The Yule log.

The Yule Log, Yule Clog, or Christmas Block is a specially selected log burnt on a hearth around the period of Christmas in a number of countries in Europe. The origin of the folk custom is unclear. Numerous scholars have observed that, like other traditions associated with Yule (such as the Yule boar), the custom may ultimately derive from Germanic paganism. Similar folk practices are recorded in various areas of Europe.

Today this Yule log makes an appearance at Christmastime as a cake shaped like a log.

According to the Encyclopedia of English Folklore, the first “clear” references to the tradition appear in the 17th century, and thus it is unclear where or when the custom extends.

However, it has long been observed that the custom may have much earlier origins, possibly extending from or echoing customs observed in Germanic paganism. As early as 1725, Henry Bourne sought an origin for the Yule log in Anglo-Saxon paganism: