Saint Lucia and the Astraean Archetype

Saint Lucia Procession

Saint Lucia’s Day is today.  I am a folklorist and I love looking into the origins of ancient holidays especially those around the Winter Solstice.  I will share a few archetypes that I feel come within the umbrella of the “Star Maiden” or Astraean Archetype here.  Please feel free to get lost in the beauty of the metaphor, symbols and imagery, and know that this knowledge is presented in a spirit of an open mind and love of all culture and religion everywhere in our world.

They say that Saint Lucia comes to make the darkness disappear. Lucia means Light.  What a day therefore to see Mercury conjoin Pluto and Mars both in Capricorn, and at the same time Mars conjoin Pluto.  Venus is also dark within Scorpio, the sign ruled by Pluto and once ruled by Mars in ancient times. The heavens echo “the bringer of light into darkness.”  So let us look at the traditions.

To celebrate, the female playing the role of St. Lucia wears a white dress with a red sash and a crown of candles. She wakes the family at dawn and serves them breakfast.  On December 13th, one of the shortest days of winter, girls in Sweden dress up as Santa Lucia wearing a white dress and a crown of candles . Boys carry a candle and wear a kind of white pajama. They wear hats that are pointy with golden stars on them.

Santa Lucia is the Bringer of Light into the darkness, and as such a tradition well worth keeping up.  The Scandinavian winters are long, dark and cold, and Santa Lucia brings in the Hope, the Light and the Strength to go on…she is celebrated in all Scandinavian countries, not only Sweden.  In Ireland they celebrate her too. Lucy is the name there but it’s the same personage. Back in the day, before the Gregorian calendar was introduced, Dec 13 was the longest night of the year — fitting since she’s the patron saint of blindness.  Serve your favorite brunch or tea fare along with julglögg (a Swedish mulled wine), a cake called Saint Lucy’s crown, X-shaped buns called lussekattor and ginger cookies called luciapepparkakor.

There is evidence that practices associated with St. Lucy’s Day, including the name itself, predate the adoption of Christianity by the Nordic peoples. The pre-Christian holiday of Yule, or jól, was celebrated in Scandinavia and Northern Europe. The winter solstice (longest night of winter darkness) was the mid-point between the equinoxes, and the long season of cold and dark brought about many practices that remain today. Although, from old times, the jól season was a time for feasting, drinking, gift-giving, family gatherings and jolly companionship with good neighbours, it was also a season of uneasiness and fear of the dark forces.

There was the Lussi, and the scariest night of all, Lussinatta (Lussi Night).  The belief in Lussi was strongly connected to the carrying out of the work tasks. Again and again the lore prescribes that such and such work must be finished, or else the Lussi will come to punish. Lussi is conceived of as a woman, usually with evil traits, like a feminine demon. Such a spirit is also found in mid- and southern European mythologies and given the name of darkness, like Lucia die dunkle (the dark Lucia). Her contrast is Lucia die helle (the fair Lucia), a Christian take-over which is associated with Saint Lucia.

The old date for the Lussi Night is December 13th, regarded as the longest night of the year and associated with the solstice. That was carried over into the new era. Between Lussi night and jól all kinds of trolls were thought to be out and about. It was particularly dangerous to be out during Lussi Night. Children who had done mischief had to take special care, because Lussi could come down through the chimney and take them. The lore also tells about a whole Lussi group traveling past: the Lussiferda. They were named as in a verse: Lisle-Ståli and Store-Ståli, Ståli Knapen and Tromli Harebakka, Sisill and Surill, Hektetryni and Botill. The Lussiferda could take people away, just like the Oskoreia or Jólaskreia could. This is another company of spirits (vetter), riding horses, which around yule-tide journey through air and over land and water, leaving eeriness and discomfort. Although not mentioned in any sources, it is very tempting to look at Father Christmas’ journey with his reindeer as a commercial relic inspired by such popular superstition.

The Saint Lucia tradition, then, may be a Christianisation of pagan beliefs and customs. This Swedish tradition, which seems to have spread throughout the Western world, is probably an old culture-loan from Germany and explains the use of lights (Lucia from latin lux = light). Lucia adorned with the lights resembles the Christkindchen (Christ Child), who in certain parts of Germany wanders about in the community and entertains the children. This child is usually a costumed girl carrying a crown of lights.

A handmade Saint Lucia Crown

The name Saint Lucy given to this light procession tradition comes from the Italian saint who suffered a martyr’s death under the Roman Emperor Diocletian in Syracuse, Sicily around 300 AD, and whose memory was already celebrated by about 400 AD. In one of the stories associated with her legend, she was working to help Christians hiding in the catacombs. In order to bring with her as much food and drink as possible, she needed to have her hands free. She solved this problem by making a wreath to wear on her head on to which she attached lights. Thus she managed to see in the darkness of the catacombs.

There are traces of the legends of Saint Lucia even in the Nordic countries in the Middle Ages, and her day of remembrance is also December 13th (just like the Lussi). Yet another name is relevant here, namely Lucifer. Because the name has the same etymological background (the name literally means “light-bringer”). Once he was an angel of light, then he was dethroned and became the Prince of Darkness. Here we see light and darkness are again found in the symbolism of a day that sees a conjunction between the planets of fiery energy, swift-footed messages, and underworldly darkness.  May Saint Lucia’s beauty and metaphor add yet another dimension — one of the Star Maiden — to this day as the sun sets.

This information has been compiled from several sources over many years of study.