One must have their peculiar Holiday traditions. For me, being involved in the stranger side of life and culture, I always take note of a particular happenstance that occurs around this time of year. Every December without fail, you will hear the statement that Christmas is in fact Pagan, and that its symbols and customs have an origin that isn’t Christian at all. Grab the Yule log, put up some mistletoe, we’re going to go through all that such a statement entails!
Show Notes & Book Recommendations
There are two Blog posts by Dr. Peter Gainsford which are absolutely central to the research for this episode. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND reading both in full, and all of the notes within if this episode was interesting to you.
• Christmas and its supposed Pagan Links
• Concerning Yule
- The myth of ‘pagan’ Christmas: Why does the idea that this Christian festival was stolen from heathen tradition persist? by Tom Holland. Well worth a read. Be sure to check out Tom’s awesome podcast The Rest is History
- The Pagan Origins of the Christmas Tree – Nordic Animism YouTube
- Dr. Francis Young was a co-author of a fantastic book which examines Paganism and how it is such a strong idea to this day- Paganism Persisting: A History of European Paganisms since Antiquity
- Co-author of the book above is Robin Douglas who also has a great article The Old Gods Return: The Strange Story of Pagan Revivals
If you enjoyed this show and would like a few more Holiday offerings from yours truly, I have a Patreon episode about The Three Magi or Three Wise Men as well as one of my favourite episodes I’ve ever created on… well… Santa Claus!
Go on! You know you want to.
What Magic is This? 