# gothicadvent faustianfriday druids mistletoe fairytaletuesday fairytaleflash wintersoltice vss365 owlishmonday midwinter mythologymonday folklorethursday wyrdwednesday iceland yulelads icelandicfolklore festive illustration christmas happyholidays krampus vintage postcards krampusnacht weird holidayseason fairytales folktales myths stories art film werewolves vampire

In winter the Wild Hunt motif provides a spectacular set of ghosts, riding over the countryside stealing souls. In some stories Odin is the leader (leading to some tenuous associations with Santa Claus). Happy Christmas!

13 30
2021-12-24

"We should mention the great admiration the that is what they call their magicians, who hold nothing more sacred than the mistletoe & the tree on which it is grows; a hard-timbered oak."

- Pliny, 1st century AD 🌱

1 12
2021-12-22

Winter solstice

Cakes and mulled wine

A walk in the woods

And all will be fine



(🖼= Eyvind Earle)

8 26
2021-12-21

Mercury glass Christmas tree ornaments in the shape of owls to symbolise wisdom (or perhaps the desire for it.)

18 91
2021-12-21

I did a talk last year about why people like to tell ghost stories at Christmas/Midwinter. It became a podcast episode, so if you've been wondering that very thing, you can find out here! https://t.co/tBGl69z5rk

50 202
2021-12-20

"On Yule Eve the sonar-boar was led into the hall before the king; then people laid their hands on its bristles and made vows" (Heimskringla)

and maybe this old sacrifice is remembered by eating pig cookies or pig's heads on Christmas

16 85
2021-12-20

The legend of the Christmas Rose and Madelon is a wonderful and touching tale. It reminds us that during Christmas gift-giving it is the thought that counts, and the most precious gifts are those that come from the heart. More: https://t.co/xMNWuEBypo

6 23
2021-12-19

Industrialization made printing cheaper and more accessible to authors who wrote 'short' stories around this time of year for the masses! Everyone at the time could retell the easy-to-follow structure of a ghost story from memory.
🖼️Robert W. Buss

6 24
2021-12-16

In Wales there is a wassailing folk custom using a macabre hobby horse called the Mari Lwyd. The festive horse skeleton travels door-to-door and challenges people to “pwnco” a rhyming battle of wits.
✨ 🎄#YuleFolklore

15 85
2021-12-16

The third Icelandic Yule Lad is Stúfur or Stubby. He's a bit short, but fast on his feet and enjoys stealing used pans to lick off the dried crusts. Who doesn't?!

2 10
2021-12-14

In Austria, St. Lucia’s Eve was a time when special danger from witchcraft was feared and averted by prayer and incense which was carried through each house and every room...



🎨Bauer

29 139
2021-12-12

Victorian Christmas cards were a bit creepy...

12 31
2021-12-11

It's almost time... for the kalikantzari.
These goblins emerge from underground on Christmas Day to wreak havoc on mankind. They are banished back to hell on Epiphany, when the holy light shines again.

https://t.co/6eHCC7fZXA

2 14
2021-12-10

Wise Men guided by a star illustration by Gustave Dore

My first thought of light in winter (although I know that historically they must have travelled a bit later in the year) from the story of the three magi/wisemen following a star to find Jesus.

1 7
2021-12-10

with

for
When I see these, I think:
Krampus has beautiful eyes in the 1st postcard
& I want to hitch a sweet ride w/Krampus & St. Nick in the 2nd postcard.

8 32
2021-12-08

Our fascination with ghostly Christmas tales goes back thousands of years and is rooted in ancient celebrations of the winter solstice.
In the depths of winter, Pagan traditions included a belief in a ghostly procession..
More: https://t.co/J8sUTmJd9O

7 29
2021-12-07

🌟Join us Tues 12/7🌟
to celebrate the
w/ theme
✨DARK
✨Krampus✨Winter Witches & Spirits✨Yule Ghosts✨& Other Strange Winter Creatures
in &
from around the world
in

39 100
2021-12-07

On Christmas Eve when the clock begins to strike twelve, the doors should be opened, that bad spirits may pass out and good spirits come in...

73 319
2021-12-05

The pricolici are Romanian of ancient lore, the reanimated corpses of evil men who've committed violent crimes. After a pricolici dies, it comes back as a They are said to be particularly active during the Christmas season.

2 10
2021-12-05

From November through the 12 days of Xmas,stay out of barns with opposite doors after dark. They're the kind through which the Wild Hunt is most likely to come riding.
If you do find yourself...


🖼️:Wild Hunt by Velamir on DeviantArt

7 25
2021-12-04