| The Lore and Stories of Yule |
The main qualities of Yule are:
The Winter Solstice - The sunlight and darkness are even on this day, but tommorow the sun will be stronger. Today is also the day the Sun God is born
Holly/Oak - The Holly King and Oak King, a celtic myth, see below
Pine - a tree that never dies, is ever-green, eternity and immortality, like the wheel of the year.
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The Oak King and the Holly King - Two twin Gods, who are veiwed as one deity. They fight twice a year for the role of King, at Midsummer, and at Yule (Midwinter). Every year the Oak King rukes from Yule until Midsummer, when his brother challenges him to a dual, and he is killed. Then the Holly King rules until Yule, when the Oak King rises and challenges him to a dual. The cycle goes on every year. Although they are mortal enemies they could not exist with out the other. The Holly King is the dark half, his rule slowly changes the summer to the colder seasons.He is one of the myths that eventually became Santa Claus. The Oak King is the light half, his warmth slowly thaws winter and brings summer.
The Birth of the God - If you take the ideas behind the wheel of the year literally it gets a little odd. The birth of the God to the Goddess is symbolic. We do not actually believe the God is his own father |
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