Many Americans who watched that Downtown Abbey Christmas episode, where confused as hell. You see they were telling Ghost Stories at Christmas time. Many people in the US and the modern world, don’t know that for many, Winter is the time of the dead. Now I’m not talking about the Celts. The Celts didn’t celebrate Yule.
The Norse did. Yule was added to the Wiccan calendar. Which took elements of various European traditions. And sort of merged them together. And other versions of Wicca are even more eclectic.
But Yule was the time when the Norse believed their dead returned to Midgard (Earth).
A sentiment shared by many cultures. Who also viewed winter or “the dark time of the year” as the time ruled by the dead. Or even dark nature spirits. Or dark spirits in general. Let’s take a deeper look.
The Dead on Christmas
There was once a fascinating tradition in England. Since at least the Victorian era, where people tell Ghost Stories in Christmas time. A tradition I continue because I love a little Halloween in my Christmas. I believe the dead return in Winter time also.
Here’s a great article by Cryptoville on that called The Ghosts of Christmas Past. What’s interesting here, is that in modern times the Celtic Samhain is seen as a feast of the dead. And many people who practice Brythonic traditions have incorporated that belief into theirs. Maybe that’s also from Nordic influence.
Now there is a subset of the dead that we should talk about.
The Dísir
The Dísir, collective of female spirits of the Norse Pantheon. They were honored on December 25th. Which we now call Christmas Eve. But back then the Mothers were honored on that night. It’s dedicated to the Dísir.
It’s basically a word for all female spirits. Female faeries and ghosts. But also your female ancestors and Goddesses. Much even today remains unknown about the Dísir. And points of view of them vary by regions.
German scholars think they are linked to a West German Cult dedicated to female spirits. While others think they’re older. At mother’s night several sacrifices in the feast dedicated to them were performed, called dísablót. An important thing to note here is that Blót or “sacrifice” does not always mean blood sacrifices. A blot could be pouring a libation of mead to a spirit or God.
Or giving cooked food to a spirit or God. There are many types of Blót out there. Although it is believed animal sacrifices were offered during this time. But there is no right or wrong way to do this.
“The Gods and Goddesses, landwights, and honored dead have always received physical offerings of various sorts. These ranged from simple pots of food left in bogs or graves, to golden vessels and great hoards of amber, to the spectacular sacrifices of an entire defeated army along with all its animals and gear, a practice confirmed by archeological discoveries at sites such as Hjortspring, Nydam, and Illerup (see Our Troth vol. 1, chapter 4). In the sagas, a devout worshipper of the gods is called blótmaðr mikill, ‘a great sacrifice-person.‘
Even after the coming of Christianity, people continued to leave offerings at holy springs and trees and fields, and in some areas continued to do so into the modern age. People also continued leaving out offerings to the spirits who guarded their homes and farms,” – Offerings for Norse Paganism | The Troth
In this respect, I see a lot in common with Norse and Celtic views on offerings. My Druid Master even told me that you could offer up swords in ponds or lakes to the Gods. Some were offerings and others were for magic. How badass would it be to offer an entire defeated army to your Gods and spirits? That’s some powerful magic right there. But back to the Dísir,
“Generally, a Dís (singular of Disir) was seen as a powerful supernatural being that took a keen interest in families and estates. Their strength could vary greatly. Sometimes, they were described as mere guardian ancestor spirits, but their power could also inflate to that of minor local gods. The Disir would usually use their power for good—they acted as guardians to families and family farms, and sometimes even lent their protection to individual people. Yet, they did not love unconditionally and were known to take revenge against families or people who had not given proper sacrifice, or had otherwise angered their respective Dís,” – The Mysterious Disir Of Norse Religion
In many ways this sounds a lot like the Agathos Daimon and the cult of the heroes in Greece. Note I am not saying that any of this is the same thing. I’m just pointing out interesting similarities. It seems at least some of the Dísir were probably Demi Goddesses, local spirits, or ancient heroines who offered protection and blessings. The national encyclopedia from Sweden makes that even more obvious.
“In Norse mythology, a dís (Old Norse: [ˈdiːs], ‘lady’, plural dísir [ˈdiːsez̠]) is a female Deity, ghost, or spirit associated with Fate who can be either benevolent or antagonistic toward mortals. Dísir may act as protective spirits of Norse clans. It is possible that their original function was that of fertility Goddesses who were the object of both private and official worship called dísablót,”
– Nationalencyklopedin (National Encyclopedia from Sweden)
But they all agree on the same thing. They were a collective of Goddesses, heroines, and regular female entities. And they were so powerful that apparently like the Nourns, they could manipulate fate. Which makes sense if you realize that this is a massive faction of spirits including Goddesses. Just with the Goddesses alone there is more than enough power to manipulate fate itself.
Now imagine every woman who has ever existed in every race. Both human and non human alike. No wonder even the male Gods and spirits feared them. There is no defending against such power. So Mōdraniht is a very special night.
And Modranicht especially holds a special place in my heart. I have always felt a pull towards it though I don’t know why. It feels like home to me. Later I will explain how this holiday is special to me in other ways. But now I have more or less defined who the Dísir are.
The Demons of Christmas
There’s actually a lot of Christian Christmas traditions where the Devil is a prominent figure. So Christians demonize Halloween and Samhain as being “devil worship”. But their own Christmas traditions feature demons like Krampus and Black Peter. Who are either servants of the Devil, or even Satan himself. And stories of how the Devil losses all his power during New Year’s Eve.
And how a Saint (usually St. Nicholas of Bari/Myra) defeats them. By binding them using some kind of Christian magic. In effect making these demons, familiar spirits controlled by the Saint. Which sounds an awful lot like Solomonic Magic. The demons are frequently seen as being in chains.
Symbolizing their slavery to St. Nicholas. The the coal, contrary to popular belief, comes from Krampus, not Santa. Krampus takes children away to Hell. In a sack. Then he leaves behind coal from hell behind.
To torment the family with the knowledge that a demon has taken their child away to Hell. Never to be seen again. And in case that lovely image wasn’t yet engraved in your mind, we have here some Post Cards so you don’t forget. Remember, St. Nicholas isn’t the one who keeps track of whose bad, that’s the Demon’s job.
Now Zwarte Piet or Black Peter, is a controversial figure. Because even though he’s supposed to be a Demon, he’s shown as a Moor. A North African Muslim. The Moors were an advanced African civilization. In fact, when they ruled Spain, they took the Spaniards out of the dark ages.
Only for Queen Isabella and King Fernando to bring them right back to the assbackwards society they were before. Replacing Science and a Culturally Plural society, into a racist society. One with only one culture. And which forced Catholicism upon the people. Even going as far as creating the Spanish Inquisition.
Which forced Jewish people to convert to Christianity, or die. The Inquisition (called the Host back then) destroyed all the sciences and artistry of the Moors of Spain. And replaced it with ignorance, superstition, and prejudice. Even the medical practices of the Moors were abolished. Which means people went back to dying of diseases that could easily have been treated before.
What does this have to do with Black Peter? A lot. Moors were seen as savages. An “ignorant”, barbarian group. Who had no morals or character. The racist European tropes concerning Moors and black people in general, resulted in the creation of the “Blackamoor“.
A racist image of an African Muslim person. And usually the depiction of the Blackamoor was with a white person in black face. Which made it worse. So Black Peter was no longer black because he was a demon. Now he was literally black.
And a Muslim. The perfect demon for a racist society. So in modern times, his image was changed. Instead of a white person in black face, it was whoever was playing Black Pete. With their natural skin color.
And some dirt or soot on their face to lightly blacken it. And the name was changed to Sooty Peter instead. I have seen Black Peter’s image as a white man in nobleman’s clothing. That was years ago. The idea of his name meaning he’s actually a Black person confused me.
And while we are talking demons, we should discuss a subset of undead creature that is neither full ghost or full devil.
The Draugr
Not everything during Yule is merry. As mentioned before, winter is a time of the dead and of the Fae. According to A Dictionary of Northern Mythology by Rudolf Simek, this was the time when all manner of spirits were said to be loosed upon the world. This unfortunately also means evil spirits are out and about. Jólnir and his forces would hunt them down in what is popularly known as the Wild Hunt.
And drive them back into the other world. But at least these were just spirits being driven away. The worst supernatural creatures, were the ones who had physical bodies. It was said that during this time, several physical revenants returned as well. And the worst of them was the Draugr.
Meaning “again walker.” These entities are members of the dark dead. They can be aggressive if they aren’t resting well. It was said if a person died on certain days like Yule, they would not rest well in the grave. But other reasons a person became a Draugr was if they were murdered or committed suicide.
Or were not given a proper burial. Such as not being buried on holy ground. The worst of them were evil witches and wizards in life. Evil magic users normally come back as something worse in death. And they would arise as these corporeal revenants.
Basically, these are Norse zombies. That’s an over simplification but it’s the easiest way to explain it. They are one of the most powerful revenants though. They are all said to be sorcerers who can control the weather. These are just some of their powers.
They can do a great many things. And they have the power to curse. But despite this, not all Draugr are the same. Not all Draugr are the people who died. Sometimes they’re evil spirits possessing the corpses of the dead.
Other times they really are the person who passed away. But are angry for some reason, leading to their aggression.
Now, the first legends I heard claimed that the Draugr could not be killed by weapons formed by men. That only a hero who was strong enough could wrestle them to the ground and kill them. However, the video above mentions plenty of times when weapons did kill them. When heroes killed them by decapitating them with swords. Then burned the body to ashes.
And separated the ashes into different bodies of water. So either they can be killed by weapons. Or the hero’s can make weapons kill the Draugr. These were the creatures said to be out tonight. And Jólnir was hunting them.
So tonight while you’re out feasting, raise a toast to the All Father and the Norse Gods. And remember to leave offerings for Oski and his Tomte. And ask for many blessings in this new year. And who are the Tomte? Let’s find out.
The Tomte : Santa’s Elves
The most well known of the Yule Spirits are the Swedish Tomte or “homestead man”. Also called the Nisse in Norway. These are Elves associated with the winter time. Nisse is believed to come from the name of St. Nicholas. But others say it comes from the word niðsi (“dear little relative”).
And these creatures are the reason Santa Klaus looks the way he does. The way he is portrayed in blue, red, or green clothing as well as the cap he wears, is due to Oski’s appearance as an Elf. The Homestead Man or Dear Little Relative is akin to a house elf. Only these faeries only live on farms. Like all household fae, they protect and bless the home owners.
They range from half the size of a man to the size of a child. They have super strength surpassed only by other supernatural creatures. If a farmer treated the Tomte living in their home well, they would be blessed for life. And anyone fool enough to harass or injure a farmer who had a guardian Tomte or Nisse, was in for a surprise. The homestead fae would stop a thief with their superior strength.
Or perhaps hex a nasty neighbor. Or go over to that neigboor’s house and start a haunting.
The Tomte could become a powerful spirit guide. Even talisman to the person who knew how to work with them. You had to give them proper offerings of porridge with butter, milk, cream, or honey. Or any sweet and sugary substance you could find. And then make your request of them.
They would often sleep with the farm animals to protect them.
But also out of love for them. They would assist the farmer in the chores. And make the crops abundant. Some of the Tomte may be the dead reincarnated as nature entities. This seems to be a trend in a lot of cultures.
Eventually, the Tomte were paired with the Yule Goat. This may even have been an animal that was sacrificed in ancient times. But overtime, the Yule Goat became a goat idol made of straw that was ritually burned at Yule. The origin is that Thor had a chariot pulled by Goats. And Thor is also one of the origins of Santa Klaus.
But we’re focusing on just one origin at a time every year. Later the Tomte became Santa’s helpers. In fact, some traditions have them going from house to house with the Yule Goat. Giving gifts to children instead of Santa himself.
There are also stories of Odin riding his eight legged horse Sleipnir to watch over his people.
Turoń, the Christmas Bull of Poland
Now, nobody knows for sure where he comes from. The popular theory, is that he’s a remnant of the Slavic Polytheist faith. Possibly connected to a Deity of the Sun. If this is true, it could be that he’s connected to Dažbog. The God of the sun.
And yes that’s a swastika behind his head. No, it doesn’t belong to the Nazis. The Nazis stole the swastika from Asian cultures. And Hitler renamed it the Hakenkreuz (hooked cross) in his letters. Now remember that “Asian” isn’t just people you associate with nations such as China or India, some Europeans fall under that category as well.
Russia and Eastern Europe are also a part of Asia.
So the swastika was actually a common symbol used among Asian civilizations. Even to this day. It’s used everywhere from temple of the God Ganesha in India. To the Temples of the Korean Gods in South Korea. All the way to the Norse and Slavic Gods.
Even some of the people of the United Kingdom had swastikas.
This is the National symbol of the Isle of Man, the Three Legs of Man. First used in the 14th century. Sorry but I am tired of hearing people say it’s a racist symbol when it isn’t.
It’s a variation of the Ancient Sun Wheel.
Supposedly, he was connected to Dažbog. And he was venerated as a type of folk spirit on a holiday called Turzyce. Or at least that’s what the Polish ethnographer and folklorist Oskar Kolberg. He claims a German told him this. So it’s dubious as to whether or not any of this is true.
I have found no real evidence or mention of this holiday online. I would have to talk to Slavic worshippers on this. Or consult a few books to see if this has any evidence. It should be noted though that this comes from Polish tradition. Kolberg would have known his own culture well.
But it doesn’t look like he looked too deeply into this. I couldn’t find anything on Dažbog, the God of the Sun, being connected to a bull. So I consulted the list of Slavic Deities. I was amazed at what I found. I don’t think Turoń is connected to Dažbog at all.
I think he’s connected to Volos, also known as Veles. This God is connected to animals and nature. But also is the Lord of the Dead. And that actually makes a lot more sense. I mean look at this guy.
Is anyone really going to tell me he doesn’t look like some creepy underworld entity? Apparently Volos took on the form of several animals. And among them was the bull. Supposedly he was disguised as a bull in Christian times to continue worship of him. When the church discovered that, they began to disguise him as two Saints. First Vlasiy (Blaise).
Then Saint Nicholas. So who would have thought that we have a Slavic Santa Klaus. And in the form of Volos. And then later instead of St. Nicholas, Volos came to body Satan. Being part of the story of St. Nicholas and the Devil.
So unless someone comes to correct me, it is now my personal belief that Turoń is actually Volos or Veles himself. And that he’s got nothing to do with the sun. He doesn’t even look like an entity that would be connected to the sun. Turoń is connected to fertility. Something that Volos, as a nature God is definitely in charge of.
And Volos constantly changes shape between a bull, an ox, and a plethora of other animals. The only connection we have with Turoń being connected to the Sun God is what he is. An auroch, an extinct species of cattle. That back in the day was considered symbolic of the sun. But that’s pretty flimsy evidence to base on him being connected to Dažbog.
And as stated before, Volos was once worshipped as a Bull in Christianity. At least until the church found out. So there’s actually stronger evidence for my hypothesis than what Oskar Kolberg asserts. Which is basically second hand information from a German man. Not a Polish national.
I am not a trained member of Rodnovery, the reconstructed Slavic faith. But I don’t understand why Kolberg did such a flimsy job on explaining the genuine origins of such a beloved Christmas character. Perhaps it’s just the lazy research of non believers. Christians or secular people who aren’t passionate about these things. Because they don’t believe in it.
I think that’s enough for this year.
– M
Adventures of A Mage In Miami 