Deities of the Winter Solstice
From Patti Wigington,
Your Guide to Paganism / Wiccan.
Stay up to date!
While it may be mostly Pagans and Wiccans who
celebrate the Yule holiday, nearly all cultures and
faiths have some sort of winter solstice celebration
or festival. Because of the theme of endless birth,
life, death, and rebirth, the time of the solstice is
often associated with deity and other legendary
figures. No matter which path you follow, chances are
good that one of your gods or goddesses has a winter
solstice connection.
* Alcyone (Greek): Alcyone is the Kingfisher
goddess. She nests every winter for two weeks, and
while she does, the wild seas become calm and
peaceful.
* Ameratasu (Japan): In feudal Japan, worshippers
celebrated the return of Ameratasu, the sun goddess,
who slept in a cold, remote cave.
When the the other gods woke her with a loud
celebration, she looked out of the cave and saw an
image of herself in a mirror. The other gods convinced
her to emerge from her seclusino and return sunlight
to the universe.
* Balder (Norse): Balder is associated with the
legend of the mistletoe. His mother, Frigga, honored
Baldur, asked all of nature to promise not to harm
him. Unfortunately, in her haste, Frigga overlooked
the mistletoe plant, so Loki – the resident trickster
– took advantage of the opportunity and fooled
Baldur’s blind twin, Hod, into killing him with a
spear made of mistletoe. Baldur was later restored to
life.
* Bona Dea (Roman): This fertility goddess was
worshipped in a secret temple on the Aventine hill in
Rome, and only women were permitted to attend her
rites. Her annual festival was held early in December.
* Cailleach Bheur (Celtic): In Scotland, she is
also called Beira, the Queen of Winter. She is the hag
aspect of the Triple Goddess, and rules the dark days
between Samhain and Beltaine.
* Demeter (Greek): Through her daughter,
Persephone, Demeter is linked strongly to the changing
of the seasons and is often connected to the image of
the Dark Mother in winter. When Persephone was
abducted by Hades, Demeter's grief caused the earth to
die for six months, until her daughter's return.
* Dionysus (Greek): A festival called Brumalia was
held every December in honor of Dionysus and his
fermented grape wine. The event proved so popular that
the Romans adopted it as well.
* Frigga (Norse): Frigga honored her son, Baldur,
by asking all of nature not to harm him, but in her
haste overlooked the mistletoe plant. Loki fooled
Baldur’s blind twin, Hod, into killing him with a
spear made of mistletoe but Odin later restored him to
life. As thanks, Frigga declared that mistletoe must
be regarded as a plant of love, rather than death.
* Holly King (British/Celtic) : The Holly King is a
figure found in British tales and folklore. He is
similar to the Green Man, the archetype of the forest.
In modern Pagan religion, the Holly King battles the
Oak King for supremacy throughout the year. At the
winter solstice, the Holly King is defeated.
* Horus (Egyptian): Horus was one of the solar
deities of the ancient Egyptians. He rose and set
every day, and is often associated with Nut, the sky
god. Horus later became connected with another sun
god, Ra.
* La Befana (Italian): This character from Italian
folklore is similar to St. Nicholas, in that she flies
around delivering candy to well-behaved children in
early January. She is depicted as an old woman on a
broomstick, wearing a black shawl.
* Lord of Misrule (British): The custom of
appointing a Lord of Misrule to preside over winter
holiday festivities actually has its roots in
antiquity, during the Roman week of Saturnalia.
* Odin (Norse): In some legends, Odin bestowed
gifts at Yuletide upon his people, riding a magical
flying horse across the sky. This legend may have
combined with that of St. Nicholas to create the
modern Santa Claus.
* Saturn (Roman): Every December, the Romans threw
a week-long celebration of debauchery and fun, in
honor of their agricultural god, Saturn. Roles were
reversed, and slaves became the masters, at least
temporarily. This is where the tradition of the Lord
of Misrule originated.
* Spider Woman (Hopi): Soyal is the Hopi festival
of the winter solstice. It honors the Spider Woman and
the Hawk Maiden, and celebrates the sun's victory over
winter's darkness.
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