Ancient Yule Decorations and What They Mean

The Yule goat goes back to a time when magic was afoot. Originally it was the goat that was slaughtered for the feast, but came to be symbolized by a goat made of straw.

It was sometimes an invisible creature that would appear to make sure the preparations for the holidays were being carried out properly. Goats also pulled Thor’s chariot. When Thor slaughtered his goats to feed himself and his guests, he restored them to life the next day with the aid of his hammer.

An old version of Santa shows him riding on a goat as he makes his rounds with gifts.

The ancient sun-god Balder was killed by blind god, Höder with the aid of the jealous god Loki with mistletoe. Loki knew that nothing would harm Balder except mistletoe. He persuaded Höder to put the arrow in his bow and he guided the blind god’s arm to aim at Balder.  The shaft struck Balder and killed him. The assembled gods would have killed Höder but the event occurred at the time of peace and goodwill to all men.

The use of holly, laurel, mistletoe, and other greens by the Druids became a tradition to provide shelter for the fairies.

Pagans in parts of the world venerated trees and left offerings for them. The first recorded instance of a Christmas tree was in the early renaissance. The tree was decorated with sweets, fruits and nuts for the children to enjoy. Later, candles, paper flowers, electric lights and other ornaments were added.

I've made some ornaments to celebrate the history of Yule. Santas over time were tall and thin or elf-like. Some were even rather scary.  In 1931 Coca Cola published ads with our modern Santa who became a jolly figure in a red suit