Yesteryear

From Falsipedia

Meaning

The year of last or last year

The Origin

Yesteryear is thought to have originated in Scotland around the 13th century, when Hugh de Gifford, a rumored wizard and Lord of the region known as Yester, gained power. Gifford was rumored to have a pact with the Devil, in which he could summon an army of evil creatures to do his bidding. It is this same army, that legend tells, built Yester Castle, the seat of Gifford's rule. The time period of Gifford's rule were considered to be dark times and many misfortunes befell the people of Yester, in fact times were so bad that many of the inhabitance started to declare that they were living during the end of world. This ideology caught on and soon became known as the Yesteryear or “The Last Year.” Of course the time period was not the end of the world, and much like many of the other rulers of those turbulent times, Gifford's rule did not last long.

In 1375 the Castle and the rule of the land was passed by marriage to the Hay family. During the 1400's, William Hay took up residency at Yester Castle, and it was under his rule that prosperity returned to the people of Yester. The people under William's rule where so happy with how the region had improved, they started using the phrase “Hay-Days” as a loving tribute to their ruler.

The region of Yester, Scotland is considered to be the birth place of many of the common words still found in todays modern English. Yesterday, along with the many variations associated with the day before, like yestermorn, yestereve, yesternight and yesternoon are credited to this region of Scotland.

Yesteryear in modern times

In modern times the word has lost popularity and has changed from being about last year to a more general term dealing with the past. Used primarily by the elderly, to reflect on the past, it has been a thorn in many of young person's side who have to listen to another story about the long lost past. LARPer's (Live Action Role-Players) have also started trying to revitalize the word, in an attempt to be more authentic when acting like a Dwarven or Elven, warrior, rouge or wizard. The pain and suffering once associated with the word lave long forgotten, but the pain and suffering that is felt by those who still have to hear the word in use will still live on.