Don't mess with the Ullr!
by dawn
Sunday, January 24, 2010 3:04pm (PST)
Ullr is a strange name. It lacks a vowel and just looks weird. When I was first given the information about the upcoming Diamond Peak Ski Team Ullrfest event, I was a little perplexed. The first thing I did was pronounce it wrong. I pronounced it “yuler”. Like a Yule log. But no, the correct pronunciation is actually “Oooh-ler”. Of course, that’s obvious isn’t it?
The less obvious question is, what in the world is an Ullr and why are we naming an event after it? So I googled it. What I found out is that Ullr was a prehistoric god, of Scandinavian or Norse origin. He has been dubbed quite a few different “godly” titles over the centuries, including but not limited to; the god of winter, the patron god of agriculture, the god of skiing, the god of hunting, and the god of justice and dueling. That's one busy god! For the sake of the sport and all things intended here, we’ll just forget the rest and call Ullr the ski god. (Isn't it exciting that we have a ski god?! Who knew?)
Judging from some of the depictions I discovered, Ullr is being represented in the modern day ski world as not only the ski god but as one god you would not want to mess with. He is an intimidating presence, a larger than life Viking on skis wielding a bow and arrow, complete with a Viking-style horned hat, huge white mustache and bushy brows. Some sources suggest that his snow sled doubled as his Viking shield. (Now that is resourceful.) Some other references point to the possibility that it is through Ullr’s inspiration that the sport of skiing actually began. Could ski poles possibly be the much friendlier version of his bow and arrow? And were our first snow sleds actually replicated after Ullr’s shield?
If you want snow, some believe that a prayer to Ullr may reap benefits. Even if you don’t believe in Ullr the real god, it can still be fun to believe in Ullr, the myth. To really immerse yourself in the myth of Ullr and all of his wonder and have a great time while you’re at it, we have just the thing for you. Coming up on Jan 29-30 at Diamond Peak is “Ullrfest” presented by the Diamond Peak Ski Team. It’s a fun-filled two days of festivities, beginning with a torchlight parade down the mountain on Friday night, a bonfire, live music, auction and a pub crawl later on (for the grown-ups). On Saturday get ready for wacky ski races, contests, a freestyle competition, a poker run, auctions, live music, dinner, dancing and even a Ullr costume contest where you can dress up like a Ullr god or goddess, and maybe even win a prize! And it’s all for a great cause; to promote children’s ski programs, with the proceeds going to the Diamond Peak Ski Team. For more information or to purchase dinner tickets, go to www.dpsef.org. I’ll see you there. Don’t forget your Viking hat! But, please, leave your bow and arrow at home.
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