winter: one for the winter night, a second for the middle of winter and a third for summer.’ ~ Heimskringla - Olafs saga helga, chapter 117.
IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY, PLEASE READ THIS ARTICLE FIRST TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE WORKINGS OF THE GERMANIC LUNISOLAR CALENDAR.
THE MEANING OF THE WORD YULE
The word ‘Yule’ has Indo-European roots that are still visible across northern Europe today. In Denmark, Norway and Sweden it is called ‘Jul’ and in the Faroe Islands and Iceland it is known as ‘Jol’. The Proto-Germanic word was ‘Jehwla’ and the Old English word was ‘Giuli’. Jol means ‘wheel’ and in a yearly sense points to the seasonal wheel that is constantly turning.
“Yule was kept holy for only three days, when no work was done.”
Yule is mentioned many times throughout old Germanic texts as well as the Icelandic Sagas. For instance, in Svarfdaela Saga, a warrior postpones a fight until after Yule as it was a time too holy to desecrate with bloodshed and in Heimskringla Saga it says that no battles were fought during the three days of Yule. In another story, a farmer called Ingjaldur swallows his dislike of foreigners so that he can buy decorative evergreens for his Yule feast from a Norwegian merchant.
WHEN DID THE GERMANIC TRIBES CELEBRATE THEIR YULE FEAST?
The Germanic peoples began their winter on the full moon of Winter Nights (Oct/Nov) and three full moons after that was the Yule moon. Three full moons after the Yule moon was the first day of summer also known as the full moon of Sigrblot which means ‘victory sacrifice’. These were the major historical Germanic sacrificial feasts and because pre-Christian celebrations were dependant on the phases of the moon, there were no feasts on the equinoxes or solstices.
Andreas Nordberg, a well respected scholar in ancient religious holidays, whose research paper is called Jul, disting och förkyrklig tideräkning (the abstract and the summary are both in English) explains that Yule was not observed on the winter solstice but took place on the first full moon after the first new moon following the winter solstice. On all of the runic staves and calendar rods he has studied, such as the rune stones at Blekinge and Stentoften, the marking for Yule is always after the winter solstice. On some Primstaffs, like the one below, the notch for the midwinter feast is on Hokunott and dated the 13th of January, which is a mid month fixed date in the Julian Calendar. If we take this date and apply it to the lunisolar calendar we can see that it was on a full moon (following the lunar rules of calculation as stated above).
Nordberg states that during the time of the Julian calendar Yule could be as early as 31st December and as late as 29th January. With the arrival of the Gregorian Calendar, Yule can fall as late as early February.
Throughout the Nordic regions, old literary sources state that the Jutungel Moon shone on the Epiphany, a Christian feast that falls on the 6th of January. The first full moon of the year was also called ‘nytungl’ which means ‘new moon’, ‘new wandering star’ or ‘new teller’.
In chapter 17 of ‘The Chronicon of Thietmar of Merseberg’ (circa 100 AD) it describes how the Danes gathered after the winter solstice for their midwinter sacrifices to their gods. “As I have heard odd stories concerning their ancient mid-winter sacrifices, I will not allow this custom to be ignored. The middle of that kingdom is called Lederun (Lejre), in the region of Sjaelland, all the people gathered every nine years in January, that is after we have celebrated the birth of the Lord (Christmas), and there they offered to their gods sacrifices…’ Thietmar of Merseberg is saying that Yule was after January 6th because that was when the 25th of December would have been in the Julian Calendar.
If we follow the ancient Germanic dating method for the major sacrificial feasts, also known as ‘blots’, then this year’s dates are as follows:
YULE 25th January-27th January 2024
ALTHING OR MARKLO 25th March 2024
SIGURBLOT 23rd April-25th April 2024
WINTER NIGHTS 17th October-19th October 2024
YULE 13th January-15th January 2025
CHRISTMAS DID NOT REPLACE YULE
Christmas is called Jul in Scandinavia today because of Hakon the Good, the first Christian king of Norway. To convert Heathens to Christianity he decided to move Hokunott, traditionally the first night of Yule, from the full moon of Yule to the winter solstice which as we now know from Part 1 was on the 25th of December at the time.
The following passage from the Saga of Hakon the Good, chapter 15, describes how this happened.
‘He made a law that the festival of Yule should begin at the same time as Christian people held it, and that every man, under penalty, should brew a meal of malt into ale, and there with keep the Yule holy as long as it lasted. Formally, the first night of Yule was Hokunott, that is midwinter night, and Yule was held for three nights. It was his intent, as soon as he had set himself fast in the land, and had subjected the whole to his power, to introduce Christianity.’
The midwinter Yule celebrations lasted for three nights and began on Hokunott which means ‘Chop Night’, when animals were slaughtered for the feast.
THE YULE BLOT
The majority of old Germanic texts describe ‘blot’ (from the Proto-Germanic ‘blotan’ meaning worship or sacrifice) as a ritual where blood from a sacrificed animal is sprinkled over a stone altar (Old English ‘haerg’) or a sacred tree as well as everyone in attendance.
‘He made a high horgr of heaped stones: the gathered rocks have grown all bloody, and he reddened them again with the fresh blood of cows.’ ~ The Lay of Hyndla from the Poetic Edda.
Firstly, in perhaps a sacred grove nearby, a designated area was consecrated by priests who walked around the perimeter carrying fire while reciting prayers to the tribe’s gods and ancestors.
‘It was the custom for twelve chief priests of the temple to direct the blots…they were called diar or drothar, and the people should follow and obey them.’ ~ Ynglinga Saga, chapter 2.
Heimskringla - Olafs saga helga, chapter 109, also mentions that twelve men lead sacrificial feasts. The number twelve was a sacred number to many ancient peoples. There were twelve Selected Men, in the Munsee-Mahican tribe in north America, who would escort a hunted bear from its den and twelve Magical Men who recited visions.
The chosen animal for the ‘blot’ was then sacrificed and its blood collected in a ‘blot-bowl’. A twig called a ‘haut-tein’ was used to sprinkle the blood as mentioned above. The animal was taken away to be cooked for the feast and more blood was sprinkled inside and outside of the long hall where the feasting would take place later on. Some texts state that the blood was reserved for the gods and the meat was meant for the people, but Adam of Bremen’s description of the nine year blot at Uppsala, Sweden, says that carcasses were hung from the trees as offerings to the gods. However, there is no archaeological evidence to support his claim. We do need to stay mindful of the fact that the people who wrote about Germanic practices were Christians and Muslims. Many of them were not direct witnesses and had only heard about these practices. A blend of different world views and misunderstandings is very likely.
Blood was not the only offerings made to the gods. Alcohol, dairy products, bread and vegetables were also given. In ‘The Life of St Columban’, chapter 53 (early 600’s AD) it says that the Swabians offered up beer to the god Wodan, and Ibn Fadlan (circa 950) on his travels noted that the Rus offered milk, bread, alcohol and onions.
Horses were commonly sacrificed to the gods. King Hakon was once invited to a Yule feast where he refused to eat the horse meat because he was of the belief that the act of eating it was pagan. Eventually, to keep the peace, he compromised by smelling the aromas of the cooked meat. Another time he was not so lucky and was forced to eat horse liver without even having the chance to make the sign of the cross beforehand! For the Germanic peoples it was seen as an insult to refuse food or drink from your host.
SUMBLE
After the sacrificial rite came the feast or banquet known as ‘sumble’ (Old English ‘symbel’). In the ‘Flateyjarbok’, a medieval Icelandic manuscript consisting of mostly sagas of the Norse kings, the Yule feast is said to have been held in honour of the god Odin. The word ‘Jolnir’ means ‘Lord of the Yule Feast’ and is one of Odin’s many names.
The lady of the couple hosting the feast welcomed and offered drinks to the guests. The drinking horn was a symbol of high status and was passed among the guests and never put down. Placing it on the table signalled the end of the feast. Drinking horns were not as common as one might be led to believe and are usually only found in funeral mounds of nobles.
The ‘Sumble’ consisted of toasts and speeches, boasts of good or heroic deeds as well as verse recitals, praises and vows. The guests would raise their own drinking cups or ‘stein’ (skoll, skal and scal come from the name of the drinking cups used). In the epic poem of Beowulf it mentions ale and beer cups. Wine and cider were also drunk.
In the saga of Hakon the Good, the king stipulates that during Yule four gallons of ale were to be drunk by every man. This was known as ‘drinking jol’. There were also games and wrestling in honour of the god Freyr. All women attending the feast were of high status.
Holding a ‘blot’ or ‘sumble’ was a way of re-affirming the hierarchical structure of the tribe.
THE SWEARING OF OATHS
The swearing of oaths was an important element of the Yule celebrations. Oaths were viewed as ironclad and if broken could be punished by death if they were not fulfilled. Some oaths made at Yule appear to have been marriage related; examples being found in Hervarar saga ok Heidreks and Sturlaugs saga starfsama. Oaths at this time of year were made by swearing on a boar’s bristles just like Helgi does in Helgakvida Hjorvardssonar. Hands were laid on the boar’s head and the sacrificed animal offered up to the gods along with the oath. Perhaps the god was Freyr as the boar was associated with him. Those who swore oaths wished their name and deeds to live on in future epic retellings. These ironclad promises had to be worded extremely carefully along with no false pretences.
“In the king’s retinue there were seven men whose duty it was to decide all the disputes that arose in that country. King Heithrek worshipped Frey, and he sued to give Frey the biggest boar he could find. They regarded it as so sacred that in all important cases they used to take the oath on its bristles. It was the custom to sacrifice this boar at the ‘sacrifice of the herd’. On Yule Eve the ‘boar of the herd’ was led into the hall before the king. Then men laid their hands on his bristles and made solemn vows. King Heithrek himself made a vow that however deeply a man should have wronged him, if he came into his power he should not be deprived of the chance of receiving a trial by the king’s judges; but he should get off scot free if he could propound riddles which the king could not answer. But when people tried to ask the king riddles, not one was put to him which he could not solve’. (Hervarar chapter 10)
GIFT GIVING
Another important part of Yule was gift giving. Unlike today, gift giving was not emotional nor was it spontaneous. The act of gift giving was based on the rule of reciprocation. Your status and who you were gifting to dictated what you expected in return, be it a favour or a counter gift of the same value. A sword gifted to one of your men meant you expected his service and loyalty in return.
I wish you a merry Yule on this January’s full moon and a year of good health, abundance and joy.
Brightest blessings, Elissa
BIBLIOGRAPHY
The Meadhall by Stephen Pollington (2012)
Beowulf (Various translations, can be found online for free)
The Heliand (Various translations, can be found online for free)
The Poetic Edda (Various translations, can be found online for free)
The Icelandic Sagas (Various translations, can be found for free online)
The Moon, Myth and Image by Jules Cashford (2003)
The Lunisolar Calendar of the Germanic Peoples by Andreas E. Zautner
Andreas Nordberg’s research Jul, disting och förkyrklig tideräkning
Looking for the Lost Gods of England by Kathleen Herbert (1994)
De Temporum Ratione by Bede (725 AD)
Giving Voice to Bear by David Rockwell (2003)
Robert Sass’ twenty years research on Germanic and Old Saxon Heathenry - blog and Youtube channel Alsidu.
‘Odin established the same law in his land that had been in force in Asaland…On winter day (first day of winter) there should be blot for a good year, and in the middle of winter for a good crop and the third blot should on summer day (first day of summer) a victory blot.’ (Ynglinga Saga, chapter 8).
So fascinating, thank you. Here in Australia I enjoy celebrating winter Solstice in June and then the big celebration of Yule at Midwinter, which is around the 15th of July. It's a fun coincidence that the name of the month (Jul) mirrors the name for the celebration of Jul.
Fascinating. And that Primstaff calendar!!