Godysseyさんのイラストまとめ

Yule became quite the beast to many a neopagan and reconstructionist of the 19th and 20th centuries, included in the Wiccan Rede and as a central part of the Wheel of the Year that codified in the years after pagan beliefs were made legal in countries like the UK.

Key in premodern baking is the mortar and pestle, which Baba Yaga uses to ride around in when setting out from her chicken-footed house. Often the task she sets children and herolings to is baking, making her something of a domestic witch. #MythologyMonday

🖼: H.J. Ford

Seasonal depression is divine, it turns out: Demeter grieves the loss of her daughter Persephone as she descends into the Underworld, and all plants wither and die. This is winter, and the Earth mourns each year. #FolkloreThursday

🖼: Kejokaya

Yule is a time for a the whole hog: from the Baltic states to Belmullet, pigs are traditional foods for the winter time. Many tie this to Frey, god of fertility and plenty, who rode a golden boar, and the spread of Yuletide traditions by Germanic peoples. #FairyTaleTuesday

The Yule Cat prowls, let loose from Gryla'a cottage in Iceland. The massive cat stalks the night, looking for those without new clothes to wear: so be proud of your new new sweater and socks, safe in the knowledge the Cat prowls not for thee. #FairyTaleTuesday

🖼: IrenHorrors

Marked with a large avian foot, Perchta is a either a beautiful woman or haggard old woman who comes during the holiday season, especially for women who spin despite taboos against spinning during the Days of Christmas. #FairyTaleTuesday

🖼: J. Dupp

The Yule Goat is a wide ranging Germanic tradition, made of straw or other materials depending on region and meant to represent the steed Father Christmas rides upon. This goat is likely a reference to Thor's rejuvenating goats, given that both represent food. #FaustianFriday

We know very little about Yule itself, and less about the Yule-beings. This title was given to the Norse gods, who rode across the Yule night sky in grand procession, often indicated by a great howl! #FaustianFriday

🖼: P.N. Arbo

Raven may be credited as the creator of the world in Haida culture, but that's more accident than anything. Raven is a trickster, always up to mischief, and what happens with him is often less intentionally benevolent. #FolkloreThursday

Winter is the Cailleach's, the first snow her cloak laid down. She travels the Gaelic Celtic world, often with her husband, the trickster Bodach, and their children. Often seen as cruel and harsh, she gives blessings and wisdom too, to those who are kind to her. #FolkloreThursday