Nights of Yule - "Bringing in the Boar"

Before Christianity took root, the Romans held a festival in which a roasted boar was served as a symbol of the human triumph over the “beasts” who stood to cause harm. The boar was sovereign to the land, and because it was so territorial, it was a dangerous nuisance to those who ventured into the forest for hunting. In our modern times, we do not wish to celebrate our dominion over any living thing, but we do wish to honor our own internal triumphs as we have overcome the “beasts” that have stood in our way over the course of our lives. It is common to also honor spirits of divine strength and beings who hold dominion over the wild world. Typical offerings would include those made to Freyr and Freyja, Pan, Cernunnos, or even The Wild Hunt. Folks of a Norse persuasion sometimes view this night as the end of Odin’s Wild Hunt (for more information, please visit: http://norse-mythology.org/the-wild-hunt/). Please consider carefully to whom you wish to honor and what that means in terms of relationship-building.

Devotional/Prayer: Beings of Creativity

Light eleven candles and speak the following:
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On this, the eleventh night of Yule,
We pay honor to those who aid us in our endeavors.
As we seek to create, to bring into life new works of art, of song, of speech, of kitchen craft,
We make offerings to you.
Inspire our minds with plans for our works.
Plant songs and poems in our hearts to take root.
Grant us ideas for writing, for speaking, for building.
Guide our senses to new tastes and scents,
And open our hearts to share what we have created
That we may bring joy to others through the work of our hands.
Hail to thee, bringers of Inspiration!
Hail to thee, guiders of intellect!
Hail to thee, whose strength and dexterity blesses our hands.
Beings of Creativity, we honor you.
Beings of Creativity, accept our offerings.
(offer spirits, incense, and/or bread)