The various Anglo-Saxon tribes divide the year into two seasons: summer & winter.
These seasons are divided by moon-lives (monaþ: relating to the moon, “months”). There are six moons to each season with the overall year governed by the sun.
The two greatest festivals of the year are the two solstice months: Midsummer & Midwinter. Each solstice is “guarded” or flanked by two moons:
- Midsummer is guarded by Ærra-Liða (the month before Midsummer = June) and Æftera-Liða (the month after Midsummer = July)
- Midwinter is guarded by Ærra-Geol (the month before Midwinter/Yule = December) and Æftera-Geol (the month after Midwinter/Yule = January)
Winter begins with the first full moon in October (Winter-fylleð).
The Months of the Anglo-Saxon Calendar
| Old English Name | Meaning | Modern (Latin) Equivalent |
| Ærra-Geol-monaþ | Going before Yule | December |
| Geol | Yule | Winter Solstice |
| Monranect/Modra-niht | Mother’s Night, longest night, start of the new solar year, most sacred night of the year | Christmas, Nativity |
| Æftera-Geol-monaþ | After Yule | January |
| Sol-monaþ | Mud Month (later: traditional cakes prepared and offered to the gods) | February |
| Hreð-monaþ | Hreth’s Month (‘glory,’ a goddess, last month of winter) | March |
| Eostur/Eostre-monaþ | Eostre’s [Easter’s] Month (goddess of the dawn, spring equinox) | April |
| Ðrimilce-monaþ | Three Milkings Month (cows milked three times a day, a month of abundance) | May |
| Ærra-Liða-monaþ | Going before Midsummer | June |
| Liða | Midsummer | Summer Solstice |
| Æftera-Liða-monaþ | After Midsummer | July |
| Weod-monaþ | Weed Month | August |
| Halig-monaþ | Holy Month (Harvest Month, tribute to, and celebration of, the Harvest Queen = Nerthus) | September |
| Winter-fylleð | Winter Full Moon Month (hunters’ moon: first full moon of ‘Winter’/Autumn) | October |
| Blot-monaþ | Sacrifice Month (annual offering to gods, slaughtering of cattle that cannot be over-wintered, a time to spend the dark months feasting on roasted meat) | November |
Moon Phases for the Year 536
| New Moon | First Quarter | Full Moon | Last Quarter |
| Jan 2 | |||
| Jan 9 | Jan 16 | Jan 24 | Jan 31 |
| Feb 7 | Feb 14 | Feb 23 | Mar 1 |
| Mar 8 T | Mar 15 | Mar 23 p | Mar 30 |
| Apr 6 | Apr 14 | Apr 22 | Apr 28 |
| May 6 | May 14 | May 21 | May 28 |
| Jun 4 | Jun 12 | Jun 19 | Jun 26 |
| Jul 4 | Jul 12 | Jul 18 | Jul 25 |
| Aug 2 | Aug 10 | Aug 17 | Aug 24 |
| Sep 1 A | Sep 9 | Sep 15 p | Sep 23 |
| Oct 1 | Oct 8 | Oct 15 | Oct 22 |
| Oct 30 | Nov 6 | Nov 13 | Nov 21 |
| Nov 29 | Dec 6 | Dec 13 | Dec 21 |
| Dec 28 |
Eclipse Types
| Solar Eclipse | Lunar Eclipse |
| T – Total | t – Total (Umbral) |
| A – Annular | p – Partial (Umbral) |
| H – Hybrid (Annular/Total) | n – Penumbral |
| P – Partial |
Select Sources
Griffiths, B. 1996. Aspects of Anglo-Saxon magic. Anglo-Saxon Books.
Herbert, K. 1994. Looking for the lost gods of England. Anglo-Saxon Books.
Wallis, F. (trans.) 1999. Bede: The reckoning of time. Liverpool University Press.
