Wassail is a common toast made during Yule, from the OE Wæs hæl, 'be healthy' or Wæs þu hæl, ‘be thou whole’. The Norse used the similar ‘ves heill’ meaning ‘be healthy’ and the phrase was even adopted into Welsh as gwasael. The reply to this gesture is the attested ‘Drinc hæl’ or 'drink hail'.

Hit is the wone
Ine Saxe-londe,
That freond saith to his freond,
Wan he sal drink
'Leofue freond wassail,
The other saith 'drinc hail.'

It is the wone (want)
in Saxon land
That friend says to his friend,
When he drinks in the hall
‘dear friend wassail’
The other says ‘drink hail'.

art Joseph Feely

The Wild Hunt, known as Herlaþing among the Anglo-Saxons, Wilde Jagd across Germania, & Ásgarðsreið in Scandinavia, takes place following the Winter Sunstead. Wóden leads the procession as the Allfather, while Frigg brings fertility & prosperity; together, they’re accompanied by the Æsir, Alfar & Einherjar. With the cold winds & ghostly hounds, the Hunt clears the land of evils & protects the folk from harm, hunger, disease, & misfortune.

As winter blows in, the Hunt drives away harmful forces, ensuring the land & folk are prepared for the returning light. Escaping the cold, the folk remain indoors during during much of this time, honoring the divine work & seeking the gods’ favor. Witnessing the Hunt is rare & dangerous, often carrying the weight of either blessings or doom.

The Wild Hunt moves across the lands even now, cleansing & protecting; a direct & undeniable act of the gods, ensuring order through the dark season.

~ Folcweard

https://linktr.ee/TheFrithstead

Holle by Iwobrand

Remember.

As you celebrate with your families, imbibing of the sacred alcohols, likely leaving a wee offering to your hearth-cult.

There is a God who sacrificed Himself to self...
So that man may know truth from riddles.

The King of our race, and a Lord to His devoted.
It is to Him that I toast on this quadricentennial Yuletide:

O Highest of High, the Most and Third, Valfather, ever we pledge.

WOTAN IS KING!

Glad Geola 🙏

Lugh by Forest Rogers

Pagan Afterlife Beliefs

The Fyrgen — Hammer in the East

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The Gylfaginning supports what is being said here.

GYLFAGINNING
III. Gangleri began his questioning thus: "Who is foremost, or oldest, of all the gods?" Hárr answered: "He is called in our speech Allfather, but in the Elder Ásgard he had twelve names: one is Allfather; the second is Lord, or Lord of Hosts; the third is Nikarr, or Spear-Lord; the fourth is Nikudr, or Striker; the fifth is Knower of Many Things; the sixth, Fulfiller of Wishes; the seventh, Far-Speaking One; the eighth, The Shaker, or He that Putteth the Armies to Flight; the ninth, The Burner; the tenth, The Destroyer; the eleventh, The Protector; the twelfth, Gelding."

Then asked Gangleri: "Where is this god, or what power hath he, or what hath he wrought that is a glorious deed?"

Hárr made answer: "He lives throughout all ages and governs all his realm, and directs all things, great and small." Then said Jafnhárr: "He fashioned heaven and earth and air, and all things which are in them." Then. spake Thridi: "The greatest of all is this: that he made man, and gave him the spirit, which shall live and never perish, though the flesh-frame rot to mould, or burn to ashes; and all men shall live, such as are just in action, and be with himself in the place called Gimlé. But evil men go to Hel and thence down to the Misty Hel; and that is down in the ninth world." Then said Gangleri: "What did he before heaven and earth were made?"
And Hárr answered: "He was then with the Rime-Giants."

Translated by Arthur Gilchrist Brodeur [1916]

https://www.patreon.com/posts/75949101?utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=android_share

The Wild Hunt by Kaspar Braun.

Distaff Day

After the Yuletide season passes, men and women soon have to return to their regular chores. In bygone days, when this everyday work resumed, women from all walks of life would be seen spinning wool, cotton, or flax into yarn. For much of history, long before the invention of the spinning wheel, the tedious task of twirling threads was done with a drop spindle and a distaff—a short staff meant for holding loose fibers, which is carried beneath the arm. 

The prefix comes from the Old German word for a bunch of flax—disene—and though its similarity to the word dísir is only a coincidence, the connection between our Goddesses and weaving the fate of mankind is well established. Many artistic depictions of Frigga and Saga show them holding a distaff, or sitting beside a spinning wheel. The Norns, too, are said to be cosmic weavers of the Web of Wyrd. 

So interwoven was the idea of this craft with women, that in some countries, “spear side” and “distaff side” even came to be legal terms describing paternal and maternal inheritance, respectively. Distaffs were also once a popular courting gift in Scandinavia. Suitors would demonstrate their woodworking skills by carving decorative designs or the lady’s initials at the end. In Scotland, it was common for men to hide notes or other small gifts in the loose fibers so that his beloved would find them later. Thus, the distaff was once a well-known domestic symbol for women’s work, creativity, and their role in maintaining the homestead and social bonds. 

It bears repeating what important work this was. All clothes, blankets, and other fabrics had to be made by hand. Spinning a pound of wool could take an entire week, and a pound of cotton could take several! Textiles were crucial articles of trade and supported local economies, eventually becoming one of the first trades to become fully industrialized in the 19th Century.

Older myths across Europe indicate that there were certain periods throughout the year when spinning was taboo—a common one being around Yuletide, when all kinds of work was to be put aside. Women caught spinning at this time would be punished by spirits, sometimes having to spin impossible amounts of flax in a single night to avoid a worse fate. Rumpelstiltskin may be an evolution of this older myth, where the miller’s daughter must spin straw into gold. Further removed from this may also be the tale of Sleeping Beauty, which more closely resembles the tale of Brynhild in the house of fire as told in the Saga of the Volsungs, but begins with the princess pricking her finger on a piece of flax or a spindle.

It was during the Medieval period when the English commenced January 7th as Distaff Day to celebrate the return to work. Although the dating of this holiday was initially canonized by Christians, it has since fallen into relative obscurity, as women’s household work has likewise lost its traditional place of importance. However, I believe this is an opportunity to pick up this thread and show recognition for our women and Goddesses, and their contributions to our homes, families, and communities. So take a moment to reflect on the ways our mothers and maidens have worked their magic in our own lives.

Hail Frigga!
Hail Saga!
Hail the Norns!
Hail the Dísir, Idisi, and the Weavers of Fate!

Shade McCurdy
RFU Oathed Leadership

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