The Old Magic of Christmas: Yuletide Traditions for the Darkest Days of the Year

10/13

The old magic of Christmas

Publication date: October 2013

Price: $16.99 U.S.; $19.50 CAN

Pages: 312

Trim size: 53/16" x 8"

ISBN: 978-0-7387-3334-0

Original trade paperback

Llewellyn Publications

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raedisch

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5/16/13 1:11 PM

The

old magic

of Christmas

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About the Author

Linda Raedisch is an eclectic writer with an art background and an interest in the practical aspects of prehistory, history, and religion. Her first book,
Night of the Witches: Folklore, Traditions and Recipes for Celebrating Walpurgis Night
, was published by Llewellyn in 2011. She lives in northern

New Jersey with her daughter Mika, their gray cat, and a

growing collection of brooms.

The

old magic

of Christmas

Yuletide Traditions for the Darkest

Days of the Year

L I N D A R A E D I S C H

Llewel yn Publications

Woodbury, Minnesota

The Old Magic of Christmas: Yuletide Traditions for the Darkest Days of the Year
©

2013 by Linda Raedisch. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including Internet usage, without written permission from Llewel yn Publications, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

First Edition

First Printing, 2013

Cover art Winter scene: iStockphoto.com/Vetta Collection/Stanislav Pobytov Cover design by Ellen Lawson

Llewel yn Publications is a registered trademark of Llewel yn Worldwide Ltd.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data (Pending)
ISBN: 978-0-7387-3334-0

Llewel yn Worldwide Ltd. does not participate in, endorse, or have any authority or responsibility concerning private business transactions between our authors and the public.

Al mail addressed to the author is forwarded, but the publisher cannot, unless specifically instructed by the author, give out an address or phone number.

Any Internet references contained in this work are current at publication time, but the publisher cannot guarantee that a specific location will continue to be maintained. Please refer to the publisher’s website for links to authors’ websites and other sources.

Llewel yn Publications

A Division of Llewel yn Worldwide Ltd.

2143 Wooddale Drive

Woodbury, MN 55125-2989

www.llewel yn.com

Printed in the United States of America

Other Books by this Author

Night of the Witches

Special thanks go to Vivette Pilloton for the use of her

library and for general moral support, Chris Gordon of

Icepedition Tours for the use of his Icelandic collection, Chanda Yonzon for tea and childcare, Priya and Nilesh

Shrestha for dinners and Czech support, Jaclyn Pien for

coffee and crafting input, and especially to my mother,

Marion Raedisch, for help in the kitchen, at the translat-

ing table and for all those hours spent with the
Lutzelfrau
.

Happy Christmas to all!

Contents

Chapter One: A Thousand Years of Winter 9

The White Bees Are Swarming; A Bird’s Eye View;

The Lady of the Castle; Craft: Distaff Tree; Craft:

White Witch Window Star

Chapter Two: At Home with the Elves 29

“What’s with the Elves?”; “Will You Know More?;”

An Offering to the Elves; Like Christmas Itself;

Craft: Elvish Window Ornament

Chapter Three: Dead by Christmas Morning 49

Queen of the Elves; Recipe: Icelandic Snowflake

Breads; Home but Not Alone; Sitting Out 101;

Craft: Elf Wreath

Chapter Four: Riders on White Horses 65

Sun, Moon and Stars; Craft: Martinmas Lantern;

Martinmas Treats; Recipe: Martinmas Horns;

The Wild Rider; “Blacker than pitch”; Recipe:

Bishop’s Wine

Chapter Five: Creatures of Forest and Mountain 77

Čert; Knecht Ruprecht; Other Nicholases;

The Dream of the Rod; Buttnmandl; The Bells of

St. Nicholas; The Bellsnickle; The Yule Lads;

Goblins at the Window

x Contents

Chapter Six: The Scandinavian Household Sprite 93

Nisse; Tomten; Tonttu; The Resilient Sprite; Craft:

Christmas Tomten; Recipe: Rice Porridge So You

Want to Buy a Troll

Stallo; The Yuletide People; On Prancer!; The

Witch’s Drum; Craft: Sacrificial Reindeer Orna-

ment; The Horns of Abbots Bromley

The Yule Horse; The Yule Buck; The Yule Boar; The

Yule Cat; The Werewolf; The Spectral Dog

Chapter Nine: Winter’s Bride 149

The Christkind; Barborka; Lucia; Recipe: Lussekat-

ter; Night Walks with Heavy Steps; The Lutzelfrau;

Lucka; Craft: Lucka Mask; Rising from the Ashes

Chapter Ten: There Are Witches in the Air 173

Vampires; Down with a Bound; Rise of the House

of Knusper; Craft/Recipe: Lebkuchen House;

Witches Bearing Gifts; Recipe: Befana Stars.

Chapter Eleven: Dark Spirits of Hearth and Home 193

The Kallikantzaros; The Yule Log; The First-footer;

The Chimneysweep; The Fairy Queen’s Men

Contents xi

Chapter Twelve: The White Witch’s Herbal 209

Mistletoe (
Viscum album
); Juniper (
Juniperus

communis
); Hol y (
Ilex acquifolium
); Ivy (
Hedera
helix
); Lingonberry (
Vaccinium vitis-idaea
); Christmas Rose (
Helleborus niger
); Christmas Rose

(
Anastatica hierochuntica
); Christmas Rose (
Rosa
alba
); Apple Tree (
Malus domestica
)

Conclusion: Eternity 231

Addendum: A Calendar of Christmas Spirits and Spells 237

Glossary 247

Bibliography 259

Index 269

“Listen! We are beginning our story!

When we arrive at the end of it we shall,

it is to be hoped, know more than we do now.”

~hans christian andersen, “the snow queen”1

1. All direct quotes from “The Snow Queen” are from my own crumbling, tartan-bound copy of
Tales from Hans Andersen
published by Thomas Y. Crowell & Co. in 1897. I suspect it of being an overly flowery, Victorian translation, but it is the one to which I am sentimental y attached

Christmas, at its heart, is a hazy thing. This book explores the finer points of how it came to be that way without, it is to be hoped, actually dispelling any of that seductively glittering haze. If you are open to the experience of a deeper and, yes, darker, season, if you’re not afraid to open the door to the odd ghost or wizened witch, if you would welcome a shiver that has nothing to do with the coming of

winter, then you’ve come to the right place. While this is not a children’s book, it was written by a lover of fairy tales, and you will find scattered references to Hans Christian

Andersen, C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien and a few others you might not immediately associate with Christmas. Meander-ing throughout are references to my favorite children’s story of all, “The Snow Queen,” in which the courageous young

Gerda makes her way, sometimes barefoot, from an attic

apartment in Denmark to a witch’s garden, a robbers’ camp

and on through Lapland to the “snow-saloon” at the heart of the Snow Queen’s stronghold to effect the spiritual rescue of
1

2 Introduction

her playmate, Kay. “The Snow Queen” is not, strictly speaking, a Christmas story, but the lands through which Gerda

passes are in many cases the same through which the

ancient Yuletide goddess has also passed with her retinue of fairies, ghosts and goblins.

You don’t have to be Christian to fall in love with the

Christmas season. We’ve all seen those stickers urging us to

“Keep the Christ in Christmas.” I choose to interpret these in the most positive of lights as a call to Christians to use the season as a means of more deeply exploring their faith.