All About Frau Holle, Teutonic (Germanic) Goddess of Winter, The Home, Children, and Death
Other names: Mother Holda, Mother Holle, Fraa Holle, Berchta, Berta, Perchta, or Bertha, Frau Perchta or Old Mother Frost. Dunkel GroĂmutter (Dark Grandmother) and Weisse Frau (White Lady).
Origins: Germany, Austria, Alpine regions, and Bavaria.
Protecting and nurturing children
Death/rebirth especially when it comes to children.
Cleaning the home/doing chores
Anything that has to do with Nature or animals especially associated with winter
Frau Holle is a goddess that is associated with Germanic and Alpine Paganism (southern Germany, Austria, Slovania, Northern Italy, Switzerland, and Bavaria). Her name meant a lot depending on where youâre located but in German huld meant âgracious, friendly, sympathetic, and grateful.â Holle is typically found in folklore and fairy tales most famously The Brothers Grimm story of Frau Holle or Mother Holle where we can find how she was seen by society. It starts off with a girl who was very hardworking and disciplined in her chores rather her stepmother and daughter who were lazy and neglectful of the girl. The girl sat next to a well and did her spinning for hours till her hands started to bleed, then she accidentally marked her blood on the shuttle of the wheel. The girl hastily cleaned the shuttle to her best of ability but the shuttle fell into the water, the girl tried to reach for it in the water but she reached too far and fell into the well. When she awoke she found herself in a strange place as she wandered until she stumbled upon a small cottage where Frau Holle lived, Frau Holle greeted the girl kindly as an old woman and said, âStay with me; if you will do all the work in the house properly, you shall be the better for it. Only you must take care to my my bed well, and shake it throughly till the feathers fly-for then there is snow on the earth. I am Mother Holle.â Which the girl obeyed throughout her stay she did chores for Mother Holle shaking the pillows till feathers fly like snowflakes but soon she grew longing for her home even though she wasnât appreciated there she still wished to return. Mother Holle accepted her request and right before the girl left she was rewarded by a shower of gold rain sticking to her skin as she returned home along with the shuttle that Mother Holle had and with wearing her gold clothes. When her stepmother and stepsister found out they were jealous and wanted this gold as well, the mother made her own daughter to spin at the well til her hands bled and marked it on the shuttle and fell in the well. When the step sister encounter the oven and tree she ignored their pleas and continued to the cottage, Frau Holle didnât had a chance to introduce herself as the girl agreed to do the chores. But the lazy girl didnât follow through her promise and did not shake the feathers for snow to fall on the earth became lazy. Mother Holle tired of the laziness and told the girl to leave, the girl excited thinking she would get the gold instead a storm of black pitch of soot fell upon her sticking to her skin permanently.
The moral of the story was for children especially young girls to not be lazy and do hardwork around the house youâll be rewarded. But it demonstrates Frau Holdaâs attributes like bringing snow to the earth, spinning, wells, sheltering children, some may interpret that the heroine falling into the well was her death and awaken up in Mother Holleâs realm was an after life then a rebirth. It was said that when children died they were to go to Frau Holda/Perctha. It shows liminality and transitions of Frau Holle as well not just the home but the veil, wells, and death.
Jacob Grimm says that Holda was an ancient goddess in northern Germany with strong associations with Frigg and Freyja in Norse Paganism. But she had another presence in southern Germany named Perctha or Berctha resided in the Alpine region and Bavaria, her name meant many things like âBright oneâ or âBearerâ in old h High German it was a verb for âHiddenâ or âcoveredâ. It was said that she would dwell bottom of the well and ride a wagon and she taught how to use Flax into linen. That she was connected to the spirit world by use of spinning, Christians demonized Holda as a witch goddess whom lead the Wild Hunt.
She was celebrated during Twelve days of Christmas and Perctha also was celebrated but as well on Jan 6th called Epiphany feast or Bercthentag. Perctha was associated as the protectress of nature and beasts as well as Holda. In regions of southern Germany, Austria, Bavaria and Alpine regions Perctha was heavily associated with Krampus but these creatures were called Perchten which as Krampus who punished naughty children Percthen or Peaschtl drove away evil spirits of winter but between the nights of the 25th of December and Jan 6th one cannot work and not suppose to go outside unless you want get hit. Krampus would be seen just as a monstrous horned creature but Percthen are dressed as Krampus but one side usually on the back of the head of the monster is a beautiful maiden who is depicted as Perchta. Of course you can celebrate her on Yule without the Krampus or Percthen traditions. She has similarities between her and Hel the Norse Goddess of the underworld but there isnât much evidence to support her as being associated with Hel.
Both depictions of the goddess are commonly shown as fearsome but benevolent a duality. Her fearsome aspect would be of a crone with webbed feet of a goose or swan punish those who are lazy and greedy and performing household chores especially spinning. She is usually seen as a crone figure or an older woman, as Perchta more younger like a maiden. But for clarifications Frau Holda isnât a unjust or unreasonable goddess, she understands that people canât keep up tidiness that is out of our control, whether one has a disability, mental illness, or fatigue or who are just neurodivergent like me I have really bad ADHD that makes it difficult for me to keep a clean room or house. But she wants us to do better and she is very patient with of those who struggle so donât be afraid of when you get messy here and there weâre human and we ainât perfect. I like to think she helps guide us to a more disciplined routine and that she will reward us if we do complete our tasks.
Frau Holda has a strong presence in Pennsylvania Deitsch in United States since a lot of the German immigrants that came to America were from south eastern Germany or Switzerland or Austria. Her name in Pennsylvania Deitsch is Fraa Holle and associated with agriculture and apple trees due to her folklore in brothers Grimm story. They are known for making really good pies especially apple pie.
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