12 Nights of Yule

Yule (Ærre-Giuli, Hrutmanudhr , Jól, Jul, Yuletide, December)

Many modern scholars believe that a Mid-Winter or Winter Solstice celebration has been an important part of indigenous European traditions and culture since at least 2400 BC by one name or another. Although we do not know exactly, there is much discussion among Historians and Archeologists about when the name Yule truly came to be a mainstay name. We do know that this time of the year has been commonly recognized as Yule since before 1000 AD at the latest. The Name Yule is thought, by many scholars, to be an expression of the name Odin representing the eternal wheel and sometimes the sun.

Yuletide (Jólagleði - Yule Joy) is perhaps the greatest, at least to me, of all Heathen holidays. It is a time of celebration and close family contact that lasts twelve days and nights; each of which can be viewed as a month of the preceding year in miniature. Many of the customs associated with Christmas actually began from Heathen Yule rites and customs. Many Gods and Goddesses are honored during Yuletide and Most Asatruar believe that they, as well as the spirits of the earth and our ancestors, all join us for the celebrations. All are our kith and kin, after all. 

Odin, in his aspect as the God of Death and Transition, is honored at this time. "The Wild Hunt" rages over the whole world seeking out and sweeping up the dead, ushering out the dead old year itself. It's also common to honor Freyr in his aspect as a God of a conceived new year of growth and promise. Thor is honored for droning back the Frost Giants. 

There are many traditions and practices that are traditional to the month of yule the most well known is of course the 12 days of Yule. Some others are the Burning of a Yule log. The eating of Goose. Taking Oaths on a Boar. And celebrating Yggdrasil. I will post this year on all of the 12 days as a part of my personal daily Yule rituals.

I love the Yule season.

First night of Yule - Mother Night
Sacred to Frigga, Fraya and the Desir

"To our mother Nerthus, to whom we live upon and on, To our mother Frigga, keep our household whole and safe, To our mother Freyja, great Dis and Valiant Van.
To our Ancestors, grand mothers and great all. The line of woman go back from Elmbla and forward until Leifthansa. Strength and courage were theirs and may it always be so.
For our Desir, we hail you one and all. Proud possessors of the family luck. Bless us in the coming year!
Hail the Goddesses! Hail the Ancestors! Hail the Desir!"
- Dave and Sandi Carron with Ravencast - The Asatru Podcast

As the night before the Winter Solstice, this is the time when the New Year is born. We honor the beginning of the Sun's return and the breaking of Winter's spell. Traditionally, this night belongs to Frigg, the mother Goddess and mistress of home and hearth. Celebrations center around the wife or mother of the family as she symbolically cleans the house in preparation of Yule festivities, invites both the living and the dead to join the party, and bestows blessings and gifts on her family and friends. Mother Night Parties follow a special blot and ceremony where the house is lit with candle light. Sometimes, this includes a Yule Wreath of four candles, the decorating of an evergreen tree with sunwheels, and the lighting of the Yule Log. I am especially fond of Mother Night as it was the the first Heathen holiday I ever celebrated.

On this day we also remind ourselves of the virtue of Industriousness. Modern Asatruar must be industrious in their actions. We need to work hard if we are going to achieve our goals. There is so much for us to do. We've set ourselves the task of restoring Asatru to it's former place as a mainstream faith and by doing so reinvigorating our society and culture. We can't do this by sitting on our virtues, we need to make them an active part of our behavior. Industry also refers to simple hard work in our daily vocations, done with care and pride.

Many Asatru also calibrate each day of the 12 days of yule as an expression of each of the months of the year. In this tradition we will keep in mind the month of Snowmoon (January) and the Charming of the plow keeping in mind gifts to the soil, the earth and to the dead, as well as reminding ourselves of our debt to our ancestors and our decedents.

Glad Yuletide to Everyone. Hail,

Second night of Yule - The Wild Hunt
Sacred to Odin and Ullr

"Odin, All-father, Sig-Father! Leader of the Wild Hunt! Bring us wisdom and weal in this darkest of seasons.
Fjölnir, Wise One Gangleri, Wanderer Grímnir, Masked One
Jölfuðr, Yule father Jólnir, Yule figure Óski, God of Wishes
Rúnatýr, God of Runes Síðgrani, Long Beard Sigðir, Victory bringer
Leader of the Gods, Chooser of the Slain, Bearer of Gungir, We honor you for the breath of life. We thank you for your gifts of the Runes We praise Odin!
Hail Odin! Hail Odin!"
- Dave and Sandi Carron with Ravencast - The Asatru Podcast

On this day we remind ourself of the importance of Hearth and Home as our ancestors remind us to avoid the Wild Hunt. known as Odin's Hunt, the Wild Ride, the Raging Host or Asgardreia. Odin, or Ullr depending on the time of the year, followed by the ghosts of the dead, would roam the skies, accompanied by furious winds, lightning and thunder, Gathering lost souls (and everyone else) that was on the path of the Hunt.

On this day we also remind ourselves of the virtue of Perserverence. Our religion teaches us that the world is an imperfect place, and nothing comes easy. We need to continue to seek after that which we desire. In this imperfect world there are no free lunches or easy accomplishments--especially in the subjects we have set before ourselves. If we truly wish to build an Asatru community that people will hold up as an example of what committed people can do, then we must persevere through the hardships that building our religion is going to entail. We must be willing to continue on when we are pushed back. If one loses a job for ones religion, the answer is not to go back and hide, but to continue until one finds a vocation where one can more forward and live as an Asatruar should.

We will keep in mind the month of Horning (February) and many Asatruar celebrate the wooing by Freyr of the Maiden Gerdr; a symbolic marriage of the God of Fertility with the Mother Earth. In much of Northern Europe, grain cakes were offered for the soil's fertility and Father Sky and Mother Earth were invoked to that end.

Glad Yuletide to Everyone. Hail,


Third night of Yule - High Feast of Yule - Beginning of Runic Year
Sacred to Thorr and Freyr

Friend Thor, grant me strength, and courage.
Be with me on path today.
Brother Freyr, grant me good speech.
Help me make good choices.
Hail

the Winter Solstice, this is the time when the New Year is born. We honor the beginning of Sunnas return and the breaking of Winter's spell. This is a time to honor Thor and Freyr, celebrate by Blot, Sumbel, Games and High Feast. Burn a Yule Log and jump the flames for luck and purification. It is a time for rekindling friendships, taking oaths and setting yearly goals.

On this day we also remind ourselves of the virtue of Courage. In virtually every statement of values applied to Asatru, Courage is of utmost importance. Few of us face such turmoil as a literal battle for ones life. In fact, I believe it might be easier to manifest courage in such a situation than to do so in the many smaller day to day occurrences in which courage is called for in most of our lives.

Today we will keep in mind the month of Lenting (March) and the Spring Equinox. this festival marks the end of Winter and the beginning of the season of rebirth. Libations of mead are poured onto the Earth. Personally, I like to think of Idis-thing as the birth of a new green earth and Ostara as her coming of age.

Glad Yuletide to Everyone. Hail,


Fourth night of Yule
Sacred to Aegir, Niord and Freya

Sigurd, earl of Hlader, was one of the greatest men for sacrifices, and so had Hakon his father been; and Sigurd always presided on account of the king at all the festivals of sacrifice in the Throndhjem country. It was an old custom, that when there was to be sacrifice all the bondes should come to the spot where the temple stood and bring with them all that they required while the festival of the sacrifice lasted. To this festival all the men brought ale with them; and all kinds of cattle, as well as horses, were slaughtered, and all the blood that came from them was called "hlaut", and the vessels in which it was collected were called hlaut-vessels. Hlaut-staves were made, like sprinkling brushes, with which the whole of the altars and the temple walls, both outside and inside, were sprinkled over, and also the people were sprinkled with the blood; but the flesh was boiled into savoury meat for those present. The fire was in the middle of the floor of the temple, and over it hung the kettles, and the full goblets were handed across the fire; and he who made the feast, and was a chief, blessed the full goblets, and all the meat of the sacrifice. And first Odin's goblet was emptied for victory and power to his king; thereafter, Niord's and Freyja's goblets for peace and a good season. Then it was the custom of many to empty the brage-goblet (1); and then the guests emptied a goblet to the memory of departed friends, called the remembrance goblet. Sigurd the earl was an open-handed man, who did what was very much celebrated; namely, he made a great sacrifice festival at Hlader of which he paid all the expenses. Kormak Ogmundson sings of it in his ballad of Sigurd: – "Of cup or platter need has none The guest who seeks the generous one, – Sigurd the Generous, who can trace His lineage from the giant race; For Sigurd's hand is bounteous, free, – The guardian of the temples he. He loves the gods, his liberal hand Scatters his sword's gains o'er the land"
– Hakon the Good's Saga , Heimskringla

Today remind yourself of the importance of feast, toasting, kinship and hospitality. Keep the traditions of Aegir and his hall, remember all of the Gods and Goddesses eating, drinking, boasting and sharing with each other. Build your personal community today, strengthen the bonds of kinship. Relish your friendships.

On this day we remind ourselves of the virtue of Community. Cooperate with kin and friends, do your fair share, and remember your responsibilities to others.

Today we will keep in mind the month of Ostara (April) and Sumarsdag. Many celebrate the first day of Summer in the old Icelandic calendar. In Iceland it had strong agricultural overtones, but elsewhere throughout the Nordic world, mid-April was a time to sacrifice to Odin for victory, called the Sigrblot . The ships were leaving port to seek trade, new lands, and plunder (whether this is honorable or not is a matter of opinion). It is a time to consider new projects and life choices. Remember that your life is an adventure - it is what you make of it. Where do you wish to sail and how will you win victory?

Glad Yuletide to Everyone. Hail,



Fifth night of Yule
Sacred to Community

Within the gates ere a man shall go, Full long let him look about him; For little he knows where a foe may lurk, And sit in the seats within.
Hail to the giver! a guest has come; Where shall the stranger sit.
Swift shall he be who with swords shall try The proof of his might to make.
Fire he needs who with frozen knees Has come from the cold without; Food and clothes must the farer have, The man from the mountains come.
Water and towels and welcoming speech Should he find who comes to the feast; If renown he would get, and again be greeted, Wisely and well must he act.
Wits must he have who wanders wide, But all is easy at home; At the witless man the wise shall wink When among such men he sits.
– Havamal, Transcribed and Edited by Ari Odhinnsen

Today remember to be a good geast as well as a good host, no mater where you happen to be.

On this day we remind ourselves of the virtue of Hospitality. Hospitality is simply one of the strongest core values at the heart of virtually every ancient human civilization. In a community/folk religion such as our own, it is the virtue that upholds our social fabric. In ancient times it was essential that when a traveler went into the world he could find some sort of shelter and welcome for the night. In modern times it is just as essential that a traveler find friendship and safety.

Today we will keep in mind the month of Merrymoon (May) and the summer festival of May Day. The celebration of the mystical union with the land, honouring of Freyr and Freya. Dances around the May tree; bonfires on hills. The May Pole/Tree brought from the woods to the town symbolizes that the fertility of nature shall be brought to the town community.

Glad Yuletide to Everyone. Hail,



Sixth night of Yule
Sacred to Eir and Healing

"Hail Eir! Hail the Handmaden of Frigga! Good Goddess of Speedy Healing!
"Hail to the gods! Ye goddesses, hail, And all the generous earth! Give to us wisdom and goodly speech, And healing hands, life-long. Sigrdrifumol.
Hail Eir."
- Dave and Sandi Carron with Ravencast - The Asatru Podcast

On this day take the time to keep in mind your health and the health of your loved ones. Taking care  of ourselves and those close to us through out the year is important not only to life but also to our ancestry. Keep in mind the ideas of eating well, moderation and self preservation.

On this day we remind ourselves of the virtue of Discipline. In any discussion of the values of Asatru, discipline is best described as self-discipline. It is the exercise of personal will that upholds honor and the other virtues and translates impulse into action. If one is to be able to reject moral legalism for a system of internal honor, one must be willing to exercise the self-discipline necessary to make it work. Going back to my earlier criticism of society, if one rejects legalism, one must be willing to control ones own actions. Without self-discipline, we have the mess we all too often see in our culture.

Today we will keep in mind the month of Midyear (June) and Midsummer. The summer solstice was second only to Yule in importance to the ancient Northmen. It is also a time for general merriment and, in the Scandinavian countries, many of what we know as the traditional May Day rituals, such as May Poles and Morris Dances, were celebrated at Midsummer rather than in May. This was the traditional time for holding the Allthing in ancient times, so the day is dedicated to Tyr, the God of Justice and Order. As we pass through the longest day and the shortest night of the year, it is also appropriate to meditate on the good things of life. Asatruar remember "Balder the Beautiful" at this time and also honor the Sun (Suna) itself.

Glad Yuletide to Everyone. Hail,


Seventh night of Yule
Sacred to Thor

Friend Thor, grant me strength, and courage.
Be with me on path today.
Grant me courage and foresight.
Help me make hard choices.
Hail Thor

On this day we remember the importance of our community and how we effect it. Remember Thor as you travel for one gathering to the next and all of the traveling that we and our loved ones do this time of the year. Also remember Sif this time of Year as we sit and eat at all of the feasting. Sif was of great importance to our ancestors as a goddess of the fields and grains that where so much a part of peoples diets through the winter. Thor and Sif are also important this time of the year because they (especially Thor) was looked at as the protectors of Children. Thor is also the traditional figure that was become (over the years) who we recognize as Santa.

On this day we remind ourselves of the virtue of Fidelity. A word that is far too often defined by it's narrow use in terms of marital fidelity. By the dictionary it simply means being faithful to someone or something. In marriage this means being true to ones vows and partner, and this has been narrowly defined as limiting ones sexual experience to one's spouse. While I have found this to be great practical advice, many treat fidelity as if there were no other ways in which one could be faithful or unfaithful.

Today we will keep in mind the month of Haymoon (July). There is no traditional Blot or festival at this time of the year. I believe that this is because our ancestors where in the middle of great work in the fields, with the animals, hunting, fishing, gathering and preparing for the things. so on this day I remind myself that this a time to store and prepare for the times of the year when things may be leaner then now when things are in plenty.

Glad Yuletide to Everyone. Hail,



Eighth night of Yule
Sacred to Skathi and Ullr

"Hunter's Goddess, Snowshoe Goddess, Goddess of Cold Counsel Goddess of Revenge, Loki's Agony, Scathing Goddess Wise god-bride, Ski Goddess, dweller of the rocks
You who have helped us provide for our families in this coldest of times We honor you during this darkest and holiest time of the year
ski-god, bow-god, hunting-god and shield-god. God of Oaths, Listener at the Flames, Dweller of Ydalir
You who have helped us provide for our families in this coldest of times We honor you during this darkest and holiest time of the year
Hail Skathi! Hail Ullr! Hail the Gods!"
- Dave and Sandi Carron with Ravencast - The Asatru Podcast

Keep in mind the importance of the hunters in our lives. On this day try to remember Skathi and Ullr as gods of the hunt. Our ancestors still hunted this time of year to keep meats and nourishment on the table even though hunting in the north this time of year was difficult and dangerous. Raise a horn to those that provided the meat on the table as we feast and share.

On this day we remind ourselves of the virtue of Truth. Truth is the one that most led our kindred to embrace this statement of values as our own. Early in our discussions, we decided that no matter what values we chose to hold out as our own, truth must be among them. It is a word that holds so much in its definition, and includes such a wide variety of moral and philosophical beliefs that we were all drawn to it as a simple statement of what we stood for.

Today we will keep in mind the month of Harvest (August) and Freyfaxi (Loaf Fest). Freyfaxi marked the beginning of the harvest in Iceland. Dedicated to the God of the harvest, it was a time for celebration with horse races, martial sports, and of course a Blot to Freyr and a feast. Thor, as hallower and defender of the fields, is also honored as is his fair wife Sif whose golden hair reminds us of the corn. Traditionally, three stalks of the first grain are bound together into a sheaf and kept as an amulet of fortune. Oftentimes, this sheaf, bound by a wise woman, was left in the field as magical protection for the crop. The penultimate sheaf is kept for the Yule feast. The last sheaf is left on the field for Odin's horse Sleipnir.

Glad Yuletide to Everyone. Hail,


Ninth night of Yule
Sacred to Odin

"All-father, leader of the wild hunt, Har You who gained the wisdom of the runes, Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us and bringing the power of the runes to Midgard.
138 I wot that I hung on the wind-tossed tree all of nights nine, wounded by spear, bespoken to Odin, bespoken myself to myself, upon that tree of which none telleth from what roots it doth rise.
139 Neither horn they upheld nor handed me bread; I looked below me - aloud I cried - caught up the runes, caught them up wailing, thence to the ground fell again.
144 Knowst how to write, Knowst how to read, Knowst how to stain, how to understand Knowst how to ask, Knowst how to offer, Knowst how to supplicate, Knowst how to sacrifice?
During this time of the Year we seek knowledge of our future We seek to know our Wyrd And find our fate.
Hail Odin! Hail the Aesir! Hail the Vanir!"
- Dave and Sandi Carron with Ravencast - The Asatru Podcast

On this day we remind ourselves of the virtue of Honor. Honor is the basis for the entire Asatru moral rationale. If anything comes out in the Eddas and Sagas it is that without honor we are nothing. We remember two types of peoples from ancient times: those whose honor was so clean that they shine as examples to us and those who were so without honor that their names are cursed a thousand years after they lived. Good Asatruar should always strive to be among the former.

Today we will keep in mind the month of Shedding (September) and the Autumn Equinox. The harvest festival of the year (or the second one if the kindred likes to celebrate Freyfaxi in August). Fertility Gods (Vanir) are usually invoked for their blessing upon the fields and the on-going harvest. Many honor Frey & Freya as well as Nerthus & Njord. As it is a harvest festival, a large feast of local fall crops is appropriate. It is a good time to reflect upon the labors of the past year and brace oneself for the coming of Winter. Count your blessings and harness your strength and confidence for the lean times ahead.

Glad Yuletide to Everyone. Hail,




Tenth night of Yule
Sacred to Sunna and our ancestors

Hail to the day,
Hail, to the sons of day.
Hail to the night,
Hail, to the daughters of night.
Look upon us with kind eyes,
And grant us courage.

Hail to the gods.
Hail to the goddesses.
Hail to the green earth
That gives to us all.
Show us good speech and wisdom,
Grant us healing hands and joy,
in this life.
Hail.
- the Poetic Edda - Lay of Sigdrifa

Today remember that Sunna becomes stronger each day from now until Midsummer. Today begins the next yearly circle. Let us be glad that Sunna returns and with her warmth, growth and light. Many people will, with friends and family, stay up throw the hole night so that they can say goodbye to the old Sunna and Luna and hello to the new day and the new year and insure that the gods are still with us for one more year.

On this day we remind ourselves of the idea of Justice. Let equity and fairness be your hallmark. Treat others in accordance with what they deserve, and give each person a chance to show his or her best.

Today we will keep in mind the month of Hunting (October) and Winternights (Vetrarblot, Alfarblot). Winter Nights also celebrates the bounty of the now completed harvest, but more importantly, honors the Alfs, Disir and Huldfolk. The mood of Winternights is one of conserving resources against the scarcities of the coming cold season. This is the time of year when the animals which could not be fed through the coming winter were killed and the meat preserved. Usually at least one such animal was the subject of sacrifice with the kin eating the holy meat during feast. Libations of ale, milk, or mead are traditionally poured onto the earth as an offering. Apples may be offered to the Alfar. Hay may be given to Sleipnir, Odin's mighty steed thus marking the kindred's home as one that welcomes and respects the Furious Host.

Glad Yuletide to Everyone. Hail,



Eleventh night of Yule
Sacred to Goddesses and the Valkrie.

Hail to the day,
Hail, to the sons of day.
Hail to the night,
Hail, to the daughters of night.
Look upon us with kind eyes,
And grant us courage.

Hail to the gods.
Hail to the goddesses.
Hail to the green earth
That gives to us all.
Show us good speech and wisdom,
Grant us healing hands and joy,
in this life.
Hail.
- the Poetic Edda - Lay of Sigdrifa

On this day we remind ourselves of the virtue of Self Reliance. Industry brings us directly to the virtue of Self-Reliance, which is important both in practical and traditional terms. Going back to the general notion of this article, we are dealing with a form of morality that is largely self-imposed and thus requires self-reliance. We rely on ourselves to administer our own morality.

Today we will keep in mind the month of Fogmoon (November) and the Feast of Ullr. We honor our Gods and Goddesses of the hunt (it is deer hunting season in many parts of the country). We thank them for a successful hunting season with a blot and also bless/honor those who hunt to support the family. At my home, we set an extra place at the table and leave it empty so that any ancestor who wishes may join us for the feast. This is a great time for telling tales handed down through the family. Still other Asatruar refer to this holiday as "Weyland Smith's Day" and uses it to honor that great Germanic craftsman as well as those artists and artisans around us.

Glad Yuletide to Everyone. Hail,




Snowmoon,  January 1st
Twelfth night of Yule. Or better said as the first day of the new year.
Sacred to all of the Gods and Goddesses as well as the Asir and Dsir.

Frey took the kingdom after Njord, and was called drot by the Swedes, and they paid taxes to him. He was, like his father, fortunate in friends and in good seasons. Frey built a great temple at Upsal, made it his chief seat, and gave it all his taxes, his land, and goods. Then began the Upsal domains, which have remained ever since. Then began in his days the Frode- peace; and then there were good seasons, in all the land, which the Swedes ascribed to Frey, so that he was more worshipped than the other gods, as the people became much richer in his days by reason of the peace and good seasons. His wife was called Gerd, daughter of Gymis, and their son was called Fjolne. Frey was called by another name, Yngve; and this name Yngve was considered long after in his race as a name of honour, so that his descendants have since been called Ynglinger. Frey fell into a sickness; and as his illness took the upper hand, his men took the plan of letting few approach him. In the meantime they raised a great mound, in which they placed a door with three holes in it. Now when Frey died they bore him secretly into the mound, but told the Swedes he was alive; and they kept watch over him for three years. They brought all the taxes into the mound, and through the one hole they put in the gold, through the other the silver, and through the third the copper money that was paid. Peace and good seasons continued.
– Yingling Saga, Heimskringla.

This culminates the traditional twelve days of Yule. Traditionally, it is the night of the greatest feasting. This will usually include some form of pork; pigs were a common winter meat source and were sacrificed at this time, also the boar is a sacred animal of Frey. Golden apples are another treat and symbolize the youth and vitality of the new year. A vigil is held from dusk until dawn so that all kin may acknowledge the passing of the Wild Hunt and honor the rising sun of the new year. The vigil is a festive one and includes a long sumbel, story-telling, song, etc. Oaths sworn on this night, usually on Frey's boar or the hammer of Thor, are particularly holy. Words during sumbel are said to bear great weight and power. It is a time to count blessings, take stock and lay a course for the future.

On this day we remind ourselves of the idea of Wisdom. Learn from your experiences. Grow in the understanding of the world, and of the human heart. Comprehend as much of the universe as you can in the years available to you.

I wish Prosperity, Wealth and good will for all of you.

Glad Yuletide to Everyone. Hail,