A Sketch of the Development of "Ecology"

"Ecology"-- I mean in the cultural rather than the strictly biological sense-- is a modern development.  I see it as coming from the integration of mystical nature-romanticism, modern biological science, and utopian and transhuman moralities.  It came out of modern world-historical cultural evolution-- it could not have existed previously, not in the gestalt in which we now have it.  Crucial in its development were the Enlightenment and Romantic movements.  The necessary elements became available and combined over the 19th century and "Ecology" as an alternative civilization had been roughly formulated by World War I, I would say, particularly in the German- and English-speaking countries.  After this, expressions of the ecological world-view are seen in different times and places, but it became a world-wide mass-culture movement through the decade from the early 1960s to early 1970s.  And it was inextricably bound up with the Counterculture uprising which occurred then.

Since then, I don't see innovations in the ideology of "Ecology" as much as in expressions of it.  The foundation has been laid, and in the current phase we try to build something substantial and enduring on it.

Yule: a New Tiding

This day the New begins. From its depth the truly Old begets the truly New.  And of the darkest time the Wolken sparks Light and Wyrd shifts and Menning starts to shape, and of this new tiding is hope come to this world under thrack.

And so today a New Tiding has come.  So "Yowl!" with the Yule-lads at the rising of the Menning, a Green Sun to light the Earth, to quell the darkness, even so as these Hag-sons drive out the Draugs who make Dilgoth, make Eydhi of Edhli.

So now band with the Yule-Drylar in their fight to werf Wyrd, to make Menning on Earth for all time to come.  Hail Yule!

Tiding-- event.
Wolken-- the Mind of the Edhli (Biosphere).
Menning-- the ecological culture-civilization.
Draugs-- the deadly undead who scadhe the Earth.
Dilgoth-- the Extinction.
Eydhi-- wasteland.
werf Wyrd-- turn the course of Things.

The Drygand Hoves Aloft the Yule-tree

In the Yule-tide it is the Sid-hold that a carven likeness of the Drygand, often fawed in rudgel, be fastened atop the Yule-tree, as if hoving in heolorth aloft the World-Tree of All Life-Kinds, overlooking the weal of each kind and of the whole Edhli.

hove-- hover, float.
Sid-hold-- traditional observance.
faw-- color.
Rudgel-- orange (~red-yel).
Heolorth-- balance, poise.
Life-kinds-- species.
Edhli-- Biosphere.

The Leafy Head of Yule-tide

In the Yule-tide, Neorxna the Bode looms forth from the darkness in the likeness of the Leafy Head, wide-eyed with knowing.  And so, often will be made a Yule-tover belike to his seeming, of fastened evergreen growth and harvest ovets and nuts to hang upon the waugh so that all do know the true meaning of Yule, the looking ahead to the Menning-coming as the tide of the Time-wheel turns.

Neorxna the Bode-- the herald of the Menning, the coming ecological civilization.
Leafy Head-- the iconic form of Green Man.
Tover-- magical object.
Ovet (MEng)-- fruit. fr OEng ofet.
Waugh-- wall. fr OEng wag.

The Yule-Drylar

In the Mythos (Shaggy Sagenverden), Yule-proper runs from the day of Winter Solstice (Sunwend) through the day of Perihelion (Nearcome-sun) when Earth is closest to Sun.  But in practice, Yule is simply the fortnight from Yule Eve onward.  Yule Eve is called Mother Night and belongs to Gryla (~grue), the horrible hag-giantess who mothered the thirteen Yule-Drylar, to whom belong the thirteen days that come after-- hence, a fortnight in all.

New Year begins on the Solstice, the darkest time of Winter, when the sun is lowest in the sky and the day is shortest of all.  Till then, fearsome Gryla rules, and the unholy Draugs rise from their barrows and stalk abroad, wreaking bale-work in the land.  But when the Sun stops waning and then begins waxing upward, the dawning of a new year starts, and it is a time of festivity (frelsung) and merriment, and the thirteen Drylar-days are celebrated (frelsed) suchly.  And the frolicsome Yule-Drylar go out at once in behest of the Drygand to be his Wild Swarm, to harry and halse (exorcise) the fell Draugs so that all is safe from their attack (thrack) and the glee of  Yule-tide is freed to overflow.

Draug-- the undead monsters who dwell in barrows and who go abroad betimes to slay and devour and lay waste.

This year, Sunwend is Friday, 21st December at 6:12 AM EST.

The Meaning of Yule

In the darkest depth of the wheeling of Time, a new Menning of Hope shall come.  Neorxna's shine-show blazes forth from the mirk of Mistryne in an orgyte of Wodhe, a thwarly Byzen of Awe to light the World and cherren the Tide of Wyrd.  The Edhli-menning then shall wax as GreneSun wheels up from the Deep, and the Samen-flow floods and the Earth starts to heal as the Menning reaches into every stead to dwell.

And in a fortnight from now, the Yule Sun will end its lowering in the sky and will wend upward once more, and so we see the meaning of Yule as a betokening of the great Cherrenge that must come, when likewise Dilgoth gives way to Halsing and Healing of Man and Edhli so the two can live in Holy Frith of Thwaerness as One.

Menning-- the ecological culture-civilization, Edhli-menning. Edhli-- Nature, Biosphere.
Neorxna the Bode-- the Herald of the Menning.
Mistryne-- Mystery.
Orgyte-- manifestation (outpouring). Wodhe-- inspiration.
thwarly Byzen-- intricate Pattern.
cherren-- turn. Cherrenge-- the Conversion.
Samen-flow-- the seed-streaming of mystical life-energy.
Dilgoth-- the Extinction Event.
Halsing-- exorcism.
Frith of Thwaerness-- harmonious Peace.

The Drylar

The Drylar are land-wights, different from the Drygs in that they are manlike of body, and mobile-- they patrol the wilds, act as guardians of the Land-drygs and of their wild precincts.  They are allies of the Drygand-alfs (AKA Drywodhes) and differ from them only in being more otherworldly by a degree and so, often ancient of years.  While Drylas are wary of men and often hostile to them and their works-- they loathe machines and the products of modern industrial technology--  they may respond to respectful treatment and even can become fast friends of fellow-travellers.

etymology of Dryla--

troll (ONorse)-- originally giants, usually inimical to man and the gods, who have driven them into the remaining wildest places-- deep forest and mountains. eventually troll came to refer to various magical creatures of various size, something like dwarfs, or goblins and other baddies. as drolls, they became mischievous or amusing creatures.
troll (MEng)= to wander about, ramble.
droll (various langs)= hobgoblin, merry imp, elf, sprite, a humorous whimsical or odd character, a funny little man. in archaic English-- to jest, sport, make fun of.
trylla (ONorse)= to turn into a troll, to enchant. trolldomr (ONorse)= magic= trylleri (Dan/Norw).
Dry (OEng)= magic.
Drala (Tibetan)= a personal protective warrior-spirit without which a person would lose his luck,sicken and die.
Gryla (ONorse)-- the hag who devours naughty children, with thirteen trollish sons who as Jola-sveinar (Yule-lads) each hold one of the thirteen days of Yule. they are prankish and destructive and naughty children fear them.