Y is for Yuletide! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Odin

Odin was a Norse god of a long list of domains, including wisdom, healing, war, and sorcery. He was even credited with revealing the rune alphabet to the people. Some historians believe that it was from Odin, a name derived from the Old Norse "jol", that Yuletide was given its name. During Yule, represented as Old Man Winter, Odin rode his mighty steed, Sleipnir, who was so powerful that he could circle the earth in one night, to visit the children.

It was believed that he would enter homes through the fire hole to leave treats for them. To reciprocate the kindness, children would leave hay in their shoes for Sleipnir.

Answer: Wild Hunt

The Wild Hunt was a fearsome gathering of hunters, mostly dead souls, fairies, elves, and Valkyries, who were led by a god or goddess, or perhaps even the angel Gabriel or the Devil. Animals, such as wolves, also joined the group. During the Wild Hunt people especially wanted to stay inside; seeing the group was believed to bring some sort of catastrophe to an individual, such as war or plague.

A hapless viewer was considered to be more fortunate if the mob just took his/her spirit to join the group as he or she slept.

It was considered to be a time where there was more supernormal activity, and undead beings were also believed to walk the earth. While Jacob Grimm first published the story of the hunt in "Deutsche Mythologie" (1835), the Venerable Bede wrote of a similar Anglo-Saxon belief called Modranicht in "De temporum ratione" (725).

Answer: Winter solstice

Sources do not agree on how long the Yule season lasted, or when it even began. They do agree, however, that it was partly connected to the night of the winter solstice, also called midwinter. The winter solstice was a particularly scary time, with more darkness than light. During this time there was feasting and drinking, which are believed to have lasted for at least twelve days.

After the day of the winter solstice there was increasingly more light and the weather gradually grew warmer - think about how cold it is in the Scandinavian countries - so there was hope that winter would soon be over.

This type of celebration was typical for many cultures.

Answer: Evergreen wreaths

Because they were eternally green, it was believed that evergreens had the power to ward away demons, death, and destruction. They were the symbol of life. Norsemen would construct evergreen wreaths, which symbolized the earth's cycles, and hang them on their doors and windows to keep evil and darkness away from their homes. It didn't matter what type of evergreen was used - whatever grew nearby was fine - because evergreen was the symbol of life and renewal.

Holly, which also stayed eternally green, was viewed as being especially protective due to its spiked points, which were particularly good at keeping evil spirits away. The Norse associated it with Thor, who threw thunderbolts, and Freya, who controlled the weather. Hanging holly in the home, especially around doors and windows, protected it from lightning and other weather.

Answer: Harvest

Some historians believe the Yule goat could have originally been connected to the Norse god Thor. It was thought that he rode in a chariot that was pulled by Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr, two goats who provided meat for him, yet were resurrected every day.

Others believe that the Yule goat was connected to the harvest, and that makes sense considering that the Vikings had so little fertile soil (and such a short growing season) that they had to raid their neighbors and establish new settlements to have enough food.

The last plant of grain, called the Yule goat, was harvested and preserved because it was believed to have magical powers to insure the continued fertility of the land. In some areas the Yule goat would appear to make sure that the Yule was celebrated correctly - supernaturally, of course! Today a straw goat figure is a popular ornament on Christmas trees in Scandanavia.

Answer: True

And what do people call the singing of caroling today? Wassailing! Some sources say that the word is derived from the Old Norse "ves heill", which became the Middle English "waeshaeil". Most agree that the tradition was handed down to others from the Vikings, and that the songs that were sung were incorporated into the songs of other cultures. Over time two types of wassailing developed; peasants would sing door to door hoping for a bit of seasonal charity, and singers would also visit orchards to sing to trees. They believed this would wake the trees up and get them ready to grow in spring, and keep away demons that might make the harvest less plentiful.

With all the feasting and drinking that took place during the Viking Yuletide, it makes sense that toasting and singing were taking place. There was a lot of toasting! The first toast was made to Odin for victory and might, the second to Njörðr and Freyr for good harvests and peace, and the third to the king. These might have been followed by toasts to departed family members. While very little is known about Viking music, a variety of instruments have been found in archaeological digs. Although there is very little information about the songs, some of the words, found in various sagas and stories written by others, were about love and war; the Vikings even sang lullabies to their children. There were also songs to praise the gods and ensure a bountiful harvest. Songs sung during Yule were believed to bring good fortune the rest of the year.

Answer: Boar

Both sagas, the "Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks" and ""Helgakviða Hjörvarðssonar", mention the blot, or sacrifice, of a wild boar, which was called Sonargöltr. The boar would be brought inside and people would lay their hands on the animal and make very solemn vows and oaths. The boar was associated with the god Freyr, who rode on a boar named Gullinbursti. Freyr was the god of many domains, including peace, sunshine, and good harvest, and the Vikings sacrificed to him so that he would in turn give these things back in return.

Vikings believed that brave warriors feasted in the halls of Valhalla after death. They were served meat from the boar Sæhrímnir, who was resurrected every day to be the centerpiece of the feast. No matter how many warriors feasted, there was also enough of this magic boar to go around.

Answer: Mistletoe

Baldr was the god of goodness and light. A special spell protected him from all weapons, however, when the spell was cast, it overlooked the fact that something as simple as a branch of mistletoe could do him harm. An arrow poisoned with mistletoe killed him. Baldr's mother, Frigga, had the power to resurrect her son with her tears, that turned the red berries of the mistletoe to white. So mistletoe represented many ideals to the Vikings, such as a mother's love, renewal of life, and goodness.

Answer: It was kept to light next year's log.

Typically a long oak tree, the Yule log was inscribed with runes which were intended to invoke the protection of the gods, and decorated with sprigs from evergreen trees. The longer the Yule log burned, the faster the sun would return, but there was a practical aspect to the tradition as well - the log provided light in the darkness, and warmth from the chilling weather.

It was crucial, however, to make sure that a portion of the log remained at the end of Yuletide. While it was important to light the next year's Yule log with the remains of the last year's, throughout the year, having it inside the house, offered a certain amount of protection from evil spirits. Live evergreen trees were also typically decorated with statues of the gods, foodstuffs, and runes, as a reminder that light would return.

Answer: No

Of course, they didn't. Yuletide had its beginning as a pagan festival to deal with the bleakness of the winter solstice. Christmas began as a celebration of Christ's birth. So - although no one knows for sure when that occurred, why not celebrate it during the winter solstice? How is it that there are so many other similarities? As Christianity spread, it was necessary to blend some traditions and beliefs with local people whose conversion was sought by the church. It was relatively easy for Norsemen to understand the importance of Christ's resurrection, as they believed that Baldr had been resurrected too, to convert. As long as they believed in Christ, it was unnecessary to do away with their other beliefs that did not conflict. And - remember - with early Christianity being deeply tied to Rome, there was the influence of the ancient Saturnalia, held during the winter solstice, from the ancient Romans, who not only decorated evergreen trees, but also sacrificed pigs to the earth goddess, held festivities, sang songs, and lit candles to bring in the light.

Today the Christmas season is also called the Yuletide by some, but the two events had completely different origins.