Werewolf cheer!

 

Happy Christmas and Happy Yule season. Enjoy the Christmas holidays. In folklore it's believed that those born on the 25th December are werewolves. There's nothing to worry about though. This idea comes from the Middle Ages and possibly also the ancient Greeks. It's a magical trait these babies have who were born on Christmas Day, in order to protect their villages and flocks from outside animal predators. Some say only boys born on Christmas day become werewolves and girls become witches and healers. Kind of like the birth of new stars and home guardians. Anyway enjoy the season, have good cheer and be merry!

She Wolf Night

Lussi

There is a ghost in Norwegian folklore that frightens children each Christmas. Her name is Lussi, and she appears as a pale spectre at the windows who screeches in anger. Her purpose is to check on everyone at home each night of December leading up to Christmas Day and make sure that all household chores have been done. Because if not, she would strike people down and damage the chimneys. Lussi could also become mostly active on the 12th and 13th December, which is the most scariest time. As we just had the 13th December on a Friday, it makes it all the more creepy.  

If this isn't scary enough, Lussi brings paranormal creatures with her including trolls and demons and the Oskorei or Wild Hunt. Her reputation became known as Lussi Langnatt or "Lussi Long Night". The 12th and 13th December have been associated with Lussi because it's during a time when spirits and the undead walk. It was once the longest night of the year in the old sense before switching to the modern calendar. People have been too afraid to go out on such nights as Lussi and her evil hunters will kidnap them. It's a time when animals could talk to each other and many other magical events. 

It's connected to the fun festival of Saint Lucy, which is a Swedish celebration that reveals her to be a pretty young woman dressed all in white, with a crown of leaves and candles. Children sing Lucy songs and eat special buns and cakes. It's almost like a mystical time before the darkest and coldest season. St Lucy and the witch Lussi are like forces of light and darkness. St Lucy brings hope in a time of grim winter and Lussi Long Night brings fear. 

She Wolf Night

Cold moon

The full moon in December is known widely to be called the Cold Moon. This is especially by those living in the Northern Hemisphere. Alternative names for the full moon seen during December are Full Cold Moon, Oak Moon, the Long Night Moon, Moon Before Yule and Yule Moon. 

It's during December when Winter begins from the season of Yule and mainly the Winter Solstice that temperatures lower, making nights last longer and darker. It's bitterly cold and icy. Frost will appear in the mornings. Expect to see falling snowflakes to heavy snowfall. Sharper clear night skies of glistening stars and pale puffs of drifting clouds packed with snow. 

The full moon in December will happen on the 15th although it will be quite unique. This will be a slightest northern moonrise. It won't be completely bright as only 98% of it will be full and the least bright in 2024. However none of the moons of 2024 have been 100% full but 99% full. It will be on 15th Dec that the moon will rise at the most northerly position, which is a rare event. 

Often the moon and sun will rise at slightly off positions than most people would expect them to but this December's cold moon will rise further north in the sky. This behaviour of the December moon is called a "major lunar standstill". We should expect the moon to do this again in the year 2043 so that will be a long time off. The 15th full moon will be a special event. 

She Wolf Night 

Santa's reindeer

 

While most people think Santa always comes down the chimney bringing gifts, no one really stops to think of his own transport. He rides in a flying magic sleigh pulled by a team of reindeer. Most people that think of the Christmas reindeer always mention only Rudolph the Red nose reindeer, but actually this is quite a new addition accompanied with the famous Gene Autry's 1949 song. Rudolph first appeared in a 1939 book by Robert L May called "The Red-Nosed Reindeer".  He's been well known ever since then and a favourite among children. The other reindeer are less known but are included in art, poems, music, film and stories. 

In 1823 it was written that there were 8 reindeer that pulled Santa's sleigh. This was mentioned in a poem "A Visit from St Nicholas" by Clement Clarke Moore. It was here in this work that each reindeer was named, Cupid, Comet, Dasher, Dancer, Blixem, Dunder, Prancer and Vixen. The named "Dunder" and "Blitzen" mean thunder and lightning. Earlier this wasn't always how Santa rode his sleigh. He once had only one reindeer, according to an illustrated 1821 book "The Children's Friend" by William B Gilley. The author of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" was L Frank Baum who also wrote about Santa's reindeer and that was in a 1902 fantasy book called "The Life and Adventure of Santa Claus". There were 10 reindeer in this version, named Glossie, Flossie, Speckless, Reckless, Ready, Steady, Fearless, Peerless, Pacer and Racer. It's set in a land populated by nymphs, fairies, gnomes and others including strange creatures of author's own invention. 

While reindeer have been introduced into the legend of Santa since the 19th century, reindeer have always been associated with Winter season, mainly in folklore and myths. How the connection of Santa having reindeer was made in the early 19th century was by works of fiction and art. It's possible that the notion comes from the fact reindeer have always been the most popular form of transport in severe thick snow, and it was explained that Santa could travel quickly using reindeer instead of horses during freezing winter nights. 

There is also the flying reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh, reminiscent of magical flying beasts, from the 8 legged steed belonging to the chief Norse god Odin and the powerful flying goats that pulled the thunder god Thor's chariot across the sky. In Roman mythology, the ruler of Olympus Jupiter, and his daughter Minerva, rode in quadriga pulled across the sky by winged Pegasi the flying horses. The fact is today reindeer are a staple part of winter beauty and magic.  

She Wolf Night     

Christmas spider

In East Europe it's believed to be lucky to see a spider on a Christmas tree. There are many people who decorate their Christmas trees with tinsel and glitter, also "angel hair" and shiny baubles in the shape of cobwebs and glittering spiders. The reason ornamental spiders are placed on trees comes from a belief that spiders bring good luck, and especially during Yule season on Christmas trees. 

There is an old story from either the Ukraine or Germany, about the origins of the Christmas spider tradition. No one knows who the author was except that it's been passed down as an oral folktale and told to children. While most people fear spiders during Halloween, spiders have a magical meaning at Yule. 

The story begins about a poor widow who lives with her children in a small house. A pinecone fell to the abode floor of the hut, and there it planted itself, growing to become a tree. The widow and children loved the tree and they cared for it. During Christmas, the widow felt sad because she was too poor to give her children a nice Christmas. They couldn't afford decorations to put on their tree. Meanwhile some spiders living in shadowy corners of the house observed the tree and wanted to visit it. So while the widow and her children were sleeping, the spiders crawled around the tree and covered it in cobwebs.

Then in the morning, after the widow had woken up, she opened the window to let in sunlight. She and her children were amazed to see their tree was sparkling in gold and silver. Another version goes that was during the night while widow and children were asleep, Santa visited the house and saw the tree was covered in cobwebs. He appreciated the work done by the spiders so he gave it some magic by transforming the webs into tinsel. This tree was beautiful and the widow was able to live well and provided better for her children afterwards.  

She Wolf Night

Spooky quicks December 2024

While December is now here upon us, it's often meant to be about cheerful fun and happiness but many don't realise it's got a dark side too. One thing about Yule and Christmas are the amount of ghost stories. Another thing is about scary monsters that appear during December, including Krampus and the Yule Cat. Here are some short paranormal stories that happened since I last posted. 

A video featuring an entity believed to be the ghost La Llorona from Mexico has caused excitement. It shows dogs barking at a pale figure gliding along a path. To watch the video on Youtube go here. La Llorona is the name of a vengeful spirit who haunts around water. 

There is another ghost video taken by Salguero Juega who uploaded it on TikTok. It shows a party of people having dinner and then the camera focuses on a pale form outside watching them. To watch that visit the link to user's TikTok page. 

Now for sea monsters and more recent clip at Loch Ness, which shows something in the water. Filmed by Eoin O'Faodhagain from a window at Clansmen Hotel that overlooks the picturesque mysterious loch. It shows movement of what seems to be visible humps. To check this out visit the link to Youtube.  

Now a mysterious blue orb of light was filmed whizzing by a news camera in New York. Many have come up with theories about what this could really be, some theories it's reflection of light, but others think it's a UFO. Make of it what you will, and see it HERE at Youtube.

Now for a festive fun story, a grotto of Christmas elves has been discovered. Sort of. Found on the island of Flores, Indonesia, a cave of fossils belonging to an extinct race of very little people known as Homo floresiensis that were around 3ft and 2inches tall and smaller. Scientists examined them and have said the bones belong to adults and not children. It's estimated they lived 60,000 years ago but no one knows what happened to them.   

She Wolf Night