Most of us in the U.S. do regard our Santa Claus as coming from Scandinavia. So he is yours. My earliest encounter with Scandinavian Christmas was in the late 1970s/early 1980s. I lived in Orange County in California and we had a very large shopping center called South Coast Plaza. Across the street was another large collection of shops and in it was a large store for Scandinavian goods - it was called a Mercantile Shop. At Christmas time, they decorated that store so incredibly beautiful with decorations from Scandinavia that you just didn't want to ever leave it. Sometimes, I would just sit there and marvel at everything. It looked like a scene out of Fanny & Alexander. If you were down in the dumps, that store would work like magic to cheer you up. I wish we all decorated with Scandinavian decorations - it's impossible to be unhappy in that environment.
Thank You so much for presenting this material! I have wondered about the Tomte and the Goat and now I know what is what. Blessings to you and your new child, Skal from Vinland! God Jule!
Thank you! A few years ago I was gifted a Tomte for Christmas decoration. I didn't know what it was and stored it away with other decorations. Now I know and I got it out of the attic and it is sitting on my window sill 😊.
Love the video! One small thing only: Svitjod is not a geographical designation nor a political entity, it is a tribal identity based on ancestry. The element "Svi-" is the name, by some believed to mean "our own [tribe/kin]". The element "-tjod" comes from old Norse þjóð (found on rune-stones as ᚦᛁᚢᚦ, þiuþ) and means people, similar to ancient Latin "-ones" meaning both people and nation. It is tempting to assume that all subjects of the Swedish king belonged to Svitjod or that all that was a member of Svitjod was a subject of the Swedish king, but that was not the case. This is because we are talking about different systems, different layers of society. Svitjod is the tribal/ethnic identity, based on the common ancestry of the Sviar. However Sviarikki was made up of the subjects of the Swedish king, they who had pledge support for/fealty to/accepted the king and hence were under his protection, and they were not all members of Svitjod. Then we have Sviavaldi which was the people that was forced under threat of violence to pay tribute to the Swedish king and the elite of the Sviarikki. Not all Sviar were part of the Sviarikki though. People in Värmland, Dalarna, Nierke - perhaps even along the northern coast - were of Svia-kin but did not necessarily see themselves as part of Sviarikki - the Swedish kingdom/the Swedish realm. However all members of the Svitjod had a right to attend and to vote at "Sviating" aka "Dísting" and "All Swedes ting" which was originally held at the first full moon after the first new moon after the winter solstice, which also was the first day of the new year and possibly the date for the public midwinter blót in Old Uppsala - which was where the Swedish king had his home base of power. What we see here is mix between a ethnic tribal structure based around the ätt, the kinship in one hand, and a political power on the other. We also see this in the fact that the ätt was not like scottish clans based in one area but rather spread out and then local assemblies, ting, in the different lands were local political cooperation between this ätts. This created webs of cooperation (and conflicts) not only in one defined geographical location but spread out over many such lands.
Thank you! ☺️😍 We put them away for the next year. They're re-used. The ones that are standing outside are left to the weather, as long as they're not dangerous to the environment in any way, and we keep the "skeleton" of the structure then and remake it next year again. Thanks for such a great question! 🐐
@@mooselady huh interesting. I’ve made the mistake of burning them once I turned pagan as a sort of offering to Thor, but keeping them for next Yule sounds like a much better idea that way you can have them age along with the family and the celebrations. Thank you again :)
Adam of Bremen wrote about the Disting. Which took part in the spring not in the midwinter. The dates for the pre-Christian jól is in the midwinter, which is in january. Hakon the Good moved it later to the same dates as the christian holiday christmas, 25th of december which also according to the Julian calendar were on winter solstice.
Dísablót was held during the winter time around February up until March. If Adam of Bremen meant a blot in the spring or winter is still debated amongst scholars 🤷♀️ so it's funny you're so sure about it. Anyhow the point is to showcase from a source from those times how a blot went. And I don't know if I didn't make myself clear but I keep talking about a bunch of different dates from November to January, and mention midwinter many times in there and refer to that people can read the Heimskringla to get details about Håkon and the celebration. It is said that Håkon was the one to change the dates yes ☺️ I don't know why you feel it necessary to showcase your flex-knowledge or try to get a "gotcha" on me underneath this video. Why ever that is I hope you feel better soon, god jul! ☺️
@@mooselady Almost all scholars are agreed that Adam of Bremen writes about the Disting. Adam of Bremen writes "Schol. 137. Novem diebus commessationes et eiusmodi sacrificia celebrantur; unaquaque die offerunt hominem unum cum ceteris animalibus, ita ut per novem dies 72 fiant animalia quae offeruntur. Hoc sacrificium fit circa aequinoctium vernale." English translation: " Scholium 137: Feasts and sacrifices of this kind are solemnized for nine days. On each day they offer a man along with other living beings in such a number that in the course of the nine days they will have made offerings of seventy-two creatures. This sacrifice takes place about the time of the vernal equinox." He mention that the blot were held about the time of the vernal equinox. Which is in spring. And according to the Julian calendar in this time the fullmoon of the heathen moon-month göja was around the vernal equinox. A better source about a blot that were held in the midwinter would be Thietmar that mentions the danish blot at Lejre, Seeland (Denmark). "Because I have heard marvellous things about their ancient sacrifices, I will not allow these to pass unnoticed. In those parts, the centre of the kingdom [of the Danes] is a place called Lejre, in the region of Seeland. Every nine years, in the month of January, after the day of which we celebrate the appearance of the Lord [6 January], they all convene here and offer their gods a burnt offering of ninety-nine human beings and as many horses along with dogs and cock - the latter being used in place of hawks. As I have said, they were convinced that these would do service for them with those who dwell beneath the earth and ensure their forgiveness for any misdeeds." Thietmar places the blot in january (midwinter) and this blot is the heathen jól. I recomend the book: Jul, disting och förkyrklig tideräkning. Kalendrar och kalendariska riter i det förkristna Norden by Andreas Nordberg which you can download at Kungl. Gustaf Adolfs Akademien for free: kgaa.bokorder.se/sv-SE/article/3596/jul-disting-och-förkyrklig-tideräkning
Most of us in the U.S. do regard our Santa Claus as coming from Scandinavia. So he is yours. My earliest encounter with Scandinavian Christmas was in the late 1970s/early 1980s. I lived in Orange County in California and we had a very large shopping center called South Coast Plaza. Across the street was another large collection of shops and in it was a large store for Scandinavian goods - it was called a Mercantile Shop. At Christmas time, they decorated that store so incredibly beautiful with decorations from Scandinavia that you just didn't want to ever leave it. Sometimes, I would just sit there and marvel at everything. It looked like a scene out of Fanny & Alexander. If you were down in the dumps, that store would work like magic to cheer you up. I wish we all decorated with Scandinavian decorations - it's impossible to be unhappy in that environment.
Very informative video as always 🫎
Thank you 🥰 happy yule Jacob!
Congrats on the new one, wishing you the best Yule
Very same to you 🌞😍 god jul and happy solstice! Thank you!
Thank You so much for presenting this material! I have wondered about the Tomte and the Goat and now I know what is what. Blessings to you and your new child, Skal from Vinland! God Jule!
God Jul! 🐐🕯️🎄 Thank you for your comment! Happy to help!
Congrats on the achivement! what a wholesome and informative video! God jul fra norge!
Tusen tack 😍🌞 god jul!!!
I am very cozy here in Cleveland Ohio and looking forward to celebrating the solstice and Yule. Thank you Moose Lady!
Happy solstice 😍🌞 thank you for being here!
Such a cozy and informative video as always! :) Wishing you all a god Jul!
Thank you so much 🥰🐐🎄🕯️ god jul!
Tack så mycket för denna video! 💚
Jag har länge velat hitta ett alternativ till advent ljusen 💚
Hurra! Då hittade du en fin en 🎄🕯️ska också testa nästa år
Thank you! A few years ago I was gifted a Tomte for Christmas decoration. I didn't know what it was and stored it away with other decorations. Now I know and I got it out of the attic and it is sitting on my window sill 😊.
Hopefully he won't be too offended 👀😂 happy holidays to you 🕯️🎄🎅
Happy Holidays to you as well! @@mooselady
👍👍👍
God jul fra Danmark☀️❤😊
God jul Danmark 🎄🐐🕯️
Love the video!
One small thing only: Svitjod is not a geographical designation nor a political entity, it is a tribal identity based on ancestry. The element "Svi-" is the name, by some believed to mean "our own [tribe/kin]". The element "-tjod" comes from old Norse þjóð (found on rune-stones as ᚦᛁᚢᚦ, þiuþ) and means people, similar to ancient Latin "-ones" meaning both people and nation. It is tempting to assume that all subjects of the Swedish king belonged to Svitjod or that all that was a member of Svitjod was a subject of the Swedish king, but that was not the case. This is because we are talking about different systems, different layers of society. Svitjod is the tribal/ethnic identity, based on the common ancestry of the Sviar. However Sviarikki was made up of the subjects of the Swedish king, they who had pledge support for/fealty to/accepted the king and hence were under his protection, and they were not all members of Svitjod. Then we have Sviavaldi which was the people that was forced under threat of violence to pay tribute to the Swedish king and the elite of the Sviarikki. Not all Sviar were part of the Sviarikki though. People in Värmland, Dalarna, Nierke - perhaps even along the northern coast - were of Svia-kin but did not necessarily see themselves as part of Sviarikki - the Swedish kingdom/the Swedish realm. However all members of the Svitjod had a right to attend and to vote at "Sviating" aka "Dísting" and "All Swedes ting" which was originally held at the first full moon after the first new moon after the winter solstice, which also was the first day of the new year and possibly the date for the public midwinter blót in Old Uppsala - which was where the Swedish king had his home base of power.
What we see here is mix between a ethnic tribal structure based around the ätt, the kinship in one hand, and a political power on the other. We also see this in the fact that the ätt was not like scottish clans based in one area but rather spread out and then local assemblies, ting, in the different lands were local political cooperation between this ätts. This created webs of cooperation (and conflicts) not only in one defined geographical location but spread out over many such lands.
Great video as always! I have one question about the little straw goats. If you don’t burn them, what do you do with them when Yule is over?
Thank you! ☺️😍 We put them away for the next year. They're re-used. The ones that are standing outside are left to the weather, as long as they're not dangerous to the environment in any way, and we keep the "skeleton" of the structure then and remake it next year again. Thanks for such a great question! 🐐
@@mooselady huh interesting. I’ve made the mistake of burning them once I turned pagan as a sort of offering to Thor, but keeping them for next Yule sounds like a much better idea that way you can have them age along with the family and the celebrations. Thank you again :)
@@mythellaneous5203have a lovely yule 🐐🎄
Adam of Bremen wrote about the Disting. Which took part in the spring not in the midwinter. The dates for the pre-Christian jól is in the midwinter, which is in january. Hakon the Good moved it later to the same dates as the christian holiday christmas, 25th of december which also according to the Julian calendar were on winter solstice.
Dísablót was held during the winter time around February up until March. If Adam of Bremen meant a blot in the spring or winter is still debated amongst scholars 🤷♀️ so it's funny you're so sure about it. Anyhow the point is to showcase from a source from those times how a blot went. And I don't know if I didn't make myself clear but I keep talking about a bunch of different dates from November to January, and mention midwinter many times in there and refer to that people can read the Heimskringla to get details about Håkon and the celebration. It is said that Håkon was the one to change the dates yes ☺️ I don't know why you feel it necessary to showcase your flex-knowledge or try to get a "gotcha" on me underneath this video. Why ever that is I hope you feel better soon, god jul! ☺️
@@mooselady Almost all scholars are agreed that Adam of Bremen writes about the Disting.
Adam of Bremen writes "Schol. 137. Novem diebus commessationes et eiusmodi sacrificia celebrantur; unaquaque die offerunt hominem unum cum ceteris animalibus, ita ut per novem dies 72 fiant animalia quae offeruntur. Hoc sacrificium fit circa aequinoctium vernale."
English translation: " Scholium 137: Feasts and sacrifices of this kind are solemnized for nine days. On each day they offer a man along with other living beings in such a number that in the course of the nine days they will have made offerings of seventy-two creatures. This sacrifice takes place about the time of the vernal equinox."
He mention that the blot were held about the time of the vernal equinox. Which is in spring. And according to the Julian calendar in this time the fullmoon of the heathen moon-month göja was around the vernal equinox.
A better source about a blot that were held in the midwinter would be Thietmar that mentions the danish blot at Lejre, Seeland (Denmark).
"Because I have heard marvellous things about their ancient sacrifices, I will not allow these to pass unnoticed. In those parts, the centre of the kingdom [of the Danes] is a place called Lejre, in the region of Seeland. Every nine years, in the month of January, after the day of which we celebrate the appearance of the Lord [6 January], they all convene here and offer their gods a burnt offering of ninety-nine human beings and as many horses along with dogs and cock - the latter being used in place of hawks. As I have said, they were convinced that these would do service for them with those who dwell beneath the earth and ensure their forgiveness for any misdeeds."
Thietmar places the blot in january (midwinter) and this blot is the heathen jól.
I recomend the book: Jul, disting och förkyrklig tideräkning. Kalendrar och kalendariska riter i det förkristna Norden by Andreas Nordberg which you can download at Kungl. Gustaf Adolfs Akademien for free: kgaa.bokorder.se/sv-SE/article/3596/jul-disting-och-förkyrklig-tideräkning