Of goats and reindeer: Nordic connections in Christmas stories

Published December 18, 2015 · Updated March 10, 2017

M. Michael Brady Asker, Norway The traditions of celebrating Christmas in the Nordic countries are historically entwined with the conversion of the countries to Christianity at the beginning of the Viking Age. Some mentions are in descriptions of medieval Catholic processions that figure in folk myths, such as Oskoreia, described in the Norwegian American Weekly last Christmas, link at: www.norwegianamerican.com/oskoreia. One of the oldest surviving characters is the Julebukk (“Christmas Goat”) of Norway, known as Julebock in Swedish, Juleged in Danish, and Olkipukki in Finnish. Initially the Julebukk was a goat slaughtered at Christmastime to celebrate the end of the agricultural work year. With tim

Become a subscriber to keep reading and gain access to 1000s of articles! Digital subscriptions start at $7 for one month of access, and a one-year digital subscription is only $30.