The great Norse celebration in the mid-winter was called jol.

It is difficult to say the exact point of time when the Norwegian vikings had their Norse celebration of jol, because the informations, which is given in Heimskringla (Sagas of the Norwegian Kings) etc., are few and contradictory. A comparison with other Germanic sources does not solve the problem.

Three Germanic names of months or names of lunar periods can be compared. The Norse name ylir, the Anglo-Saxon name giulu and the Gothic name jiuleis. Many researchers think ylir is the Norse name of the period Nov. 14 - Dec 13, giulu is the Anglo-Saxon name of period from December to January, and jiuleis is the Gothic name of the period of November, the period of December or the period from November to December.

The etymological connection between ylir and jol can indicate a pre-Christian celebration of jol in this month, but the etymological connection between the Anglo-Saxon name giulu and the Goth name jiuleis can also give the same indication. By the way, a celebration of jol in the period of ylir is not found in the Norse sources.

Consequently, there is no agreement on the exact point of time when the Norwegian vikings had their celebration of jol. Also, there is no exact information on the content of the Norse jol. Today, "Harald's Song" by Thorbjørn Hornklove is the most reliable information in Norway:

Uti vill jol drekka,
ef skal einn råda,
fylkir enn framlyndi
ok Freys leik heyja;
ungr leiddisk eldvelli
ok inni at sitja,
varma dyngju
eda vottu duns fulla.

A translation into English can be:

Out (on the sea) he will drink jol (= "give a celebration of jol"),
if he rules alone,
the king who is ready for action,
and there (he will) give a Frøy's game;
as child he was tired of heat of fire
and staying indoors,
of the warm women's room
and mittens filled with down.

Presumably, "Harald's Song" by the bard Thorbjørn Hornklove is from the 9th century. According to the Saga of Harald Hairfair, verse 15, in Snorri Sturluson's Heimskringla, King Harald spent a whole winter campaigning in Vingulmark (Oslo-region) and Ranrike (landscape in southwestern Sweden). So, this winter king Harald gave celebration of jol for his men "out on the sea". This stanza is the the clearest evidence of a heathen jol in the Norse culture.

The ceremonial drinking of the ale/mead of jol must have been an solid tradition in the Norse culture. Perhaps the first tasts were dedicated to te Norse gods Odin, Tor and Frøy. The bowls of the Norse gods was the symbol of the human inner contact with the Norse religious powers through drinking and getting drunk.

The expression "jol drekka" or "drekka jol" means literally "to drink jol". In other words, it means to "give a celebration of jol". According to Sturlason's Heimskringla, King Harald Hairfair's celebration of jol was a public event. Presumably, the celebration of jol was connected to the sacrifice at mid-winter, i.e. the great sacrifices in Trøndelag.

In The Saga of Olav the Holy (ca. 995 - 1030) in Snorre Sturluson's Heimskringla (The Sagas of the Norwegian Kings), verses 107 - 109, the Christian king was told that the farmers in the regions of Trøndelag still made the traditional sacrifices with bowls dedicated to the aesir.

But the chieftain Olve, who lived on a farm named Egg, explained to the king that there had not been sacrifices (blot) at mid-winter with the exception of celebrations of jol (jolabod) and boozing sessions (samdrykkur). Olav the Holy trusted Olve's explanations.

He told also that the farmers in Trøndelag were used to arrange many meetings. Especially, they were fond of the boozing sessions on a farm named Mære. Mære was also an old center for making sacrifices (blot) to the aesir.

Snorri Sturluson tells that the sacrifice (blot) at Mære took place at mid-winter (at midjum vettri), but this point of time (at midjum vettri) is difficult to decide. Heimskringla was witten nearly 200 years after the occurences in Trøndelag, but it is possible Snorri Sturluson knew a reliable tradition of the sacrifices in Trøndelag. Sturluson does not tell about the content of the sacrifice (blot) and how many farmers who were present at the sacrifice/sacrifies.

Probably the old system of sacrifices took place at ca. 14th April and at ca. 14th October. In addition, there were sacrifices at mid-summer and at mid-winter. Mid-summer and mid-winter were periods when there were little work to do.

In The Saga of Håkon the Good (ca. 920 - 961) in Heimskringla, verse 13, king Håkon decided legally that the heathens should celebrate Christmas when the Christians celebrated Christmas. The Norse celebrations of jol have been presented as public events. The clearest indication of a Norse celebration of jol ("to drink jol" > "drekka jol") in Snorri Sturluson's Heimskringla (The Sagas of the Norwegian Kings) is "The Song of Harald", which was made by the bard Thorbjørn Hornklove in ca. 900. In the start of the 10th century the Vikings moved across the Atlantic Ocean and colonized many territories in Britain, the Orkneys, Shetlands, Hebrides, Isle of Man, and Ireland. There, the chieftains had probably celebrations of jol as public events in their communities.

The Norse celebrations of jol were public events in large areas as the famous sacrifices (blot) in Trøndelag. The celebrations of jol were also private events. In the first Christian laws of the Middle Ages in Norway there are informations on boozing sessions of ale called "ølgerd" (øl = ale). One category of "ølgerd" is called "samburdar øl". At least three farmers had to take part in "samburdar ol", and it had to take place before Nov. 1. If a farmer lived very isolated, he should drink as much ale as three farmers in "samburdar ol". There was also a category of "ølgerd" for the farmer and his wife, which took place Christmas night.

The boozing session of three or more farmers is probably a harvest thanksgiving festival. The Christian legal statements on the brewing of ale indicate a small community, i.e. a farm, but on a Norse farm there could be many persons. Probably, these legal statements are rooted in the traditional preparations of the Norse celebration of jol, which also took place among the Vikings in the British Isles and Ireland.

Norvegicus Lupus