Well, if I recall correctly those Norse people were in fact referred to as Pagans by early Christians in Europe. Basically, anybody who worshiped nature or was effectively a polytheists was called Pagan. Or heathen, more commonly. So I think you and I are making the same point there.
And I think you might be talking about a Yule Log? Which is a different tradition, but is loosely associated with other rituals from Germanic "pagan" cultures from the Iron Age through to the Christianization of Europe during Medieval times.