Wednesday, January 1, 2020

NOOCHYUUL - BERCHTOLDSDAAG

Noochyuul ("after Yule") begins at sunset today and is mostly a quiet period that lasts until sunset on February 1. This is the time when resolutions are begun and are most challenging.

Berchtoldsdaag begins tonight, too. This is a larger event in Switzerland than here. The lore there involves compulsion to drink (not a fan) and elements perhaps akin to the Lord of Misrule.
The very scant lore I have come across indicates that the tradition may be rooted in testing one’s mettle and ability to succeed at the resolutions that were made.

Various versions of who Berchtold is exist. One is that it honors Berchtold V, the Duke of Zähringen, who founded Bern in 1191. Another cites it being related to a monk named Berchtold of Engelberg.

What survives in a shred of our Hexerei lore is yet another theory, which is that it is is connected to Berchta. Indeed, costumes depicting creatures related to Berchta used to be common in the past. However, the tiny bit of lore we have essentially assigns Berchtold as the consort of Berchta, and He is thus a god by our lore's assessment.

This is still something that requires a lot of research, but, until we learn more, the Urglaawe community is using the information that we have as a starting point and honoring Berchtold from sunset on January 1 through sunset on January 2.

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