HOLLE
Frau Holle or Mother Holda (also known as Hulda, Hulde, Holla, Huld) is a Germanic Goddess whose essence resonates with the energies of Capricorn and the midwinter solstice. She is usually portrayed as a crone with a grandmotherly attitude of being firm but fair. Holle is also a Goddess of domesticity (spinning, weaving, and childrearing), a protectress of children, and a patron Goddess of witches.
As a Goddess of winter, weather is a significant part of Holle’s domain. Snow is said to be the Goddess shaking out her goose down feather bed. The goose is sacred to Holle and the image of the Goddess riding her goose survives in the figure of Mother Goose.
During these snowy winter nights, Frau Holle rides a wagon, through the sky, visiting households and passing judgment on domestic industriousness (as opposed to morality). The Goddess rewards those who are diligent and productive with gifts or assistance, and punishes those who are lazy and indolent by undoing their work or breaking their tools.
Illustrating Holle’s focus on discipline in childrearing is the myth of a young girl who accidentally drops her spinning distaff down a well. The girl jumps in to retrieve it, and finds herself in Mother Holle’s home. The young girl works hard helping the Goddess with various household chores, and Holle rewards her with gifts on her return home. The girl’s selfish, lazy sister wants gifts too, so she jumps down the well. However, the sister refuses to help Mother Holle with any chores or tries to fake her way through them. Mother Holle sends the sister home with tar or pitch.
Another story associated with the Goddess travelling the night sky in her wagon has Frau Holle leading the Wild Hunt. The Wild Hunt appears in the mythologies of many different cultures, with many different figures leading the charge. However, what they have in common is the gathering of souls still clinging to their earthly existence. Depending on the myth and culture, these souls either join the Hunt or are ushered to the Otherworld. Because of her association with children, Frau Holle is said to gather the souls of children who died before they were named, and takes them safely to the Otherworld. In later times, this came to mean unbaptised children, which then led to any non-Christian souls (i.e. heathens and witches). It is through her role as the leader of the Wild Hunt that Holle became associated with death. In some cultures she has been linked with – or thought to be the same as – other Underworld Goddesses. However, as leader of the Wild Hunt, Holle guides souls to the Otherworld but she does not rule the Otherworld, nor is it her realm. (Holle is more akin to Hecate, another Dark Goddess who is also a patroness of witches).
It is interesting to note that the Middle Dutch term for the Milky Way was “Vroneldensraet”, which means the “highway of Frau Hulde”. The Goddess leads the Wild Hunt and its souls along this highway bringing them to Capricorn, the gate out of incarnation. (The Cancer/Capricorn axis in the zodiac is where the Milky Way crosses the ecliptic, marking the gates in and out of incarnation; cosmic death and rebirth.)
While Holle is active throughout winter, the best time to honour and connect with her is at the winter solstice, Yule. Be sure to get all your housework done before Yule so the time may be dedicated to resting within the sacred (even Frau Holle needs rest). Solstice means “stationary sun” or “sun standing still” as the Sun appears to pause a moment before its ascending journey.
The wheel has turned and a new cycle has begun. Frau Holle encourages us to honour the rhythms of the natural world, while connecting us to the larger cosmic cycles of the universe…the womb – and tomb – of the Great Goddess.