Folk tales that take place on or around New Year's seem are a little tough to find. I did come across "The Elves' Dance on New Year's Eve," a tale from Iceland.
The story introduce two brothers, one who believes the Hidden People, elves, exist and the other who denies it. The argument continued and eventually the one who didn't believe in them stated he would leave home and not come back until he knew for sure one way or the other.
Nothing of note occurred until, on New Year's Eve, he came to a farm where all the people were gloomy. He asked them why they were not celebrating and they explained that nobody would stay and guard the farm while the family went to the midnight church service, as anyone who kept guard on New Year's Eve disappeared. The traveler told them not to worry, that he would stay. The people gratefully accepted and hurried off to church. They were...
"The Thunder Oak" is a Scandinavian legend. The story takes place on Christmas Eve, deep in the forest where a giant tree grew, its branches reaching toward the clouds, Thor's Thunder Oak. On this particular cold, moon-lit night, Thor's priests were preparing to make their human sacrifice at the altar under the tree. But before the priest's can kill their victims, Saint Winfred and his people came riding through the forest. The saint pulled out a golden axe and chopped down the mighty tree. Just behind it stood a small fir tree. Saint Winfred dropped his ax and turned to preach to the people.
This little tree, a young child of the forest, shall be your holy tree to-night. It is the tree of peace, for your houses are built of fir. It is the sign of endless life, for its leaves are forever green. See how it points upward to heaven! Let this be called the tree of the Christ...
I don't know why, but I've always had a fondness for troll stories, ever since I was a kid. So, when I was thinking about what Christmas tales to feature, I couldn't pass up the Norwegian fairy tale, "The Cat on the Doverfjell," first collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon.
A man was bringing a white bear to give to the king of Denmark, and he came to the mountain Dovre on Christmas Eve and asked a man called Halvor for shelter for the night. Halvor told him that he couldn't provide a room, as every Christmas Eve trolls came to the house and made such havoc that the household had to flee them. The man begged to stay anyway, stating his bear could sleep under the stove while the man slept in one of the side rooms. Halvor finally agreed.
The household prepared everything for the trolls, laying out...
"The Christmas Rose" is a sweet legend telling how the Christmas rose got its name. The story goes that on a dark cold night, Madelon, a shepherdess, saw a procession of Magi passing by her snow- covered field with their gift of gold, frankincense and myrrh for the Christ Child. Even the other shepherds heading to the stable took gifts of honey and fruits. Madelon longed to go and worship, too, but she had no gift to give. She searched the countryside for even a single flower to offer, but found none since the weather had been so cold and harsh. Finally she started crying and just then an angel passing over her over her saw her sadness, stopped, stopped down to the ground and brushed the snow. There, in the snow, sprung up a beautiful cluster of waxen white winter roses with pink tipped petals. The angel whispered to the girl that these flowers were more precious than any...
Image credit: Kristy Barlow
"The Girl without Hands" is very religious for a Grimm tale. A poor miller is approached by a mysterious man who promises the miller to make him rich if he gives the man what's behind the mill. The miller quickly agrees, thinking he is only giving away the apple tree, but he learns later from his wife that their daughter, innocent, beautiful, "pious," had been sweeping the yard. It must have been the devil, the wife asserts. The man has promised to come back in three years to retrieve what is his.
For three years, the girl lives "in the fear of God and without sin." On the appointed day the girl washes herself and stand in the center of the chalk circle. The Devil seems to ignore the circle, but yells at the father to keep water away from the girl, if she's clean, he can have no power over her. So dad, great guy that he...
Happy Thanksgiving! Today, I'm thankful for family and friends. And for the wonderful dinner my mother-in-law will prepare this afternoon. (I'm hoping for sweet potatoes and applesauce.)
Looking for an appropriate tale to share today, I came across this Ojibwa legend, "How Indian Corn Came into the World."
Wunzh, the eldest son of a kind, poor Indian, is the age when boys in his tribe fasts so he can see a vision of his Spirit Guide. Wunzh is a good boy and wishes, more than anything, that he could do something great for the people of his tribe. Wunzh withdraws to a small lodge apart from the village and begins his fast.
On the first day, he walks though the forests and meadows, filling his mind with the flowers, trees, all the growing things in hopes that he will dream of them in the night.
"Truly,'' thought he, `"the Great Spirit made all things. To Him we owe our lives. But could He not...