The Old Magic of Christmas: Yuletide Traditions for the Darkest Days of the Year by Linda Raedisch
Authors: Linda Raedisch
Tags: Non-Fiction
Ads: Link
radiating the dark aura of a malevolent fairy.
Queen Hild dandles her children and converses with her
husband. The royal elf family appears at once both happy
and inconsolable. The shepherd observes the bittersweet tableau, at the same time taking care not to tread on any of the dancing courtiers’ toes. Meanwhile, the queen has given one of her gold rings to her youngest child to play with. When the child drops it on the floor, the shepherd swoops down, snatches the ring and slips it on his own invisible finger.
As we know it must, the hour arrives for Queen Hild
to depart. She rises, puts off her queenly robes and knots her kerchief over her hair. Her husband and children are
weeping and tearing at their elfin locks, but what can she do? She is doomed to return to the mortal realm. The elf
king appeals to the grim figure in the corner, but if help is to be had from that quarter, the old lady will not give it. As Queen Hild bids them all a tearful farewell, the shepherd
creeps out of the hall ahead of her, hurrying back across
the plains of Elfland, scrambling up and out of the gap in the rocks just in the nick of time. When Hild climbs up
Dead by Christmas Morning 55
after him, he has pocketed both the gold ring and the invis-ibility stone, replaced the magic bridle about his head and assumed a vacant stare. The erstwhile queen mounts him,
none the wiser, and home they go.
Christmas morning on the farm is a happy one for a
change, for the new shepherd is found alive in his bed. He tells the farmer of the odd “dream” he has had and of the
part the enigmatic housekeeper played in it. Hild denies
everything . . . unless he can produce some evidence of his adventure? At this, the shepherd produces the little ring of elf-gold.
At the sight of it, Hild sighs and confides that hers is a rags-to-riches story. In Elfland, she had been no more than a lowly servant, but the Elf King fell in love with her nevertheless. His mother disapproved of the match. Though
an elf herself, Hild was placed under an álög , or elf-uttered curse—in this case, one uttered by her mother-in-law. Banished from the royal residence and from Elfland itself, Hild was compelled to ride a man to death each Christmas until
such time as she was found out and executed as a witch. That had been her mother-in-law’s plan, but this year’s man lived to tell the tale. Because he had had the courage to follow her along the Lower Road, he had freed her from the álög. (It
is not clear why his time in harness had not killed him, for Hild got just as much mileage out of him as she had from the others. It may be that not falling asleep was the key.) Having related all this, Queen Hild has no further need of the witch’s bridle to reach her home; she simply vanishes.
Our shepherd, we are told, eventual y married and took
up farming for himself. He did so well that folk credited his 56 Dead by Christmas Morning
prosperity to the beneficence of the Queen of the Elves.12
As for the farmer, with the curse now lifted, we can assume he had no more trouble getting good help.
Recipe: Icelandic Snowflake Breads
In Iceland, the beginning of the Christmas season means
it’s time to make laufabraud , Snowflake Breads. If you’re worried that the trolls might eat up all your hard work, you can hide your pastry snowflakes in a tin in the garage until Christmas Eve. The “breads” in this recipe are smaller than traditional examples—which are eight to nine inches in
diameter—so they can be fried in a smaller pan.
Ingredients:
1¾ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup whole milk
Lard
Powdered sugar
In a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder and sugar together.
Set aside.
Heat milk and butter until butter is melted. Do not boil.
Add milk and butter to flour mixture a little at a time, stirring, then working with your hands until you have a stiff
dough. Add more flour if
Queen Hild dandles her children and converses with her
husband. The royal elf family appears at once both happy
and inconsolable. The shepherd observes the bittersweet tableau, at the same time taking care not to tread on any of the dancing courtiers’ toes. Meanwhile, the queen has given one of her gold rings to her youngest child to play with. When the child drops it on the floor, the shepherd swoops down, snatches the ring and slips it on his own invisible finger.
As we know it must, the hour arrives for Queen Hild
to depart. She rises, puts off her queenly robes and knots her kerchief over her hair. Her husband and children are
weeping and tearing at their elfin locks, but what can she do? She is doomed to return to the mortal realm. The elf
king appeals to the grim figure in the corner, but if help is to be had from that quarter, the old lady will not give it. As Queen Hild bids them all a tearful farewell, the shepherd
creeps out of the hall ahead of her, hurrying back across
the plains of Elfland, scrambling up and out of the gap in the rocks just in the nick of time. When Hild climbs up
Dead by Christmas Morning 55
after him, he has pocketed both the gold ring and the invis-ibility stone, replaced the magic bridle about his head and assumed a vacant stare. The erstwhile queen mounts him,
none the wiser, and home they go.
Christmas morning on the farm is a happy one for a
change, for the new shepherd is found alive in his bed. He tells the farmer of the odd “dream” he has had and of the
part the enigmatic housekeeper played in it. Hild denies
everything . . . unless he can produce some evidence of his adventure? At this, the shepherd produces the little ring of elf-gold.
At the sight of it, Hild sighs and confides that hers is a rags-to-riches story. In Elfland, she had been no more than a lowly servant, but the Elf King fell in love with her nevertheless. His mother disapproved of the match. Though
an elf herself, Hild was placed under an álög , or elf-uttered curse—in this case, one uttered by her mother-in-law. Banished from the royal residence and from Elfland itself, Hild was compelled to ride a man to death each Christmas until
such time as she was found out and executed as a witch. That had been her mother-in-law’s plan, but this year’s man lived to tell the tale. Because he had had the courage to follow her along the Lower Road, he had freed her from the álög. (It
is not clear why his time in harness had not killed him, for Hild got just as much mileage out of him as she had from the others. It may be that not falling asleep was the key.) Having related all this, Queen Hild has no further need of the witch’s bridle to reach her home; she simply vanishes.
Our shepherd, we are told, eventual y married and took
up farming for himself. He did so well that folk credited his 56 Dead by Christmas Morning
prosperity to the beneficence of the Queen of the Elves.12
As for the farmer, with the curse now lifted, we can assume he had no more trouble getting good help.
Recipe: Icelandic Snowflake Breads
In Iceland, the beginning of the Christmas season means
it’s time to make laufabraud , Snowflake Breads. If you’re worried that the trolls might eat up all your hard work, you can hide your pastry snowflakes in a tin in the garage until Christmas Eve. The “breads” in this recipe are smaller than traditional examples—which are eight to nine inches in
diameter—so they can be fried in a smaller pan.
Ingredients:
1¾ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup whole milk
Lard
Powdered sugar
In a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder and sugar together.
Set aside.
Heat milk and butter until butter is melted. Do not boil.
Add milk and butter to flour mixture a little at a time, stirring, then working with your hands until you have a stiff
dough. Add more flour if
Similar Books
