Yule
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(yūl) 
n.
Christmas, or the season or feast celebrating Christmas.
n.
Christmas, or the season or feast celebrating Christmas.
[Middle English yole, from Old English geōl.]
This word, in various spellings, means a loosely defined midwinter period (not a single day) in the early languages of most Germanic and Scandinavian countries. Bede, writing of pagan England, mentions two months, ‘early Yule’ and ‘later Yule’, corresponding to Roman December and January; after the Conversion, ‘Yule’ was narrowed to mean either the Nativity (25 December), or the twelve days of festivity beginning on this date. The word Christmas replaced ‘Yule’ in most of England in the 11th century, but not in north-eastern areas of Danish settlement, where it survived strongly till modern times as the normal dialect term for Christmas. Nineteenth-century writers took up the word as a way of denoting the ‘Christmas of olden times’, with its lavish food and secular jollity, situated in a largely invented ‘Merrie England’.
The medieval liking for pageantry and symbolism sometimes led to Yule being impersonated (cf. Father Christmas). In 1572 the Archbishop of York ordered the Mayor and Aldermen to suppress an annual parade on St Thomas's Day (21 December) called ‘The Riding of Yule and his Wife’, because it drew ‘great concourses of people’ away from church-going, and involved disguising. The man representing Yule carried a shoulder of lamb and a large cake of fine bread; he was accompanied by his ‘wife’, carrying a distaff, and by attendants who threw nuts to the crowd (Duffy, 1992: 581-2).
The Yule Log (or Clog, or Christmas Block) is mentioned in folklore collections from most parts of England, but especially the West Country and the North. It would be the largest piece of wood which could fit on the family hearth, and was usually brought in on Christmas Eve with some ceremony, and put on the fire that evening; many writers, including Herrick, say it was kindled with a fragment kept from the previous year's log (Hesperides (1648), no. 785; N&Q 11s:1 (1910), 129-30). It was also generally believed that it would be very unlucky for the family if the log was allowed to go out on Christmas Day. It is not clear when the custom arose, since the first definite references are only from the 17th century, for example Aubrey's ‘In the West-riding of Yorkshire on Christmas Eve at night they bring in a large Yule-log, or Christmas block, and set it on fire and lap their Christmas ale and sing “Yule, Yule, a pack of new cards and a Christmas stool”’ (Aubrey, 1686/1880: 134). Victorian illustrations of a medieval Christmas often show several men hauling huge trees or stumps in with ropes, but the antiquity of the word ‘Yule’ cannot prove the custom's age.
Less well known is the custom of lighting a Yule candle on Christmas Eve, first recorded by this name in 1817. These were taller than usual candles (‘half a yard in length’), and there was a tradition of chandlers and grocers giving them to their regular customers. The custom is reported chiefly from the north of the country, but its wider range is indicated by Parson Woodeforde's diary entries, in Norfolk, such as: ‘I lighted my large wax-candle being Xmas day during tea-time this afternoon for abt. an hour’ (25 December 1790). The pre-Reformation Church made a particular feature of candles at Christmas, and strong connections between the season and candles persist to this day. It was thought unlucky to light the Yule candle before dusk on Christmas Eve, and once alight it was not moved. As with the log, a small piece was kept ‘for luck’ in the coming year (Wright and Lones 1940: iii. 215; Opie and Tatem, 1989: 75).
December 22; December 25
Also known as Alban Arthan, Yule is one of the "Lesser Sabbats" of the Wiccan year, thought to be a time when ancient believers celebrated the rebirth of the sun god and the lengthening of the days. This took place annually around the time of the Winter Solstice and lasted for 12 days.
The Sabbats are the eight holy days generally observed in modern witchcraft (Wicca) and Neopaganism. They revolve around the changing of the seasons and agricultural events, and have been celebrated outdoors with feasting, dancing, and performances of poetry, drama, and music. There are four "Greater Sabbats," falling on February 2 (see Imbolc), April 30, July 31, and October 31 (see Samhain). The Lesser Sabbats fall on the solstices and equinoxes.
Yule, or Yule Day, is also an old Scottish expression for Christmas day, "Yule," deriving from the old Norse word jól, referring to a pre-Christian winter solstice festival. Christmas Eve is sometimes referred to as "Yule-Even."
See also Feast of Juul
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"Jul" redirects here. For other uses, see Jul (disambiguation).
For other uses, see Yule (disambiguation).
| Yule | |
|---|---|
 Hauling a Yule log, 1832 |
|
| Also called | Yuletide, Yulefest |
| Observed by | Northern Europeans and various English-speaking peoples |
| Type | Cultural, Germanic Pagan then Christian, secular, and contemporary Paganism |
| Significance | Winter Festival. |
| Date | Moved to December 25 with Christianization, likely originally on and/or around midwinter |
| Related to | Christmas, Winter solstice (Midwinter), quarter days, Wheel of the Year, Winter Festivals |
Yule or Yuletide ("Yule time") is a winter period and event that was initially celebrated by the historical Germanic peoples and some neighboring peoples as a religious festival, though it was later absorbed into, and equated with, the Christian festival of Christmas (December 25). The earliest references to the event are by way of indigenous month names (lasting between what is now mid-November and early January), whereas the event may have been centered on or around Midwinter (winter solstice). Scholars have connected the celebration to the Wild Hunt, the god Odin, increased supernatural activity, and the pagan Anglo-Saxon Modranicht.
Terms with an etymological equivalent to Yule are used in the Nordic countries for the Christian Christmas (with its religious rites), but also for other holidays of the season. Yule is also used to a lesser extent in English-speaking countries to refer to Christmas. Customs such as the Yule log, Yule goat, Yule boar, Yule singing, and others stem from Yule. The non-religious treat Yule as an entirely secular tradition. A number of Neopagans have introduced their own rites.
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Etymology
Yule is the modern English representative of the Old English words ġéol or ġéohol and ġéola or ġéoli, with the former indicating "(the 12-day festival of) Yule" (later: "Christmastide") and the latter indicating "(the month of) Yule", whereby ǽrra ġéola referred to the period before the Yule festival (December) and æftera ġéola referred to the period after Yule (January). Both words are thought to be derived from Common Germanic *jeχʷla-, and are cognate to Gothic (fruma) jiuleis and Old Norse (Icelandic and Faroese) jól (Danish and Swedish jul and Norwegian jul or jol) as well as ýlir.[1] The etymological pedigree of the word, however, remains uncertain, though numerous speculative attempts have been made to find Indo-European cognates outside the Germanic group.[2]
The noun Yuletide is first attested from around 1475.[3]
Pre-Christian traditions
Yule was an indigenous midwinter (winter solstice) festival celebrated by the Germanic peoples, absorbed into celebrations surrounding Christmas over time with Christianization. The earliest references to it are in the form of month names, where the Yule-tide period lasts somewhere around two months in length, falling along the end of the modern calendar year between what is now mid-November and early January.[4]
Yule is attested early in the history of the Germanic peoples; from the 4th century Gothic language it appears in the month name fruma jiuleis, and, in the 8th century, the English historian Bede wrote that the Anglo-Saxon calendar included the months geola or giuli corresponding with either modern December or December and January.[5]
While the Old Norse month name ýlir is similarly attested, the Old Norse corpus also contains numerous references to an event by the Old Norse form of the name, jól. In chapter 55 of the Prose Edda book Skáldskaparmál, different names for the gods are given. One of the names provided is "Yule-beings." A work by the skald Eyvindr skáldaspillir that uses the term is then quoted, which reads "again we have produced Yule-being's feast [mead of poetry], our rulers' eulogy, like a bridge of masonry."[6] In addition, one of the numerous names of Odin is Jólnir, referring to the event.[7]
Ynglinga saga, the first book of Heimskringla, first mentions a Yule feast in 840. The Saga of Hákon the Good credits King Haakon I of Norway with the Christianization of Norway, as well as rescheduling the date of Yule to coincide with Christian celebrations held at the time. The saga states that when Haakon arrived in Norway he was confirmed a Christian, but since the land was still altogether heathen and they retained their practices, Haakon hid his Christianity to receive the help of "great chieftains." In time, Haakon had a law passed that established that Yule celebrations were to take place at the same time as when the Christians held their celebrations, "and at that time everyone was to have ale for the celebration with a measure of grain, or else pay fines, and had to keep the holiday while the ale lasted."[8]
Yule had previously been celebrated on midwinter night for three nights, according to the saga. Haakon planned that when he had solidly established himself and held power over the whole country, he would then "have the gospel preached." According to the saga, the result of this was that his popularity caused many to allow themselves to be baptized, and some people stopped making sacrifices. Haakon spent most of this time in Trondheim, Norway. When Haakon believed that he wielded enough power, he requested a bishop and other priests from England, and they came to Norway. Upon their arrival, "Haakon made it known that he would have the gospel preached in the whole country." The saga continues describing the reactions of various regional things as they differ the matter to one another.[8]
A description of "heathen" Yule practices is provided (notes are Hollander's own):
It was ancient custom that when sacrifice was to be made, all farmers were to come to the heathen temple and bring along with them the food they needed while the feast lasted. At this feast all were to take part of the drinking of ale. Also all kinds of livestock were killed in connection with it, horses also; and all the blood from them was called hlaut [ sacrificial blood ], and hlautbolli, the vessel holding the blood; and hlautteinar, the sacrificial twigs [ aspergills ]. These were fashioned like sprinklers, and with them were to be smeared all over with blood the pedestals of the idols and also the walls of the temple within and without; and likewise the men present were to be sprinkled with blood. But the meat of the animals was to be boiled and served as food at the banquet. Fires were to be lighted in the middle of the temple floor, and kettles hung over them. The sacrificial beaker was to be borne around the fire, and he who made the feast and was chieftain, was to bless the beaker as well as all the sacrificial meat.[9]
The narrative continues that toasts were to be drunk. The first toast was to be drunk to Odin "for victory and power to the king", the second to the gods Njörðr and Freyr "for good harvests and for peace," and thirdly a beaker was to be drunk to the king himself. In addition, toasts were drunk to the memory of departed kinsfolk. This toast was called "minni [memorial toast]."[9]
The Svarfdæla saga records a story in which a berserker put off a duel until three days after Yule to honor the sanctity of the holiday. The Grettis Saga refers to Yule as a time of "greatest mirth and joyance among men."[10] This saga is set soon after Iceland converted to Christianity and identifies Yule with Christmas: "No Christian man is wont to eat meat this day [Yule Eve], because that on the morrow is the first day of Yule," says she, "wherefore must men first fast today."[11]
In Scandinavian tradition there was an important Yule-blot around Midwinter. Rudolf Simek comments that the pagan Yule feast "had a pronounced religious character" and comments that "it is uncertain whether the Germanic Yule feast still had a function in the cult of the dead and in the veneration of the ancestors, a function which the mid-winter sacrifice certainly held for the West European Stone and Bronze Ages."
Much of the folklore surrounding the Twelve Nights of Christmas is taken to reflect customs and beliefs connected to the Yule season. Thus, the season is associated with the Wild Hunt, a ghostly procession in the winter sky in continental tradition, while in Scandinavian tradition there is increased activity of draugar—undead beings who walk the earth. Wotan is attested as leading the Wild Hunt; in Scandinavia Odin also bears the name of Jólnir.[12] Modranicht, an event focused on collective female beings attested by Bede as having occurred among the pagan Anglo-Saxons on what is now Christmas Eve, has been seen as further evidence of a fertility event during the Yule period.[13] The traditions of the Yule log, Yule goat, Yule boar (Sonargöltr) stilll reflected in the Christmas ham, Yule singing, and others stem from Yule customs, and customs which Simek takes as "indicat[ing] the significance of the feast in pre-Christian times."[14]
Contemporary traditions
In modern Germanic language-speaking areas and some other Northern European countries, the etymological cognates to Yule are employed for the Christmas (from Old Norse jól), see Jul (Denmark), Jul (Norway), Jól (Iceland).
Neopaganism
As forms of Neopaganism can be quite different and have very different origins, these representations can vary considerably despite the shared name. Some celebrate in a way as close as possible to how they believe Ancient Germanic pagans observed the tradition, while others observe the holiday with rituals culled from numerous other unrelated sources including Germanic.
In Germanic Neopagan sects, Yule is celebrated with gatherings that often involve a meal and gift giving. Further attempts at reconstruction of surviving accounts of historical celebrations are often made, a hallmark being variations of the traditional. Groups such as the Asatru Folk Assembly in the U.S. recognize the celebration as lasting 12 days, beginning on the date of the winter solstice.[15]
In most forms of Wicca, this holiday is celebrated at the winter solstice as the rebirth of the Great horned hunter god,[16] who is viewed as the newborn solstice sun. The method of gathering for this sabbat varies by practitioner. Some have private ceremonies at home,[17] while others do so with their covens.[18]
See also
- Dísablót, an event attested from Old Norse sources as having occurred among the pagan Norse
- List of winter festivals
- Mōdraniht, an event attested by Bede as having occurred among the pagan Anglo-Saxons on what is now Christmas Eve
Notes
- ^ Bosworth & Toller (1898:424); Hoad (1996:550); Orel (2003:205).
- ^ For a brief overview of the proposed etymologies, see Orel (2003:205).
- ^ Barnhart (1995:896).
- ^ Orchard (1997:187).
- ^ Simek (2007:379).
- ^ Faulkes (1995:133).
- ^ Simek (2007:180—181).
- ^ a b Hollander (2007:106).
- ^ a b Hollander (2007:107).
- ^ The Story of Grettir The Strong, Chapter XIX, Translated by Eirikr Magnusson and William Morris.
- ^ The Story of Grettir The Strong, Chapter XXXII, Translated by Eirikr Magnusson and William Morris.
- ^ Simek (2007:180—181 & 379—380) and Orchard (1997:187).
- ^ Orchard (1997:187).
- ^ Simek (2007:379-380).
- ^ McNallen, Stephen. The Twelve Days of Yule - 2005
- ^ James Buescher (2007-12-15). "Wiccans, pagans ready to celebrate Yule". Lancaster Online. http://local.lancasteronline.com/4/213802. Retrieved 2007-12-21.
- ^ Andrea Kannapell (1997-12-21). "Celebrations; It's Solstice, Hanukkah, Kwannza: Let There Be Light!". NYtimes.com. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9507E5DA113FF932A15751C1A961958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all. Retrieved 2007-12-21.
- ^ Ruth la Ferla (2000-12-13). "Like Magic, Witchcraft Charms Teenagers". NYtimes.com. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A04E3DD1E3EF930A25751C0A9669C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1. Retrieved 2007-12-21.
References
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Yule |
- Barnhart, Robert K. (1995). The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology. Harper Collins. ISBN 0-06-270084-7
- Bosworth, Joseph; Toller, T. Northcote (1898). An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Faulkes, Anthony (Trans.) (1995). Edda. Everyman. ISBN 0-460-87616-3.
- Hoad, T. F. (1996). The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-283098-8.
- Hollander, M. Lee (Trans.) (2007). Heimskringla: History of the Kings of Norway. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-73061-8
- Orchard, Andy (1997). Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend. Cassell. ISBN 0-304-34520-2.
- Orel, Vladimir (2003). A Handbook of Germanic Etymology. Leiden: Brill Publishers. ISBN 90-04-12875-1.
- Simek, Rudolf (2007) translated by Angela Hall. Dictionary of Northern Mythology. D.S. Brewer ISBN 0-85991-513-1
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Translations:
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Yule
Français (French)
n. - Noël (arch)
Deutsch (German)
n. - Weihnachten
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - Χριστούγεννα
Português (Portuguese)
n. - Natal (m)
Español (Spanish)
n. - Navidades
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - jul, juletid
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
耶稣圣诞节, 耶诞季节
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 耶穌聖誕節, 聖誕季節
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) فترة الكريسمس, فترة عيد الميلاد المسيحي
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - חג המולד (מיושן), תקופת חג המולד
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Oxford Dictionary of English Folklore
A Dictionary of English Folklore. Copyright © 2000, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
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