Known as Mother Hulda, Holda, Holle, and Holla, she is a pre-Christian Germanic mythological character, thought to be based originally on the goddess Hulda.
From Wiki:
She dwells at the bottom of a well, rides a wagon, and first taught the craft of making linen from flax. Hulda is the goddess to whom children who died as infants go, and alternatively known as both the Darth Großmutter (Dark Grandmother) and the weisse Frau (White Lady), elements which are more typically associated with the Grimm’s fairy tale as well. Her connection to the spirit world through the magic of spinning and weaving has associated her with witchcraft in Catholic German folklore.
The legend itself, as it was eventually passed to the Grimm Brothers, originates from oral traditions in Central Germany in what is now known as Hesse. It was told to them by Henriette Dorothea Wild (whom Wilhelm Grimm married in 1825) with more details added in the second edition (1819). It is still common expression in Hesse to say “Hulda is making her bed” when it is snowing, that is, she shakes her bed and out comes snow from heaven!
The image of making snow from a domestic task calls to mind the famous painting of Frigg spinning the clouds, a personal favorite of mine.
All of these myths and goddess are woven together. Very little is ever 100% clear in Norse and Germanic mythology. Each tribe had their own beliefs.
For an Advent swap, I recently made my own Mother Holle making snow. The swap is long over so I feel safe in sharing her here now. She is by far my favorite felted item that I’ve made.
Happy Halloween! Here’s quick paper project for a pumpkin centerpiece that you can do by yourself or with children. You may remember making this kind of paper craft in grade school. If not, I’ve included some picture instructions here to make it easy peasy.
ell, I’m in recovery from a nasty case of tonsillitis, and my toddler has decided that she no longer needs more than a few hours of sleep at night. This means October has been an exercise in patience with a lot of lazy Fraggle Rock watching days and not as much craft time as I’d like.
oday we put up an autumn garland, which is a super easy project that introduces children to crochet and finger knitting.
