NorsePlay.

Shetland storyteller Marjolein Robertson has alot to say about Yule , or more correctly, the Yules. Somewhere in this turn of the year during its long nights, there would be travelers in disguise, or "guisers/guizers", which one had to feed or invite in, since there was always the possibility they could be a Norse God in disguise . This regional word could also be a lingual descendant of "Grøliks" and be related to "ganga Grýla", the nearby Faroese Islands tradition of people dressing as  Grýla, the bad child eating ogress . A variant of this practice is the "skelker", and given the specific straw covering costume  (which feels very  Midsommer / The Wicker Man ) , we might NorsePlay that it has something agricultural to do with Frey r  (or perhaps Byggvir, Freyr's servant, the root of whose name means barley) , inviting him in, and/or giving him food/drink/treats so that next year's harvest grows plentifully, but should any Norse God or...

We hope your Yule tonight looks as badarse as this vintage illustration! Thanks for reading us this year! Remember, keep your gifts for a gift for those of worth, spend time with your innangard, honor the Gods with some mead & ham, and celebrate the breaking of the long night whose passing lets you know that we've all staved off Fimbulwinter with our honorable deeds to win another year! Hail to you all! [ Altnordisches Julfest (1880 CE) illustration by von Ferdinand Lindner.] #    #    # Guillermo Maytorena IV knew there was something special in  the Norse Lore when he picked up a copy of the d'Aulaires'  Norse Gods and Giants  at age seven. Since t hen he's been fascinated by the truthful potency of Norse Mythology, passionately read & studied, embraced Ásatrú, launched the  Map of Midgard  project, and spearheaded the neologism/brand NorsePlay.   If you have e mployment/ opportunities in  inves...