We've just passed the third night of the sacred Twelve Night period. A bit late for me to share this but it might be interesting to some of you.
During the Twelve Nights, there are certain taboos and certain things we should do more of. The following are the most important ones.
- Keep it tidy inside and outside the home. The Norns might visit indoors and the Wild Hunt rages outside. We are in a critical period now: the Sun is in a standstill as the forces of chaos work against all that is good and holy. Align yourself with cosmic/Aesiric order by being as orderly and clean as possible. Any stray items left outside may be seen as offerings to the Wild Hunt so keep that in mind!
- do NOT hang out any laundry. Since loose items could be seen as offerings, your laundry should be done before this time of year. Your clothing is a part of a whole, which in this case is you, so unless you want to die in the coming year or be taken away by the Wild Hunt, don't hang out your laundry.
- avoid spinning, weaving or any other threadwork. The Norns haven't yet woven the new year's thread, avoid any sympathetic magical acts such as this.
- in the same vein, avoid spinning wheels as much as possible, since the Sun is in standstill. During the Midwinter feast we spin a fiery wheel to help the Sun conquer the darkness and lengthen the days again.
- try to avoid foods that can sprout such as beans. Time is at a standstill, fertility must wait until the Sun and Moon are aligned again. In the same vein, don't make any babies during this time ;)
- decorate the house with evergreen branches to keep some part of living nature in the home.
- leave out offerings for the Wild Hunt/house spirits/Norns.
- cast your lots and take heed of dreams. Some will divine runes every day/night during the Twelve Nights, which might also say something corresponding to the months to come. (First night=January, second=February, etc. same for dreams).
Of course some are stricter and some are less so. If you don't want to spin any wheels, good luck walking to work. So it's a bit of custom work for everyone. But the tidying of house and property is very important and well attested.
In general, I wish you all a merry Yuletide. Spend time with family, play games, slow down a bit and enjoy these darkest days of the Year!
14December 24, 2025 1.2K 2 16
