Too Cold This Winter

In the northern hemisphere, the winter has been particularly cold this year. Though, historically, there have been much colder winters, it has been a while for most people. When the winter starts to give you come concerns, you know that you can turn to Ul, God of Winter.

Ul, also called Ullr, is the God of everything that involves winter. That includes the traditional things like hunting and skiing. That also includes more modern things like guarding from frozen pipes and driving in bad weather. There is no reason you should not ask for Ul's blessings before a long winter trip.

More importantly, take some time to remember what it is that Ul does. He is constantly battling back the Ice Giants. He is keeping the forces on the Ice side from getting too far into the other worlds. He is standing between us and them.

Some refer to Him as the "Shield God". It is hard to imagine a skier or archer carting around a shield, so you may wonder what that is all about. If you are far enough north and you look outside, you may see snow on the ground. That is the Shield of Ul. His shield of snow is what protects the life in the ground from freezing when the winter becomes too harsh. If that snow wasn't there, nature and agriculture would suffer in the spring. He really does a lot to help us.

For those in the southern hemisphere, you may have noticed a growing heat as the forces of fire encroach more than usual. In addition to supporting Ul, you folks may want to give some support to Thor.