Y is for Yule

I’m doing folklore and book review posts to reach and please a larger audience. Previous years have shown select interest in both and to minimise blogging throughout the year, I’m focusing my efforts on April.

If you’d rather check out my book review for today, go here.

As I’m also promoting my Faery Tales series this month, I had to choose folklore creatures that feature in the books for the A-Z, which is why the creature and letter are a bit twisted to fit together. LOL.

[intro about subject]

Folklore

[sources]

Encyclopedia of Fairies in World Folklore and Mythology by Theresa Bane

The 13th Century Poetic Edda is a complication of stories and poems from Scandinavian history, some as early 985AD. In this work and from Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda we learn about Odin riding an eight-legged horse named Sleipnir, that can leap great distances. At Yule, Odin leads a great hunting party through the sky in celebration

In some traditions of Odin’s Yule time ride, children could place their boots near the chimney filled with treats for Sleipnir and Odin would reward them for their kindness with food, candy or gifts.

The Yule Riders – when the inhabitants of Hel return to earth.

Yule, or Jól (pronounciation: “yoh-l”) was the name of the time between the Winter Solstice and the Jólablót – “Yule Sacrifice” – which originally may have happened on the 12th of January.

The dangerous powers that dominated mid-winter must have been fearsome things to people who in so many ways were dependent on their natural environment. There are some elements from later Norwegian folklore which may represent aspects of heathen survivals. One of these is the Oskoreia, or rather the “Ásgardr-riders”, the immortal souls of dead ancestors who ride through the nights of winter. The Oskoreia gathering is also known as the Jólareia, Jólaskreia, and Imberkulludn. I have not been able to translate the latter one yet, but the two before just mean the “Yule Riders”. The Yule Riders, consisting of various creatures of the Underworld and the souls of the dead made a fearsome gathering as they rode the dark lands of winter, and dangerous to those who crossed their paths, especially to those of impure intentions.

Some may recognize this image as somewhat similar to other continental folkloristic themes such as “The Wild Hunt” and similar.

*More can be read in the book.

Further Reading:

[links]

Folklore in a Nutshell by Ronel

[piece]

Yule Riders in Modern Culture

[sources]

Yule Riders in My Writing

Origin of the Fae: Yule Riders

[origin of fae]

[translation]

Antifreeze (Faery Tales #)

Remember that you can request all of my books from your local library!

Where did you hear about this creature for the first time? Any folklore you’d like to add? Check out my Pinterest board dedicated to this creature.

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