festividades paganas en la antigua escandinavia

8/10/2019 Festividades paganas en la antigua escandinavia

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The High Festivals Mythic Fantasy Role-playing Game

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The ulan CalendarW a la s ke lb io W a l as ke lb i jo V a la s kj lf r K e me na be rg a H em ena be rg a H im innb j rg

Sun - Mon - Tu es- We dn es- Th urs- Fri - Satur- Sun - Mon - Tues- Wedn es- Th urs- Fri - Satu r-day day day day day day day day day day day day day day

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 9 10 11 12 14 8 9 10 11 12 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21 15 16 17 18 19 20 2122 23 24 25 26 27 28 22 23 24 26 27 28

L a nd aw t us L a nd aw d uR L a nd v i S ink w a ba nk is S ink wa ba nk iR S k kv ab e kk r

Sun - Mon - Tu es- We dn es- Th urs- Fri - Satur- Sun - Mon - Tues- Wedn es- Th urs- Fri - Satu r-

day day day day day day day day day day day day day day

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 9 10 11 12 14 8 9 10 11 12 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 ru o ka im a s ru o ha im a R r he im r B r a id o bl ik a B r a i o bl ik a B r e i a bl ik



1 2 3 4 5 6 7 2 3 4 5 6 78 9 10 11 12

14 8 9 10 11 12

1415 16 17 18 19 20 21 15 16 17 18 19 20 2122 23 24 25 26 27 28 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

N o w a d uno N o w a t una N a t un G lt nia s G lt ni ja R G l t ni r



1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12

14 8 9 10 11 12

1415 16 17 18 19 20 21 15 16 17 18 19 20 2122 23 24 25 26 27 28 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

P ulk a wa ng is F ulk a wa ng iR F o l k v a ng r A lb o ka im a s A lb a ha im a R A l fhe im r



1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 9 10 11 12 14 8 9 10 11 12

1415 16 17 18 19 20 21 15 16 17 18 19 20 2122 23 24 25 26 27 28 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

G l a d a s k a i ma s G l a a s h a i m a R G l a s h e im r



1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 9 10 11 12 14 8 9 10 11 12 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21 15 16 17 18 19 20 2122 23 24 25 26 27 28 23 24 25 26 27 28

N u hi e ra d a g a s N u hi e ra s d a g a R N y t t r s d a g r

Su n- Mon - Tu es- We dn es- Th urs- Fr i- Satu r- 1 or 2 daysday day day day day day day

1 2 3 4 5 6 78 9 10 11 12

1415 16 17 18 19 20 21 Winter Darkness

22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Midnight Sun

8

25

1

8

r m a k a i m a s r m a h a i m a R r

mhe im r

22

w a d a l a s w a d a l a R da l i r

8 = Solstice

= Equinox


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Rather than just describe the high festivals in ul weneed to separate between the Religious and theTraditional high festivals, and sometimes also betweenold and new practises.

Life Cultural

Stance Background Combination known as

satr Veir The Old Religion (

)satr Byggjandi The Religion (

)Seir Veir The Old Tradition ()Seir Byggjandi The Tradition ()

Before all (both Traditional and Religious) highfestivals the (in Traditional communities) May Queen

or (in Religious communities) the youngest Maenadleads a procession of men and women, boys and girls,collecting food for the celebration (but no meat iscollected if there is a lent). All men and boys wearwomens clothing (robes) and all women and girls men'sclothing on the upper body (to symbolize theandrogynous spirits). This custom is archaic, but is stillpractised.

A May pole, a so-called high, is also always erected on

the high festivals (hence the name; high festival) andeveryone eats well, and (unless there is a lent) they alsosing and dance.

Wedding (

)

Ancient ulan: BruhdihlaupoOld ulan: Brudihlaupaulan: BrlaupAll normal weddings are carried out just like the highfestival Valborg's Night, and always on a Sunday.

Most normal weddings are held on Valborg's Night.Burial ( )

Ancient ulan: KaunaporeOld ulan: Haugforijaulan: HaugfraAll normal burials are carried out just like the burial ofthe summer/Belus on the high festival Winter NightShip, and always on the 1stSunday after the 1st fullMoon after death. If placed in a burial mound, a jar with

corn or pebbles (collected on the Summer Solstice

from a sacred source) is placed next to or under thehead of the dead person, to protect him frommalevolent spirits trying to possess his body. Themalevolent spirits are very stupid and can only count tothree, so if more than three corns or pebbles are placedin the jar they will be too busy trying to count all thecorns/pebbles to ever be able to possess the body.Whenever they count three corns or pebbles they haveto start all over again, and are thus kept busy for alleternity. Individuals not buried with such a jar next to orunder their heads are easily possessed by malevolentspirits. See the spells Create Wight and Create Nr.

Birthday (for each deity) ( )

Ancient ulan: PoengadagasOld ulan: FoengadagaRulan: FingardagrAll the Religious birthdays are celebrated in the samemanner. Everyone dances and sings around the burialmounds and the deity (i. e. a priest or priestessimpersonating the deity) rises from a burial mound whenthe Sun rises that day.

The Tradition

Hallow Evening (l s Samhain) ()

On the night of the 1

st

of Walaskelbi, New Year's

Day to Sunday morning and until Sunrise the 9

th

day

of Walaskelbi.Ancient ulan: Kawlauge aptanas ("the eveningwhen you see the important/high")Old ulan: HawlaugeaptanaRulan: Hlgi aptannIn order to get a name for themselves and become real

men (finally removing the -12 mod to Healing given tothem) the Traditional children of ul need to gothrough an initiation. See the Autumnal Equinox.(Religious children automatically get rid of this whenthey are defined as adults, i. e. when they are around15-16 years old.)

Those who have no mistletoe must wait until the nextyears Hallow Evening before they can go through thisinitiation.

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The High Festivals Mythic Fantasy Role-playing GameThey dress up to look like the dead and travel to theburial caves or burial mounds (i. e. man-made caves) tocollect the weapons and other valuable possessionsthe dead were buried with. ul is a culture based onHamingja(meaning "luck" and "honour", from Ancientulan Hamagange, "shape walking"), meaning theybelieve in reincarnation, but only the good andhonourable dead are reborn, because only the goodand honourable are chosen to be reborn by thechildren, who go into the burial mounds to collect theproperties of the dead they choose to become. Thechildren who aspire to become real men must:

I.Blow in a (bronze) lure or whistle to open up the gatesurrounding the burial mound.

II.Hang their clothes in the tree growing on the burialmound as a symbol of their own death.

III. Slaughter a cow on the burial mound.

IV. Use the mistletoe (=the life force of the best,purest, most innocent and most honourable [oak] spirit)as a key to gain access to the burial mound. They bringthis to show that they are pure and innocent and that

they have killed the honourable child in them, and theyare now ready to become real men. They must enternaked and unprotected.

V. The children who have the courage to go through allof this meet a blood-stained (from the slaughteredcow's blood) woman dressed in a bear skin, playing therole of the she-bear spirit in the realm of death (i e. thegrave), teaching them secret and sacred verses andriddles that they need to memorize and solve in order to

become real men.

VI. They leave the burial mound after the first nightthere to hunt (for followers of the Old Tradition only)adult male bears or (to followers of the New Tradition)any predatory animal, to dress the dead person thatthey have chosen to be reborn as in a (bear) skin, sothat he can impregnate the she-bear. When thehunters need to rest during this Wild Hunt they returnto the burial mound and learn more from the she-bear

spirit. They also sleep there; they need to be in her

womb in order for her to give birth to them later on. Ifthey manage to kill a bear or another predatory animalwithin nine days, before Sunrise on the 9th day ofWalaskelbi, they have been chosen, and they take theskull (i. e. the mind and spirit) of the dead person in theburial mound and the thigh-bone (i. e. the life-force, theability to walk and run [=to live]) of the killedbear/animal.

The chosen are no longer considered to be alive, sincethey symbolically killed themselves and entered therealm of death, so they sleep in the burial mound, all thetime dressed in the hides of the animals they killed, until

Yule, and only leave during the day to hunt and foragealthough they are often fed by their kin as well, wholeave beer and porridge and the like on the burialmound for the ones inside. Those who fail to kill apredatory animal will instead return to (ordinary) life byputting back on the clothes they hung in the sacrificialtree, to regain the life force they had before theyentered the realm of death. They will have to wait untilnext year's Hallow Evening to be given a new chanceto become real men.

Bear Evening ()


th

of Walaskelbi

Ancient ulan: BernukwildasOld ulan: BernukwildaRulan: BjrnakveldrThis is seen as the day the pregnant she-bearhibernates and because of that it is no longer possiblefor any children to be chosen by her. There is nolonger any direct contact between the living and thoseinside the burial mound. The she-bear actress leavesthe grave. The children are left to fend for themselves.

Yule (Wheel) ()

From the night of the 25

th

of Kemenaberga to the

night of the 8

th

of Landawtus

Ancient ulan: WehlOld ulan: Wela.ulan:JlIs made up of the high festivals Winter Solstice andFire Tasting Day and the days inbetween.

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Winter Solstice ()

On the night of the 25. Kemenaberga

Ancient ulan: Witraswilihwarb

Old ulan: Witrasuwilihwarba.ulan: VetraslhvarfThe female bear is said to give birth to her cubs on theWinter Solstice, so just as the Sun rises on theWinter Solstice morning and enters the innermostburial chamber the lady of the house walks three timesaround the house deasils with a pine (pinus sylvestris)wand and declares (with song) that all the spirits of thedead are welcome home again. The children (or ratherthose still alive...) who were left to sleep in the burialmounds and fend for themselves after Hallow Eveningreturn home; they are re-born, by the she-bear as theSeimar tears their bear costumes off them (to signalthat they are no longer in the she-bear's womb) andthey put back on their clothes (still hanging in thesacrificial tree). The children who didn't survive thisordeal are collected and cremated by the she-bearactress.

The children are gathered and escorted (or ifcremated; carried in some sort of a container) by thelocal Seimar and they travel around to theirrespective homes, until the Seimar has deliveredthem all to their parents, along with the gifts theybrought from the burial mound. The gifts collected bythose cremated are instead returned to the entrance ofthe burial mound where they collected them (to becollected by others who may wish to be reborn as thedead resting inside). They eat the food placed on the

tables especially for them and are allowed to sleep intheir parents' beds (who sleep on the floor this night).

The children who return are named after the personthey chose to be reborn as and are finally seen as realmen. The noble dead has returned. In the days untilFire Tasting Day they walk around from house tohouse to greet their neighbours and introducethemselves with their new names. They receive fooditems as gifts and it is a great shame not to give

anything to these brave children.

Fire Tasting Day ()On the night of the 8

th

day of Landawtus

Ancient ulan: Eldbirgedagas

Old ulan: EldabirgedagaRulan: EldbjrgdagrThe lady of the house walks three times around thehouse widdershins with a juniper (juniperus communis)wand and declares (with song) that all the spirits of thedead not belonging there have been sent back to therealm of death.

The Sun is starting to grow stronger, after WinterSolstice, and the lady drinks beer from a bowl andthrows the rest into the fire before she says somethinglike: So high my fire, and not higher or hotter, to makesure the Sun's fire does not become too strong andburns up the entire world.

All Heart's Day ()


nd

day of Sinkwabankis

Ancient ulan:AlrurhertdagasOld ulan:AlrurhertudagaR

ulan:AllrahjartudagrThis day is seen as the day the birds start to mate.The birds are seen as manifestations of the spirits.

This is the day all spirits fall in love; in the realm ofdeath, on the Earth, under the surface of the Earthand in the Sky. Those in love give a romantic gift tothe one they love.

White Sunday Week (l s Imbolc) ()


st

to the night of the 7

th

day of

rukaimas

Ancient ulan: KwetsunuwekeOld ulan: Hwetasunuweknulan: HvtasunnuvikaWhite Sunday Week is made up of White Sunday,White Queen Monday, White Tuesday, AshWednesday, Cleaning Thursday, Long Friday andDirty Saturday.

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The High Festivals Mythic Fantasy Role-playing GameWhite Sunday ()


st

day of rukaimasAncient ulan: KwetsunudagasOld ulan: HwetasunudagaRulan: HvtasunnudagrThis is the first day of spring and everyone has theirbehinds whipped with birch branches, to transfer thestrength of nature to man; to make everyone strong andto purify them.

White Queen Monday ()


nd

day of rukaimas

Ancient ulan: Kwetdrontinadagas

Old ulan: HwetadruntinasdagaRulan: HvtadrttinadagrThe whole day is spent collecting pork, eggs andbaked goods for the great bride's race. Everyonedresses in white and the ladies and girls wear many-coloured ribbons and flower garlands. The partytravels from farm to farm, dancing and singing as theytravel. The May King and the May Queen are ridinga wagon. When they stop to ask for food donations

the May Queen is the one doing the talking. Theladies and girls sing "Bride, bride, most beautiful bride",to invite all beautiful noble maidens (i. e. the girls whohave not yet menstruated) to the bride's race, and themen encourage all noble Seimenn (who are the onlyones who can challenge the May King in the first place)they meet to show up. The men and boys wear women'sclothes (robes) and the women and girls men's clotheson the upper body, to represent the androgynousspirits of nature.

White Tuesday ()


rd

day of rukaimas.

Ancient ulan: KwetdiwadagasOld ulan: HwetatiwadagaRulan: HvtatysdagrA carnival (Latin: "farewell to the meat") is arrangedand all the food collected the day before is eaten. Thenoble maidens arrange a bride's race, a beauty contest,between them. A girl or woman chosen by lottery gives

an apple to the one she thinks is the most beautiful oneamongst them. The most beautiful one is declared theMay Bride. She also decides who is the second mostbeautiful of them, who will become the May Maiden.NB Female player characters are adults, so they cannot become May Queens.

To win the right to challenge and perhaps replace theMay King and marry (and kiss) the May Bride thenoble men must bring their own mistletoes, collectedfrom an oak tree on the Autumnal Equinox. This istheir key to the arena, the life force of the May Kingthat they need to bring to make him vulnerable to them.

See the spell Mistletoe.

All the May King's challengers and the May Kinghimself competes in a number of games, including ringgames (knight's games), spell-casting competitions,word games, knowledge games and the like. The onewho wins the most games becomes the May Groom.The one who comes in second place becomes the MayGroom Boy. If there is a tie the two best men need to

decide who is to become the winner by engaging in awrestling or boxing match. The May King only needsto participate in these games if there is at least onechallenger, but if there is at least one he mustparticipate. Only adults (i. e. those reborn with aname from an honourable dead) can challenge the MayKing. The May Groom and the May Bride arebetrothed.

The May Queen represents the youthful strength

and innocence of nature, so she can not menstruate orin any other way bleed, or else nature will suffer. Soshe will be replaced by one who has not bled themoment she for some reason bleeds. If the May Kinggrows old and weak the innocent nature he protects willbe vulnerable, so he needs to be tested and ifnecessary be replaced by younger and stronger menevery year.

An undeserved insult doesn't bite much.

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The High Festivals Mythic Fantasy Role-playing GameAsh Wednesday ()

On the night of the 4. rukaimas

Ancient ulan:AskudagasOld ulan:AskudagaRulan: skudagrThe lent starts and lasts until Easter (the 22ndday ofBraidblika). Everyone puts ash in their hair andabstain from eating meat until Easter. Everyonedresses in their darkest clothes and do not sing, playmusic or dance until the lent ends.

Cleaning Thursday ()


Ancient ulan: SkrdunadagasOld ulan: SkraunadagaRulan: SkrarsdagrUnnamed domestic animals and unnamed children arenamed this day and the children are given five strokeswith a birch branch on their behinds, to make themstrong and to purify them.

Long Friday ()


Ancient ulan: LangapridagasOld ulan: LangafraujudagaRulan: LangfreyjudagrThe children are given five more strokes with a birchbranch on their behinds, to make them strong and topurify them. No one is allowed to eat anything untilSunset and everyone must work the whole day.

Dirty Saturday ()


Ancient ulan: SketenkaimadaladagasOld ulan: SketenahaimadaladagaRulan: SkitinlaugardagrOn this day they all wash themselves and their homesparticularly well. The spring has come and you are tomeet it with respect.

Vernal Equinox ()


st

day of Braidblika

Ancient ulan: WaharebnadgrieOld ulan: Waharebnadgrijaulan: Vrjafndgri

Nature's fertility is celebrated and all nobles with a newname (i. e. those who are given a new name on theWinter Solstice and are seen as reborn dead) aregiven the right to vote. Everyone stops lighting candlesor oil lamps in the evening and go to bed at Sunset.

Easter ()


nd

day of Braidblika to the 25

th

day of Braidblika

Ancient ulan: EusOld ulan:AustaRulan: AustrThe Easter morning (the 22ndday of Braidblika) is

seen as the day summer returns after winter. Everyonecelebrates by travelling into the mountains to watch theSunrise. It is customary to bring round stones andbuild beacons, to help the round Sun rise high and flyacross the firmament. Eggs and all the dried fruit andberries and other candy left after winter are eaten.Summer has returned, bringing new fruit, and thereforeone can freely enjoy the fruits of nature again.

Procession Day Weekend ()


th

day of Braidblika to the

night of the 28

th

day of Braidblika

Ancient ulan: GangadagahalgasOld ulan: GangadagahalgaRulan: GangdagahelgrIs made up of Procession Day, Second Day Summerand Third Day Summer.

Procession Day/Summer Day ()


th

day of Braidblika

Ancient ulan: Gangdagas/SumardagasOld ulan: GangadagaR/SumaradagaRulan: Gangdagr/SumardagrThe lady of the house/May Queen leads aprocession of maidens, decorated with flower garlands.She rides a wagon and is pulled three time around thefields, to ask the spirits of nature for good crops.

If you fear death, you are already dead.

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The High Festivals Mythic Fantasy Role-playing GameShe carries a torch, to scare away the harmful spiritsand she waters the fields with water from a sacredsource. She places food and beer to the spirits of thefield, who eat and drink this in the form of animals.Finally she digs a small hole in the ground and pourssome corn of all types into the hole. She mixes it witheggs and stirs with a yew or spruce wand. She thensings a song (i. e. casts a spell):

"Wake up, wake up, both field and meadow,you have slept for a long time nowwe have seen both rain and snowthe summer night has come now."

Second Day Summer (

)


th

day of Braidblika

Ancient ulan:Anaradagas sumarOld ulan:AnaradagaRsumaranulan:Annaradagr sumarWhat was done on the Procession Day/Summer Dayis repeated.

Third Day Summer ()


th

day of Braidblika

Ancient ulan: redegadas sumarOld ulan: rededagaRsumaranulan: rijadagr sumarWhat was done on the Procession Day/Summer Dayis repeated.

Great Procession Day ()


th

day of Nwadun

Ancient ulan: KawgangadagasOld ulan: HawgangadagaR

ulan: HrgangdagrWhat was done on the Procession Day/Summer Dayis repeated.

Valborg's Night (l s Beltane) ()


th

day of Nwadun

Ancient ulan: Walpurgisnes ("The Night on theMountain of the Chosen/Fallen")Old ulan: Walabergasnahtiulan: Valbjrgsntt

The May Groom first (symbolically) kill the old May

King, by slashing an idol with a sword, before he canhimself become the May King. When he does so, heswears an oath to do something spectacular (known asa winner's promise). The May Groom must then dowhat he promised to do, if he becomes the new MayKing. The force and power of the old May King isthen transferred (from the old May King) to the MayGroom, who becomes the new May King when he pullsthe sword from the wooden idol. If the May Groom isunable to get it out (using his right hand only, testingStr against a random DD [see Skills]) (to see if thespirits are happy with his victory) the May Groom Boycan try, and if he succeeds (against a new random DD)

he will become May King instead. If the May GroomBoy too fails the others who participated in the bride'srace can try. The one who succeeds will become thenew May King and he then must do what the MayGroom promised to do when he slashed the idol andswore his oath. This is how the spirits of nature choosetheir King.

The new May King gets the Stamina proficiency ofthe old May King / 3 (rounded up) as a mod to his

Stamina skill when he pulls his sword from the woodenidol. He will keep this mod until he is replaced (i. e.symbolically killed) by a new May King.

The old May Queen is also symbolically killed: awooden idol or a figure of a woman made of strawrepresenting her, is burned, and her power and title istransferred to the May Bride when she takes thesacred cup from the old May Queen.

The old May couple continues a normal life after theyhave been replaced, or (if they were bad kings andqueens) they are banished from the realm and must livelike hermits in the wilderness (i. e. become a part of theuntouched nature that they represented) for the restof their lives. On the Hallow Evening the former MayQueens enter the burial mounds in their realms andteaches young men the secrets.

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On this day the May Groom and May Bride, whowere betrothed on the White Tuesday, marry. Theyare now declared (new) May King and May Queen

respectively, and take over the seats from the old Maycouple; they take over the power of the realm and arenamed after the tribe they now govern. See the SolInvictus comment (page 115). They are seen asmarried until the next May couple takes over but it isonly a symbolic marriage. Their marital duties are onlyrelated to the Tradition. Their main function is toserve the people with their attributes and to leadprocessions and other high festivals.

The attributes of the May King are: theaxe/club/hammer (or sceptre), symbolizing thestrength and firmness of Earth (in particular gravity);the crown/halo, symbolizing the power of the Sun; andthe sword, symbolizing the lightning transferring theSun's power from the sky to Earth. He transfers theblessing of the Sky with his sword, and he can blessmen by placing his sword on their shoulders (givingthem +1 DV and OV until the May King has beenkilled/replaced). Normally a May King only blesses

his own Hir (see Bands, Cults & Organisations).His axe/club/hammer has a D6 + 1 bonus to weapondamage, but only when used by him. The crown givesthe wearer a -4 Fright mod and also a +4 mod to thespell Manipulate Weather, but only when worn by therightful May King. See Weather & Wind (The Landof ul). At command, the crown can also shinebrightly when worn by him, and will then light up a 150'radius area around him (forcing those facing him to

fight as if in direct sunlight. See Illumination underCombat Modifications(Combat Rules). NB He canuse these attributes when competing on the WhiteTuesday.

The attribute of the May Queen is thecauldron/cup/drinking horn, which she uses to pourgood health over the world. Everyone who drinks fromit gets D6 injury levels reduced (effect after D6minutes) if injured, gets a +2D6 mod to Poison and

Disease resistance until the next waning Moon, and al l

poison, disease and curse effects are removed.Pregnant women who drink a dose of water (or otherdrink) from this cup are more (+D6 mod) likely to

survive childbirth (Con test against DD 9). Normallythe May Queen only lets important individuals of herown tribe drink, and she serves them according to theirrank (with the May King drinking first).

Together the May couple has power over all the mostimportant forces of nature: Health, Sunlight and Rain.NB A Seimar will be able to use a sword withoutconsequence if he is a May King.

This is also the day of marriage, and everyone who isto marry usually marries on this day. They swear theiroaths on a rock/hammer or a ring and the ceremony isled by the May Queen or her mother/sister (when shemarries the May King) or the May Princess (if theMay Queen is dead). When old May couples keeptheir power from year to year they re-new their oathson this day.

The May Groom Boy and the May Maiden becomeMay Prince and May Princess on this day, but they donot (even symbolically) marry each other. They work as"stand-ins" for the May King and the May Queen andwill replace them if they die.

A married man no longer needs to look for a bride, soto farmers this day also marks the transition fromhunting time to sowing time.

A just war is better than unjust peace.

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The High Festivals Mythic Fantasy Role-playing GameCuckoo Day ()


th

day of Nwadun

Ancient ulan: GaukdagasOld ulan: GaukadagaRulan: GaukdagrThe spirits (in the form of birds) speak to man on thisday and tell him how the year will be. If he hears thecuckoo in the North everything will go according to hiswill. If he hears it in the South he will harvest in dryweather. If he hears it in the West someone in his kinwill die or fall sick. If he hears it in the East it meanshappiness in marriage.

This day is celebrated just like Valborg's Night, onlythe old May King is already killed, and the MayGroom and May Bride are already married now sothey just confirm their marriage by renewing theircontract.

Great Valborg's Night ()

On the night of the 27. Nwadun

Ancient ulan: KawwalpurgisnesOld ulan: Hawwalabergasnahtiulan: Hrvalbjrgsntt

This day is celebrated just like Valborg's Night, onlythe May Groom and May Bride are already marriednow and they just confirm their marriage by renewingtheir contract.

Elven Fire (l s Beltane) ()


th

day of Gltnias, the 13

th

day of

Gltnias, the 20

th


th

day of

Gltnias, the 6

th

day of Pulkawangis, the 13

th

day of

Pulkawangis, the 20

th

day of Pulkawangis, the 27

th

day

of Pulkawangis, the 6

th

day of Albkaimas, the 13

th


th

day of Albkaimas, the

27

th


th

day of Gladaskaimas,

the 13

th

day of Gladaskaimas, the 20

th

day of

Gladaskaimas, the 27

th

day of Gladaskaimas, the 6

th

day of rmakaimas, the 13

th

day of rmakaimas and

the 20

th

day of rmakaimas

Ancient ulan:AlboeldasOld ulan:AlbaeldaR

ulan:Alfaeldr

This day is celebrated just like Valborg's Night, onlythe old May King is already killed, and the MayGroom and May Bride are already married now sothey just confirm their marriage by renewing theircontract.Bear Wake ()


th

day of Gltnias

Ancient ulan: BernuwakOld ulan: Bernuwakaulan: BjrnvakaOn this day the bear wakes up and leaves his lair.

This day is the first day of the legal discussions at theing (parliament) where only the nobles with a right tovote can (and are obliged to) attend. The ing lastsuntil the end of Gltnias.

White Sunday ()


th

day of Gltnias

Ancient ulan: KwetsunudagasOld ulan: HwetasunudagaRulan: HvtasunnudagrNB This day is called by the same name as the WhiteSunday of the White Sunday Week!

This day is celebrated just like Valborg's Night, onlythe May Groom and May Bride are already marriednow and they just confirm their marriage by renewingtheir contract. White Sunday marks the end of Easter.The summer and everything in the summer has nowreturned after winter.

Source Drinking ()


st

day of Pulkawangis

Ancient ulan: KildodrenkoOld ulan: Kildadrenkaulan: KeldadrikkaFigures resembling goats (made of leaves) are placedby the sacred sources. The water you drink on this dayheals diseases (giving a +2D6 mod to Diseaseresistance and a new test against the PL of the diseaseto see if the disease is neutralised [no adverseconsequences are possible!]) and wounds (1 dose ofwater drunk reduces the injury level by one after D6

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The High Festivals Mythic Fantasy Role-playing GameIt is possible to collect water from the sacred sourcesfor later use. Collecting more than a waterskin (able tohold 2 cans/64 doses) is regarded as disrespectful ofnature and is frowned upon (and anyone who does socan not cast any spells until all the water has beenspent/wasted).

Pregnant women who drink a dose of water from thesacred source are more (+D6 mod) likely to survivechildbirth (Con test against DD 9).

This day is celebrated just like Valborg's Night, onlythe May Groom and May Bride are already marriednow and they just confirm their marriage by renewingtheir contract.

Summer Solstice ()


th

day of Pulkawangis

Ancient ulan: SumarasowilihwarbOld ulan: Sumarasuwilihwarbaulan:SumarslhvarfBonfires are lit along the coast, and everyone dancesaround the burial mounds. The May Queen and othermaidens undress and walk into the water. When theyascend from the sea with the reflection of the manybonfires on their wet skin (an image of a necklace of fire)they represent the (re-)born youth of nature and inparticular the Sun, born by the sea.

All the maidens then jump naked through the flames ofthe bonfires to prove their courage and to be purifiedby the revitalized Sun (the sacred fire).

Herbs have a special power on the Summer Solstice;

herbs collected this day give a +9 mod for Seimennbrewing potions (using the skill Alchemy). Pebblescollected from the bottom of sacred sources have greatpower as well and can be used by Seimenn to make iteasier for them to cast spells. Only one pebble can beused at the time. When a Seimar casts a spell usingsuch a pebble he needs to spend one less SP. Ifcasting a spell with PL 1 by the help of such a pebblehe spends no SP at all.

Collecting more than a full pouch (able to hold 32

pebbles) is regarded as disrespectful of nature and isfrowned upon (and anyone who does so can not castany spells at all until allthe pebbles [or an equal amountof gold nuggets] have been cast back into a sacredsource).

Water drunk from a sacred source on the SummerSolstice night has the same effect as water drunkduring Source Drinking. See the high festival SourceDrinking. This day is also an Elven Fire.

() The lady of the house/May Queen leads aprocession of maidens, decorated with flower garlands.She rides a wagon and is pulled three time around thefields, to cleanse the fields and protect them from thenewly awoken winter spirits. She carries a torch, toscare away the harmful spirits and she waters the fieldswith water from a sacred source. She places food andbeer to the spirits of the field, who eat and drink this inthe form of animals. Finally she digs a small hole in theground and pours some corn (or eggs) of all types intothe hole. She (mixes it with eggs and) stirs with a yewor spruce wand. She then sings a song (i. e. casts a

spell):"I clean the filth from my field now,to make it both clean and nice,and I place in it a juniper bough,to keep it healthy and strong."

The Day of Cleaning and Waking up () (l s

Syftesokdag)


nd

day of Pulkawangis

Ancient ulan: Swiptasinkwodagas ("Sink intowater and purify day")Old ulan: SwibtasinkwadagaRulan: SyftasokdagrThis day is celebrated just like Valborg's Night, onlythe May Groom and May Bride are already marriednow and they just confirm their marriage by renewingtheir contract.

() The lady of the house/May Queen leads aprocession of maidens just like on the SummerSolstice.

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Harvest Sacrifice (l s Lughnassadh & Sltteblot)

()


th

day of Albkaimas

Ancient ulan: SlantuplutoOld ulan: Slantublutaulan: SlttubltThis day marks the beginning of the harvest. The cornspirit (in the form of a goat made from straw) is killedand chopped into seven or fourteen pieces, or it isburnt, and the remains are buried in the field or the fourcorners of the field1. The first straw cut down is usedto make a new straw goat for next year's HarvestSacrifice.1Like an image of the constellation Ursa Major (Big Bear,aliasBig Dipper).

Livestock Weekend ()


th

to the 15

th

day of

Gladaskaimas

Ancient ulan: BuperohalgasOld ulan: BuperahalgaRulan: BfjrhelgrUnnamed domestic animals are given a name.

() The livestock is collected from pasture and isbrought to the barn or to the North end of the longhouse.

The Autumnal Equinox ()


nd

day of rmakaimas

Ancient ulan: KaustebnadgrieOld ulan: Haustebnadgrijaulan: Haustjafndgri

All the children and May King challengers do theirbest to find and cut down a mistletoe from an oak tree,for use in the Hallow Evening ritual.

The May King ceremonially cuts down the mistletoefrom the oak tree to take and be able to use the powerof the summer stored therein, to use it in the interest ofthe whole society. See the skill Alchemy.

() This day marks the end of harvest; all berries, fruit

and all crops are now harvested. Everyone carries a

wreath made of sheaves of corn. The last cornharvested is used for this.

Winter Night Ship ()Usually on the night of the 22

nd

day of wadalas

Ancient ulan: WitranesuskaiOld ulan: Witranahtaskaioulan: VetranttskeiThe summer is buried the 1stSunday after the 1stfullMoon after the Autumnal Equinox. It is sent on avoyage, which the Sun takes every night, in a boat or aship which is set ablaze and sent out on the ocean in theWest, across the river/sea of forgetfulness. Those

who live inland burn a boat on land or build a boat withstones and bury the remains (i. e. the mistletoe) there.The remains are some places carried into a cave orburial mound instead, or to a river, which will bring it tothe ocean.

Winter Night Weekend/Reflection Day ()On the night of the 28

th

day of wadalas

Ancient ulan: WitranesuhalgasOld ulan: WitranahtahalgaR

ulan: VetrantthelgrThe last day of the year is spent washing,contemplating and cleaning the house. This is done forman to be able to meet the next year clean, purified andready for new tasks. Free of guilt.

Romantic Traditions

The May King is the strong man protecting theinnocent maiden from the ills of the world. This is ofcourse the origin to the chivalry we know from our own

world, where honourable knights carried thehandkerchiefs of their chosen maidens on their lancesor sleeves during tournaments and doing so theycarried their hearts on their sleeves, openly showingwhom they favoured amongst all the maidens.

One rotten apple spoils the barrel.

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The High Festivals Mythic Fantasy Role-playing GameThe Religion

Hallow Evening (

l s

Samhain) (

)


st

of Walaskelbi, New Year's

Day to Sunday morning. Every leap year it lasts for

two days.Ancient ulan: Kawlauge aptanas ("the eveningwhen you see the important/high")Old ulan: HawlaugeaptanaRulan: Hlgi aptannA hunting party led by (a priest impersonating) Walsets out to kill predatory animals, and in particularbears and wolves. Those who want to becomeEinherjar/Valkyrjur must succeed in kil ling their (new?)

totem animals in this Wild Hunt. Priests and warrior-priests who want a (new) totem animal must also kill theirtotem animals in this religious hunt. The successfulhunters must then (be able to) ask for the favourTotem Animal to gain the power of the animal theymanaged to kill. See the spell Totem Animal. TheWild Hunt lasts until the Bear Evening. The winterspirits are thus killed and their power and life forcetaken for better use.

Bear Evening (

)


th

of Walaskelbi

Ancient ulan: BernukwildasOld ulan: BernukwildaRulan: BjrnakveldrThis is seen as the day the bear hibernates andbecause of that the day Kadnus is sent to the realm ofdeath (because of the Wild Hunt). Victory over thewinter spirits is declared.

The man that walks his own road, walks

alone.

Wal's Birthday (

)


th

of WalaskelbiThe aspiring Einherjar and Valkyrjur, whosuccessfully killed their totem animals during the Wild

Hunt, gain their new role on this day.

Kaimadalas

Birthday ( )


Wisdom begins in wonder.

Yule (Wheel) ( )


th

of Kemenaberga to the

night of the 8

th

of Landawtus

Ancient ulan: WehlOld ulan: Wela.ulan:JlIs made up of the high festivals Winter Solstice;

Ragnarok and Fire Tasting Day, and the daysinbetween.

Winter Solstice ( )


Ancient ulan: WitraswilihwarbOld ulan: Witrasuwilihwarba.ulan: VetraslhvarfThe lady of the house walks three times around thehouse deasils with a pine (pinus sylvestris) wand and

declares (with song) that all the light elves (i. e. thespirits of the dead relatives) are welcome to visit duringthe Yule tide. The Sun rising on the Winter Solsticemorning enters the innermost burial chamber andawakens the light elves. They join the priestimpersonating Kaimadalas on his visit to the living (todeliver gifts to those who deserve them), eats thedecorative food (made especially for them) and sleepsin the beds of the living (who are to sleep on the floor

this night).The Winter Solstice is also the birthday of the Skygod Dwus, and is celebrated like other birthdays.

Seek never to draw to yourself in love-

whispering another's wife.

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The light elves and others, led by the priestimpersonating Kaimadalas, travel from farm to farmthroughout the Yuletide, and chases away bad (winter)

spirits and shadows (who were also able to rise from thegrave, when the lady of the house called for the deadto rise) with fire. See Trolls (The Creatures &Phenomena of ul

Ragnarok (

)On the night of the 7. Landawtus

Ancient ulan: RagnarankasOld ulan: RagnarankaRulan: Ragnark

On Ragnarok everyone participates in a great battleon what is called the Wegaras ("the ride of the dead","the weighing of the dead"). They dress up and travelinto the forest to scare away and fight the shadows andthe winter spirits who killed Belus on the AutumnalEquinox. One group represents the gods and anotherthe winter spirits and a great play shows how the godsdefeat the winter spirits, enabling Belus and thesummer to return.

The army of gods then chases the winter spirits (whowere responsible for the death of Belus on theAutumnal Equinox) and shadows through the forestwielding flaming torches. They tear the animalhides/costumes from the winter warrior actors andtrample on them. They then carry the naked actors tothe sacrificial tree on the burial mound, where theirclothes still hang. The gods then resurrect them; theyare given colours, a spirit and a mind from Wanas,

Dunus and Prius. Once resurrected they are given adrink of mead or ale, served to them according to rankby the lady of the house.

The animal hides and costumes they wore, the symbolsof the winter spirits, remain dead and thus winter iskilled and summer/Belus can return. This is how theReligious men kill the winter and enable the summer toreturn.

This is the final battle between summer and winter, but

also between the fertile and the dangerous in each man

participating. On this day man fights his ownweaknesses and mistakes. He fights his own shadows.He defeats them at midnight and he therefore gives a

promise to be better from then on (known today as aNew Year's Promise).

Fire Tasting Day (

)


th

day of Landawtus

Ancient ulan: EldbirgedagasOld ulan: EldabirgedagaRulan: EldbjrgdagrThe day after Ragnarok they celebrate the victoryover winter and their own inner shadows. Because of

the mysteries the Sun/Swilus will regain his strengthand summer/Belus can return. The lady of the housewalks three times around the house widdershins with a

juniper (juniperus communis) wand and declares (withsong) that all the spirits of the dead have been sentback to the realm of Keli.

The Sun is starting to grow stronger, after winterSolstice, and the lady drinks beer from a bowl andthrows the rest into the fire before she says something

like: So high my fire, and not higher or hotter, to makesure the Sun's fire does not become too strong andburns up the entire world.

Wtanas

Birthday (

)


th

day of Landawtus

Hell-Horse (

)


th

day of Sinkwabankis

Ancient ulan: Kelihastas

Old ulan: HaljhastaRulan: HelhestrEveryone dresses in white clothes and wears flowergarlands. They walk in procession from farm to farm,singing and carrying torches as symbols of thepurifying fire. The party takes the decorative foodthat was left after Yule and offers it to individuals theymeet. This is how they purify the homes and throw outthe last remaining spirits that may be hiding there.

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The High Festivals Mythic Fantasy Role-playing GameThe bear is said to turn in her lair on this day, andtherefore Keli (aliasHel) changes her mind and willlet Belus return anyway, because Keli can see the

snow melting (i. e. the entire world crying for Belus).Keli sends a horse from Kelikaimas (best known tous as Hell) to deliver the happy message.

Sagi's Birthday ( )


th

day of Sinkwabankis

All Heart's Day (

)


nd

day of Sinkwabankis

Ancient ulan:AlrurhertdagasOld ulan:AlrurhertudagaRulan:AlrahjartudagrThis day is seen as the day the birds start to mate.The birds are seen as manifestations of the deities.

This is the day all the gods and goddesses fall in love;in the realm of death, on the Earth, under the surfaceof the Earth and in the Sky. Those in love give aromantic gift to the one they love.

White Sunday Week (

l s

Imbolc) (

)


st

to the night of the 7

th

day of

rukaimas

Ancient ulan: KwetsunuwekeOld ulan: Hwetasunuweknulan: HvtasunnuvikaWhite Sunday Week is made up of White Sunday,White Queen Monday, White Tuesday, AshWednesday, Cleaning Thursday, Long Friday andDirty Saturday.

White Sunday (

)


st

day of rukaimasAncient ulan: KwetsunudagasOld ulan: HwetasunudagaRulan: HvtasunnudagrThis is the first day of spring and the day the Hell-horse arrives. Everyone thanks Keli for promising toreturn Belus and decorates with birch branches.

White Queen Monday (

)


nd

day of rukaimas

Ancient ulan: KwetdrontinadagasOld ulan: HwetadruntinasdagaRulan: Hvtadrttinadagr

The whole day is spent collecting pork, eggs andbaked goods for the great bride's race. Everyonedresses in white and the women wear many-colouredribbons and flower garlands. The party travels fromfarm to farm, dancing and singing as they travel. Theyoungest Maenad (and if they have one, also theBacchante) is riding a wagon. When they stop to askfor food donations the youngest Maenad is the onedoing the talking. The ladies and girls sing "Bride,bride, most beautiful bride", to invite all beautiful noble

girls to the bride's race, and the men encourage allnoble men they meet to show up. The men and boyswear women's clothes (robes) and the women and girlsmen's clothes on the upper body, to represent theandrogynous spirits of nature. This custom is archaic,but is still practised.

White Tuesday ( )


rd

day of rukaimas.

Ancient ulan: Kwetdiwadagas

Old ulan: HwetatiwadagaRulan:HvtatysdagrA carnival (Latin: "farewell to the meat") is arrangedand all the food collected the day before is eaten. If therealms king or queen is dead, the queen or king (and ifboth are dead: a priest of the realm) asks all worthynobles to compete for the May King /May Queentitle. The men compete in a number of games, includingring games (knight's games), word games, knowledge

games and the like. If there is a tie the two bestcompetitors decide who is to become the winner byengaging in a wrestling or boxing match. A bride's raceis arranged, a beauty contest for the aspiring MayQueens, and the king (and if there are none: the winnerof the men's competition) selects a winner by giving anapple to the one he thinks is the most beautiful, or aMaenad (chosen by lottery) of the realm must chooseone based on the beauty of the aspiring queen.

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The High Festivals Mythic Fantasy Role-playing GameThe winner becomes the May King/Queen and willlater become the new king/queen of the realm. See theValborgs Night festival.

In some Religious communities all the aspiringBacchantes and the Bacchante in that community(there are never more than one in each community)compete in a number of (identical) games too, for theright to be the Bacchante in that community. Only thewinner is allowed to become (or remain) a Bacchante.

A bride's race is arranged for the aspiring Maenads,and the winner of the men's competition selects a

winner by giving an apple to the one he thinks is themost beautiful. If there are none (some societies donthave Bacchantes) a Maenad (chosen by lottery) mustchoose one based on the beauty of the aspiringMaenads. Only one new Maenad can join their cultevery year (in any Religious community). A player witha character who wants to become a Maenad can cast aD6 and add the character's Cha * 2. The myth mastercan do the same for the aspiring Maenad NPCs. The

best result wins.Ash Wednesday ( )On the night of the 4. rukaimas

Ancient ulan:AskudagasOld ulan:AskudagaRulan: skudagrThe lent starts and lasts until Easter (the 22ndday ofBraidblika). Everyone puts ash in their hair andabstain from eating meat until Easter. Everyone

dresses in their darkest clothes and do not sing, playmusic or dance until the lent ends. See Special toReligious Characters (Character Generation &Development).

Cleaning Thursday ( )On the night of the 5. rukaimas

Ancient ulan: SkrdunadagasOld ulan: SkraunadagaRulan: Skrarsdagr

Unnamed domestic animals and unnamed children arenamed this day and the children are given five strokeswith a birch branch on their behinds, to make themstrong and to purify them.

Long Friday ( )


Ancient ulan: LangapridagasOld ulan: LangafraujudagaRulan: LangfreyjudagrThe children are given five more strokes with a birchbranch on their behinds, to make them strong and topurify them. No one is allowed to eat anything until

Sunset and everyone must work the whole day.

Dirty Saturday ( )


Ancient ulan: SketenkaimadaladagasOld ulan: SketenahaimadaladagaRulan: SkitinlaugardagrOn this day they all wash themselves and their homesparticularly well. The spring has come and you are to

meet it with respect.Dunus

Birthday ( )


Sword Dance (

)


nd

day of rukaimas, the 1

st

day of Nwadun, the 8

th


th


nd


st


th

day of Gltnias and the 15

th

day

of Gltnias

Ancient ulan: SwardadansOld ulan: SwardadanRulan: SverdanzA Sword Dance is a training battle between thesummer and the winter and the summer always wins.The boys and men split into two groups, representingsummer and winter.

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The High Festivals Mythic Fantasy Role-playing GameThe summer warriors dress in leaves and wield hammers,axes, sickles, sword-scythes, seaxes et cetera. Thewinter warriors dress in the hides from predatory(winter) animals and throw ash. The men and boys wearwomen's clothes (robes), to represent theandrogynous spirits of nature. This custom is archaic,but is still practised.

Vernal Equinox (

)


st

day of Braidblika

Ancient ulan: WaharebnadgrieOld ulan: Waharebnadgrijaulan: Vrjafndgri

Nature's fertility is celebrated this day and all noblechildren who become adults that year are given theright to vote.

Everyone stops lighting candles or oil lamps in theevening and go to bed at Sunset.

The Vernal Equinox is also the birthday of Er andis celebrated like the other birthdays (during lent).

Belus

Birthday (

)


th

day of Braidblika

Easter (

)


nd

day of Braidblika to the 25

th

day of Braidblika

Ancient ulan: EusOld ulan:AustaRulan: Austr

The Easter morning (the 22ndday of Braidblika) isseen as the day Belus (and his wife Edun) returnsfrom Kelikaimas, at dawn (hence the name Easter).Everyone celebrates by travelling into the mountainsto watch the Sunrise. It is customary to bring roundstones and build beacons, to help the round Sun risehigh and fly across the firmament. Eggs and all thedried fruit and berries and other candy left after winterare eaten.

This candy is the fruit of Edun; summer has returned

and therefore one can freely enjoy the fruits of Edunagain. NB This fruit does not have the qualities ofthe fruit from Edun's tree in Braidblika, but is just ageneral name for the fruit of nature.

Procession Day Weekend ( )


th

day of Braidblika to the

night of the 28

th

day of Braidblika

Ancient ulan: GangadagahalgasOld ulan: GangadagahalgaRulan: GangdagahelgrIs made up of Procession Day, Second Day Summerand Third Day Summer.

Procession Day/Summer Day ( )


th

day of Braidblika

Ancient ulan: Gangdagas/SumardagasOld ulan: GangadagaR/SumaradagaRulan: Gangdagr/SumardagrThe youngest Maenad leads a procession of maidens,decorated with flower garlands. She rides a wagon andis pulled three time around the fields, to bless the fields

herself (taking the role of a goddess). She carries atorch, to scare away the harmful spirits and she watersthe fields with water from a sacred source. She placesfood and beer to the spirits of the field, who eat anddrink this in the form of animals. Finally she digs a smallhole in the ground and pours some corn of all types intothe hole. She mixes it with eggs and stirs with a yew orspruce wand. She then sings a song:

"Wake up, wake up, both field and meadow,

you have slept for a long time nowwe have seen both rain and snowthe summer night has come now."

Second Day Summer (

)


th

day of Braidblika

Ancient ulan:Anaradagas sumarOld ulan:AnaradagaRsumaranulan:Annaradagr sumarWhat was done on the Procession Day/Summer Dayis repeated.

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The High Festivals Mythic Fantasy Role-playing GameThird Day Summer ( )


th

day of Braidblika

Ancient ulan: redegadas sumarOld ulan: rededagaRsumaranulan: rijadagr sumarWhat was done on the Procession Day/Summer Dayis repeated.

Great Procession Day (

)On the night of the 8

th

day of Nwadun

Ancient ulan: KawgangadagasOld ulan: HawgangadagaRulan: HrgangdagrWhat was done on the Procession Day/Summer Dayis repeated. This is also a Sword Dance.

Valborg's Night (

l s

Beltane) ( )


th

day of Nwadun

Ancient ulan: Walpurgisnes ("The Night on theMountain of the Chosen/Fallen")Old ulan: Walabergasnahtiulan: ValbjrgsnttThis is a day of marriage. On this day all the deitiesmarry.

If the king and/or queen is dead, and a new MayQueen and/or May King has been found (see WhiteTuesday), they enter the royal burial mound: whenthey leave the burial mound, as the Sun rises, holdingthe regalia (with the same powers as the attributes ofthe Traditional May couple. See Valborgs Nightunder The Tradition) they collected within, theybecome the new king/queen of the realm. They thenmarry and rule until they die. See the Sol Invictus

comment (page 115).Everyone who marries does so in a temple: they sweartheir oaths on a rock/hammer or a ring and theceremony is led by the youngest Maenad.

This is also the birthday of Nerus so everyonedances and sings around the burial mounds and thedeity (i. e. a priestess impersonating Nerus) risesnaked and young from the burial mound.

A married man no longer needs to look for a bride, so

to farmers this day also marks the transition fromhunting time to sowing time.Cuckoo Day ( )


th

day of Nwadun

Ancient ulan: GaukdagasOld ulan: GaukadagaRulan: GaukdagrThe gods (in the form of birds) speak to man on thisday and tell him how the year will be. If he hears thecuckoo in the North everything will go according to hiswill. If he hears it in the South he will harvest in dryweather. If he hears it in the West someone in his kinwill die or fall sick. If he hears it in the East it means

happiness in marriage.The Cuckoo Day is also a Sword Dance.

Great Valborg's Night ( )

On the night of the 27. Nwadun

Ancient ulan: KawwalpurgisnesOld ulan: Hawwalabergasnahtiulan: HrvalbjrgsnttThis day is a Sword Dance.

Bear Wake ( )


th

day of Gltnias

Ancient ulan: BernuwakOld ulan: Bernuwakaulan: BjrnvakaOn this day the bear wakes up and leaves his lair. Thewinter spirit has in other words risen from the grave, andis ready to abduct and kill Belus again.

Everyone who enters a temple between Bear Wakeand the Autumnal Equinox must first have their hands

tied with a rope or thread, to make it impossible forthem to kill the deity (i. e. cut the mistletoe from thesacred tree of the temple).

This day is the first day of the legal discussions at theing (parliament) where only the nobles with a right tovote can (and are obliged to) attend. The ing lastsuntil the end of Gltnias.

This day is also a Sword Dance.

No friend is he who but flatters.

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The High Festivals Mythic Fantasy Role-playing GamePirsit's Birthday (

)


th

day of Gltnias

White Sunday ( )


th

day of Gltnias

Ancient ulan: KwetsunudagasOld ulan: HwetasunudagaRulan: HvtasunnudagrNB This day is called by the same name as the WhiteSunday of the White Sunday Week!

This day is a Sword Dance.

White Sunday marks the end of Easter. Belus andeverything connected with the summer is now back.

Source Drinking (


st

day of Pulkawangis

Ancient ulan: KildodrenkoOld ulan: Kildadrenkaulan:KeldadrikkaFigures resembling Pri and Prius made of leaves are

placed by the sacred sources.The water you drink on this day heals diseases (givinga +2D6 mod to Disease resistance and a new testagainst the PL of the disease to see if the disease isneutralised [no adverse consequences are possible!])and wounds (1 dose of water drunk reduces injury levelby one after D6 minutes).

It is possible to collect water from the sacred sources

for later use. Collecting more than a waterskin (able tohold 2 cans/64 doses) is regarded as disrespectful ofnature and is frowned upon (and anyone who does sowill gain no favour or divine aid from the deities until allthe water has been spent/wasted). Pregnant womenwho drink a dose of water from the sacred source aremore (+D6 mod) likely to survive childbirth (Con testagainst DD 9).

This day is also a Sword Dance.

Summer Solstice (

)


th

day of Pulkawangis

Ancient ulan: SumarasowilihwarbOld ulan: Sumarasuwilihwarba.ulan: Sumarslhvarf( )The youngest Maenad leads a procession ofmaidens, decorated with flower garlands. She rides awagon and is pulled three time around the fields, tocleanse the fields and protect them from the newlyawoken winter spirits. She carries a torch, to scareaway the harmful spirits and she waters the fields withwater from a sacred source. She places food and beerto the spirits of the field, who eat and drink this in the

form of animals. Finally she digs a small hole in theground and pours some corn (or eggs) of all types intothe hole. She (mixes it with eggs and) stirs with a yewor spruce wand. She then sings a song:

"I clean the filth from my field now,to make it both clean and nice,and I place in it a juniper bough,to keep it healthy and strong."

(

) Bonfires are lit along the coast, and everyonedances around the burial mounds. The Maenads andother maidens, in particular the maidens born the 13thday of Pulkawangis, undress and walk into the water.When they ascend from the sea with the reflection ofthe many bonfires on their wet skin (an image of Pri'snecklace of fire) they represent the (re-)born Pri,born by Nerus the sea. The maidens then jumpnaked through the flames of the bonfires to prove their

courage and to be purified by Swilus (the sacred fire).

Graves are of all sizes.

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The High Festivals Mythic Fantasy Role-playing GameThe Summer Solstice is the birthday of Pri andSwilus and is in addition to the above celebrated likeother birthdays

Water drunk from a sacred source on the SummerSolstice night has the same effect as water drunkduring Source Drinking. See the high festival SourceDrinking.

The Day of Cleaning and Waking up ( )


nd

day of Pulkawangis

Ancient ulan: Swiptasinkwodagas ("Sink intowater and purify day")Old ulan: SwibtasinkwadagaR

ulan: Syftesokdagr(

)The youngest Maenad leads a procession ofmaidens, decorated with flower garlands. She rides awagon and is pulled three time around the fields, tocleanse the fields and protect them from the newlyawoken winter spirits. She carries a torch, to scareaway the harmful spirits and she waters the fields withwater from a sacred source. She places food and beerto the spirits of the field, who eat and drink this in the

form of animals. Finally she digs a small hole in theground and pours some corn of all types into the hole.She mixes it with eggs and stirs with a yew or sprucewand. She then sings a song:

"I clean the filth from my field now,to make it both clean and nice,and I place in it a juniper bough,to keep it healthy and strong."

( ) This day is also a Sword Dance.

Prius

Birthday (

)


th

day of Albkaimas

Harvest Sacrifice (

l s

Lughnassadh & Sltteblot)

(

)


th

day of Albkaimas

Ancient ulan: SlantuplutoOld ulan: Slantublutaulan: SlttubltThis day marks the beginning of the harvest. The corn

spirit (in the form of a goat made from straw) is killedand chopped into seven or fourteen pieces, or it isburnt, and the remains are buried in the field or the fourcorners of the field. The first straw cut down is used tomake a new straw goat for next year's HarvestSacrifice.

The corn spirit is really the same as Prius, but eventhough the crop spirit is celebrated as a deity inReligious societies they too sacrifice the old symbolsof the crop spirit: first and foremost the (straw) goat.Old traditions die hard.

A man impersonating Prius is (symbolically) killed bythe warriors, who (seem to) cut him down with curvedshort swords, sickles, sword-scythes and seaxes, in aSword Dance for adults only. This is his purpose; togrow crops, to wake up and then be cut down so thatman can bake bread. A cone or a bread is then cut intoseven or fourteen pieces and buried along with him inthe field or the four corners of the field along with thepieces of the straw goat.

Wanas

Birthday ( )


th

day of Gladaskaimas

Livestock Weekend (

)


th

to the 15

th

day of

Gladaskaimas

Ancient ulan: BuperohalgasOld ulan: BuperahalgaRulan: Bfjrhelgr

( ) The livestock is collected from pasture and isbrought to the barn or to the North end of the longhouse.

( ) Unnamed animals are given a name.

The lame runs if he has to.

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Skan's Birthday (

)


th

day of rmakaimas

The Autumnal Equinox (

)


nd

day of rmakaimas

Ancient ulan: KaustebnadgrieOld ulan: Haustebnadgrijaulan: Haustjafndgri( ) This day marks the end of harvest; all berries, fruitand all crops are now harvested. Everyone carries awreath made of sheaves of corn. The last cornharvested is used for this.

( ) The spirits of winter have escapes the realm ofdeath, and now they kill Belus again and bite the handoff Dwus.

The Autumnal Equinox is also the birthday of Manand is celebrated like other birthdays. The AutumnalEquinox is followed by a lent lasting until Winter NightShip.

A play shows how Kadnus fires a wand (made from amistletoe) on Belus (representing the summer) with abow. The latter falls down, pretending to be dead.The purpose of this is to show that the Seimenn andtheir Traditional followers (represented here byKadnus) are responsible for killing Belus. Anotherplay shows how the deities try to tie up the wolf deityKadnus (aliasFanjarias) after he has killed Belus, butone of them, Dwus, loses a hand in the process. Thisshows how the Traditional men refuse to abide by thelaws of the Religious society, and how they, because oftheir lack of respect for the deities, causes everythingunder the sky to suffer.

Everyone is sad, wears dark clothes (regardless ofsocial class), plays no music and doesn't dance for theduration of the lent.

Where there is smoke there is fire.

Kadnus

Birthday (

)


th

day of wadalas

Not every bird can be an eagle (some are

just cuckoos).

Winter Night Ship (

)

Usually on the night of the 22

nd

day of wadalas

Ancient ulan: WitranesuskaiOld ulan: Witranahtaskaioulan: VetranttskeiBelus is buried the 1stSunday after the 1stfull Moonafter the Autumnal Equinox. He (i. e. pieces of oakwood) is sent on a voyage, which the Sun takes everynight, in a boat or a ship which is set ablaze and sentout on the ocean in the West, across the river/sea offorgetfulness. Those who live inland burn a boat onland or build a boat with stones and bury the remains

there. In some places the remains are carried into a caveor burial mound instead, or to a river, which will bring itto the ocean.

A play shows how Belus is placed in a ship along withhis wife and how Dunus (represented by a priest)blesses the ship with his hammer before it is sent on its

journey across the sea.

Winter Night Weekend/Reflection Day (


th

day of wadalas

Ancient ulan: WitranesuhalgasOld ulan: WitranahtahalgaRulan: VetrantthelgrThe last day of the year is spent washing,contemplating and cleaning the house. This is done forman to be able to meet the next year clean, purified andready for new tasks. Free of guilt.

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Rebirth

The dead buried on land are buried in a foetal positionor sitting up with all their valuable possessions,

because they want to be reborn. In Traditionalcommunities they assume that the better and morevaluable equipment they have, the more likely they areto be chosen by a child to be reborn. In Religiouscommunities the dead are always reborn in the kin;when a new kinsman is born he will be given the name ofa dead family member and will thus become him.

Hvaml, stanza 11Byri betri

berr-at mar brauta at,

en s mannvit mikit;

vegnast verra

vegr-a hann velli at

en s ofdrykkja ls.

(You can not carrya better burden,than much wits,

but worse provisionyou can not bring

than too much beer drunk.)

First Day (

)

Ancient ulan: PyrstadagasOld ulan: FurstadagaR

ulan: FyrstadagrEach new month is greeted by the lady/lord of thehouse on the first day of the month, when the Sunrises. The months connected to gods by the lord, andthe months connected to goddesses by the lady. Theygreet the deities and wish them welcome into their lives.

As you sow, so you shall reap.

Still waters run deep.

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festividades paganas en la antigua escandinavia

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