Many Christians freely acknowledge that holidays like Christmas are largely derived from ancient “pagan” customs. For this reason, some conservative Christian churches, such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses and at some point the Worldwide Church of God, have avoided Christmas due to its association with paganism.

Others, however, have argued just the opposite: that it is the very “pagan” elements within Christmas that make the season special. Some have gone as far as trying to recapture the original pagan meanings of the Christmas season or “Yule-Tide” as it was called in Germanic countries.

One such person is Dr. Stephen Flowers, who has been instrumental in attempts to revive ancient Germanic culture and religion. Flowers is one of the world’s leading experts on the ancient “magical” writing of the German and Norse peoples, the runes. Flowers, of Smithville, Texas, has her Ph.D. in Germanic studies and has published numerous scholarly articles on the Germanic revival movement, as well as several books on runes that have become runic revival classics. His books include Runelore: A Handbook of Esoteric Runology, Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic, and The Nine Doors of Midgard. I interviewed Flowers on the subject of efforts to revive the original meaning of the Yule-Tide season.

[C.W.] Many Christian fundamentalists realize that there is a lot of “paganism” in Christmas (not to mention commercialization), so they come up with slogans like “let’s put Christ back in Christmas.” But wouldn’t it be more accurate to say, “let’s put Odin back in Yule”?

[S.F.] Christians who have been schooled in the history of these things know as well as anyone that there is nothing originally Christian about the holiday at the end of December. Jesus was born in the spring and all the details of the “Christmas season” are of pagan origin. Putting Odin back in his place would be an act of cultural restoration.

[C.W.] When and why did the Christian church begin to adopt the Yule Tide customs and incorporate them into Christmas (as well as customs related to Mithraism and the Sol Invictus mysteries)?

[S.F.] Most people are slow and reluctant to change, especially when their culture works well for them. In general, the Germanic culture functioned well when meeting Christianity. Nearly a thousand years passed before the entire Germanic world, from Germany to England to Scandinavia, could be Christianized.

This process began in the 300s among the Goths and ended in 1100 in Sweden. The church did not want to accept pagan practices; he just had to do it to be successful. His “chief directive” had to be successful, at all costs. In the end, it was more a question of the paganization of Christianity than the Christianization of the pagans.

[C.W.] Have you seen any effort in the general public to bring back the “pagan” roots of holidays, like Christmas?

[S.F.] Not in the “general public”. To my knowledge, only a few educated and dedicated people have attempted to restore our cultural authenticity and thereby radically heal our culture of its deep-seated disease.

[C.W.] Can a genuine Yule celebration ever happen again? How much of the original meanings can be reconstructed versus how much was lost?

[S.F.] It certainly can. The true spirit of the times never left. It is not about reviving something that has died, but simply about awakening a sleeping cultural giant from within. The exact forms and customs, although many have survived albeit in often “Christianized” forms, are not nearly as important as the spirit and knowledge with which the celebration is approached.

[C.W.] What is some of the Germanic symbolism in Yule that you still see today in Christmas decorations and customs and such?

[S.F.] The most important symbols of the Christmas season, such as the “Christmas tree” and Santa Claus, have pagan origins. The tree was originally one in the forest, an ancestral tree, which received sacrificial gifts during the Christmas tide and was illuminated and decorated with symbolic signs and tokens to attract the ancestral spirits. When the church forbade such practices, the tree, or a symbol of it, was simply brought inside, away from the prying eyes of churchmen. Santa Claus is a “jolly old elf”, as we all know. In the Germanic world, goblins are ancestral spirits.

Santa Claus dresses in red, which is the traditional color of elves’ clothing. He is also related to the ancient gods Thor and Odin. He lives at the North Pole, flies through the air spreading blessings, and his sleigh is pulled by reindeer named Donner and Blitzen, German for “thunder” and “lightning.”

One of the most important aspects of Yule-Tide is economics. In ancient times, all the best things were saved for the Yule-Tide celebrations and then squandered during those celebrations. This has translated throughout our global economy, where a large part of business is conducted in and for the so-called “holiday season”.

[C.W.] What is the esoteric (secret) meaning that Yule had for the German and Nordic peoples?

[S.F.] This is the end of the year, and the rebirth of the sun and the new cycle of the coming year. This is why it was traditionally celebrated for twelve days, to symbolize the twelve months to come, as well as to reflect on the last twelve.

It was a time when the inner seeds of action for the coming year were planted and the reconnection with the ancestors was firmly established. The Yule-Tide is a time to remember the ancestors and celebrate their rebirth in the little offspring. The old belief in rebirth, or “reincarnation” if you will, is behind the occult fact that every holiday that originally celebrated ancestors was also a “children’s festival.” This can be compared favorably with the effect of Halloween on the Celtic world.

[C.W.] What kind of effect would reclaiming or remembering some of the original meanings of the Yule-Tide Season have on society?

[S.F.] Like I said, our culture is sick. Most people recognize this on some level, but don’t know how it came to be. Most blame “permissiveness” or “godlessness,” but the problems have much deeper roots. The problems began with the arrival of Christianity because it demanded that we abandon our traditions, our ancestral authenticity and many other invaluable aspects of culture. (Historically, this was done primarily to profit financially from trade and relations with the wealthier Christian countries of the early Middle Ages.

To cure our radical and fundamental cultural disease requires that we discover its cause and treat the disease at its root. This requires the restoration of cultural authenticity and traditional mythical values, which are ours and not those imposed on us from the outside. Restoring the Yule-Tide is just one step in the great act of cultural healing.

By Corey Wicks