Re: Yule/Christmas log

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, g <george.st@...> wrote:

> On Mon, Dec 29, 2003, at 01:04 PM, Mate wrote:
>
>>> What's the (sacral) significance of this "yule log"?
>>> Is it connected with a solstice fire ritual? If
>>> so, it could be a relic of some pagan (probably
>>> pan-European) traditions/faith... (Anyway, I think we
>>> should pay more attention to substrates of Christian
>>> traditions).
>>
>> I already mentioned Croatian badanj "log" connected to
>> Badnjak "Christmas Eve".
>
> Thank you for doing this. But IMHO we should keep
> asking: why was a log chosen (and for what reason?) in
> this context of the Christmas? In other words: what's
> the significance of the log in a (A) pagan context
> (if any), in a (B) Christian context (if any).
>
> Or it is a mere (3) Volksetymologie: the East Romance
> (tongue) twisting of <creationem> sounded krac^un-like
> to Slavic ears more than one millennium ago.

A word related to Christmas as Yule log is a good indication
about original meaning.

> PS: in the Catalan case, I'd ask: is that custom typical of
> the region or is it possible that it was imported by immigrants
> (say Goths & Alans, who once happened to cross the primordial
> area of krac^un).

The custom is also traditionnaly French (la Bûche de Noël: `Gros
rondin qu'on brûlait dans la cheminée pendant la veillée de Noël,
et qui devait durer toute la nuit).

Regards,
Marius Iacomi