The Yule-Tide

The Mythical Yule

At first I was not going to bother with this again since there are so many differing opinions as to what is 'right' and what is 'wrong'. But those who are active within the Woden Folk-Community, and those who support us and take an active part themselves, deserve some kind of uniformity so as to take part in a Community Ritual. I must add, this is my own opinion on this, and many may differ here, but it is based more on common sense and the natural world as well as how we know our forefathers did things at this time of year. And it can be made easy to work, even with individuals and families who do not all share heathen beliefs, and lessening the chance of problems within families (and thus aiding our enemies in their aims). 

THE MOTHERS' NIGHT - This starts on the evening of December 20th where the Sisters of Wyrd or Norns are honoured. Since the Winter Sunstead can be either 21st or 22nd December this should be done in line with whichever is right for the year. 

THE WINTER SUNSTEAD - This can be either 21st or 22nd December and is done the day after the MOTHERS' NIGHT Rite. In mythical terms this is when the Sun 'dies' which is why I light a candle inside the Yule-Light to symbolism the Dying Sun. At this point the Sun 'stands still' - hence the use of Solstice or Sunstead, both of which mean 'Sun-Still'. (This appears to stand still, though in mythical terms it does so - this is symbolic.) 

RHE BEBORN SUN - This will thus be either 24th or 25th December according to the date of the Winter Sunstead. The Sun dies on 21st-22nd and for three days appears to 'stand still' (in death), and on December 24th-25th it is Reborn as the 'Reborn Sun'. Since we are here dealing with the Mythical Yule then the 'Reborn Sun' can just as easily be seen as the ' Birth of the Son' - the Father reborn as the Son. This is not a Judaeo-Christian thing, bar its having been taken from its heathen roots to use for a different purpose. The Gods die at Ragnarok, and they are 'reborn' as the Sons of the Gods. Where lies the difference? This ancient myth can be found in the Legend of Osiris who is slain by his uncle, Set, and is resurrected by his mother, Isis, resurrected as Horus the Son, born on December 25th. At this point I light another candle on the top of the Yule-Light, this is symbolic of the Reborn Sun. 

THE NEW YEAR - January 1st, making the Twelve Nights of Yule as the period of celebration, found in the Twelve Nights (Six of Peace - Six of War) period of the Great Year Cycle from 1933 to 1945. On January 1st 1989, January 1st 1990 and January 1st 1991 Woden either appeared to me in a dream (1989), a Vision of Light (1990) and his Two Ravens (1991, appeared visibly to both myself and my ex-wife). Thus I see Woden as being related to the New Year, the period of ending and new beginning. Thence comes the Wassailing Ritual for the coming year. 

I would have thought that our main aim in trying to revive a Yule-Fest is to counter the 'Christmas' that is now (not always) based upon economic materialism. The obvious reason why Judaeo-Christianity could not get rid of the Yule-Fest and the honouring of the Gods, Goddesses, and Ancestors was that it was too engrained in the lives of the Folk and in the Folk-Memory. There are today rumblings of an attack on 'Christmas' and such an attack will bring with it an attack on the origins of 'Christmas', origins found in Heathendom. 

In regard to the 'Reborn Son' we even have a Norse Saga where a child named 'Helgi' is born on December 25th and whose birth is accompanied by the Norns. What is most important here is the Mythical Yule-Tide, since when a Primal Myth is recreated in time, what happens is that Time and Space are dissolved into a 'Magical Time' which 'earths' this Primal Myth in this time - year after year after year........

And this Yule-Fest is in line with creating a new Folk-Religion that will unite the Germanic Folk in their struggle for survival - which is the most important thing for us, is it not? This Folk-Religion for the English must be a Germanic Religion, and thus suited to the Germanic Folk as a whole, in line with Wotanism and Odinism which are doing the same. This is exactly how J.R.R. Tolkien approached this, reviving a Germanic Mythology for the English Folk, one going back to Thule-Hyperborea and Atlantis.