Veturnætur (Winter nights)

Today and tomorrow are Winter nights according to the old Icelandic calendar. In that calendar, there were only two seasons; summer and winter. Each season was counted in weeks, and the winter season always began on a Saturday and the summer season on a Thursday. Even today, we celebrate the first day of summer and winter on these days of the week. But if summer ends on a Wednesday and winter begins on a Saturday, then the Thursday and Friday in between become a kind of liminal space. Such spaces are always shrouded in mystery, because they mark spaces that are outside of the mundane and can even connect to other realms of existence, such as when the hidden people move house, farm animals speak human language and the spirits of the deceased can make themselves known. It is no coincidence that the Winter Solstice occurs at such a similar time to Halloween, All Souls' Day, and Day of the Dead (s. dia de los muertos), all of which are defined as liminal spaces. Andreas Nordberg theorises that Winter nights were previously calculated from the first full moon after the first new moon after the autumnal equinox. That would place it on November 5th this year, since this year's autumnal equinox was only about 24 hours after the new moon, but is usually closer to the date we know today.

Winter night blóts (sacrificial feasts) were clearly important to our ancestors, as they are often mentioned in the sagas and other sources. This is the time of year when the last livestocks of the year were slaughtered and therefore there was a lot of fresh food to enjoy. It is also likely that they considered it important to sacrifice to winter deities for for less harsh winters and protection from the weather and natural elements. The dísir (feminine deities) are sometimes associated with these sacrifices, but they were probably associated with ancestors and patron deities of the people, so the connection with ancestors and the dead has been here too.

The sun moves into Scorpio at this time of year, a sign associated with death among other things. In the Threads of Fate podcast episode Death and Scorpio: Do ​​You Guys Ever Think About Dying?, Kira Ryberg and Ashley McQuaid discuss this connection. Scorpio is a fixed water sign and when water is very still, bacteria can form that contributes to the decomposition of organic matter. Still water can also represent ice, so it is fitting that Scorpio's season begins around the first day of winter in the northern hemisphere.

In Reykjavík, today has been calm and very cold. The annual Women's Strike is tomorrow and the feeling is that today is the calm before the storm. There is an ongoing water trine in the stars, with Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn all in water signs (Scorpio, Cancer and Pisces) around 21-26°. Thus, these planets form a triangle or trinity around the earth that encourages us all to face our emotions, follow the flow of water and focus on what we all have in common. Their interaction can be reflected in increased compassion and solidarity, which in my opinion is something we really need in a society that has in recent decades placed increasing emphasis on individualism and the needs of the self over the needs of society. It is appropriate to look back to our predecessors who knew well that in order to survive, it was necessary for people to work together towards a common goal, or risk not having enough food to last through the winter. Although we do not live in the same food insecurity today, it is still the case that we need other people to live a happy life. It is vital for us to help each other and feel solidarity with other people, and that will not happen as long as we treat some groups in society as less valuable or expendable.

That said, it is worth remembering that the genocide in Palestine is still ongoing and the Palestinian people still need help, whether it is financial assistance, keeping their cause alive, or reminding leaders around the world that we have a duty to assist them as best we can and to cut all official ties with Israel. I encourage you to continue to follow and help as much as you can. For example, the Protect Palestine website offers various ideas, and here in Iceland it is good to follow the Iceland-Palestine Association and No Borders — among other things, it is important to find these organizations on the social media platform you use and change the settings so that you receive a reminder of posts from them, as most social media deliberately hides content related to Palestine.

I hope you have a merry Winter nights and may this winter be kind to us all.

Main sources:

Saga daganna by Árni Björnsson (1980)

The Nordic Animist Year by Rune Hjarnø Rasmussen (2021)

Íslenskt almanak website, especially the pages on Veturnætur and Gormánuð

Jul, disting och förkyrklig tideräkning by Andreas Nordberg (2006)