Nothing like a good old-fashioned blood sacrifice!
Are there any carols to go with this?
radpumpkinsays
Being the lovable misanthrope that I am, I fully support this new holiday tradition. Glory and approbations to our Grand Lord Odin (aka the dude after whom we named Wednesday). Really, is it any more barbaric than the xian crap?
Local Krampusnacht celebration in my town tonight, woohoo! There will be a dude dressed up as a demon and he’ll whack people with foam sticks. No details yet on whether he’ll be eating any children. Also human sacrifice, if by sacrifice you mean drinking a lot of beer and acting silly.
NitricAcidsays
Shouldn’t there be a lot more clips and clops if that’s really Sleipner?
Brother Ogvorbis, OM . . . Really?says
So we get to stay up and listen for the sound of his eight-legged horse? Kewl!
freelunchsays
“Also human sacrifice, if by sacrifice you mean drinking a lot of beer and acting silly.”
Many humans feel like they have been sacrificed the next morning after such activity.
We must all remember to worship all the gods we can to make certain that the days don’t keep getting shorter.
CJOsays
“Deep within Yggdrasil”? Woden hung out there for a while, har har, but he wasn’t supposed to reside there as far as I know. And Krampusnacht, whatever its (now obscure) origins in Germanic culture, is assimiliated to Christmas now; I know of no clear connection with Norse religion. Krampus’ role is ‘bad cop’ to St. Nicholas.
Browniansays
Are there any carols to go with this?
Please let neighbours not be wary,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Troll with tunes by Beiber and Perry,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Grisly, though we will not waver,
Fa la la, la la la, la la la!
Children’s blood will win gods’ favour,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
C’mon, you all know the rest!
steve oberskisays
Sign on a local church is advertising xmas services “with live animals”.
I have this urge to wander over some dark night and add:
“and human sacrifices”.
Browniansays
Sign on a local church is advertising xmas services “with live animals”.
I’ve seen that ad, though not on a church, and Xmas was spelled with two more X’s. Their services weren’t very Christmassy, if you ask me.
They did have a manger filled with hay that the animals ate from, though. I was very impressed with the muscle control of the actor who played it.
chigau (違う)says
Oh bloody night
The knives are brightly shining,
It is the night of … something …
meh. I got nothin’.
Our grown sons will be showing up for a few days. On the 25th, we will get Chinese take-out. Or as my wife puts it: a traditional Jewish Christmas dinner.
NitricAcidsays
I’m lining up to go to that service with Brownian.
Hark! The police sirens wail,
Grab that kid, and hit the trail!
Use your duct tape and your wire,
Later toss all in the fire.
Flaying knives and bone defleshers,
Joints will break with subtle pressures,
Quick! Before Geraldo nears,
Soak your floor with children’s tears
Hark! The police sirens wail,
Grab that kid, and hit the trail!
On a semi-related topic, can’t wait for the Avengers movie!
Russellsays
1.
Deck the halls with giblets jolly
Angel wing their lungs, by golly
Tra la la la la la la , lah la lah
Wind their guts around the chimney
Or a menhir if its windy
Tra la la, la la la , lah la lah
Tread we now a Yuletide measure
Tra la la, la la la , lah la lah
Break their heads and take their treasure
Tra la la, la la la , lah la lah
Rape and pillage, loot and burning
Yuletide cheer we here are earning
Tra la la la, lah, lah lah , la la lah!
interrobangsays
You people are sick. Sick, I say, sick!
…keep up the good work.
Gregory Greenwoodsays
“Silent night, bloody night!
All are slain, gore is bright
Round yon Norse God and Octopod Steed
Mighty warhammer will make Jörmungandr bleed
Drink in heavenly Valhalla
Drink in heavenly Valhalla
Silent night, bloody night!
Mortals quake at the sight
Lightening streams from Asgard afar
Æsir hosts sing Miðgarðr!
Thor, Sönnungr is here!
Thor, Sönnungr is here!
Silent night, bloody night!
Odin’s son, battle’s pure light
Ruddy locks frame Thy noble face
‘Till the dawn of Ragnarök’s grace
Thor, Lord, at Thy final battle
Thor, Lord, at Thy final battle.”
Zinc Avengersays
Inspired by this comic I might find some way of working a viking hat into my festivities. Maybe blood-eagle a priest or two. You know, something fun.
Randolph the bow-legged cowboy
Had a very shiny gun
And if you ever saw it
You would turn around and run.
All of the other cowboys
Used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Randolph
Join in any poker games.
Then one foggy Christmas Eve
The sheriff came to say,
“Randolph with your gun so bright
Did you shoot you wife tonight?”
Then all the cowboys loved him
As they shouted out with glee,
“Randolph the bow-legged cowboy,
You’ll hang from the highest tree!”
'Tis Himself, OMsays
Rudolph’s nose is red but all the other reindeer have brown noses. They’re all dissing Rudolph until the boss says “Rudolph, you’re my boy.”
“Then all the reindeer loved him.”
stevebowensays
The nordic origins of santa are something of a Thor point
echidnasays
The Krampus tradition never fully assimilated into Christmas. No matter how much st. Nicholas gloss was put over it, it remained stubbornly associated with earlier times.
CJOsays
The Krampus tradition never fully assimilated into Christmas. No matter how much st. Nicholas gloss was put over it, it remained stubbornly associated with earlier times.
So it is alleged. As far as I can tell, though, the earlier associations are now entirely obscure. But maybe there are sources of which I am unaware. If you know of any, please share.
LanceR, JSGsays
It’s beginning to look a lot like Ragnarok
The world will end in ice.
The giants are on the march, and the gods will meet them there
With axe and sword and torches all aglow.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Ragnarok
Fenrir’s on the prowl
But the scariest sight to see is the serpent round the tree
Breaking down your door.
An age of wolves and an age of wind
When the Jotun start marching again
The sun will turn black, the world is a snack
For the Midgard Serpent Jörmangandr
Heimdall blows his horn for the gods to come
It’s beginning to look a lot like Ragnarok
Fenrir ate Odin
There’s a tree called Yggdrasill where the last two people hide
To populate a reconstructed earth
It’s beginning to look a lot like Ragnarok
Soon the war will start
As the Fimbulwinter falls and the gods hide in their halls
Götterdämmerung!
Brother Ogvorbis, OM . . . Really?says
The holly and the ivy, when they are both full grown,
Of all the trees that are in the wood, the holly bears the crown.
Oh, the rising of the sun and the running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ, sweet singing in the choir.
(Okay, so I didn’t have to change that much to give it a pagan flavour . . . .)
David Marjanovićsays
Local Krampusnacht celebration in my town tonight, woohoo!
You’re doing it wrong. The night in question is Dec. 5th to 6th, because the 6th is St. Nicholas’s day.
Krampuslauf video, here:
Krampus? Those are Perchten, a strictly Alpine thing. The German Wikipedia article associates their name with January 6th (as the word “bright”, translation of “epiphany”), and they run around in the 12 “rough nights” between Christmas and January 6th.
DLCsays
‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
Browniansays
(Okay, so I didn’t have to change that much to give it a pagan flavour . . . .)
Pagan? Is that what we were doing?
[Drives windowless van to the river while arguing with the voices in his head the whole way, and after wiping any prints off of it, pushes it in.]
Sign on a local church is advertising xmas services “with live animals”.
The church I grew up in is advertizing a living nativity scene with real animals. That will get a lot of people through the parking lot. Apparently, it’s a drive-thru affair.
stormssays
@#17 Russel
While aesthetically pleasing lyrics, I have issue with line#11. Every experienced Viking knows the correct order is: pillage, burn, THEN rape; because sex is always more romantic by firelight.
Dr. Audley Z. Darkheart, liar and scoundrelsays
NitricAcid:
Shouldn’t there be a lot more clips and clops if that’s really Sleipner?
XD
Here you go, NA, one internet made out of homemade brownie.
You know, I can’t really get into the “human sacrifice” side of the holidays, either– I’ve got absolutely zero holiday spirit.
Oh well. Only a few more days to go, then I can put this entire miserable holiday season behind me.
steve oberskisays
@Brownian XXXmas
So did they have a tax exempt status as well ?
Brother Ogvorbis, OM . . . Really?says
Pagan? Is that what we were doing?
Well, I’m using the ‘everyonewhoisn’tChristianispagannomoatterwhattheyactullybelieveordon’believe’ pagan.
rikitikisays
Oh, yuletide tree, oh, yuletide tree,
You need no ornamentation.
’cause all your green is flecked with red
From all the decapitation.
See, Odin, he needed sacrifice
And Tiny-Tim got sliced and diced.
Oh, yuletide tree, oh, yuletide tree,
God bless us every one.
(There, may as well mix mythologies and stories just like xmas does)
Browniansays
So did they have a tax exempt status as well ?
I don’t know, but they went through enough frankincense, myrrh, and Astroglide that I hope they were writing at least some of it off.
Gregorysays
I’m dreaming of a real Solstice
Just like the Druids used to know.
It would be so pleasin’
To stand there, freezin’
At Stonehenge in the sleet and snow.
I’m dreaming of a real Solstice
With no eclectic modern feel.
If your blade is silver, not steel
Then may all your solstices be real.
NitricAcidsays
@35- Whee! My very first Pharyngula internet!! And it tastes like brownie! And victory!
Maybe we can put together a little section for all these holiday riffs. It can be called… [i]Christmas Gone Bad[/i]? Have Yourself a Pharyngula Christmas[/i]?
rikitikisays
Clip-clop-clip, Clip-clop-clip,
Who’s that coming neigh?
It’s Odin and Sleipnir
And somebody’s gonna die!
Run away? Get on knees?
Sing him songs of praise?
Maybe if we offer him
A kid he’ll go away!
Dashing out some brains,
On his eight-legged loyal steed,
He’s not out to maim,
He’s laughing as we bleed.
Guess we pissed him off,
So, the kid gets sacrificed,
Oh what fun to hear Odin sing
His slaying song tonight!
Browniansays
And it tastes like brownie.
I wouldn’t eat it.
You never know where we’ve been.
Dr. Audley Z. Darkheart, liar and scoundrelsays
Brownian:
You never know where we’ve been.
Especially me.
seraphymcrashsays
Off topic, but is anyone else getting an “account suspended” page when trying to get to skepchick.org?
cybercmdrsays
Sounds like a lot of people want to celebrate Christmas with Thana Tos!
roland72says
It’s HALL, dammit, HALL! Deck the HALL with boughs of holly! HALL not halls!!! (weep, sob, shudder over trivial bugbear) *gets over himself* very well, as you were
Well, Krampus and Perchten both have celtic origions.
Please remember that, although nowadays many people believe that Bavaria=Germany, originally those areas were populated by celts, not by germanic tribes: linky to the pffft and their myths and traditions are very distinct from the norse ones.
So the authors of the comic get 8/10 points for humor but only 2/10 for accuracy.
Perchten are celtic godesses, related to the germanic Parzen, the weavers of fate.
Krampus or Knecht Ruprecht (Rau-Percht, rough Percht) are pre-christian figures who, as so many other pagean solstice-traditions were incorporated into christianity.
Another one are the “Raunächte” between Christmas and 6th of January when you need to rpotect your home against evil spirits, witches and demons.
Russellsays
34 & 48
Points well taken- here is the revision:
1.
Deck Valhal with giblets jolly
Angel wing their lungs, by golly
Tra la la la la la la , lah la lah
Wind their guts around the chimney
Or a menhir if its windy
Tra la la, la la la , lah la lah
Tread we now a Yuletide measure
Tra la la, la la la , lah la lah
Break their heads and take their treasure
Tra la la, la la la , lah la lah
Rape and pillage, loot and burning
Yuletide cheer we here are earning
Tra la la la, lah, lah lah , la la lah!
Tra la la, la la la , lah la lah
The wolf’s leash slit, he runs a-jawing
The Berserks at their shields are gnawing
Tralla la, la lah , lah lah lah.
Pour the mead and broach the grog
It’s time to fire our bright Yule log !
Tralla lalla la , lah lah lah lah.
lpetrichsays
We English speakers could revive the English version of the old Germanic name: Yule. Scandinavians still use their versions of that name.
Gôda Yihulan!
“Good Yule” in reconstructed proto-Germanic.
The Xmas song O Tannenbaum (literally “O Fir Tree”) celebrates that tree’s keeping its leaves all year round and not partially dying, let alone completely dying. That’s why evergreens like conifers, holly, mistletoe, ivy, etc. have been part of the season’s celebrations — they are plants that stay alive all year. I’m sure that that’s a heck of lot older than Xianity.
Lights? There isn’t much light around the Winter Solstice, especially at far northern latitudes.
Archeological evidence? Surprisingly, yes. Monuments like Newgrange and Maeshowe and Stonehenge have solstice alignments, as if the solstices were important occasions to mark out. Newgrange and Maeshowe are 5000 years old, but the champion so far is the Goseck Circle in south central Germany, at 6900 years old.
So we’ve celebrated the winter solstice for at least 7000 years. Were the Goseck Circle’s builders also celebrating conifer trees staying fully alive at that time of year?
7000 years. That’s older than writing, and that’s older than the first mention of Jesus Christ’s ethnicity: Merneptah’s “Israel is destroyed. Its seed is gone.”
mrpeachsays
Hmmm, eight legged horse? I suspect something funny is going on here. Perhaps it wasn’t actually a horse, but rather a cephalopod in disguise??
Nothing like a good old-fashioned blood sacrifice!
Are there any carols to go with this?
Being the lovable misanthrope that I am, I fully support this new holiday tradition. Glory and approbations to our Grand Lord Odin (aka the dude after whom we named Wednesday). Really, is it any more barbaric than the xian crap?
Local Krampusnacht celebration in my town tonight, woohoo! There will be a dude dressed up as a demon and he’ll whack people with foam sticks. No details yet on whether he’ll be eating any children. Also human sacrifice, if by sacrifice you mean drinking a lot of beer and acting silly.
Shouldn’t there be a lot more clips and clops if that’s really Sleipner?
So we get to stay up and listen for the sound of his eight-legged horse? Kewl!
“Also human sacrifice, if by sacrifice you mean drinking a lot of beer and acting silly.”
Many humans feel like they have been sacrificed the next morning after such activity.
We must all remember to worship all the gods we can to make certain that the days don’t keep getting shorter.
“Deep within Yggdrasil”? Woden hung out there for a while, har har, but he wasn’t supposed to reside there as far as I know. And Krampusnacht, whatever its (now obscure) origins in Germanic culture, is assimiliated to Christmas now; I know of no clear connection with Norse religion. Krampus’ role is ‘bad cop’ to St. Nicholas.
Please let neighbours not be wary,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Troll with tunes by Beiber and Perry,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Grisly, though we will not waver,
Fa la la, la la la, la la la!
Children’s blood will win gods’ favour,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
C’mon, you all know the rest!
Sign on a local church is advertising xmas services “with live animals”.
I have this urge to wander over some dark night and add:
“and human sacrifices”.
I’ve seen that ad, though not on a church, and Xmas was spelled with two more X’s. Their services weren’t very Christmassy, if you ask me.
They did have a manger filled with hay that the animals ate from, though. I was very impressed with the muscle control of the actor who played it.
Oh bloody night
The knives are brightly shining,
It is the night of … something …
meh. I got nothin’.
Our grown sons will be showing up for a few days. On the 25th, we will get Chinese take-out. Or as my wife puts it: a traditional Jewish Christmas dinner.
I’m lining up to go to that service with Brownian.
Anyone else look at dad and think Ron Stoppable?
I don’t know that one, chigau.
But here’s another classic. Everyone, join in!
Hark! The police sirens wail,
Grab that kid, and hit the trail!
Use your duct tape and your wire,
Later toss all in the fire.
Flaying knives and bone defleshers,
Joints will break with subtle pressures,
Quick! Before Geraldo nears,
Soak your floor with children’s tears
Hark! The police sirens wail,
Grab that kid, and hit the trail!
*pokes Yggdrasil with a stick*
On a semi-related topic, can’t wait for the Avengers movie!
1.
Deck the halls with giblets jolly
Angel wing their lungs, by golly
Tra la la la la la la , lah la lah
Wind their guts around the chimney
Or a menhir if its windy
Tra la la, la la la , lah la lah
Tread we now a Yuletide measure
Tra la la, la la la , lah la lah
Break their heads and take their treasure
Tra la la, la la la , lah la lah
Rape and pillage, loot and burning
Yuletide cheer we here are earning
Tra la la la, lah, lah lah , la la lah!
You people are sick. Sick, I say, sick!
…keep up the good work.
“Silent night, bloody night!
All are slain, gore is bright
Round yon Norse God and Octopod Steed
Mighty warhammer will make Jörmungandr bleed
Drink in heavenly Valhalla
Drink in heavenly Valhalla
Silent night, bloody night!
Mortals quake at the sight
Lightening streams from Asgard afar
Æsir hosts sing Miðgarðr!
Thor, Sönnungr is here!
Thor, Sönnungr is here!
Silent night, bloody night!
Odin’s son, battle’s pure light
Ruddy locks frame Thy noble face
‘Till the dawn of Ragnarök’s grace
Thor, Lord, at Thy final battle
Thor, Lord, at Thy final battle.”
Inspired by this comic I might find some way of working a viking hat into my festivities. Maybe blood-eagle a priest or two. You know, something fun.
Krampuslauf video, here: http://freethoughtblogs.com/cuttlefish/2011/12/10/now-this-is-a-holiday-tradition-i-can-get-behind/
Beautiful masks. Scary shit.
Randolph the bow-legged cowboy
Had a very shiny gun
And if you ever saw it
You would turn around and run.
All of the other cowboys
Used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Randolph
Join in any poker games.
Then one foggy Christmas Eve
The sheriff came to say,
“Randolph with your gun so bright
Did you shoot you wife tonight?”
Then all the cowboys loved him
As they shouted out with glee,
“Randolph the bow-legged cowboy,
You’ll hang from the highest tree!”
Rudolph’s nose is red but all the other reindeer have brown noses. They’re all dissing Rudolph until the boss says “Rudolph, you’re my boy.”
“Then all the reindeer loved him.”
The nordic origins of santa are something of a Thor point
The Krampus tradition never fully assimilated into Christmas. No matter how much st. Nicholas gloss was put over it, it remained stubbornly associated with earlier times.
The Krampus tradition never fully assimilated into Christmas. No matter how much st. Nicholas gloss was put over it, it remained stubbornly associated with earlier times.
So it is alleged. As far as I can tell, though, the earlier associations are now entirely obscure. But maybe there are sources of which I am unaware. If you know of any, please share.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Ragnarok
The world will end in ice.
The giants are on the march, and the gods will meet them there
With axe and sword and torches all aglow.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Ragnarok
Fenrir’s on the prowl
But the scariest sight to see is the serpent round the tree
Breaking down your door.
An age of wolves and an age of wind
When the Jotun start marching again
The sun will turn black, the world is a snack
For the Midgard Serpent Jörmangandr
Heimdall blows his horn for the gods to come
It’s beginning to look a lot like Ragnarok
Fenrir ate Odin
There’s a tree called Yggdrasill where the last two people hide
To populate a reconstructed earth
It’s beginning to look a lot like Ragnarok
Soon the war will start
As the Fimbulwinter falls and the gods hide in their halls
Götterdämmerung!
The holly and the ivy, when they are both full grown,
Of all the trees that are in the wood, the holly bears the crown.
Oh, the rising of the sun and the running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ, sweet singing in the choir.
(Okay, so I didn’t have to change that much to give it a pagan flavour . . . .)
You’re doing it wrong. The night in question is Dec. 5th to 6th, because the 6th is St. Nicholas’s day.
Krampus? Those are Perchten, a strictly Alpine thing. The German Wikipedia article associates their name with January 6th (as the word “bright”, translation of “epiphany”), and they run around in the 12 “rough nights” between Christmas and January 6th.
‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
Pagan? Is that what we were doing?
[Drives windowless van to the river while arguing with the voices in his head the whole way, and after wiping any prints off of it, pushes it in.]
Some people (for generous values of “people”) still understand the spirit of Christmas.
Happy Monkey!
steve oberski #9 says:
The church I grew up in is advertizing a living nativity scene with real animals. That will get a lot of people through the parking lot. Apparently, it’s a drive-thru affair.
@#17 Russel
While aesthetically pleasing lyrics, I have issue with line#11. Every experienced Viking knows the correct order is: pillage, burn, THEN rape; because sex is always more romantic by firelight.
NitricAcid:
XD
Here you go, NA, one internet made out of homemade brownie.
You know, I can’t really get into the “human sacrifice” side of the holidays, either– I’ve got absolutely zero holiday spirit.
Oh well. Only a few more days to go, then I can put this entire miserable holiday season behind me.
@Brownian XXXmas
So did they have a tax exempt status as well ?
Well, I’m using the ‘everyonewhoisn’tChristianispagannomoatterwhattheyactullybelieveordon’believe’ pagan.
Oh, yuletide tree, oh, yuletide tree,
You need no ornamentation.
’cause all your green is flecked with red
From all the decapitation.
See, Odin, he needed sacrifice
And Tiny-Tim got sliced and diced.
Oh, yuletide tree, oh, yuletide tree,
God bless us every one.
(There, may as well mix mythologies and stories just like xmas does)
I don’t know, but they went through enough frankincense, myrrh, and Astroglide that I hope they were writing at least some of it off.
I’m dreaming of a real Solstice
Just like the Druids used to know.
It would be so pleasin’
To stand there, freezin’
At Stonehenge in the sleet and snow.
I’m dreaming of a real Solstice
With no eclectic modern feel.
If your blade is silver, not steel
Then may all your solstices be real.
@35- Whee! My very first Pharyngula internet!! And it tastes like brownie! And victory!
Maybe we can put together a little section for all these holiday riffs. It can be called… [i]Christmas Gone Bad[/i]? Have Yourself a Pharyngula Christmas[/i]?
Clip-clop-clip, Clip-clop-clip,
Who’s that coming neigh?
It’s Odin and Sleipnir
And somebody’s gonna die!
Run away? Get on knees?
Sing him songs of praise?
Maybe if we offer him
A kid he’ll go away!
Dashing out some brains,
On his eight-legged loyal steed,
He’s not out to maim,
He’s laughing as we bleed.
Guess we pissed him off,
So, the kid gets sacrificed,
Oh what fun to hear Odin sing
His slaying song tonight!
I wouldn’t eat it.
You never know where we’ve been.
Brownian:
Especially me.
Off topic, but is anyone else getting an “account suspended” page when trying to get to skepchick.org?
Sounds like a lot of people want to celebrate Christmas with Thana Tos!
It’s HALL, dammit, HALL! Deck the HALL with boughs of holly! HALL not halls!!! (weep, sob, shudder over trivial bugbear) *gets over himself* very well, as you were
Well, Krampus and Perchten both have celtic origions.
Please remember that, although nowadays many people believe that Bavaria=Germany, originally those areas were populated by celts, not by germanic tribes: linky to the pffft and their myths and traditions are very distinct from the norse ones.
So the authors of the comic get 8/10 points for humor but only 2/10 for accuracy.
Perchten are celtic godesses, related to the germanic Parzen, the weavers of fate.
Krampus or Knecht Ruprecht (Rau-Percht, rough Percht) are pre-christian figures who, as so many other pagean solstice-traditions were incorporated into christianity.
Another one are the “Raunächte” between Christmas and 6th of January when you need to rpotect your home against evil spirits, witches and demons.
34 & 48
Points well taken- here is the revision:
1.
Deck Valhal with giblets jolly
Angel wing their lungs, by golly
Tra la la la la la la , lah la lah
Wind their guts around the chimney
Or a menhir if its windy
Tra la la, la la la , lah la lah
Tread we now a Yuletide measure
Tra la la, la la la , lah la lah
Break their heads and take their treasure
Tra la la, la la la , lah la lah
Rape and pillage, loot and burning
Yuletide cheer we here are earning
Tra la la la, lah, lah lah , la la lah!
Tra la la, la la la , lah la lah
The wolf’s leash slit, he runs a-jawing
The Berserks at their shields are gnawing
Tralla la, la lah , lah lah lah.
Pour the mead and broach the grog
It’s time to fire our bright Yule log !
Tralla lalla la , lah lah lah lah.
We English speakers could revive the English version of the old Germanic name: Yule. Scandinavians still use their versions of that name.
Gôda Yihulan!
“Good Yule” in reconstructed proto-Germanic.
The Xmas song O Tannenbaum (literally “O Fir Tree”) celebrates that tree’s keeping its leaves all year round and not partially dying, let alone completely dying. That’s why evergreens like conifers, holly, mistletoe, ivy, etc. have been part of the season’s celebrations — they are plants that stay alive all year. I’m sure that that’s a heck of lot older than Xianity.
Lights? There isn’t much light around the Winter Solstice, especially at far northern latitudes.
Archeological evidence? Surprisingly, yes. Monuments like Newgrange and Maeshowe and Stonehenge have solstice alignments, as if the solstices were important occasions to mark out. Newgrange and Maeshowe are 5000 years old, but the champion so far is the Goseck Circle in south central Germany, at 6900 years old.
So we’ve celebrated the winter solstice for at least 7000 years. Were the Goseck Circle’s builders also celebrating conifer trees staying fully alive at that time of year?
7000 years. That’s older than writing, and that’s older than the first mention of Jesus Christ’s ethnicity: Merneptah’s “Israel is destroyed. Its seed is gone.”
Hmmm, eight legged horse? I suspect something funny is going on here. Perhaps it wasn’t actually a horse, but rather a cephalopod in disguise??