God Jul – Good Yule

 These happy little fella’s in a barn with a big bowl of creamy porridge are the Jultomten (Yule Tomten). A bowl of porridge was left out for them on Christmas eve in thanks for their help during the year.  The Tomten of Sweden and the Nisse of Denmark / Norway seem to be relatives of the Hobs of northern England, and probably share a common origin.

The Tomten were originally quite dark and aggressive figures protecting farms and dwellings, but they evolved during the late 1800’s into much more jolly fellows delivering presents at Christmas. This transformation continued with one little chap becoming human sized and dressed all in red – the generic image of Santa Claus that we have today, while the original Tomten became Santa’s little helpers.

These old Christmas cards by the artist Jenny Nyström capture some of the old Scandinavian Yule tide beliefs.

Wassail to all the good folk out there

Image credits Jenny Nyström   http://jennynystromsbilder.kalmarlansmuseum.se/

Boggart Crag – Brimham Rocks

 Brimham Rocks are a large group of weathered crags and outcrops located near Pateley Bridge, 8 miles to the north-west of Harrogate.

 The rocks are spread across a wide hill top on Brimham Moor, which overlooks the Nidd valley to the south. A series of paths link the numerous crags, rock outcrops, and boulders stacks, which cover about 1 square km of the moorland heath on the hill. Some of the rocks have been shaped by nature to resemble various animals and objects, and these have been given names such as the Dancing Bear, Cannon Rocks, and the Yoke of Oxen, etc. Some of these names date back to at least the mid 1700’s when the site began to attract visitors, and local guides started naming the rocks.

 A line of low cliffs and rock outcrops run along the western edge of the site, and towards its northern end, the first edition OS map (1854) marks one outcrop as the ‘Boggart Crag’. The name does not appear on later maps, or in any of the guides to the site, which suggests that it was an earlier name used locally for that particular crag. The oddly shaped rock known as the Druid’s Writing Desk is also located on the top of Boggart Crag, and this rock stands out on the horizon when viewed from the lower ground to the west. The stones prominent position on the skyline may have led to the belief that there was something uncanny about the misshapen rock and the crag that it stands on.

Fairy Cave – Skirethorns

 Skirethorns is a small hamlet, near Grassington, in the Yorkshire Dales.

 To the west of Skirethorns, a narrow lane winds its way up through Skirethorns Wood, and then through a gap in the limestone hills, to reach an area known as The Heights, with Malham Moor continuing further west. On the south side of the lane, a series of limestone scars rise up to form a low hill, which has a large cave opening on its west facing slopes. This is Height Cave or Fairy Cave, and was also known as Calf Hole. The wide entrance to the cave is divided by a limestone pillar, while at the back of the cave, a low passage extends into the hill. After 10m or so this passage becomes blocked with mud and silt, but it is thought to extend further into the hill, possibly connecting to other chambers and passages.

Brandrith Crags – Rocking Stone

“Since bright the Druid’s altars blazed,
And lurid shadows shed
On Almas Cliff and Brandrith Rocks,
Where human victims bled “

(Parkinson, 1882)

 The crags are split into 3 groups, and form an east-west line across the highest part of the moor. The eastern most group is the largest, and it is here that the modern OS map marks a rocking stone. Unfortunately, the map does not pinpoint the exact location of the rock on the crag, and it appears that people have searched for it without success. This suggests that the rocking stone either no longer exists or that it is not very prominent.

Elbolton Hill – Hill of the Fairies

“From Burnsall’s tower the midnight hour
Had tolled, and its echo was still.
And the elfin band, from faerie land.
Was upon Elbolton hill.”

(Dixon 1827)

 Elbolton is the name of a large dome shaped hill, 2 miles to the south of Grassington, in the Yorkshire Dales.

  Elbolton is the largest in a group of conspicuous hills located between the river Wharfe and the higher moorland of Rylstone Fell. These hills are referred to as the Cracoe Reef Knolls, as they are limestone outcrops that once formed part of an ancient sea bed. In the folklore of this region, Elbolton was regarded as the chief dwelling place of the fairy folk, and in more recent times archaeologists have found a group of Bronze Age burials in a cave on the east side of the hill.