Door 7
07 Dec. 2018
Byzantine "Kings Chain" bracelet
Finally something for the male contestants: Kings chain - worn by Viking Kings. Unisex bracelet in all sizes.
This bracelet is put together link by link which is a time consuming processes. It is approximately 7 mm thick, and is connected with a lobster clasp. All parts are 100% quality 316L stainless steel that won't easily wear or tarnish, and will last longer than a lifetime with minimal care.
Length bracelet: Custom made for you!
The Kings chain pattern originally comes from the Byzantine culture, and was brought to Scandinavia by the Norsemen on their many journeys to Miklagard (Byzantium / Constantinople).
Shipping costs are calculated from both the size of the package and its weight.
The shipping costs for this item with standard priority mail (covered by the winner):
Within Norway: 21,- NOK
To Europe: 27,- NOK
To the rest of the world: 34,- NOK
I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's
Today's question:
t
(the answer is found in the text below)
The quiz is now over. Please try today's door.
easy.
Today the ancient fertility symbol is found in many Scandinavian homes around Christmas as a goat of straw.
The Julebukk
Archaeological findings show that the julebukk (bukk=ram) custom existed in the Norse era. The Julebukk was the goat which was slaughtered for Jul, to celebrate the year's harvest and the start of a new year. This goat was a symbol of Tanngrisner and Tanngnjost who pulled Tor's wagon across the sky. It was sacrificed to the gods as a fertility symbol, its blood was smeared on the walls and sprinkled on the guests.
Later it became a tradition that a man was wearing shaggy leather rags and a goat mask or a ram's head on his head, and visited the neighboring houses to check that the Jul traditions were followed. Often followed by people in old shaggy clothes. This is linked also to Asgardsreien* which according to the folklore was out ravaging at Jul.
The latest centuries the Julebukk traditions have been numerous and sprawling, and different from village to village, city to city and generation to generation. Up until the millennium the custom applied most to children who went from house to house and sang Christmas carols to get candy in reward, and it was also common among adolescents and adults. They should be unrecognizable to the unknown, and the point was to guess who they really were. The adults traditionally got a dram where they came to visit.
There's less and less Julebbukks to observe in the streets in Jul nights, mostly because Halloween has taken over as the costume party of the fall/winter season. But some places, mostly in rural areas, to go Julebukk is still a strong tradition. Personally, I think the one shouldn't exclude the other, and that we should grab any chance to dress up, put on masks, have some fun and spread a little joy.
*Read more about Åsgårdsreien in a later quiz.
Follow me on social media for daily reminders and updates:
2018 (C) Lisbeth M. Sandvik