Scandinavian remnants of ancestor worship

[bjornart]

Whenever I read threads on the war on christmas and how atheists shouldn't be celebrating christmas I feel extra lucky about being Norwegian (even though my reasons apply to other Scandinavians and possibly Finns, and Icelanders and...).

For one thing we still use the name of the old, pre-christian celebration, but we also have elements of ancestor worship in our yule-traditions that most likely predate even the Norse gods, even if most people only refer to it in song instead of carrying it out. I'm refering to putting out porridge for the farm gnome, "nissen" or "tomten".

These days Nissen and Tomten (in Swedish) mostly refers to the Santa character, and is man sized, carries the Coca-Cola mandated robe and brings gifts, even if he comes in person on the evening of the 24th and doesn't live on the North Pole. But to be accurate that is only the Yule-nisse (Julenissen or Jultomten). All other nisser of the season are the old gnomes of house and farm.

Old names for these beings, and the etymology of the Swedish name, show that they were regarded as protectors of the farm, and that they were linked to the first settler of a farm and/or to someone buried in burial mounds close to the farm. Gardvord (farm protector) and haugbonde (the farmer from the mound) are old names for the nisse are clear examples of this.

So where does the worship enter into it? Well, tradition is to put out a bowl of porridge for the nisse of the farm. AFAIK few people do this now, but then again I've not actually asked anyone, but it's the topic of at least one well known, and one less known Christmas song. And this is not the same as cookies for santa. The gift bringer comes and hands out presents in person, and might be given something to eat. The porridge is set out for the supernaturals living in the barn.

That it's a remnant of an old tradition becomes clear when one looks at old references to the practice. Writers in the 16th-18th century describes the practice of setting out good food to please these supernaturals, and decries it as superstition and devil worship. The Nisse is either a demon, or a ghost, and should definitely not be given credit in any way for the bounties that the good Lord has given to people. But Scandinavians, for all their christianity, just kept it up, even if it's now limited to a bowl of porridge, on Christmas, in a song.

[-Fran-]

We did this sometimes when I was a kid. The porridge was always gone, though I suspect the cats and the birds had more to do with this :) I've never thought about the possible earliest origin of this particular custom before, Interesting! And I am not sure it was ever common in just my part of Sweden, really. I think we kids read about it and wanted to try.

I like our Tomte better than the American one though :)

ETA:
This whole Christmas war that seems to be going on in some countries is weird on the whole though. I don't think anything like this is going on anywhere in Scandinavia, as far as I have understood it. There's surely a few smaller religious groups here as well, who thinks Christmas belongs to them, and will use it to make some point, but there's nuts everywhere. On the whole though, I think Jul (Christms) is something highly UN-controversial around here, and mostly celebrated in peace.

[EeneyMinnieMoe]

Well, the whole thing with Christmas is that some people think you're being hypocritical if you celebrate and enjoy Christmas without believing in it. They think that no Jesus means no presents. :)

Here's my 2 cents on it:

I've met believers who love Christmas (as both a secularized and commercial holiday and as a religious and cultural holiday.)

I've met non-believers who love Christmas (including Jews and Muslims who celebrate it as a cultural holiday).

I've met non-believers who categorically refuse to celebrate Christmas.

I've met Christians who categorically refuse to celebrate Christmas (the Jehovah's Witnesses and some fundamentalist churches because of its pagan and Roman Catholic origins or because of the secularization and commercialization of it or because it's not what they think the appropriate way to honor Jesus' birthday is. )

And while we live in a free country, I propose that everyone celebrate Christmas in any way they please for whatever reason they please.

[Jeff Corey]

Or not.

[EeneyMinnieMoe]

...Or not! :)

[Ryokan]

I say this every christmas. Thank god, or whomever, we kept the old name for it. Makes it much harder for the Christian to claim sole ownership of it.

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n135/Ryokan76/nisse2.gif

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n135/Ryokan76/nisse1.jpg

Two classical depictions of 'julenissen'. The concept itself may predate Norse beliefs, I don't know, but the figure itself fits right in with the mythology, especially as a member of the dwarven race.

The festival itself, and the name yule, has by some historians been dated as far back as the ice age ten thousand years ago.

I've always compared him with a relative of the better known Irish leprechaun. They look similar, and if you don't stay in good terms with nissen (like put out porridge to him on christmas eve), he'll play tricks on you.

[CapelDodger]

Whenever I read threads on the war on christmas and how atheists shouldn't be celebrating christmas I feel extra lucky about being Norwegian (even though my reasons apply to other Scandinavians and possibly Finns, and Icelanders and...).

And to anywhere within reach back in the day. There were many people in these parts that wished they'd been lucky enough never to meet the Norse.

[fuelair]

I happily celebrate most holiday's - they don't bother me, many people I like celebrate them, they are fun (usually), and-mostly-the religious aspects do not have much,if any, place in them. (Well, maybe Samhain, but.........).

[-Fran-]

I say this every christmas. Thank god, or whomever, we kept the old name for it. Makes it much harder for the Christian to claim sole ownership of it.

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n135/Ryokan76/nisse2.gif

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n135/Ryokan76/nisse1.jpg

Two classical depictions of 'julenissen'. The concept itself may predate Norse beliefs, I don't know, but the figure itself fits right in with the mythology, especially as a member of the dwarven race.

The festival itself, and the name yule, has by some historians been dated as far back as the ice age ten thousand years ago.

I've always compared him with a relative of the better known Irish leprechaun. They look similar, and if you don't stay in good terms with nissen (like put out porridge to him on christmas eve), he'll play tricks on you.

That's him :)

Yeah, he would be a cousin to the Leprechaun and other gnome-like dwarfish folklore beings. And he has nothing in particular to do with Yule (or Christmas) really other than that Christmas times was before considered extra magical times where it was more important than ever to be in good terms with the magical beings around you.

He somehow got more and more merged with Yule traditions, and more widely popularized as such in the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, in Sweden particularly, with the help of much loved artist Jenny Nyström who painted countless of Yule-tide post cards with Julenissen/Tomten.

Later the tradition got merged with the USA coca-cola Santa. That's when our Tomte, too, started to be the one handing out the Christmas gifts and moved to the North pole and all that. Before that Christmas presents were not delivered by a particular character, or characters who were considerably more "devilish" in looks, as the "Julbock" in the form of a man dressed out in furs and horns on his head. Now if such a character asked the kids if they had been good... ;)

Jenny Nyström Yule-tide cards:
http://www.samlaren.org/jn.htm

[FireGarden]

Whenever I read threads on the war on christmas and how atheists shouldn't be celebrating christmas I feel extra lucky about being Norwegian (even though my reasons apply to other Scandinavians and possibly Finns, and Icelanders and...).

For one thing we still use the name of the old, pre-christian celebration, but we also have elements of ancestor worship in our yule-traditions that most likely predate even the Norse gods, even if most people only refer to it in song instead of carrying it out. I'm refering to putting out porridge for the farm gnome, "nissen" or "tomten".

Aren't gnomes mentions in the film "Heroes of Telemark"? Kirk Douglas, I think, says they'll manage something or be alright if "the gnomes are with us".... Or something.

Or maybe it was someone talking to Kirk Douglas. I can't remember.