Get the look: Luxe Viking woman, Yule, Freydís

Christmas or winter solstice has been celebrated for thousands of years. In this blog, we take you to the pre-Christian Yule celebrated by Germans, Vikings, and Balto-Slavs in Northern Europe. We have put together a fitting luxury outfit to keep you warm during the winter days and festivals.

As early as 15,000 years ago, the winter solstice played a significant role in the lives of early societies. Foragers, hunters, and fishers in Europe feared the night, which was associated with death and the danger of predators such as bears and wolves. The transition where the days became longer and nights shorter after the winter solstice was an important turning point for them, likely celebrated in their shamanistic nature religion.

Around 8000 BC, the first farmers arrived in Europe from Anatolia, responsible for monuments such as Stonehenge. For these Neolithic communities, the winter solstice marked the most important moment of the year, as a transition from long nights associated with death to shorter nights heralding the spring. Many Neolithic burial monuments in Britain and Ireland are designed so that sunlight during the winter solstice illuminates the burial chambers, emphasizing the symbolic connection between the dead and their rebirth. It was the transitional period when the dead earth would soon yield grain again. Up to this point, they had survived the winter, and that was reason for celebration! 

From 3000 BC, semi-nomadic herders migrated from the Pontic-Caspian steppes to Europe. They became the ancestors of many modern European peoples and spoke Proto-Indo-European: the language from which most European languages are descended.

The cosmic order was the foundation of their religion. Darkness symbolized death and chaos, and light represented the cosmic order, fertility, and life. There were various gods associated with celestial bodies and light, such as *Seh₂ul (Old Norse Sól), god of the sun, *Meh₁not (Old Norse Máni), god of the moon, and *H₂éwsōs (West Germanic Eostre) goddess of the dawn.

The winter solstice, which falls between December 21 and 23, was celebrated by many Indo-European peoples. The Romans celebrated around the Saturnalia, in honor of the god Saturn, and Emperor Aurelian made this period in 274 AD into the festival Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, the birthday of Sol Invictus or the 'unconquered sun'. The Vedic people of India celebrated the Mahavrata festival, preceded by the rituals of Pitryajna, Traiyambakahoma, and Ekastaka; and the Persians celebrated Yalda night, while the Gallic Coligny calendar mentions the month of Equos, which was likely associated with fertility.

A fragment of a Gothic calendar from the 6th century AD mentions frumajiuleis, although it is not certain if this refers to the month of December. This would be the earliest mention of a Yule month.

The Anglo-Saxon historian Bede confirms that both December and January are called Giuli. In the Icelandic calendar, used among others by Snorri Sturluson, the second month of winter, which begins at the end of November, is called ýlir.

It is not certain when the Yule festival was exactly celebrated, but it did not coincide with the later Christian Christmas. The Hákonar saga góða from Snorri Sturluson's Heimskringla (12th/13th century) tells that Yule was celebrated during the Midwinter Nights and that King Haakon the Good ensured the date was moved to the Christian Christmas. 

The Midwinter Nights fell after the winter solstice, according to Andreas Nordberg during the full moon of the second Yule month, thus January. This corresponds with the account of Bishop Thietmar of Merseburg, who tells that the Vikings gathered every nine years in January in Lejre for a blót, where they offered to the gods.

In the Old English period, Yule, ġēol or ġēohol, was a 12-day festival, which later became the Twelve Days of Christmas. Here, ǣrra ġēola (pre-Yule) referred to the period before the Yule feast (December) and æftera ġēola (Post-Yule) to the period after (January). This means that the Yuletide lasted approximately two months. 

Mōdraniht (night of the mothers), was a pagan ritual celebrated by the Anglo-Saxons on the evening now known as Christmas Eve. 

This event is exclusively mentioned by the 8th-century English monk and historian Bede in his work De Temporum Ratione. He describes that the pagan Anglo-Saxons began their year on the eighth day before the calends of January (December 25), and that the night before, which is holy for Christians, was called "Mōdraniht" by the pagans, meaning "Night of the Mothers."

Although Bede does not provide a detailed description of the rituals performed during Mōdraniht, some scholars, including Rudolf Simek, suggest that the festival may have involved sacrifices in honor of female deities or ancestral mothers. 

They link Mōdraniht to the Germanic Matres and Matronae, female beings often depicted in trios and venerated in parts of Germania. Additionally, parallels have been drawn with Scandinavian traditions, such as the norns and dísablót, a sacrificial feast in honor of the dísir, female protective spirits or ancestral spirits.

The information about Mōdraniht is limited to Bede’s mention and many interpretations are based on comparisons with other Germanic and Scandinavian traditions. Nonetheless, Mōdraniht is considered an important example of pre-Christian rituals focused on honoring women, goddesses, and ancestors during the midwinter period. Although Yule fell in the season of the dead, it was also a festival in which one could ask for fertility in the coming year. As such, it stands in the broader context of the Germanic winter celebrations around Yule. 

The tradition of wassail started as the greeting "was hál" or "waes haeil," with which the Anglo-Saxons toasted to each other's good health. Eventually, this greeting became synonymous with what was drunk during the toast: a warm, spiced drink, usually beer or wine. 

At least from the 15th century, farmers went around with a wassail bowl on the twelfth night of Christmas (January 5 or 6) to the door of their landlord or wealthier neighbors. The visitors sang songs in exchange for food and drink. They were given food and drink in return for their blessing. When the landlord refused, he was cursed. 

In the late 16th century, Apple-Wassailing also emerged in southern England. Groups of young men roamed through apple orchards and performed rituals in exchange for a reward. They sang songs or made as much noise as possible. The aim was to "wake up" cider apple trees and drive away evil spirits, ensuring a successful harvest. The ceremony was led by a wassail king and queen, with toast soaked in wassail hung as an offering in the trees.

These Wassail rituals only arose in the late Middle Ages but probably have a much older pagan origin. It served as a symbol of reciprocity , an important Indo-European principle. The farmers sang for (praised) their landlord in exchange for food. This confirmed their patron-client relationship.

The Hákonar saga góða tells that during the Yule festival for King Haakon, three toasts were made: the first cup was for Odin “for victory and power,” the second cup for Njörðr and Freyr “for good harvests and peace,” and the third cup, the bragarfull, in honor of the king himself.

The Orkneyinga saga tells that midwinter is particularly associated with Thor, also a god associated with weather and fertility.

The period between Halloween (álfablot) and Yule was the season of the dead. This was the time of the Wild Hunt, a ghostly procession led by Odin, and increased supernatural activities, including the presence of draugar - undead beings that wander the earth.

The god Odin had many names, including Jólnir ('the Yule-god'). According to the 12th-century Ágrip, the word jól, which refers to a festival in general, originates from this nickname. Even the gods themselves were sometimes called jólnar. 

Freyr was the god of kingship, fertility, peace, prosperity, and good harvests. The medieval chronicler Adam of Bremen states that he was associated with peace and pleasure and that the temple of Uppsala had a phallic image in his honor. According to Snorri Sturluson, Freyr was "the most renowned of the æsir," and he was worshipped for a good harvest and peace.

The Roman Saturnalia (December 25) is associated with the god of fertility of the land, Saturn. This tradition is also reflected among the Vikings.

The most well-known Yule ritual is the blót or the sacrifice. The most famous source of this is Hákonar saga góða from the 12th/13th century, which describes events from the late 10th century.

Hákonar saga góða tells how the people gathered at the temple, bringing their own food. Cattle and horses were sacrificed. The blood (hlaut) of the sacrificial animals was collected in a bowl (hlautbolli) and sprinkled with twigs (hlautteinar) on the attendees, the temple walls, and the statues of the gods. The meat of the sacrificed animals was cooked and served during the banquet. Fires were lit in the middle of the temple and cauldrons hung above them. The leader of the feast blessed the sacrificial cup (drinking horn) and the meat. Drink, especially beer, flowed abundantly. During the banquet, toasts were drunk to Odin, Freyr, and the leader. They also toasted in memory of the deceased, the minni.

The sacrifice of a horse was not uncommon. The Proto-Indo-Europeans, originally a horse-riding culture, believed that the sun was drawn by horses. The horse was a symbol of the land, fertility, and kingship. The king sacrificed the horse and symbolically killed the sun, to ensure that the sun could be reborn. Only through death could new life arise. Through the rebirth of the sun, a new era began. In this way, the king essentially sacrificed himself, as an oath to his land. By consuming the sacrifice, his subjects reconnected themselves to the king and the land.

Another important ceremony was the sonar-blót and the heitstrenging. This is described in the Helgakviða Hjǫrvarðssonar and the Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks. The sonargöltr, a boar, was led inside on Yule evening. The attendees placed their hand on the animal's bristles and swore oaths. This likely confirmed their bond with the king and also with the gods. After swearing, the animal was sacrificed and possibly eaten as the main course of the sacrificial feast. The god Freyr rode on the boar Gullinbursti ('golden bristles') and thus the animal was dedicated to him. This might also be why people still eat pork during Christmas.

In this blog, we have assembled a 9th-10th century Viking woman. Her outfit is based on the clothing that a wealthy Viking woman, such as the wife of a Jarl (Viking chieftain), would have worn. We call the Viking woman in this reconstruction Freydíss. 

Freydís is wearing an underdress. The underdress was usually white or cream, bleached or unbleached. The underdress was regularly washed and ensured that the outer clothing became dirty less quickly. Washing clothes causes colors to fade. The underdress therefore ensures that the expensive outer clothing lasted longer. 

Freydís wears a luxurious Viking dress. The dress features the colors blue and red, which were challenging to produce in high quality. 

Married Viking women usually wore a headkerchief. This protected the hair during work and from the smoke coming from the hearth. Headscarves were probably often worn during religious rituals as a sign of recognition of the gods who live above mortals. 

Over the dress, Freydís wears a purple hangerok. Purple was extremely difficult to make, and only the wealthiest women in Viking society could afford purple. The hangerok is embroidered with various knot patterns. With this hangerok, Freydís exudes authority in her society. This emphasizes her role as Jarlske; she had to represent her husband when he was absent, for instance, when he went on a Viking expedition. The Jarlske held an important central and often semi-religious position in society. 

The turtle brooches of Freydís fasten the hangerok and her dress together. The turtle brooches themselves are already very luxurious. Additionally, Freydís wears luxurious necklaces between her turtle brooches, to which items like nail and ear cleaners are attached. Everyday items such as knives, needle cases, and scissors were also fastened to the cords between the turtle brooches.

Some Viking women carried cosmetic items such as nail cleaners, ear spoons, and tweezers on their turtle brooches. Viking men were also often buried with combs. Vikings were considerably cleaner than Christians living in the same period. The reason for this was that in their pagan belief, beauty and structure represent cosmic order. Therefore, a Viking was expected to ritually wash themselves before turning to their gods. Women therefore carry luxury cosmetic sets on their turtle brooches as a form of virtue and status. 

Freydís wears a dark Viking belt with silver belt fitting. To emphasize her status.

Freydís wears turn shoes. These were the most common type of shoes throughout the Viking world. Shoes like these were worn by both men and women. 

Viking women might have also worn kaftans. These were likely often made of wool. The caftan is a winter coat that was a welcome addition to her outfit during the cold days of Yule. The caftan was probably not worn during official occasions, as one would not see all the luxury and bling anymore. In images from the Viking Age, women are always depicted in their luxurious attire. This does not mean they always dressed like this in daily life.

Over her caftan Freydís wears a cloak. This woolen cloak was used during the cold Northern European winters. 

Some hoods from around the Viking Age have been found. A 4th-century Pictish original was discovered on the Orkney Islands near Scotland. The chaperon in this composition is based on an 11th-century original, discovered in Skjoldehamn in Northern Norway.