Project Gutenberg 2005-06-25 Public domain in the USA. 145 Van Dyke, Henry 1852 1933 Dyke, Henry Van Dyke, Henry Jackson Van Dyke, Henry I. Van The First Christmas Tree: A Story of the Forest E-text prepared by Michael Gray (Lost_Gamer@comcast.net) "The First Christmas Tree: A Story of the Forest" by Henry Van Dyke is a fictional narrative written in the late 19th century. This book blends elements of historical and religious storytelling, likely focusing on the early Christianization of the Germanic tribes during the time of Boniface, who is depicted as a key character. It explores themes of faith, sacrifice, and the significance of the Christmas tree within the context of a significant cultural transition. The narrative follows Winfried, also known as Boniface, a missionary from England, who embarks on a perilous journey through the forests of Germany to convert pagan tribes to Christianity. Alongside a young prince named Gregor, Winfried confronts a barbaric tradition of sacrifice at the Thunder-Oak, a sacred site for the worship of Thor. With courage and faith, he interrupts a ritual meant to sacrifice a child, attempting to replace the old pagan beliefs with the message of Christ. The pivotal moment occurs when he persuades the people to abandon their old ways and instead, embrace the fir tree as a symbol of new life and hope in Christ. The story ultimately showcases the triumph of faith over fear and the birth of a new tradition that we now associate with Christmas. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 86.9 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Christmas stories PZ Text Christmas Category: Historical Novels Category: Novels Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore Category: Religion/Spirituality 72507 2025-08-07T05:44:32.859462 text/html 67231 2020-12-11T12:10:32 text/html 850893 2025-08-07T05:44:38.461382 application/epub+zip 848272 2025-08-07T05:44:35.692418 application/epub+zip 92555 2025-08-07T05:44:34.562395 application/epub+zip 966183 2025-08-07T05:44:40.439338 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 953684 2025-08-07T05:44:37.670392 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 157160 2022-09-08T03:41:01.558503 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 62505 2025-08-07T05:44:32.527411 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 62271 2020-12-11T12:10:32 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 19102 2025-08-07T05:44:40.563382 application/rdf+xml 14742 2025-08-07T05:44:35.064363 image/jpeg 3456 2025-08-07T05:44:34.814390 image/jpeg 759270 2020-12-11T12:10:32 application/octet-stream application/zip 24939 2020-12-11T12:10:32 application/octet-stream application/zip 838065 2025-08-07T05:44:32.896384 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia