Yule

What was Yule, and how did an old midwinter festival become part of the winter celebrations we know today?

In Yule: The History of a Midwinter Festival, Marcus J Wells traces Yule from its early Germanic and Norse evidence through medieval Christian observance, the contested customs of Reformation Britain, the Victorian reshaping of Christmas and modern Pagan celebrations.

Drawing on poems, laws, sagas, chronicles and historical scholarship, this book separates what the sources tell us from what later generations have assumed. It explores the uncertain origins of the name, changing midwinter calendars, communal feasting, Yule ale, and the evolving relationship between Yule and Christmas.

Rather than presenting one ancient festival unchanged across the centuries, this history shows how traditions develop: remembered in names, reshaped by religion and politics, and revived in new forms.

For readers interested in Norse and Germanic history, folklore, Christmas customs and the stories behind the season, this is a clear guide to Yule's long and changing past. Includes source notes, a chronology and glossary.