Winter Solstice and Mythology
As daylight dwindles and temperatures plunge in the Northern Hemisphere we say to each other, “Winter has arrived!”. Astronomically winter officially begins with the Winter Solstice. It is the culmination point of ever-darkening days initiated at the Summer Solstice. The Winter Solstice is the longest and darkest night of the year, but it also signals the “return of the light”.
In ancient times the sun’s withdrawal brought freezing temperatures, dying crops and serious implications. Can we even imagine how it was to huddle in a fire-lit cave, not understanding why the sun was moving ever lower in the sky, taking away its life-giving heat and wondering if it was leaving forever?
To survive it was imperative the people keep their lives in balance with the forces of nature, carefully studying the signs of earth and sky. They learned to watch the sun to know when to plant, harvest or make preparations for the harshness of winter.
Difficult times, such as the sun’s diminishing radiance, sent the ancient people to their shamans and wise elders for explanations. They needed reassurance that there was an order to the universe. Without access to science as we know it, the wise ones of all cultures consulted their sacred practices and told the people the sacred stories they’d divined.
Those who study mythology realized these were not just stories to while away the long nights. The effect of these myths was a harmonizing of mind and body. Left on its own and without direction, the human mind can wander off in strange and sometimes destructive paths. Through the sacred stories they were ensuring the ancient people’s minds remained in accord with their bodies. This allowed the people a way of life that kept them together, safe and in alignment with natural laws of their environment.
While myths, rituals, rites and traditions kept tribes and communities together, ensuring survival, it is fascinating to contemplate how these myths still impact our present-day life. They live on in our physical structures and nervous systems which have adapted over millennia to allow for the survival of the human race. Passed down from our ancestors, these stories which helped shape and guide human evolution, live on in our DNA.
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A Winter Solstice Myth
Many myths arose in Norse mythology. The winter solstice (also known as Yule) was a time to feast, drink and honor the gods. Bonfires still dot the land with festivals of light, continuing the ancient customs. Fire, symbolic of the sun, was seen as powerful, representing life, warmth, protection. What follows is one version of the solstice myth:
“The ancient Nordics told of Baldr, their god of illumination who was associated with the sun and his twin brother Hodr, the blind god of darkness representing the underworld. When Baldr, despite his mother Frigga’s best interventions, was struck down by an arrow shot by his dark brother, the world was plunged into cold, darkness and despair.
To prevent the world from entering into eternal darkness, the gods sent messengers to seek Baldr’s resurrection. Eventually a successful deal was made when Frigga bargained with the Queen of the Underworld. This required Frigga ask all living beings on earth to cry for her son’s return. All of creation united and Baldr returned from the realm of the dead on the Winter Solstice, reflecting a time of victory over darkness, bringing the promise of hope, light and renewal. “
Touching on the obvious within this myth, the wise elders were able to bring normality to a time of sustained darkness which could have otherwise been frightening. In this way, too, they were able to use the myth to illustrate the seasons and the natural cycles of life, which includes the inevitably of death, no matter how high one’s station or how many precautions are taken.
At this time in our world, one bit of the myth stands out: “all living beings on earth joined together to cry for Baldr’s return”. Darkness, isolation and separation will always be a necessary part of the duality we live in, but that does not eclipse the pure joy and power in the light of unity and working together.
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A Winter Solstice Tradition
Here is a beautiful Abenaki tradition from one of their Storytellers in his own words:
” What I want to share with you is actually a tradition from the Abenaki people, a tradition that is still carried out to this day. At this time of year, the December solstice, it was the time when people went from house to house greeting each other. And what they would say when they greeted each other this time, what they would say was, “An halom mawi, casia palwea walang.” Which means, “Forgive me for any wrong I may have done you in the past year.” And that was then followed by a friendship song and a friendship dance bringing back into the circle of life forgiveness and respect restored. So, I want to share with you that traditional friendship song. And its translation is very simple. It basically says, “I like this, and I like that.” And that idea of caring for the people and the living things around you is at the center of the friendship song.”
