Christmas Elves....

 

🎄 Christmas Elves ⛄

We all know of Santa and his workshop of elves, but we're did this story come from what are the  origins of the jolly fat man's helpers?

 The modern elf folklore come  from Norse/Scandinavian mythology, the Nisse or house gnome and the  álfar, also called  huldufólk or  hildafolk 'hidden folk'.

Sweden's gift giver before Santa was the Tomten and the Yule Goat though by 1891, the Good old St Nick had merged with Tomten, who was originally an elf or gnome like farm guardian  (like the Nisse).  following the work of Jenny Nyström, this new combination of  old and new Christmas figures became  the Jultomten.

In Nordic countries, Nisse are the closest thing you could consider as Christmas Elves even though  nisse are not actually  elves and they will usually  only wear red instead of the green and red outfits that elves are known for in most western  countries.

 Several  Norse legend were likely combined with other Scandinavian and Celtic legends and myths about these small magic beings.

All kinds of stories about elves, fairies  nature spirits and even gnomes can be found from  multiple regions through Europe there are also similar supernatural beings that could be connected to elves, such as kobolds or duende  from Germany Mexico and South America or the Scottish house spirits called brownies. In Medieval Europe, elves were seen as tricksters and were often linked to demons especially after the christianization of Europe most things of a supernatural or otherworldly nature where considered evil.

The modern  Christmas elf + working in Santa's workshop) appeared in literature as early as 1850 when Louisa May Alcott (Little Women ) completed, but never published a book called Christmas Elves. 

Though a earlier reference to Christmas elf's can be found  In the 1823 poem A Visit from St. Nicholas (   'Twas the Night Before Christmas), by  Clement Clarke Moore, Santa Claus himself is described in line 45: "He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf".

The image of the elves in the workshop was also popularized by Godey's Lady's Book, with a front cover illustration for its 1873 Christmas issue showing Santa surrounded by toys and elves with the caption "Here we have an idea of the preparations that are made to supply the young folks with toys at Christmas time".

 During this time, Godey's was a very influential figure to the birth of some of our Christmas traditions, having shown the first widely circulated picture of a modern Christmas tree on the front cover of its 1850 Christmas issue. Additional recognition was also given in Austin Thompson's 1876 work "The House of Santa Claus, a Christmas Fairy Show (Christmas play) for Sunday Schools"

A few other versions of elf's or helpers are

Ded Moroz (father Frost / Grandfather Frost )  and his grand daughter Snegurochka (Frost Maiden) from Russia ⛄🎁

Knecht Ruprecht from Germany.🍻🎅

The  Hoesecker in  Luxembourg.🦌

Zwarte Piet (Black Peter) In the Netherlands and Belgium who accompany Saint Nicholas on his global gift giving.🎄

And lastly the modern Christmas tradition involving that ever watchful snitch The Elf on the Shelf  .🧝‍♂️👀

Hopefully none of you are on the naughty list, this year 🙂

Have a great Christmas and happy New Year.

🎄🎁🎅⛄🦌🎄

🦇M🦇

Last Post for the year, thanks for stopping by and have an awesome 2025🎆🎇

Kallikantzaroi, Christmas Goblin's 🎄🇬🇷

 

The Kallikantzaroi is a goblin like creature from Greek folklore.

 They live underground most of the year and spend their time sawing away at the world tree trying to bring it down and the world with it,  only coming out during the twelve days of Christmas, from December 25th to January 6th. 

They are small creatures  most often described as goblins or tiny demons with tails,  long, shaggy hair and hooves for feet.

 Despite their monstrous appearance, they are mostly prankster not good, but not entirely evil, however their mischievous behavior during the Christmas season can be troublesome similar to the pranks played by the Yule lad's.

 

 They're pranks usually involve stealing peoples belongings, and messing with  food. 

 There are several customs and rituals to keep them away,  including leaving a fire burning in the hearth throughout the night to prevent the Kallikantzaroi from entering through the chimney,  hanging holly and garlic, and placing a colander on the doorstep are some methods  believed to keep the Kallikantzaroi at bay.

 

They're pranks will continue until the Feast of the Epiphany, celebrated on January 6th. As the waters are blessed during the Epiphany service, the Christmas goblins return to they're underground home only to resurface the following year when the holiday season arrives once again.

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⛄Merry Christmas 🎄

And 

Happy New Year

🎆🎇🎆🎇🎆🎇🎆🎇

Norwegian Christmas poem, Julaften.

 HAPPY  DECEMBER FIRST :)

 

 

Julaften.

By

Norwegian poet Sigbjørn Obstfelder 1866- 1900

Christmas Eve!

Christmas Eve with candles in the windows,
Decorated trees in the halls,
Carols coming from the doorways!

I walked alone in the streets
and listened to the carols.
I sat down on the steps
and thought of my dead mother.

I walked out in the fields —
out — amongst the stars.
My shadow crept over the shadows
of skeleton armed trees.

I found a corpse between the glints of snow,
the snow candles,
a corpse, still living,
a poor frostbitten starling.

And I went home to my attic
and put the candle in my bottle.

I put the candle in my bottle
and put the Bible on the bed.

I kneeled down by my bed
and blew the dust off my Bible.

I folded my hand on the Bible
and cried....

,.............

In Norwegian

Julaften!
Julaften med julelys i vinduene,
bugnende juletrær i de store salene,
Julesang ut gjennom døren sprekker!

Jeg vandret alene i gatene
og lyttet til barnesangene.
Jeg satte meg på trappene
og tenkte på min døde mor.

                    *

Og jeg gikk ut på markene -
ute - blant stjernene.
Skyggen min gled over skyggene
av døde trær.

Jeg fant et lik mellom snøfnuggene,
snølysene,
et lik som fortsatt skjelver,
en dårlig frostdød spurv.

                    *

Og jeg gikk hjem til loftet mitt
og legg lyset i flasken min.

Jeg la lyset i flasken
og legg bibelen på kisten min.

Jeg knelte ned ved kisten min
og blåste støvet av bibelen min.

Jeg brettet hendene mine over bibelen min
og gråt.

Christmas: Grandfather Frost and the Ice maidens

                                              Image by vukcevic 


Today we talk about Santa...Kind of...

Have you ever wondered what the jolly old elf  is like in other counter's?..

For most of us, at least in the US he is called Santa Claus in others country's Papa Noel and even  Saint Nichole's...
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But have you ever heard of Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost ) or his granddaughter  Snegurochka - The Ice Maiden ?....No?

Well your in luck this post is dedicated to this frosty family for friendly folk...Try to say that five times fast lol

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Father Frost and his granddaughter Snegurochka – the Snow Maiden.

Originated in Russia.

Each year there are  festivals in celebration of the season   people dress up like Ded Moroz and Snegurochka they join in the parades from all over the country!

                                  Christmas parade in Minsk, Belarus, on Dec 24, 2016

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Ded Moroz like Santa Claus in the West is depicted as bringing presents to good children,  but unlike Santa who  dose his traveling on Christmas Eve Ded Moroz makes his appearance on New Years Eve. and is often accompanied by his Granddaughter / helper Snegurochka the Snow maiden.
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         Ded Moroz
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Ded Moroz Grandfather Frost or Father Frost is a popular holiday figure  in modern Russia.

 The origins of the of Ded Moroz predates Christianity as a Slavic  wizard of winter.

According to some sources in Slavic mythology, Ded Moroz, was also called Morozko or Ded, A ded is a typeof  snow demon^.

  However, before the Christianization of Russia the term demon didn't have the negative connotation it dose today.

^{Though after the christinazation of the region the terms demon, spirit, fairy or anything else that could be described as such was now seen as bad or out right evil} 



Under the influence of the  Orthodox church the  traditions relating to  Grandfather Frost  were transformed.

 Ever since the late 1800's the traditions and legend of Ded Moroz have been shaped by literary influences.

The play Snegurochka by Aleksandr Ostrocsky  was largely  influential in popularizing the characters.

Following the Russian Revolution Christmas traditions were actively discouraged because they were considered to be "bourgeois and religious".

In 1928 Ded Moroz was declared "an ally of the priest and Kulak

Though the current image of Ded Moroz was created during soviet times, and would become the main symbol of the New Year's holiday Novy God  that replaced Christmas.

Some Christmas traditions were revived following the famous letter by Pavel Postyshey published in  Pravda on December 28, 1935.

Postyshev believed that the origins of the holiday, which were pre-Christian, were less important than the benefits it could bring to Soviet children.

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 In 1998, the town of Veliku Ustyug in Vologda, Oblast was declared the official home of the  Ded Moroz by Yury Luzhkov then Mayor of Moscow.

You can take  a tain ride there... it's about 500 miles northeast of Moscow in the Taiga Forest in a log cabin.

Between 2003 and 2010, the post office in Veliky Ustyug received roughly 2,000,000 letters from within Russia and from all over the world for Ded Moroz.

 On January 7, 2008, President Putin visited Ded Moroz' residence in the town of Veliky Ustyug as part of the Russian Orthodox Christmas Eve celebration.

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                                    ===============
                                        Snegurochka
                                    ===============

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 They saw a pretty young girl all dressed in white with flaxen hair and shining blue eyes… Painting of Snow Maiden (1899)  by Viktor M. Vasnetsov
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In 1917, after the Bolshevik Revolution, Ded Moroz  along with Christmas was banned in Russia.

However in 1935  the winter wizard and the silver haired cutie would see a resurgence in popularity with the New Year’s celebrations becoming a more  public event, ever since then Ded Moroz and Snegurochka have appear on New Year’s Eve, putting presents under the tree for good kids all over the country.

 In the late Russian Empire (Late 1800's and Early 1900's) Snegurochka was part of Christmas traditions, in the form of Christmas tree ornimants and figurine.

 In the early Soviet Union, the holiday of Christmas was banned, together with other Christian traditions., until it was reinstated as a holiday of the Russian Federation in 1991, by Russian Federation President Boris N. Yeltsin
 ................

Snow-Maiden-and-Father-Frost 1912 paintings of Snow Maiden and Father Frost by Nicholas Roerich.

In 1878, the composer Ludwig Minkus  and the Balletmaster Marius Petipa staged a ballet adaptation of Snegurochka    called The Daughter of the Snow for the Tsar's Imperial Ballet.

The story was also later adapted into an opera in 1880-81 by  Nikolai Rimsky- Korsakov titled The Snow Maiden: A Spring Fairy Tail

Another version of  the snow maiden is about a girl who was  made of snow named Snegurka (Snezhevinochka ) it was published in 1869 by Alexander Afanasyey  in the second volume of his work The Poetic Outlook on Nature by the Slavs, where he also mentions the German analog, Schneekind ("Snow Child").  In this version, childless Russian peasants Ivan and Marya made a snow doll, which later came to life.

This version was later added to  Contes Populaires Slaves by Louis Leger in 1882^.

In the story Snegurka grows up quickly.  She later befrends a  group of girls that invite  her on a walk in the woods, after which they make a small fire and take turns jumping over it; in some variants, this is on St. Jon's Day leaping over a fire is a  St. John's Day tradition.

However when Snegurka's turn comes, she starts to jump, but only gets halfway before evaporating into a small cloud of mist.

This version of the story was called  "Snowflake" and was included in the "The  Pink Fairy Book" by Andrew Lang in 1897.

                                    Snegurochka in the forest (1925) by Boris Zvorykin.

Similar versions of these two figures can be found in other areas in the surrounding country's .

But this version is strictly Russia, so if your in the country during the holidays and you like parades and overall fun  check out some of the local  festivals !!

Merry Christmas everyone!!!! :)

Christmas Myths: Norwigian Nisse

 Nisse are believed to be spirits but some see them as a type of house elf or gnome's...

 In ancient times the Nisse  was believed to be an ancestors or spirit and are often believed to be spirite of  the farmer who originally cleared the forest to build the farm. in other words a  spirit that never leaves the farm or homestead they built in their day.


 The name Nisse may be derived from the Old Norse word “niðsi”, meaning (dear little relative)

In pre-Christian times, the original farmer / land owner was  often buried on his farm in a mound.

He was sometimes referred to as the haugkall or haugebonde, from the Old Norse haugr meaning mound.  Mounds are common places in Scandinavian folklore as the resting places for ancestral spirits .
 ===========================

Other legend's describe them as a member of the Hilda Folk / hidden folk a type a fairy or gnome like creature, humanoid in appearance and small in stature usually no more then 3 feet in height....
Modern day  nisse are often associated with Christmas and the yule time.

 =========================


Nisse are believed to live in the houses and barns of the farm and secretly act as their protector.

If treated well, they will protect the family and animals from bad luck and misfortune and may even help out with the farm work and animal care.

However, they are very strong for there size and known to be short tempered, especially when they fill offended, once insulted they will usually play tricks, steal items, and may even maim or kill.  


 
Traditionally, Blots are held every solstice and a gift (never payment) is left for the nisse, for protecting the home and family.

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  A blót is a type of offering / sacrifice it could be dedicated to any of the Norse gods, the spirits of the land, or to ancestors. The sacrifice involved aspects of a sacramental meals or feast.
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And you must ALWAYS remember to put out a bowl of porridge with butter and honey  for him on Christmas Eve (Winter Solstice or Jul) to show your appreciation for his watchfulness!



 This  tradition is   similar to the way cookies and milk are put out for Santa Claus.

Just like Santa's cookies  the porridge would be gone in the morning  the nisse also brings  presents sometimes .

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                                                        .....Christmas Card from 1885....

The nisse is also known as a tomte in some area's it's seen as a small gnome like creature most commonly found on or near farms and is often associated with Christmas.

Norwegian Julenissen, Sweden  has the Jultomten, the Finish Joulutonttu and the Danish Julemanden

The nisse is also sometimes accompanied by the Yule Goat  (Julbocken).

The pair appear on Christmas Eve knocking on the doors of people's homes and handing out presents.


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19th century Swedish Christmas card by Jenny Nystrom

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In the 1840s the farm nisse became one of  the main image's of Christmas in Denmark, and was then called julenisse (Yule Nisse).

In 1881, the Swedish magazine Ny Illustrerad Tidning published Viktor Rydberg  poem "Tomten", where the tomte is alone awake in the cold Christmas night, pondering the mysteries of life and death. This poem featured the first painting by Jenny Nystrom which was later made into a Christmas Card (Picture Above)  which she depicted as a white-bearded, red-capped friendly figure and he has been associated with Christmas ever since.

Not long after this other regions started adopting this nisse as a Christmas figure along with  the emerging Father Christmas /Santa traditions ..

 the new Danish tradition, a variant of the nisse/tomte, called the jultomte in Sweden and julenisse in Norway, started bringing the Christmas presents in Sweden and Norway, instead of the traditional julbock  (Yule Goat).

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  Other appearances ...

An angry nisse is featured in the popular children's book by Swedish author Selma Lagerlof called Nils Holgerssons suderbara resa genom syerige (Nils Holgersson's Wonderful Journey Through Sweden). The angry nisse turns the naughty child Nils into a nisse in the beginning of the book, and Nils then travels across Sweden on the back of a goose.

 In The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, hobs / nisse/ house elf's ...are eyeless creatures who burn in light. They serve the Queen Mab of The Winter Court of the Sidhe.


In Njord Kane's : The Hidden Hollow the  nisse are part of nature’s hidden folk who are both helpful and manipulative.

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Have a great Christmas! and Don't forget to leave out a bowl of porridge :)

:D God Jul :D

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May not be a post next week, if i don't the week following will have two posts.... hope you all have a great weekend :)
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Merry Christmas ! 

 
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