Finnish Folklore: Winter Solstice

The element of the Winter Solstice is the earth. In Finnish folklore the world was made of three layers. Ylinen the upper world, the world of the spirits. Keskinen, the Middle, world of magical beings, and humans, then Alinen, the underworld, world the death, the unconciesness. Winter itself is connected to the world of Alinen.

The time period from the middle of Autumn to January, was known as Jako-aika, the dividing time. In Norse tradition it is called as the Wild Hunt. That is when Odin is catching evil spirits in the sky.