This is an informative piece written by our very own Goði Beast about the importance and history of the celebrations of our forebears. I have copy/pasted it here for ease of reading for everyone. Enjoy!
‘In most modern Pagan, and especially Heathen circles, there is much debate on the actual timing of the ancient calendar when specific rituals and celebrations took place. Jul is one that is especially argued, with some stating it is 3 nights, some saying 12, some even claiming it lasts an entire month. Fun fact of the matter is, quite simply, they may ALL be correct. Different areas of the Northern European tribes celebrated things at different times, as there was not one codified calendar in use and the fact that the seasons were not all the same from place to place! Winter started and lasted longer in some areas of the far north, whereas summer started earlier and lasted longer in places in the south. We do, thankfully, have a few recorded dates and times by various writers of the period. Setting fixed dates in our current Julian calendar is not always the best nor easiest thing to do. To be able to affix certain dates, however, we must first look at the historical records that have survived.
The Wiccan Wheel of the Year, based on the solar calendar of Celtic and Gaelic Paganism has reigned as the “orthodox” view in Asatru since 1974, despite the fact that Celtic and Gaelic peoples did not know or venerate the Aesir. Almost all modern “pagans” ignore the moon entirely in their calendars. The modern “accepted” Asatru view is there are four Heathen holy days, the Solstices and the Equinoxes. However, most modern groups can provide no evidence of why they believe this to be true. This course will quote the sources, many saga references, three historical Heathen calendars which survive from the 8th, 9th, and 10th centuries, several rune calendar staffs, and other assorted surviving evidence. To paraphrase the Swedish archaeologist Dr. Andreas Nordberg, those who insist on referring to Yule (or Jol) as the solstice, must be more interested in the solstice itself, than they are in sources for Norse religion.
The Ynglinga Saga (chapter 8), written in the year 1225, lists the three great blots of the year thusly: “Odin established the same law in his land that had been in force in Asaland… On winter day (first day of winter) there should be blot for a good year, and in the middle of winter for a good crop; and the third blot should be on summer day, a Victory-blot.” In Old Norse, “Sigurblot” means “Victory-Blot.” “As long as Heathenry lasted he was held three blots: one on Winter Nights, a second at mid-Winter, and the third at the start of summer.” (Saga of St. Olav, ch 117).
Therefore, we have three major Norse blots a year, that appear in the context of Ynglinga Saga (and other references) that were done publicly at Uppsala. Let’s examine the three:
Winter Nights – (Also called Haustblot in Norway, and Disablot in Iceland). In the Víga-Glúms saga, a blot referred to as Winter Nights (Old Norse: vetrnætr) is held at the onset of winter. Vetrnætr is a specific time of year in medieval Scandinavia that referred to “the three days which begin the winter season.” It is important to note that the Sagas also refer to Winter Nights as “Haustblot” and “Disablot.” Winter Nights, or Haustblot, is on the full moon of Haustmanuthr, which means”harvest moon.”
Jul: (Or Mid-Winter). In the Heimskringla, also known as “The Saga of Hakon the Good”, (circa 1230 AD) in section 15 it says “The first night of Yule was hǫkunótt, that is midwinter night, and Yule was held for three nights.” To add context to this, Hakon is trying to force the Heathens of Norway into becoming Christians. In an effort to accomplish this, he moved Yule to the same date as the Christian holiday Christmas, which was currently being celebrated on the Winter Solstice, according to the Julian Calendar, December 25th. Pre-christian Heathen Yule was a three-day holiday that started on the full moon, not on a fixed solar date. “Mid-winter” was celebrated three full moons after the full moon that began Winter, and three full moons before the full moon that began the summer season. Mid-winter was not celebrated at a half way point between the equinoxes on a day called the solstice. This does not mean that Scandinavian and Germanic peoples did not know of or celebrate the Solstices, merely that the specific calendar dates associated with them were not the dates recognized by the ancient Norse. While the Heathen Germanic Calendars all had two seasons of the year, the year was divided into quarters by four specific full moons, all of which were three full moons apart. There was the exception of leap years, of course, when summer held four moons.
Sigurblot, the start of summer. According to the Ynglinga Saga quote above, and this important passage of the Heimskringla’s Olaf’s Saga Helga 77 “In Sweden there was an age-old custom whilst they were still heathen that there should be a blot in Upsala during Goa (moon.) Then they would blot for peace and victory for their king. People from all over Sweden were to resort there.” Sigurblot is a Victory Blot, where sacrifices for victory were often performed to prepare for the coming seasons of raiding and war, which happened in summer.
Most, if not all, Germanic Heathens honoured and marked the same full moon as the start of Summer. The Scandinavians called this “Sigurblot”, but the Anglish, Frisians, and Franks called this “Eostre”. The Church doesn’t date “Easter” (Eostre) to the Equinox, but to “the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal Equinox.” (Bede De Temporum Ratione, ch 62) The church still dates Easter this way today, not by the Equinox alone but by the full moon. Just as Christian Easter can be in a five-week window after the Equinox, the same is true with the Heathen celebration of Sigurblot. This also applies to Winter Nights and Yule, in that they can be close to or farther away from the Equinox or Solstice, depending the lunar cycle of each year.
Now, let’s move on to how these holy days received their calendar dates.
Bede states in De Temporum Ratione, Ch 15 (725 AD): “Thus, the moon by which they began their winter season was called “Winterfylleth”, a name comprised of the words for winter and full moon, because from the full moon of that moon winter was thought to begin.” It is very clear that the Anglish Winter Full Moon (corresponding to Norse Winter Nights) began on a full moon. This was the method of dating for most of the recorded Germanic tribes.
Let’s take a look at Bede’s entry again from De Temporum Ratione: “The peoples who welcomed the year in this method also assigned three moons to each season of the year. When however, an embolism occurred, that is, a year of thirteen lunar moons, they added the intercalated moon to the summer, so that in the case three moons in succession were called “Litha.” Such a year was known as “Thrilitha”, having four moons of summer and three of each of the other seasons. The division of the year though was into two seasons: Winter and Summer. Summer comprising six (or seven) moons when the days were longer than the nights, and winters six moons when the nights were longer than the days. Thus, the moon by which they began their winter season was called “Winterfylleth”, a name compounded of the terms for winter and full moon, because from the full moon of that moon winter was thought to begin.” Bede tells us implicitly that the year had only two full seasons, consisting of six moons; but that the year was divided into four quarters, each consisting of three full moons each. If the Winter Full Moon begins Winter, then Yule would be three full moons after the Winter Full Moon, and Summer Full Moon (Sigurblot) would be three full moons after the Yule Full Moon, and Midsummer (in which Bede does not mention any actual rituals, just as the Ynglinga Saga does not mention any Mid-Summer Norse rituals) was just a quarter year marker, three full moons after the Summer Full Moon, when the Sigurblot was held. The word “mid-winter” in a Heathen context therefore would mean “the full moon half way between the full moon starting winter, and the full moon starting summer.”
The sagas and lore provide us further evidence of the Full Moon holy days. The oldest written evidence we have for a Scandinavian yuletide feast is described by the 6th century Byzantine chronicler Procopius, who mentioned that the inhabitants of Scandinavia (Thule) celebrated Mid-Winter after the winter solstice (Andreas Nordberg Jul, disting och förkyrklig tideräkning 2006: 156). There is also Theitmar of Merseberg’s written accounts: The Chronicon of Thietmar of Merseburg Chapter 17 (circa 1000 AD): “As I have heard odd stories concerning their ancient mid-winter sacrifices, I will not allow this custom to be ignored. The middle of that kingdom is called Lederun (Lejre), in the region of Sjælland, all the people gathered every nine years in January, that is after we have celebrated the birth of the Lord [Christmas], and there they offered to their gods sacrifices…”
Yule was originally celebrated after the solstice, but due to the Christianizing of Norway, it was moved to the solstice itself. The first recorded year of Christmas being celebrated on December 25th was 336 AD, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Constantine. A few years later, Pope Julius I officially declared that the birth of Jesus was to be celebrated on the 25th of December each year, affixing an actual calendar date to it. December 25th was chosen as the actual fixed date due to the Julian Calendar recording it as the solstice, regardless of when the moon actually was full.
Christian doctrine left no room for discussion on this matter. It was declared that Jesus chose to be born on the shortest day of the year for symbolic reasons, according to the Church Fathers. In early Christmas sermon by Augustine, he stated, “Hence it is that He was born on the day which is the shortest in our earthly reckoning and from which subsequent days begin to increase in length. He, therefore, who bent low and lifted us up chose the shortest day, yet the one whence light begins to increase.” Hakon the Good’s Saga proves that Christmas was at a different time than Yule, despite the fact that the Christians typically celebrated Christ-mass on the solstice itself. Hakon the Good moved the Heathen celebration of Yule to be on the same date as Christmas. It is interesting to note that Christmas was originally on the solstice until the Julian Calendar was rectified by the Gregorian Calendar six centuries after Hakon the Good’s time, in the year 1582, when December 21 would typically fall on the the solstice. Therefore, when Hakon the Good arbitrarily moved Yule to the same calendar date as when the Christians celebrated the birth of their Christ, he was moving it to the calendar date of the solstice. It is a Christian tradition, not a Heathen tradition, to celebrate Yule on the actual Solstice.
Chapter 15 of the saga “Hakon the Good”: “King Hakon was a good Christian when he came to Norway; but as the whole country was heathen, with much heathen sacrifice, and as many great people, as well as the favour of the common people, were to be conciliated, he resolved to practice his Christianity in private. But he kept Sundays, and the Friday fasts, and some token of the greatest holy-days. He made a law that the festival of Yule should begin at the same time as Christian people held it, and that every man, under penalty, should brew a meal of malt into ale, and therewith keep the Yule holy as long as it lasted. Formerly the first night of Yule was hǫkunótt, that is midwinter night, and Yule was held for three nights. It was his intent, as soon as he had set himself fast in the land, and had subjected the whole to his power, to introduce Christianity. He went to work first by enticing to Christianity the men who were dearest to him; and many, out of friendship to him, allowed themselves to be baptized, and some laid aside performing blot. He dwelt long in the Throndhjem district, for the strength of the country lay there; and when he thought that, by the support of some powerful people there, he could set up Christianity he sent a message to England for a bishop and other teachers; and when they arrived in Norway, Hakon made it known that he would proclaim Christianity over all the land. The people of More and Raumsdal referred the matter to the people of Throndhjem. King Hakon then had several churches consecrated and put priests into them; and when he came to Throndhjem he summoned the bondes to a Thing and invited them to accept Christianity. They gave an answer to the effect that they would defer the matter until the Frosta-thing, at which there would be men from every district of the Throndhjem country, and then they would give their determination upon this difficult matter.“
Andreas Nordberg, the world’s foremost scholar on Norse Holidays, makes clear in his book on the dating of Yule that “The pre-Christian Yule feast occurs at the first full moon after the first new moon following the winter solstice, while the disting took place at the third full moon according to the same method of calculation.” (Jul, disting och förkyrklig tideräkning Kalendrar och kalendariska riter i det förkristna Norden Uppsala 2006, P.4) At Yule it was determined if a thirteenth moon would be added to the year. To keep the following year’s Yule as the first full moon after the first new moon after the solstice, it would be determined if a 13th moon would be needed or not.
Nordberg also states, “Icelandic sources from the 13th century mention two months called Ylir or Jólmánur.” (p.147). This matches Bede in De Temporum Ratione, who mentions two moons of Giuli (Yule) in the Anglish Calendar. Nordberg also states that the Norse (like the Anglish) divided the year into quarters. “This division into quarters is not recorded in Nordic ecclesiastical calendars, but is evident in folktales, sagas, provincial laws, on rune-staffs and calendar rods and in other everyday contexts. The sources also hint at a process, during which this older system of dividing up the year was gradually replaced by a division based on important dates in the Church’s liturgical year. The exact dates (in the Julian calendar) for the older division into quarters vary somewhat in the sources. This is probably in part due to the fact that the start of each quarter was initially calculated as a three-day period; eventually this was normalized to one single day. However, the original three-day periods, expressed with West-Nordic names in the Julian calendar in the mid 12th century, appear to have been vinternätterna “the Winter Nights” of 13–15 October, midvinter “Midwinter” or midvinternatten “the Midwinter Night” 12–14 January, sommarmål “the first day(s) of summer” 13-15 April, and midsommar “Midsummer” 13–15 July.” (p.150) Please note that the later fixed solar dates were Christian dates. Pre-christian dates were entirely lunar based.
Three historical Heathen calendars from the 8th, 9th, and 10th centuries show that Full Moons after solstices and equinoxes marked the three major holidays: Winter Nights, Jul, and Sigurblot. The three historical Heathen calendars to survive in the written record are: Bede’s De Temporum Ratione, ch15, written in 725 AD., Einhard’s Vita Karoli Magni (written circa 830 AD), and the Iceland Althing calendar which was recorded around 930 AD.
*Please note, Ostara is a Wiccan Sabbath, and therefore, while the Heimskringla makes clear that Sigurblot is the most important Norse holy day, due to the Wiccanization of Asatru; most modern Norse Heathens (Asatruar) have never heard of Sigurblot, and erroneously believe that Ostara is a Norse Goddess, despite the fact she clearly is not mentioned in the Sagas, the Eddas, or the calendar recorded by the Iceland Althing circa 930 AD. The Norse Calendar was recorded by the Iceland Althing circa 930 AD. However, this calendar only lists twelve Norse moons (called “months” today, but one must understand, the Germanic word “manoth” (Old Saxon) or “manod” (Old Franconian) or “manuthr” (Old Norse) meant “cycle of the moon.”) The word “moon” is related to the word “month.” Therefore, the idea of fixed solar months having nothing to do with the moon was not a concept known to Heathens before Christianization, and was radically different from their Heathen worldview. Since the Norse holy days were not recorded by the Iceland Althing, we must look to the Sagas, calendar staffs, and Eddaic references to glean the Norse holy days.
First, we will look at the historical Frankish Heathen Calendar, recorded by Einhard in Vita Karolini Magni, chapter 29:
“He (Charlemagne) began a grammar of his native language. He gave the moons (months) names in his own tongue, in place of the Latin and barbarous names by which they were formerly known among the Franks. He likewise designated the winds by twelve appropriate names; there were hardly more than four distinctive ones in use before. He called January, Wintarmanoth; February, Hornung; March, Lentzinmanoth; April, Ostarmanoth; May, Winnemanoth; June, Brachmanoth; July, Heuvimanoth; August, Aranmanoth; September, Witumanoth; October, Windumemanoth; November, Herbistmanoth; December, Heilagmanoth.”
Let’s take a look at the Norse Heathen calendar which the Iceland Christian Althing recorded in 930 AD. It is restored to its pre-Christian Heathen Calendar used prior to 930 AD due to the work of Andreas Nordberg (Nordberg, Andreas. 2006. Jul, disting och förkyrklig tideräkning: Kalendrar och kalendariska riter i det förkristna Norden. Kungl. Gustav Adolfs Akademien för svensk folkkultur: Uppsal). Please note the Iceland Althing followed Hakon the Good’s later example of moving Jul to the same time as Christmas. Also, the calendar agrees with Bede, that the Heathens had two seasons: Winter (short days) and Summer (long days).
Skammdegi (“Winter”)
Haustmánuður (October-ish pending the lunar calendar, “harvest moon”) Winter Nights on the full moon of Haustmanuðr
Gormánuður (November-ish pending the lunar calendar, “slaughter moon”)
Jolmánuður (December-ish pending the lunar calendar, “Yule moon”)
Jolmánuður (January-ish pending the lunar calendar, “Yule moon.” There were two Yule Moons) Yule blot on the full moon.
Sunmánuður (February-ish pending the lunar calendar, “sun moon”)
Distingstungl (March-ish pending the lunar calendar, “Distings Moon”)
Náttleysi (“Summer”)
Góa (April-ish pending the lunar calendar, “Góa’s moon”) Sigurbltot on the full moon.
Einmánuður (May-ish pending the lunar calendar, “sun moon”)
Harpa (June-ish pending the lunar calendar, “Harpa’s moon.”)
Skerpla (July-ish pending the lunar calendar, “Skerpla’s moon”)
Heyannir (August-ish pending the lunar calendar, “hay business moon”)
Tvímánuður (September-ish pending the lunar calendar, “two” or “second moon”)
Now for an excerpt from Bede’s “de Temporum Ratione” (725 AD) Translation by Robert Sass from the original Latin:
“The Ancient Angle (English) peoples, for it does not seem proper for me to explain the yearly practice of other nations, and to keep quiet concerning my own, reckoned their months by the moon, just as they were named from the moon in Hebrew and Greek. Therefore, they called the moon “mona”, the month was called “monath”. The first moon, which the Romans call “January”, is with them Giuli (Yule). Then follow February, Solmonath, March, Hredmonath, April, Eosturmonath, May, Thrimilki, June, Liða, July, Liða, August, Weodmonath, September, Halegmonath, October, Winterfylleth, November, Blotmonath, December, Giuli, same as for January. They began the year with December 25, the day we now celebrate as Christ Mass (Christmas); and the very night we attend Mass they designated by the Heathen term “modraniht”, that is, the Mothers’ night, a name named, I suspect, because of the ceremonies which they performed while seeing this night through. The peoples who welcomed the year in this also assigned three moons to each season of the year. When however, an embolism occurred, that is, a year of thirteen lunar moons, they added the intercalated moon to the summer, so that in the case three moons in succession were called “Liða.” Such a year was known as “Thri-Liða”, having four moons of summer and three of each of the other seasons. The division of the year though was into two seasons: Winter and Summer. Summer comprising six (or seven) moons when days were longer than nights, and winter six moons when nights were longer than days. Thus, the moon by which they began their winter season was called “Winterfylleth”, a name compounded of the terms for winter and full moon, because from the full moon of that moon winter was thought to begin. It would not be strange to our endeavor if I propose to interpret the names of their other moons. The moons called “Giuli” (Yule) receive their name from the sun’s change to a longer day, since the first precedes, and the second follows. Solmonath may be rendered “moon of cakes”. Cakes being offered in this moon to their Gods. Hredmonath was named from their goddess Hreða, to whom they sacrificed in this moon. Eosturmonath, which is now interpreted as “paschal moon” had its name from their Goddess Easter (Eostre), to whom they held feasts in this moon, thus in naming the Paschal season after her, they designate the joys of a new celebration by the customary term applied to an ancient rite. Thrimilki was so called because in that moon milking was performed three times in one day, such being then the richness of Britain, or instead Germany, from which the Angle (English) people entered Britain. Liða means “delightful”, and at this time, the seas are navigated. Weodmonath is the moon of weeds, since then the weeds are plentiful. Halegmonath is the moon of holy rites. Winterfylleth is to say, “winter full moon.” Blotmonath is the moon of sacrifices, because in that moon they consecrated to their gods the animals that they were about to kill.” (Bede De Temporum Ratione, chapter 15)
Tacitus records in his book “Germania” (First Century AD) the timings of holy days as well. Translation by Robert Sass from Latin.
“… they assemble on fixed days, either just before the new moon or just after the full moon. This they reckon to be the most auspicious starting-point for transacting business. Indeed, they do not reckon time by days, as we do, but by nights (i.e., their calendar was lunar). All their decisions, all their agreements, are made in this way: night is seen as ushering in the day…”
Per Bede and Tacitus, it can be surmised the Saxons held their holy days on full moons. Bede spells it out specifically with “Winter Full Moon” as the start of the winter season. However, per Tacitus, the Saxons probably held their Things just before new moons or just after full moons.
In an effort to reconstruct the actions of our ancestors, it all seems to fall down to semantics, however. There are many things we do today that do not fall into line with what, when, and how the ancestors did things. We are free to celebrate the holy days when we are able to, not necessarily on the specific days the ancestors did. We need to realize life now is different than back then, and there are other factors to take into consideration. In my humble opinion, it falls under the Cub Scout Motto: “Do Your Best”. The Gods care little for WHEN you perform your blots, but more for that you DO perform them. If you are a day or two off, I know from personal experience that Thor will not smite you for such.’
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