The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
In formal use no earlier than III 16011 (year 1 of the Shire Calendar)
Origins
Introduced in the Shire Calendar, though perhaps based on older traditions
Race
Hobbits (and apparently also some Men)
Cultures
Pronunciation
Yule is pronounced 'yoo'l'
Meaning
Yule comes from Old English géol, of uncertain meaning2

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About this entry:

  • Updated 8 October 2021
  • This entry is complete

Yuledays

The midwinter festival of the Hobbits

Two days of the Shire Calendar that marked the end of one year and the beginning of the next. They fell outside the formal 'months' of the calendar, coming after the month of Foreyule and being followed in turn, naturally enough, by the month of Afteryule. They formed the centre of the six-day Yuletide festival celebrated not only in the Shire, but also by other northern cultures of Middle-earth.


Notes

1

They first formal appearance of the Yuledays was in the Shire Calendar, and so they cannot predate the foundation of the Shire in III 1601. In origin, the Shire Calendar followed the structure of the old King's Reckoning of the Dúnedain, and though that older calendar also marked the end of one year and the beginning of the next with distinct days, those days were simply named Mettarë and Yestarë ('last-day' and 'first-day'). It is entirely possible, and indeed likely, that the introduction of the Yuledays by the Hobbits followed some ancient Yule tradition of their ancestors, but the formal Yuledays did not appear until the development of the Shire Calendar.

2

The old Germanic word géol (with variants in many other languages) is recorded as the name of a midwinter feast going back into the distant past, but the original meaning of the word has been lost. Some sources suggest a meaning like 'rebirth' (which would indeed fit the ending of one year and the beginning of the next) although this interpretation is far from certain.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 8 October 2021
  • This entry is complete

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