Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 16, 1905.djvu/416

 366 Reviews.

Jul : Allesj^lestiden ; Hedensk, Kristen Julefest. Vol. L

By H. F. Feilberg. Copenhagen : 1904. " A POPULAR exposition on a scientific basis " describes in brief the character of this work on Christmas by Dr. Feilberg, from whose extensive knowledge of the popular beliefs and customs of Scandinavia one confidently expects an adequate handling of the subject. This expectation is quite realised as regards the more important sections composing the present volume, though taken as a whole it leaves on the mind something of a desire for a stricter method and more conclusiveness. This, however, may be remedied in part in the second volume, of the scope of which no indication is given.

The work opens with a section of considerable length (80 pages) on the cult of the dead, showing by examples from many lands how great a part this plays in the popular imagination. The section is extremely interesting in itself, and is written with much sympathy, but its bearing on the main subject is not at all clearly indicated, though Dr. Feilberg ends it with the words, " All these traits recur one by one in the northern beliefs relating to Yule." Perhaps this may be demonstrated later on, but at present it seems a little difficult to bring Christmas into any close connexion with the Dies Irce, the Child of Bristozve, and other pieces of various kinds which the author cites at length.

Passing to the specific subject of his book, Dr. Feilberg deals first with the " Old Northern Yule," giving in outline an account of the great midwinter feast, but somewhat obscuring the facts by the introduction of a good deal of extraneous matter, part of which would more appropriately have gone into the preceding section. The visit of Sigrun to Helgi in his grave-mound, for example, the hauntings of Th6r61f Boegif6t and Glam, and similar tales, are striking enough, but have nothing directly to do with Yule and its festivities. The same objection applies to the description of the spdkojia Thorbjorg, with which the chapter closes : here the author himself admits that he does not know " that it is anywhere expressly stated that Yule-time, or even winter, was specially favourable for the art of foretelling the future."