Yule: History, Lore & Celebration

by Anna Franklin

When we live in warm houses and can buy food from the supermarket all year round, we forget what the changing seasons meant in the past. As darkness and cold increase, plants shrivel and survival becomes harder. Every day, the sun seems to grow weaker as if it were dying, rising lower and lower in the sky each day. For our ancestors, the winter solstice was a dangerous time when darkness and chaos threatened to overwhelm the world.
And yet, in the moment of greatest gloom, the sun is reborn. With it light, life and hope are rekindled. The Wheel of the Year, which has been briefly stilled, spins on.
It is impossible to separate the traditions of the winter solstice from Christmas as all of the myths, symbols and customs of Christmas are Pagan in origin. But while Christians see time as linear and believe that the birth of the Divine Child came but once two thousand years ago, Pagans view time as cyclical and know that the Child of Light, and with him the world, is reborn and renewed every year.
In Yule, Anna Franklin investigates the origins, customs and traditions of the festival, and shares insights for celebrating it with rituals, feasts, herb craft and much more.

Genres: History

378 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2010

About the author

Anna Franklin is a Pagan priestess author and illustrator who writes about Paganism, herb cunning, the Craft, and tarot. She runs the Hearth of Arianrhod, which offers an Open Circle, courses, small local Pagan camps and the large Mercian Gathering. Anna lives in an English village with her partner John, their cats and chickens.

Reviews

[Lee Broderick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fairly comprehensive overview of the solstice/yule/Christmas traditions, but with a decidedly Wiccan bias.

I was prepared to give it three stars until the final chapter on rituals, which was full-on Wiccan how-to's with roles for high priests and priestesses. If that's not your thing (it's not mine) I'd suggest skipping it.

[Trista Hendren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating read

This well-researched book is a page turner. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will come back to it again and again. I only wish I could get a papetback version.