The Julleuchter or Yule Lantern is a small hollow clay candlestick holder about 8″ tall. On its four sides it has a heart and a Hagall rune. The Hagall Rune represents Faith and the heart represents the spirit or soul. It stands for an inseparable community, its conscious and attitude. It is used as a symbol of the sunlight never going out.
There is a place both inside and on top of the Lantern for a candle to be placed; each position having a specific ceremonial meaning. The Julleuchter is used in the seasonal rituals that occur on the Vernal Equinox, Mid-Summer, Autumnal Equinox, and Mid-Winter and in family traditions throughout the year.
Mid-Summer has been Christianised as the feast of Saint John the Baptist and Mid-Winter has been Christianised as the birth of Jesus Christ. Julleuchters became unpopular as Christianity spread and were only used in small communities that held on to their pagan beliefs.
The ancient roots of the Julleuchter was first mentioned in 1888 in the Swedish literary society’s journal Runa. In 1933 an article about the Julleuchter was published in Germany which helped popularise it once again. This article described a Yule Lantern in the Norwegian royal museum in Stockholm.
In a 1936 memorandum, Heinrich Himmler, the Head of the S.S. set forth a list of approved holidays based on pagan and political precedents. The list included April 20, May Day, the Summer Solstice, and the November 9 Beer Hall Putsch anniversary.
Climaxing the year was the Winter Solstice, or Yuletide, an event that brought S.S. folk together at candlelit banquet tables and around raging bonfires that harked back to German tribal rites.
In January 1936, the S.S. Porzellan Manufaktur Allach was created in Munich under the control of the Head of the German Elite Forces. High-ranking artists were locked into contract. The program of the factory included over 240 porcelain and ceramic models.
The quality of the porcelain pieces produced in Allach is extraordinary, and due to very limited production numbers and years of operation, Allach pieces today demand very high prices.
The Julleuchter is much more than just a relic,
it is embroidered with faith, tradition and history.
It has become part of our great culture,
its origin lies hidden in the past.
So honor this custom,
it is still a touch of the old.
You are connected to him through your blood, and
you must have felt it yourself.
Then light the candle with its light,
so that it pierces the darkness.
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