If you have a Christmas tree in your living room, garden or balcony, you actually have something more: a whimsical little homage to Thor, the god of Norse mythology who, by the grace of Marvel, has become a star of the big screen. At first glance, Odin’s son and fir trees decorated with balls, stars and LED lights may seem to have little in common, but the connection goes back a long way. several centuries ago.

To find out, you have to draw on oral tradition and travel to 8th century Europe, more specifically to what is now Germany. There, near Geismar according to some versions, or Hessia according to others, lived a community of pagans who worshiped Thor in a rather strange way. Its inhabitants believed that their god was represented by a huge, leafy oak tree, which they called the “Thunder Oak” or “Thor’s Oak.”

Its trunk and branches were sacred to the natives, so every winter the natives a bloody ritual at their feet: they sacrificed a sacrifice, almost always a child, in honor of the mighty son of their god Odin.

Among the saints, scepters and axes

This tree, associated with the Northern European pantheon and sacrifices, did not please a Benedictine monk from England who was at the time traveling through Northern Europe with Bibles under his arm. Her name is Winifred, although she went down in history as St. Boniface.

Throughout the years and before Pope John II. Gregory and later his successor Henry III. Under the patronage of Gregory, the pious devoted himself to traveling as a missionary in Frisia, Thuringia, Hesse and Bavaria, baptizing pagans and, above all, contributing to the organization of the Church. in the region. In fact, things went so well that he named Archbishop Boniface as archbishop and papal delegate.

The point is when he learned about the custom of a group of pagans to sacrifice a child at their feet every winter. “thunder oak”Bonifacio decided to use his missionary skills and intervene. The story is epic and worthy of the legends and oral tradition that often appear in the books of the saints. The pious appeared at the site of the ritual and attacked the tree with machetes until it collapsed, to show the locals that the oak tree in question did not have divine power.

The details do not always match, but legend has it that Boniface and his companions arrived in the village shortly before the celebration of the pagan ritual. The saint first used his staff to stop the victim and then proceeded to chop down the oak with an axe, right there in front of the saddened locals.

There are versions that claim he didn’t even need to hit her. As soon as he swung the ax, a wind rose that knocked down the tree. Others, slightly less epic (only slightly) argue that a single blow was enough to bring down the oak.

The incident did not end there. In the same area there was a small fir tree that Boniface decided to replace Thor’s oak with. “This little tree, the child of the forest, will be your sacred tree tonight. It is the forest of peace, the sign of eternal life, because its leaves are always green. Look how it points to the sky,” said the saint. , according to the version compiled by the religious website Catholic Answer.

“Let this be the tree of the Christ child, gather around it, not in the wild forest, in your own homes“, concluded the Christian saint.

The truth is that echoes of tradition reverberate long before.

Between the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, Tertullian was writing about the Roman tradition of using laurels and lights in winter celebrations. We also know about the Celts’ love of decorating trees on the winter solstice to encourage the return of the Sun, or that the Romans decorated their streets to coincide with Saturnalia, which also falls in December.

Christianity incorporated, re-adapted and created its own traditions, enriched with stories such as the Christmas tree.

The oak of Thor and St. Boniface is not the only oak. There are those who say that we owe the tradition of decorating trees with candles to another prominent figure of Christianity, but in this case the Protestant branch: the religious reformer Martin Luther, a native of Eisleben, allegedly added them in the 16th century. a I’m trying to capture the beauty of the stars shining at night.

The undeniable thing that Christmas 2024 is around the corner is that the trees are universal symbol It’s part of the festivities and even a cause for competition between some cities as they fight to see who can rise to the top.

According to legend, everything is thanks to St. Boniface and Thor.

Pictures | Wikipedia and Alex Haney (Unsplash)

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