5 Ancient Winter Folktales to Discover this Christmas
The season is upon us! This weekend I've just suddenly gotten FULLY immersed in the Christmas feeling and I. Am. Ready. for all of the traditions. This year might be a bit different but that doesn't mean it can't still be enjoyable. Gatherings might be smaller or even virtual, meals may not be that traditional feast you remember but the magic is still in the air, and new traditions can always be made. This year is the first year in my life where I won't be at my Grandparents huge Christmas Eve gathering and as much as it sucks not being able to do that this year, I'm excited for the more casual evening in store for me and my immediate family. Classic Christmas movies, Christmas cocktails and baked goods don't sound half bad. So, in discovering some new traditions, I thought it would be cool to explore some old ones. There's been different tales and traditions of winter and Christmas around the world for centuries and we only hear about a small few so I did some digging this week and these are the stories that I found the most interesting! Some may be a bit nightmare-inducing but I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.
Hans Trapp
Never heard of him? Count yourself lucky. This terrifying “anti-Santa” lore comes from the French/Germanic border region of Alsace Lorraine (where I just found out my ancestors hail from!) Hans Trapp is a figure in lore who lives in the forest and roams around dressed like a scarecrow in order to pray on children and eat them. Eventually caught out and punished by St. Nicholas, Hans Trapp now works for him to earn redemption. St. Nicholas awards the good children presents and Hans Trapp punishes the naughty children. This brings whole new terror of ending up on that naughty list am I right?
The most terrifying fact of this legend? Hans Trapp is based on a real person! I, for one, am glad I never grew up hearing this story. Talk about an instilled fear of Christmas.
Grýla
Next, we have the baddest witch of them all, hailing from Iceland it’s Gryla the Christmas Witch. This one might be familiar to any of you Chilling Adventures of Sabrina fans as she features pretty heavily in one Yule themed episode. Gryla is thought to be the personification of winter and darkness. This tough Ogress lives in a cave in Iceland’s hinterlands and is the mother of many strange creatures, some of these being the famous and michievious “Yule Lads”. With the help of her offspring, she attacks townships by snatching children and making them into a stew (why is it always the children and cannibalism?!). Gryla’s connection to Christmas comes in the form of Yuletide lore. Some of the earliest celebrations of the Yule (Jól in Old English) where there is a thin veil between the living and the deceased as well as other magical creatures (much like Samhain). Gryla would be among these "other" magical creatures that appear, showing up in her terrifying appearance and her magic bag into which she would kidnap naughty children.
All I have to say for this one is "yikes!" but also, very cool story. Can you imagine the lengths people must have gone to in order to keep this Witch from visiting their homes? And the celebrations that must have taken place after each successful year of avoiding her wrath? Legendary.
Ded Moroz
Otherwise known as Morozko (the well-loved character from the Winternight trilogy). This Christmas creature originates in Russian/Slavic regions. Morozko was originally known as “Father Frost” who was, according to mythology, a snow demon with great powers. He could be quite cruel as he would kidnap children and only return them when their parents gave him gifts as payment (much like a ransom for present-day kidnappers?). However, under influence of the Orthodox Church, Morozko morphed into Ded Moroz, a kinder magical figure providing gifts for children instead of kidnapping them. He became much like Santa Clause except this gift-giving tradition happens on New Year’s Eve instead of Christmas Eve.
Definitely, a much creeper version of the frost demon we meet in The Bear and the Nightingale but still a very fascinating legend.
Queen of Winter
Finally, we have a magnificent queen from Scottish folklore! The Queen of Winter, named Beira or “the Cailleach”(the veiled one) is not only a queen but a goddess of winter! Not only that but also the mother of all gods and goddesses in Scotland. What an introduction! I like her already. Beira is said to be an old hag with one eye, who seeks the love of a hero. If the hero accepts her, she would transform into a beautiful maiden (like Beauty and the Beast!), this tale representing the "new seeds of spring" with her transformation. She carries a magic staff with which she freezes the ground with each tap and she rules winter with fear and harshness and is undisputed in these cold months but when spring comes, her subjects begin to rebel against her rule and thus welcome the goddess of the spring.
I think this is a pretty cool and unique seasonal myth that combines a lot of the aspects of Demeter, Persephone, Hades, and the origination of the changing of the seasons from Classical Mythology. And now, we have someone we can blame for the miserable weather other than the weatherman! So next time you’re outside and the cold winter wind is eating your face, thank Beira for that!
The Wild Hunt
This one has always been beyond fascinating to me! The Wild Hunt sweeps through the forests in midwinter at the coldest and darkest part of the year when the winds bite and the storms swirl over the land. Anyone finding themselves outdoors during this time might be able to see the Wild Hunt, or worse yet, be spotted by it (which may involve being carried away miles from where you were, maybe freezing to death on the way back). The leader of this hunt has had many names but the origination always draws back to Odin, the god of the dead and the “Allfather” in Norse Mythology. They are best seen during the time of Yule or Jól because, as stated earlier, this is another time during the year when the veil between the living and the dead is the thinnest.
Good thing most of us aren’t likely to just be hanging around outside on the coldest nights of the year during the dead of night. However, if you do find yourself there…. make sure to run inside before the Hunt can grab you, or else maybe bring some heating pads with you just in case you end up 20 miles out of town….
Of course, Christmas/Yule/Solstice being such an ancient tradition in so many different countries and religions there are thousands of other folktales out there that are just as interesting as these ones so if you have any favourites or your family has any cool/creepy stories that are still passed down today, I'd love to hear them!
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