Pagan Calendrics and Reconstruction

By Gary G. Stanfield, 2011-09-19.

Models of Reconstruction
Compared to the early 1980’s, we now know more about how the Pagan Germanic peoples structured
their calendars, and therefore how they scheduled their holy days. But first, I want to back up and talk
about reconstruction religion per se. The reason is that the study of Germanic Pagan-era calendrics
described here is based on an approach to reconstruction that is probably “under the radar” for almost
everyone in the Teutonic reconstruction-religion movement.

What is different about this approach is the pursuit of collaboration and the expectation of progress. As
you all know, there are several different ways that reconstruction religion is done. Sometimes we say that
with four Teutonic reconstructions in a discussion, you can get six opinions. To some people, this implies
that there is no possibility of progress.

The famous linguist Jacob Grimm set out a method of reconstructing Teutonic Pagan religion in his
book Teutonic Mythology (Deutsche Mythologie), translated from the fourth edition by James Stallybrass
in 1966. The original was published in 1882-1888 in London by George Bell and Sons. Look in the
preface to volume 3.

Grimm was a pioneer student of languages, and he proposed that the study of ancient Teutonic religion
follow the same pattern as studies that have at least partially reconstructed now-extinct languages, such as
Proto-Germanic and Indo-European. So he started with the idea we can infer a non-observed language or
dialect (spoken only non-historical times) based on existing languages and dialects. You can see the result
of this kind of work in dictionaries and encyclopedias that present Indo-European (Aryan) language as the
basis for modern words. Therefore, by analogous inference we can make a reconstruction of ancient
religion based on observed superstitions, folk tales, myths, and other data.

The way that Aryan language is reconstructed from observed data is to reconstruct national and regional
variations from observed languages, some of them having survived only in fragments – as has Proto-
Germanic language. In that way, scholars derive West Germanic, East Germanic, and other languages.
This required at least indirect collaboration by many scholars.

Thus, to reconstruct Teutonic Religion, we would have at least attempt to reconstruct the regional and
national variations in the family tree. Along the way, people working on the various varieties would
inform each other. Some of the reconstructions might be too partial for daily practice. Eventually, we
might reconstruct and Indo-European religion.

Grimm gives examples from linguistic studies to back up his contention that there is national variety in
Germanic Religion. For just as Germanic languages show much variety in dialect from one district or
region to another, so Germanic religion must have shown much variety from one district or region to
another. Grimm highlights the variety in gender of a deity’s name from one language to another. Consider
the example of the Norse words Frey and Freya. In OHG, there is a fem. noun frouwa, in Gothic the
masculine frauja (lord), in Old High German the feminine frouwa, in Old Saxon (masc) froho or fro, in
Anglo-Saxon frea, “so that the Goths and Saxons seem to have preferred the god, High Germans the
goddess; in the North both Freyr and Freyja are honored alike” (Stallybrass, 1966: xxiii).
 How is this different from the way we typically see Asatru or other reconstructions? First, reconstruction
cannot proceed if we assume that all the Germanic peoples worshipped the same pantheon in the same
way using the same language. Second, radical scholarship – going to the root, questioning the bases of our
inferences or the assertions given us by authorities – is part of the work. For example, if someone says
that a three-round drinking ceremony was called by the ancients a “symble”, we get an urge to open a
dictionary. Third, there is the idea that we do not know everything we need to know about Germanic
religion right now. We have to accept change, because the reconstruction is based on social science and
social science does advance (although not as fast as the “hard” sciences).

Mr. Grimm was not into non-academic work, but in religious reconstruction non-academic work is also
necessary. This cannot be an ivory-tower project. Actually practicing the religion in modern contexts is
indispensable to gaining insight into what the religion means. Re-enactment of ancient lifestyles helps
give us perspective on what the religious practices and literature meant to the ancients. Among other
things, re-enactment means getting into a blacksmith shop, sailing a boat, simulating combat with ancient
weapons, preparing and eating authentic Pagan-era food, or making soap the old way. These activities
help us perceive how Teutonic religion looked to the ancient Pagans and how we must adapt it to be
useful to us.

The program as indicated by Jacob Grimm is not for everyone. Of course, we cannot assemble in large
groups to network and practice community values unless we have the common ground that Asatru
provides. Some of us are happy to just stay in that common ground. Also, a lot of people do not want to
change their liturgy or other religious practices as the social science advances. That kind of flexibility
would destroy their faith, or make some of them feel discredited as leaders. A lot of people in Teutonic
reconstruction religion thought they joined a fully reconstructed religion, not a work in progress. This
process requires uncommon sophistication. And, of course not everyone wants to do the research might or
keep up with it.

International Collaboration
However, as I said above we do know more than we used to about Germanic Pagan calendrics. This is
because of widespread work – done in England, Canada, and Australia. This advance is based on work
covering several years.

The most important of our advances occurred in 1997, when Robert Stone established that the English
Pagan calendar was solunar. This means it has lunar months and solar years. By contrast, the Gregorian
calendar (the main one we use in the USA) has arbitrary months arranged to exactly fit solar years,
although a minor adjustment is needed periodically to prevent the Gregorian calendar from drifting out of
sync with the Earth’s rotation and tilting.

Robert Stone’s work was published in Wiðowinde, a non-religious magazine devoted to studying English
culture of the period 450-1066 CE. The specific reference is: Stone, Robert. 1997. “On Observing Bede’s
Calendar.” Wiðowinde 112 (Winter): 29-34.
 I published a follow-up study in 2001 to refine Mr. Stone’s conclusions and later combined with Tyron
Burton of Australia and Dan Miller of Millerstead Kindred in Canada to make further refinements. Some
of my work is documented here: Stanfield, Gary. 2001. “Solunar”. Wiþowinde, 126 (Autumn): 12-17.
Documentation of my collaboration with Dan Miller and Tyrone Burton is recorded in my e-mail logs and
theirs.

This is, however, a tiny elite. More people should take an interest.

In what follows, I often refer to an English monk named Bede. Specifically, the work in question is
Chapter 15 in a book written in Latin in the 700’s, entitled The Reckoning of Time (De Temporum
Rationae). (See Willis, 1996).

What Is a Solunar Calendar?

By definition, a solunar calendar starts (or finishes) a set of full lunar cycles in a year that is reckoned
to last from one solstice or equinox to the next occurrence of that solstice or equinox. The word “solunar”
combines the words for sun (sól) and moon.

Of course “solunar” is a misnomer. The solstices and equinoxes result from the tilt of the our planet’s
axis relative to the plane of its orbit about the star at the center of our solar system as well as slight
wobble in Earth’s rotation, but we customarily refer to these events as if they were caused by the Sun. If
we were to be stricter in our terminology, this would be a terra-lunar calendar. But, people who study
calendrics use “solunar” just as we say that the sun rises in the east as if the sun were moving and our
planet were not rotating.

In contrast, a solar calendar ignores lunar phases and bases its years solely on observations of solstices or
equinoxes, or on observation of certain stellar objects. The commonly-used Gregorian calendar is solar.
Its months are arbitrary divisions of the year, and its year is always scheduled to start twelve days after
Yule.

Why Use a Solunar Calendar

Experiencing holy days on an authentic schedule is a major part of religious reconstruction. Hence, the
main reason to use a solunar calendar is to be more authentic by scheduling holidays on a calendar which
is more consistent with the culture that gave us our religion. The Jews and Moslems in America do this,
and it works just fine for them.

But another reason to at least study the ancient calendar is to find out what the ancient holidays were.
Merely accepting a Wiccan schedule is not as reconstructionist as going to the ancient sources. Robert
Stone (1997) concluded that the strictly solar schedule of quarter and cross-quarter holy days observed by
many Wiccans is Irish in origin and not typical of the Celtic peoples. Many practitioners of Teutonic
religion observe as their principle holy days the Wiccan quarter (or low) holy days. We should check to
see if those are actually holy days observed by any particular Germanic tribe or nation.
 We know that ancient English – and perhaps all the Germanic peoples – used lunar months. Consider
the list of the Pagan months in Bede’s book on calendrics. He misleadingly lists twelve of months as
corresponding to certain months in the Julian calendar, but the correspondence is misleading because he
admits that in some years thirteen months are required, and he indicated a name for the extra month. In
fact, Bede’s listing of twelve months for most years and thirteen for leap years is a clue that the ancient
English used a solunar calendar. Some people in the Germanic religious movement seem to have the read
part of Bede’s essay alleging that the twelve Pagan months correspond to the months in the Julian
calendar and averted their eyes from his following discussion of the use of the thirteen month.

Another clue that the ancients used lunar months is in our language. “Month” derives from the Old
English “monaþ”. That word “monaþ” has the same relation to the Old English “Mona” (moon) as in our
language “fishing” has to “fish”. So a month was originally a process the moon underwent – the passage
through its phases.

It is not going to hurt us any to use a solunar calendar to schedule holy days. People in other religions
use non-Gregorian calendrics to determine when holidays fall on the Gregorian calendar. Jews use a
solunar calendar to determine the dates of all their holidays, which show up on our printed Gregorian
calendars on different days each year. The Catholics and Protestants have some holidays that fall on the
same calendar date each year (for example Christmas) and some that are determined from solunar
calculations (for example, Easter). The Christian holidays that are determined from a solunar calendar are
called “moveable feasts”. The Islamic calendar has lunar months and lunar years, and for that reason
Islamic month names are not coordinated with the seasons of the year – although they were reflective of
Arabic seasons several hundred years ago. So Islamic holy days occur on different days each year on the
Gregorian calendar – all the Islamic holidays are moveable feasts.

The Months

A Solunar Calendar Needs 13 Months

You need thirteen months to make a Pagan-era English calendar. The reason for this is that there are
29.53 days in a lunar cycle (29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes on the average), the time between one full or
new moon and the preceding full (or new) moon. The actual speed of the moon’s rotation varies because
its orbit is elliptical. It moves faster when closer to Earth, and moreover Earth moves faster when closer to
the sun during its elliptical orbit, and this also affects the exact time between phases of the moon. But in a
typical year, twelve lunar cycles take place in 354.56 days, which are not quite enough to fill out a year
with whole lunar months.

Once in awhile, you may see a list where someone claims that the Pagan-era Teutonic months
correspond to Roman months (the months we use in our modern, Gregorian, calendar). It cannot possibly
be true that a system of solunar months corresponds to a system of arbitrary or even astronomically
derived months that fits neatly into a strictly solar year.
Each Month Starts On the First Sliver
Mr. Stone argued (1997) that most cultures that used lunar months used the visible first sliver of the new
moon to start the new month. He argues specifically that the Moslems (Arabs), Babylonians, and Hebrews
used the first sliver of the waxing moon. He adds that if the day begins at sunset, then by analogy the
month would begin on the first sliver of the waxing moon. However, data the present author has seen are
not sufficient to verify nor to deny that most cultures using lunar months started the month on the first
sliver of the new moon. The way to test that hypothesis is to count of all cultures using lunar months and
then count of all cultures using the first crescent as a sign of a new month. Such data may or may not be
available somewhere.

However we can figure out why a culture using lunar months probably did usually would start each
month on the new crescent. There are two basic reasons. (1) The main reason to use the first visible sliver
of the nearly new moon is that it is more practical than using another phase marker. (2) Use of that first
sliver is consistent with known Germanic religious philosophy. Details follow.

(1) That first visible sliver of the nearly-new moon is a more objective an indicator than a full, quarter,
or “new” moon. The moon looks full or new for about three days at a time, so with a little overcast there
could be disputes over what day started the month. The quarters and half-moons are not objective except
for very skilled observers, and even then there can be room for argument. The last of the old moon is not
known for sure until the moon is not visible. The first crescent is easier for the less skilled to discern, and
those who are very perceptive about these things can tell whether the moon is at first crescent after a
period of overcast.

Another consideration is the need for a clue as to which day is the start of a new month. The ancient
Anglo-Saxon day started at sunset. The first crescent of the new moon is visible in the western sky at
sunset on clear days, and is conveniently alongside the setting sun and (at least in the northern
hemisphere) well above the horizon — often visible over trees and hills. The full moon appears in the
west at sunset and is an excellent indicator except for that problem of its looking the same for three days.
The new moon is invisible even in the most cloud-free sky.

(2) There are also clues in Teutonic religious philosophy, which emphasizes that Nothing comes before
Something. Consider the myth that tells us that Darkness is the mother of Light. The story is told in the
Deluding of Gylfi, and it is alluded to in stanza 25 of Vafthrudnir's Sayings and in Skaldskaparmal. There
is a very dark giantess named Night. In her marriages to Shining One, Day was Night's only offspring.
Consider also that the Teutonic cosmogony begins with a Yawning Gap in which ice and fire meet to get
things started. Consider that the Old English Rune Poem's strophe “Nyd” tells us that lack can turn into
help and salvation. (Faulkes, 1987: 90, 137; Larrington, 1996: 43-44; Stanfield, 2000a; Stanfield, 2001a;
Young, 1954: 37-38).

These clues imply that as lack precedes have, as night precedes day, and so invisible moon precedes
visible moon. Therefore, we would expect that each month would begin just after the last of the old moon.

I refer to the first day of a Teutonic Pagan-era month as the month’s first day, or M1D for short.

An Aside on Global Awareness

 In what follows, I do not consistently refer to “winter solstice” and “summer solstice”, but instead use
the terms “Yule” (or “Geola”) and “Litha. Following Stanfield (2001), it is quite reasonable to accept that
all the ancient Germanic peoples were well aware that it is not winter or summer everywhere on our
planet at the same time. They were aware of arctic and hot-weather desert regions, and (despite Nordic
mythology) they were aware that our Earth is not square nor round but spherical. They probably knew of
tropical jungles. Therefore, it is quite possible to construct an authentic Germanic Pagan sacred calendar
that is not based on the weather in the Northern Temperate Zone, much less the weather in southern
Norway in the 1200’s CE or in England during the 900’s CE.

This bring us to a principle to follow in scheduling Teutonic holy days. The principle is to have some
ceremonies that acknowledge local weather or other events, but to fit these local ceremonies into an
overall liturgical scheme that can be followed everywhere there are people. This would potentially include
near-Earth orbit and other locations elsewhere in the cosmos. For example, a ritual honoring Thor or
Othin almost never is related to local ecology, national holidays, etc. This implies a religion that is not
primarily nature oriented.

One reason we know that the ancient Teutonic peoples were aware that the Earth is global is the lack of
seasonal references in month names. (Of course, we also know that Teutonic sailors did not expect to fall
off the surface of our planet, and Old English has a word for “hippo” and a geographical treatise that
describes parts of Africa.)

Each Year Starts Just After Yule

Bede states plainly that the Pagan English reckoned their calendar year from Mothers’ Night to Mothers’
Night. In his essay, he says that Mothers’ Night always began on 25 December, but that use of the Roman
calendar contradicts his statement that the English “calculated their months according to the course of the
moon”. We can reasonably infer that prior to the influence of the Romans’ Julian calendar, the Pagan
English scheduled their new year’s eve some other way than putting it on the night beginning on 25
December.

Following Robert Stone, it is a reasonable inference that a people using a solunar calendar would start
the new year on a new lunar month. Also, Bede implies that Mothers’ Night occurred shortly after the
solstice occurring in the Northern Hemisphere’s winter-time.

Hence we rightly conclude that the English Pagan new year started on the eve of the first day of the first
month following Yule. Therefore, the year is defined by the solstice that is near the start of winter in the
Northern Hemisphere and “mid-summer” in the Southern Hemisphere. The Pagan Germanic peoples, who
were aware that it is not winter everywhere on Earth at the same time, called this solstice Yule.

So the first month of every year starts on the first M1D after Yule. Another way to word this is that the
English Pagan year extended from the lunar crescent marking the start of one Æftera Geola month until
the eve of the next Æftera Geola month.
Determining the Number Of Lunar Months In A Year
The way to construct a schedule of months for a solunar calendar is to decide how many months have to
be started to complete a year, not how many have to be finished. In other words, how many M1D’s are
there between Yules. (Those reconstructing non-Germanic calenderist would likely have a similar
concern.)

To paraphrase Dan Miller, the rule determining which of the English years required thirteen months was
that the lunation of Æerra Geola must always include Yule. We want to insure that we avoid the absurdity
of starting the After-Yule month before Yule.

Bede wrote that the leap years were called Three-Lithi (Þríliðí) because of the extra Lithi month inserted
mid-year. So the question can be re-worded: which years are Three-Lithi?

To make a long story short, my friends and I decided to simply open a printed Gregorian calendar with
lunar phases printed on it and count the number of M1D’s that occur between Yules. If there are thirteen,
the year is Three-Lithi. What follows in this section are the astronomical details of how we arrived at that
decision. However, some years I use instead a table of lunar and solar events which Dan Miller presented
to the Mr. Burton and me. I have appended a copy of the data. But for your edification, details on
alternative methods follow.

In most years, the first lunar month starts more than 11 days after Yule. With a head start of 12 days or
more, it is usually only necessary to start 12 months to get through a whole orbit of Earth around its sun.
However, I found that the 11-day rule does not work every year. As mentioned above, lunar and Earth
orbits are not exactly constants, and Earth’s rotation on its axis is also not perfectly coordinated with its
orbit around the Sun. Hence, it is not perfectly efficient to say that a year needs 13 lunar month-starts if
the first month of a year starts on or before the eleventh day after Yule. (This is contrary to Stanfield’s
2001 rule).

There have been some attempts to discover exactly how the ancient Germanic peoples figured out how
many M1D’s they needed in a solar year. In 1997, Robert Stone proposed three rules that he claimed
would predict whether the next year would need thirteen months, but I found that following those rules
eventually produced a year with Yule occurring prior to the month of Before-Yule (Ærra Geola).
Following are his three rules. First rule: If Æfter Liða occurs before or on the 11th evening after the
evening of the summer solstice, the next month is Third Liða. The 11th evening after the summer solstice
is July 4. Second rule: if Æfter Liða starts before the summer solstice evening, the next month is Third
Liða. Third rule: if Æfter Geola starts between Mothers' Night and 4 January (the 11th day after the New
Year), the year gets a third Liða. The use of these rules produces errors. For example, in the year 2000 CE
he has Ærra Geola starting well after the Winter Solstice ― on 27 December. This is because his first rule
requires an extra lunar month for the period 25 December 1999 through 24 December 2000, but there are
only 12 lunar cycles during that period. Like-wise, for the period 25 December 1991-24 December 1992
the application of his first rule produces error. In addition, the year 25 December 1993-24 December 1994
has 13 lunar cycles but is not þriliði under his first rule. This is because of an error in the cycle of months
carried over from the previous year. During the conventional year 1993, he shows Ærra Liða starting on
22 June (one day after the Summer Solstice), but Ærra Liða should start before the summer solstice. I
tried Mr. Stone's second and third rules, and they cause similar errors.

There is also the question of how the ancients knew when the solstices and equinoxes occurred. They
appear to have used more than one method. One argument is that observations of the relationship between
our own sun and other stellar objects is a more accurate way of discerning the solstices than is merely
observing shadows cast behind a stick or a beam of sunlight through a hole in a rock – or using megalithic
structures as at Stonehenge. However, the stellar method is more efficient if you are using modern
astronomical equipment. With stone-age equipment, daylight complicates making stellar observations.

Dan Miller was fascinated by the Nebra Disc, and the astronomical knowledge that it implies (and he got
me fascinated also). Basically, the Bronze and Stone Age peoples of Europe – like peoples elsewhere –
had excellent astronomical knowledge. The Nebra Disc is an object found in what is now Germany (in
1999), but that was made around 1600 BCE, during the local Bronze Age. The disc per se is bronze with
tin and gold decoration. The artistic style is otherwise unknown, but it is not really just an art object. Gold
on the surface depicts the sun, the moon, and the constellation Pleiades. Although the disc is not large
enough for a full-scale representation, it does show certain angles depicting summer and winter solstices
as would be observed a 51 degrees north latitude (about where the disc was found). (You can find out
more about the Nebra Disc on Wikipedia by asking for “Nebra Disc”.)

The Nebra Disc assumes that we use a year based on stellar observations instead of the angle of the
Earth’s tilt with regard to the Sun. A year that starts on a date determined by observing the stars is called a
sidereal year. The sidereal year takes longer to complete than does the year as determined by the earth’s
seasons, falling out of sync by one day every 72 years.

Thus, the Nebra Disc implies that pre-Roman residents of most of Europe used a sidereal year.

The information on the Nebra Disc can be used to determine the start of each year, but for present
purposes a more important issue is determining how many M1D’s are needed to make a full Earth year.

This brings us to the topic of the Metonic Cycle. Meton was Greek, and his discovery was used by the
Pagan Greeks to regulate their solunar calendar. The Metonic Cycle is a 19-year period during which you
need a leap year seven times. During the 19-year period the lunar months themselves cycle predictably
enough that you can tell which years require 13 months to start: 3, 6, 8, 11, 14, 17, and 19.

Using the Nebra Disc as a clue, we can consider a nineteen-year Metonic period to have begun in 2006,
on the date when the Moon appeared from Earth in its highest ascent over the constellation Pleiades. On
that basis, we could proceed to determine which years are leap years.

But alas, this will eventually get us into difficulties. The Metonic system is based on whole lunar cycles
(synodic months) has a very slight error built in. This is because a period of 19 tropical years includes
eight hundredths of an Earth day less than the does the period of 235 synodic months that corresponds to
the 19-year period.

In addition the Metonic cycle does not assume a sidereal year. A calendar that starts its year depending
on a day that the sun shines on the earth at a certain angle (for example, at a solstice) is called a tropical
year. Thus, a year that started the day after each Litha would be a tropical calendar. The sidereal cycle
falls out of sync with the tropical year (and thus out of sync with the seasons) at the rate of 1 day every 72
years. The Metonic cyle is faster than the sidereal cycle

For example, the Pagan-era Greek calendar tended to slowly slip out of sync with the seasons. The
Greeks started their year on the date that a certain star could be seen in the east near dawn. As indicated
above, the sidereal year is not perfectly synchronized with the tropical year. It was the Greek astronomer
and mathematician Hipparkos who discovered that their calendar was in error. (He worked during the
period 162 BCE through 127 BCE). Consider, also that the Hebrews still use the Metonic Cycle and a
sidereal year in their liturgical solunar calendar. Thus, like the Islamic liturgical calendar, the Hebrew
seasonal references are incorrect. For example the month of Aviv (Spring), which starts the liturgical year,
now occurs in September.

Thus, there is a problem with using the Metonic cycle to determine leap years.

At this point, let us turn aside to consider again the issue of global awareness in the Teutonic (or at least
the English) liturgical calendar. Of course any seasonal references in Middle Eastern calendars would
always be out of synch with the seasons in large areas of the world, simply because there are seasonal
references in their liturgical year. As noted above, the English month names do not have seasonal
references, so we are correct to infer that the Pagan-era English intended to have a religion that is globally
aware, and not tied to one local or regional ecosystem. Thus, at least the English, and probably also any
Norse, liturgical calendar would not imply a regional or local “nature” religion, but would be well suited
to use in modern times and everywhere that there are people.

The Pagan-era Germanic calendar was a tropical calendar because the start of each year was determined
in relation to Yule. A tropical calendar never falls out of sync with the seasons.

Hence, I am not using the Metonic Cycle nor the sidereal year. I decline use of a sidereal year because I
opine that it is not authentic. I suspect that prior to the Dark Ages, the Germanic peoples probably stopped
using the Metonic Cycle because as centuries pass, it would produce error. However, it must be admitted
that this is not because the holy days would fall out of sync with the seasons; instead it would be planting,
harvesting, and other secular activities that would not be adequately coordinated.

Let us allow the astronomers and calendar publishers do most of the work. Given the resources I have at
my personal disposal, I found that an efficient way to decide how many month starts are needed is to
simply count up the number M1D’s that occur between one Yule and the next. Most years, I start not with
a calendar, but with the tables of astronomical data appended at the end of this paper. This method is
always right. It is fine to be authentic, but if the ancients were doing something that is wrong, I am not
going to copy them. Most likely, the ancients let their own astronomers do the astronomy anyway.

Names of the Months

For convenience, let us use the month names given by Dr. Samuel Newton for most of the month names.
(http://www.wuffings.co.uk/OECalendar.htm). Although these names are not derived directly from
Venerable Bede’s list, they are the names most commonly used by Pagans nowadays. This is partly
because an examination of other ancient sources shows a different set of names. Following are some
citations in surviving Old English literature. In the second part of Bald’s Leechbook, a certain herb was to
be gathered during the month “þe we hatað ianuarius on læden & on englisc se æfterra Geóla” (“which we
called Januarius in Latin and in English Æfterra Geola”) (line=24-2-6, ed. By Cockayne in 1864). Again
in the Lives of the Saints (edited by Kotzor in 1981, line 11) Januarius is called Æftera Geola. In line 1584
of the same work a month is called Æftera Liþa. Lines 316-319 of Corpus Christi MS 196 edited by
Hertzfeld & corrected by Kotzor shows more calendric lore. It names Blodmonað, Ærra Geóla, Æfter
Geola.

Some months are named for their relations to solstices, and the rest were probably named for holy days.
Thus, the month including a holy day for the goddess Easter is called Easter Month (or Eastermonaþ),
and the month that starts after Yule is called After-Yule (or Æfterra Geola).

We have only Bede’s word on what the leap-year month was called, but he says it had the same name
for all the Pagan English as the summer months that immediately preceded and followed it. Giving three
months the same name would have been too inconvenient for us to consider it likely. Previously, I
decided to call the thirteenth month Midd Liþa (the month amidst before-Liþa and after-Liþa months).
This is in violation of the rule that each month is named for its when its M1D falls with regard to a
solstice, but that is unavoidable. However, the name can also be taken to imply that the month occurs
during Liða. Also, the explanation I offered now seems awkward to me. So now I propose Fæðmeð Liða
(Includes Litha), since it is the month that includes Liða. (If anyone has a better idea, please propose it.)

Table 1. English Pagan Month Names

New Moon after Yule Lunar Month
1 Æftera Geola
2 Solmónað
3 Hréðmónað
4 Eastermónað
5 Þrimilici
6 Ærra Liða
th
6a (13 month) Fæðmeð Liða
7 Æftera Liða
8 Weodmónað
9 Haligmónað
10 Winterfylleð
11 Blótmonað
12 Ærra Geola

The Holidays

To set up a schedule of holidays that is as close to an authentic reconstruction as we can have, it is

necessary to use not only our Old English sources, but also English folklore and all the other material in
the full range of sources for Germanic religious reconstruction.

Table 2 reflects an incomplete attempt in that regard, but the best I can do as of late 2011. It is for others
to construct liturgical calendars reflecting Norse, Frankish, English, or other Germanic cultures. I am
concentrating on the meanings of the Old English Rune Poem. The list in Table 2 shows the schedule I
personally used to get through the solunar year 2008-2009. Table 2 is offered merely as a suggestive
example. The solunar year 2008-2009 was Three-Lithi.
 By the way, I label the solunar years according to the Gregorian years CE in which they occur. I do this
as a convenience, so that we know which year we are talking about. The ancient Germanic peoples
apparently did not label their years with numbers nor with names.

My colleagues in Australia and Canada and I were discussing the possibility of a world-wide Asatru
holiday corresponding to a Swedish Pagan-era holiday when we basically left off in 2007. Having at least
one holy day per year that is observed on the same date by all Teutonic Reconstructionists regardless of
denomination would be a boon to our solidarity. My personal preference is to have this near the end of
Holy Month, but the second lunar month corresponds better to others’ plans, and I am quite willing to let
Dan Miller, Tyrulf Burton, or any other competent person be the primary proponent of some kind of holy
day of solidarity.

Personally, I am beginning to find it odd that no Asatruists celebrate Holy Month. It seems like
Christians ignoring the alleged anniversary of The Resurrection.

In researching holy days, we should be cautious about concluding that all holidays observed by the
Christian English prior to 1066 are Christian or leftover Pagan holy days. It is reasonable to use modern
practices as a clue. People do not treat others strictly according to their religious morals, they engage in
burial customs which are irrelevant or perhaps contrary to their religions, and they celebrate at times
without the slightest of religious reasons to celebrate. We say “holiday”, but do not always mean “holy
day”. Sometimes, as at Christmas, the “reason for the season” is commercial but lots of people try to save
it for their religion anyway. This cultural feature is likely to be quite ancient, not just a product of the
Industrial Revolution nor the Enlightenment in Europe.

Although the liturgical months and holidays listed below are specifically intended as English, it would
seem reasonable for Asatru to honor Holy Month. Doing so would give us something like Ramadan, and a
special period for regional and international gatherings which local groups are not trying to handle
differently on opposite sides of the equator. Also, others should consider making solunar calendar to show
liturgical years reflecting other Germanic nations’ versions of the religion.
Table 2. Likely Holidays in a English Calendar
Time of Observed
Astronomic- Date
Solunar Event al Event Religious Ceremony Justification
New Moon of 2008 Dec Mother's Night ceremony. 2009-27 Bede for Mothers’ Night
Æftera Geola 27, 12:22 Abbreviated vigil (30 Dec. (Sat) & OERP Book for Feoh
UT. minutes). Meditation on new meditation.
year / birth, &Feoh.
Full Moon of 2009 Jan Hammer / Crusher Meditation 2009-Jan-11 Grimnismal, which is
Æftera Geola 11, 03:27 & Thor Honoring (Sun) Norse lore.
Full Moon, 2009-Feb 9, Fríge Honoring. 2009-Feb-9 Arbitrary.
Solmónað 14:49 (Mon)
Full Moon, 2009-Mar- Honoring of Hreða and the 2009-Mar- Bede for Hreþa, arbitrary
Hreðmónaþ 11, 02:38 unknown dieties 22 (Sat) for others.
New Moon, 2009-Mar- Children's ritual of Easter N.A. Bede and “Toward an
Eastermónaþ 26, 16:06. Honoring. English Pagan Liturgical
Calendar”.
Full Moon, 2009-Apr-9, Runic meditation on cycles of 2009-Apr- Arbitrary
Eastermónaþ 14:56 delight and horror. 11 (Sun)
Full Moon, 2009-May- Celebration of play. 2009-May-9 English folklore of May
þrimilici 9, 04:01 (Sat) Day activities
Full Moon, 2009-Jun-7, Woden Honoring. 2008-Jun-7 Grimnismal.
Ærra Liþa 18:12 (Sun)
Full Moon, 2009-Jul-07, All-Deities’ Honoring & Self- 2009-Jul-05 Arbitrary. (Lunar and
Fæðmeð Liða 18:12 Sacrifice (Making Sacred). (Sun) solar eclipses are not
(Lunar equally visible over the
eclipse entire Earth, but a local
00:39) adjustment might have
been better).
New Moon, 2009-Jul-22, Fathers’ Night ceremony. 2008-Jul-18 Arbitrary.
Æftera Liþa 02:35 Four-hour or all-night vigil (Sat)
Full Moon, 2009-Aug- Earth and Space Meditations 2009-Aug- Arbitrary.
Æftera Liþa 06, 00:55 08 (Sat)
Full Moon, 2009-Sep Hlafmas. Ing Honoring. 2009-Sep- English folklore for
Weodmónaþ 04, 16:03 05 (Sat) Hlafmas.
Haligmónaþ Sep 18, See schedule below. See Bede for Holy Month per
18:44-Oct schedule se, details are arbitrary.
18, 05:32 below.
Full Moon, 2009-Nov- Tír Honoring. 2009-Nov- Arbitrary.
Wynterfyulleð 02, 19:14 02 (Mon)
Full Moon, 2009-Dec- Meditation on Religion. 2009-Dec- Arbitrary. (Blood-Month
Blótmónaþ 02, 07:30 02 (Mon) might be a better time for
a second Pagan
Thanksgiving Day).
Full Moon, 2009-Dec- Generations’ Meditation. 2010-Jan-01 Arbitrary.
Aerra Geola 31, 19:13 (Fri)
 Final Conclusions
We have a long way to go to construct an authentic Pagan liturgical calendar for use in a modern
context. We should have schedules for at least some of the Teutonic denominations which each are
useable by all Teutonic reconstructionists everywhere on the globe.

While the general purpose of each holiday would be the same anywhere, there would be local variety
reflecting weather, terrain, and other conditions. For example if we know what use an aboriginal
population made of some area in Australia where there is a reconstruction Norse temple, the local
Germanic reconstructionists might want to honor that prior use. Also, although I honor Loaf-Mass during
Wéodmonaþ, I am well aware that harvest is practically continuous in North America, so that a Pagan
equivalent of Thanksgiving Day cannot be coordinated with wheat harvest and could just as well occur
some other time of year.

The Pagan-era Norse, all the other Germanic nations, and the Proto-Germanic people before them,
probably all used a solunar calendar, and they probably all observed months and years starting at the same
days. They probably had different names for the months and had some differences in what holidays they
celebrated. A clue to the Norse months is in Grimnismal, stanzas 14-17 (Larrington, 1996: 52-54). In
these stanzas, thirteen “houses” are named, a sort of zodiac for a solunar view of the calendar. These
appear to indicate months and holidays for those months, although it is possible that they indicate an
astrological zodiac that is irrelevant to the actual solunar Norse calendar.

“Polytheism is tolerant and friendly; he to whom all he looks at is either heaven or hell, God or devil, will
both extravagantly love and heartily hate.”

References
The following references were used as background or were cited specifically in this essay. For someone
starting on a systematic study of Teutonic Pagan calendrics, I recommend starting with the works by
Boorstin, Wallis, and Sermon. I do not know of comparable works on Norse or other Pagan-era
calendrics. That indicates a marvelous opportunity for some ambitious reconstructionist(s) in our midst –
perhaps that would be you!

Boorstin, Daniel J. 1985. The Discoverers. New York: Vintage Books.

Faulkes, Anthony. 1987. Edda. By Snorri Sturluson (1220). London: Everyman.
Gundarsson, Kveldulf. 1993a. Teutonic Religion. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications.
Gundarsson, Kveldulf. 1993d . "Idis-Þing". In Our Troth, ed. Kveldulf Gundarsson, 578-583. Seattle,
WA, USA: The Ring of Troth.
Gundarsson, Kveldulf, 1993e. “Waluburg’s Night. In Our Troth, ed. Kveldulf Gundarsson, 596-603.
Seattle, WA, USA: The Ring of Troth.
Gundarsson, Kveldulf, Gunnora Hallakarva, Diana Paxson, Gunnwar Skaðadóttir, and Eric Wodening.
1993b. “Ostara.” In Our Troth, ed. Kveldulf Gundarsson, 584-595. Seattle, WA, USA: The Ring of
Troth.
Hodge, Winifred. 2000.”Waelburga and the Rites of May”. Available protocol:
http://members.tripod.com/~InFrith/walburga.htm. Visited 4 February 2000. Not present on the web by
15 October 2011.
Jones, Charles W. 1943. Bedae: Opera De Temporibus. Cambridge, MA, USA: Mediaeval Academy of
America. (This is an edition of Bede’s original, not a translation from the Latin. I used a friend’s
translation until I found Faith Wallis book, which is listed below.)
Lacey, Robert and Danny Danziger. 1999. The Year 1000. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company.
Larrington, Carolyne. 1996. The Poetic Edda. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Lord, Gárman. 1998. Théodish Planning Calendar 1998. Watertown, NY, USA: Théod.
Lord, Gárman, Æescbéam, Eric Wódening, and Swain Wódening. n. d. Daymals. Watertown, NY, USA:
Théod. (This is a pretty good work, but it was written prior to Robert Stone’s essay.)
Newcomb, Simon. 1900. “Solar and Sidereal Years” in Elements of Astronomy, Chapter 2.
“http://www.physics.csbsju.edu/astro/newcomb/II.6.html”. Visited 21 October 2011. This is part of a
web site called Tutorials For Astronomy, provided by The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s
University (Minnesota, USA).
Sermon, Richard. 2001. “The Celtic Calendar and the English Year.” Wiðowinde 125 (Spring): 5-12.
Stallybrass, James Steven (transl). 1966. Teutonic Mythology, by Jacob Grimm (1883-1888). New York:
Dover Publications. This is based on Grimm's edition of 1854; and he died in 1863. The substantive
material is therefore not later than 1854.
Stanfield, Gary G. 2000a. “Excerpts from the OERP Book: Chapters 24 and 25”. The Rune, 10 (Spring):
32-40.
Stanfield, Gary G. 2001a. “Giants in Teutonic Religion.” The Rune, 11 (Spring): 32-37.
Starhawk. 1979. The Spiral Dance. San Francisco: Harper & Row.
Stone, Robert. 1997. “On Observing Bede’s Calendar.” Wiðowinde 112 (Winter): 29-34. (This is the most
important of the sources cited in the present essay. Back copies of Wiðowinde are available from The
English Companions. Their web site is “http://www.tha-engliscan-gesithas.org.uk/our-magazine-
wiowinde”.)
Wallis, Faith. 1996. Bede: The Reckoning of Time. Liverpool University Press. (See the Introduction and
pages 53-54 and the notes on pages 284-287. Ms. Wallis’ notes on Bede’s chapters before and after his
chapter on the Pagan months clairify his discussion of Pagan months.)
Young, Jean I., transl. 1954. The Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson (circa 1220). University of California
Press. Berkley, California.

Astronomical Data
The data below were downloaded and formatted by Dan Miller.

In the following tables, all times of day are “universal” time, or Greenwich Mean Time. For readers in
the USA, this is Eastern Time plus 5 hours. Also, all times are given in the 24-hour clock, which is used
by most of the world. For example, the Spring Equinox in 2005 is on March 20 at 07:35 UT on the 24-
hour clock. The “perihelion and aphehelion referred to below are the moon’s relative distance from Earth.

The first table is of solstices and equinoxes, and the second table shows phases of the Earth’s moon.
SOLAR TABLES: SOLSTICES & EQUINOXES

2010 2010
Perihelion Jan 3 00 Equinoxes Mar 20 17 32 Sept 23 03 09
Aphelion July 6 11 Solstices June 21 11 28 Dec 21 23 38

2011 2011
Perihelion Jan 3 19 Equinoxes Mar 20 23 21 Sept 23 09 04
Aphelion July 4 15 Solstices June 21 17 16 Dec 22 05 30

2012 2012
Perihelion Jan 5 00 Equinoxes Mar 20 05 14 Sept 22 14 49
Aphelion July 5 03 Solstices June 20 23 09 Dec 21 11 11

2013 2013
Perihelion Jan 2 05 Equinoxes Mar 20 11 02 Sept 22 20 44
Aphelion July 5 15 Solstices June 21 05 04 Dec 21 17 11

2014 2014
Perihelion Jan 4 12 Equinoxes Mar 20 16 57 Sept 23 02 29
Aphelion July 4 00 Solstices June 21 10 51 Dec 21 23 03

2015 2015
Perihelion Jan 4 07 Equinoxes Mar 20 22 45 Sept 23 08 20
Aphelion July 6 19 Solstices June 21 16 38 Dec 22 04 48

2016 2016
Perihelion Jan 2 23 Equinoxes Mar 20 04 30 Sept 22 14 21
Aphelion July 4 16 Solstices June 20 22 34 Dec 21 10 44

2017 2017
Perihelion Jan 4 14 Equinoxes Mar 20 10 28 Sept 22 20 02
Aphelion July 3 20 Solstices June 21 04 24 Dec 21 16 28

2018 2018
Perihelion Jan 3 06 Equinoxes Mar 20 16 15 Sept 23 01 54
Aphelion July 6 17 Solstices June 21 10 07 Dec 21 22 22

2019 2019
Perihelion Jan 3 05 Equinoxes Mar 20 21 58 Sept 23 07 50
Aphelion July 4 22 Solstices June 21 15 54 Dec 22 04 19

2020 2020
Perihelion Jan 5 08 Equinoxes Mar 20 03 49 Sept 22 13 30
Aphelion July 4 12 Solstices June 20 21 43 Dec 21 10 02
----------------------------------------------------------------------
--

LUNAR TABLES: LUNATIONS WITH O.E. MONTH NAMES

2010
New Moon First Quarter Full Moon Last Quarter
d h m d h m d h m d h m
After Yule
Jan 15 7 11 Jan 23 10 53 Jan 30 6 18 Feb 5 23 48
Sol Month
Feb 14 2 51 Feb 22 0 42 Feb 28 16 38 Mar 7 15 42
Hreth Month
Mar 15 21 01 Mar 23 11 00 Mar 30 2 25 Apr 6 9 37
Easter Month
Apr 14 12 29 Apr 21 18 20 Apr 28 12 18 May 6 4 15
Three Milkings
May 14 1 04 May 20 23 43 May 27 23 07 Jun 4 22 13
Ere Litha
Jun 12 11 15 Jun 19 04 29 Jun 26 11 30 Jul 4 14 35
After Litha
Jul 11 19 40 Jul 18 10 10 Jul 26 01 36 Aug 3 4 59
Weod Month
Aug 10 3 08 Aug 16 18 14 Aug 24 17 05 Sep 1 17 22
Halig Month
Sep 8 10 30 Sep 15 5 50 Sep 23 09 17 Oct 1 3 52
Winterfull
Oct 7 18 44 Oct 14 21 27 Oct 23 1 36 Oct 30 12 46
Blot Month
Nov 6 4 52 Nov 13 16 39 Nov 21 17 27 Nov 28 20 36
Ere-Yule
Dec 5 17 36 Dec 13 13 59 Dec 21 8 13 Dec 28 4 18

2011
New Moon First Quarter Full Moon Last Quarter
d h m d h m d h m d h m
After Yule
Jan 4 9 03 Jan 12 11 31 Jan 19 21 21 Jan 26 12 57
Sol Month
Feb 3 2 31 Feb 11 7 18 Feb 18 8 36 Feb 24 23 26
Hreth Month
Mar 4 20 46 Mar 12 23 45 Mar 19 18 10 Mar 26 12 07
Easter Month
Apr 3 14 32 Apr 11 12 05 Apr 18 2 44 Apr 25 2 47
Three Milkings
May 3 6 51 May 10 20 33 May 17 11 09 May 24 18 52
Ere Litha
Jun 1 21 03 Jun 9 2 11 Jun 15 20 14 Jun 23 11 48
After Litha
 Jul 1 8 54 Jul 8 6 29 Jul 15 6 40 Jul 23 5 02
Weod Month
Jul 30 18 40 Aug 6 11 08 Aug 13 18 57 Aug 21 21 54
Halig Month
Aug 29 3 04 Sep 4 17 39 Sep 12 9 27 Sep 20 13 39
Winterfull
Sep 27 11 09 Oct 4 3 15 Oct 12 2 06 Oct 20 3 30
Blot Month
Oct 26 19 56 Nov 2 16 38 Nov 10 20 16 Nov 18 15 09
Ere-Yule
Nov 25 6 10 Dec 2 9 52 Dec 10 14 36 Dec 18 0 48

2012
New Moon First Quarter Full Moon Last Quarter
d h m d h m d h m d h m
After Yule
Dec 24 18 06 Jan 1 6 15 Jan 9 7 30 Jan 16 9 08
Sol Month
Jan 23 7 39 Jan 31 4 10 Feb 7 21 54 Feb 14 17 04
Hreth Month
Feb 21 22 35 Mar 1 1 21 Mar 8 9 39 Mar 15 1 25
Easter Month
Mar 22 14 37 Mar 30 19 41 Apr 6 19 19 Apr 13 10 50
Three Milkings
Apr 21 7 18 Apr 29 9 57 May 6 3 35 May 12 21 47
Ere Litha
May 20 23 47 May 28 20 16 Jun 4 11 12 Jun 11 10 41
Litha
Jun 19 15 02 Jun 27 3 30 Jul 3 18 52 Jul 11 1 48
After Litha
Jul 19 4 24 Jul 26 8 56 Aug 2 3 27 Aug 9 18 55
Weod Month
Aug 17 15 54 Aug 24 13 54 Aug 31 13 58 Sep 8 13 15
Halig Month
Sep 16 2 11 Sep 22 19 41 Sep 30 3 19 Oct 8 7 33
Winterfull
Oct 15 12 02 Oct 22 3 32 Oct 29 19 49 Nov 7 0 36
Blot Month
Nov 13 22 08 Nov 20 14 31 Nov 28 14 46 Dec 6 15 31
Ere-Yule
Dec 13 8 42 Dec 20 5 19 Dec 28 10 21 Jan 5 3 58

2013
New Moon First Quarter Full Moon Last Quarter
d h m d h m d h m d h m
After Yule
Jan 11 19 44 Jan 18 23 45 Jan 27 4 38 Feb 3 13 56
Sol Month
 Feb 10 7 20 Feb 17 20 31 Feb 25 20 26 Mar 4 21 53
Hreth Month
Mar 11 19 51 Mar 19 17 27 Mar 27 9 27 Apr 3 4 36
Easter Month
Apr 10 9 35 Apr 18 12 31 Apr 25 19 57 May 2 11 14
Three Milkings
May 10 0 28 May 18 4 34 May 25 4 25 May 31 18 58
Ere Litha
Jun 8 15 56 Jun 16 17 24 Jun 23 11 32 Jun 30 4 53
After-Litha
Jul 8 7 14 Jul 16 3 18 Jul 22 18 15 Jul 29 17 43
Weod Month
Aug 6 21 51 Aug 14 10 56 Aug 21 1 45 Aug 28 9 35
Halig Month
Sep 5 11 36 Sep 12 17 08 Sep 19 11 13 Sep 27 3 55
Winterfull
Oct 5 0 34 Oct 11 23 02 Oct 18 23 38 Oct 26 23 40
Blot Month
Nov 3 12 50 Nov 10 5 57 Nov 17 15 16 Nov 25 19 28
Ere-Yule
Dec 3 0 22 Dec 9 15 12 Dec 17 9 28 Dec 25 13 48

2014
New Moon First Quarter Full Moon Last Quarter
d h m d h m d h m d h m
After Yule
Jan 1 11 14 Jan 8 3 39 Jan 16 4 52 Jan 24 5 20
Sol Month
Jan 30 21 38 Feb 6 19 22 Feb 14 23 53 Feb 22 17 15
Hreth Month
Mar 1 8 00 Mar 8 13 27 Mar 16 17 08 Mar 24 1 46
Easter Month
Mar 30 18 45 Apr 7 8 31 Apr 15 7 42 Apr 22 7 52
Three Milkings
Apr 29 6 14 May 7 3 15 May 14 19 16 May 21 12 59
Ere Litha
May 28 18 40 Jun 5 20 39 Jun 13 4 11 Jun 19 18 39
After-Litha
Jun 27 8 08 Jul 5 11 59 Jul 12 11 25 Jul 19 2 08
Weod Month
Jul 26 22 42 Aug 4 0 50 Aug 10 18 09 Aug 17 12 26
Halig Month
Aug 25 14 13 Sep 2 11 11 Sep 9 1 38 Sep 16 2 05
Winterfull
Sep 24 6 14 Oct 1 19 32 Oct 8 10 51 Oct 15 19 12
Blot Month
Oct 23 21 57 Oct 31 2 48 Nov 6 22 23 Nov 14 15 15
Ere-Yule
Nov 22 12 32 Nov 29 10 06 Dec 6 12 27 Dec 14 12 51
2015
New Moon First Quarter Full Moon Last Quarter
d h m d h m d h m d h m
After-Yule
Dec 22 1 36 Dec 28 18 31 Jan 5 4 53 Jan 13 9 46
Sol Month
Jan 20 13 14 Jan 27 4 48 Feb 3 23 09 Feb 12 3 50
Hreth Month
Feb 18 23 47 Feb 25 17 14 Mar 5 18 05 Mar 13 17 48
Easter Month
Mar 20 9 36 Mar 27 7 43 Apr 4 12 05 Apr 12 3 44
Three Milkings
Apr 18 18 57 Apr 25 23 55 May 4 3 42 May 11 10 36
Ere Litha
May 18 4 13 May 25 17 19 Jun 2 16 19 Jun 9 15 42
Litha
Jun 16 14 05 Jun 24 11 02 Jul 2 2 20 Jul 8 20 24
After-Litha
Jul 16 1 24 Jul 24 4 04 Jul 31 10 43 Aug 7 2 03
Weod Month
Aug 14 14 53 Aug 22 19 31 Aug 29 18 35 Sep 5 9 54
Halig Month
Sep 13 6 41 Sep 21 8 59 Sep 28 2 50 Oct 4 21 06
Winterfull
Oct 13 0 06 Oct 20 20 31 Oct 27 12 05 Nov 3 12 24
Blot Month
Nov 11 17 47 Nov 19 6 27 Nov 25 22 44 Dec 3 7 40
Ere-Yule
Dec 11 10 29 Dec 18 15 14 Dec 25 11 11 Jan 2 5 30

2016
New Moon First Quarter Full Moon Last Quarter
d h m d h m d h m d h m
After-Yule
Jan 10 1 30 Jan 16 23 26 Jan 24 1 46 Feb 1 3 28
Sol Month
Feb 8 14 39 Feb 15 7 46 Feb 22 18 20 Mar 1 23 11
Hreth Month
Mar 9 1 54 Mar 15 17 03 Mar 23 12 01 Mar 31 15 17
Easter Month
Apr 7 11 24 Apr 14 3 59 Apr 22 5 24 Apr 30 3 29
Three Milkings
May 6 19 29 May 13 17 02 May 21 21 14 May 29 12 12
Ere Litha
Jun 5 2 59 Jun 12 8 10 Jun 20 11 02 Jun 27 18 19
After-Litha
Jul 4 11 01 Jul 12 0 52 Jul 19 22 56 Jul 26 23 00
Weod Month
Aug 2 20 44 Aug 10 18 21 Aug 18 9 26 Aug 25 3 41
Halig Month
 Sep 1 9 03 Sep 9 11 49 Sep 16 19 05 Sep 23 9 56
Winterfull
Oct 1 0 11 Oct 9 4 33 Oct 16 4 23 Oct 22 19 14
Blot Month
Oct 30 17 38 Nov 7 19 51 Nov 14 13 52 Nov 21 8 33
Ere-Yule
Nov 29 12 18 Dec 7 9 03 Dec 14 0 05 Dec 21 1 56

2017
New Moon First Quarter Full Moon Last Quarter
d h m d h m d h m d h m
After-Yule
Dec 29 6 53 Jan 5 19 47 Jan 12 11 34 Jan 19 22 13
Sol Month
Jan 28 0 07 Feb 4 4 19 Feb 11 0 33 Feb 18 19 33
Hreth Month
Feb 26 14 58 Mar 5 11 32 Mar 12 14 54 Mar 20 15 58
Easter Month
Mar 28 2 57 Apr 3 18 39 Apr 11 6 08 Apr 19 9 57
Three Milkings
Apr 26 12 16 May 3 2 47 May 10 21 42 May 19 0 33
Ere Litha
May 25 19 44 Jun 1 12 42 Jun 9 13 10 Jun 17 11 33
Litha
Jun 24 2 31 Jul 1 0 51 Jul 9 4 06 Jul 16 19 26
After-Litha
Jul 23 9 45 Jul 30 15 23 Aug 7 18 11 Aug 15 1 15
Weod Month
Aug 21 18 30 Aug 29 8 13 Sep 6 7 03 Sep 13 6 25
Halig Month
Sep 20 5 30 Sep 28 2 53 Oct 5 18 40 Oct 12 12 25
Winterfull
Oct 19 19 12 Oct 27 22 22 Nov 4 5 23 Nov 10 20 36
Blot Month
Nov 18 11 42 Nov 26 17 03 Dec 3 15 47 Dec 10 7 51
Ere-Yule
Dec 18 6 30 Dec 26 9 20 Jan 2 2 24 Jan 8 22 25

2018
New Moon First Quarter Full Moon Last Quarter
d h m d h m d h m d h m
After-Yule
Jan 17 2 17 Jan 24 22 20 Jan 31 13 27 Feb 7 15 54
Sol Month
Feb 15 21 05 Feb 23 8 09 Mar 2 0 51 Mar 9 11 20
Hreth Month
Mar 17 13 11 Mar 24 15 35 Mar 31 12 37 Apr 8 7 17
Easter Month
Apr 16 1 57 Apr 22 21 45 Apr 30 0 58 May 8 2 09
Three Milkings
 May 15 11 48 May 22 3 49 May 29 14 19 Jun 6 18 32
Ere Litha
Jun 13 19 43 Jun 20 10 51 Jun 28 4 53 Jul 6 7 51
After-Litha
Jul 13 2 48 Jul 19 19 52 Jul 27 20 20 Aug 4 18 18
Weod Month
Aug 11 9 58 Aug 18 7 48 Aug 26 11 56 Sep 3 2 37
Halig Month
Sep 9 18 01 Sep 16 23 15 Sep 25 2 52 Oct 2 9 45
Winterfull
Oct 9 3 47 Oct 16 18 02 Oct 24 16 45 Oct 31 16 40
Blot Month
Nov 7 16 02 Nov 15 14 54 Nov 23 5 39 Nov 30 0 19
Ere-Yule
Dec 7 7 20 Dec 15 11 49 Dec 22 17 48 Dec 29 9 34

2019
New Moon First Quarter Full Moon Last Quarter
d h m d h m d h m d h m
After-Yule
Jan 6 1 28 Jan 14 6 45 Jan 21 5 16 Jan 27 21 10
Sol Month
Feb 4 21 03 Feb 12 22 26 Feb 19 15 53 Feb 26 11 28
Hreth Month
Mar 6 16 04 Mar 14 10 27 Mar 21 1 43 Mar 28 4 10
Easter Month
Apr 5 8 50 Apr 12 19 06 Apr 19 11 12 Apr 26 22 18
Three Milkings
May 4 22 45 May 12 1 12 May 18 21 11 May 26 16 33
Ere Litha
Jun 3 10 02 Jun 10 5 59 Jun 17 8 31 Jun 25 9 46
After-Litha
Jul 2 19 16 Jul 9 10 55 Jul 16 21 38 Jul 25 1 18
Weod Month
Aug 1 3 12 Aug 7 17 31 Aug 15 12 29 Aug 23 14 56
Halig Month
Aug 30 10 37 Sep 6 3 10 Sep 14 4 33 Sep 22 2 41
Winterfull
Sep 28 18 26 Oct 5 16 47 Oct 13 21 08 Oct 21 12 39
Blot Month
Oct 28 3 38 Nov 4 10 23 Nov 12 13 34 Nov 19 21 11
Ere-Yule
Nov 26 15 05 Dec 4 6 58 Dec 12 5 12 Dec 19 4 57

2020
New Moon First Quarter Full Moon Last Quarter
d h m d h m d h m d h m
After-Yule
Dec 26 5 13 Jan 3 4 45 Jan 10 19 21 Jan 17 12 58
Sol Month
Jan 24 21 42 Feb 2 1 42 Feb 9 7 33 Feb 15 22 17
Hreth Month
Feb 23 15 32 Mar 2 19 57 Mar 9 17 48 Mar 16 9 34
Easter Month
Mar 24 9 28 Apr 1 10 21 Apr 8 2 35 Apr 14 22 56
Three Milkings
Apr 23 2 26 Apr 30 20 38 May 7 10 45 May 14 14 03
Ere Litha
May 22 17 39 May 30 3 30 Jun 5 19 12 Jun 13 6 24
Litha
Jun 21 6 41 Jun 28 8 16 Jul 5 4 44 Jul 12 23 29
After-Litha
Jul 20 17 33 Jul 27 12 32 Aug 3 15 59 Aug 11 16 45
Weod Month
Aug 19 2 42 Aug 25 17 58 Sep 2 5 22 Sep 10 9 26
Halig Month
Sep 17 11 00 Sep 24 1 55 Oct 1 21 05 Oct 10 0 39
Winterfull
Oct 16 19 31 Oct 23 13 23 Oct 31 14 49 Nov 8 13 46
Blot Month
Nov 15 5 07 Nov 22 4 45 Nov 30 9 30 Dec 8 0 36
Ere-Yule
Dec 14 16 16 Dec 21 23 41 Dec 30 3 28 Jan 6 9 37

2021
New Moon First Quarter Full Moon Last Quarter
d h m d h m d h m d h m
After-Yule
Jan 13 5 00 Jan 20 21 01 Jan 28 19 16 Feb 4 17 37
Sol Month
Feb 11 19 06 Feb 19 18 47 Feb 27 8 17 Mar 6 1 30
Hreth Month
Mar 13 10 21 Mar 21 14 40 Mar 28 18 48 Apr 4 10 02
Easter Month
Apr 12 2 31 Apr 20 6 59 Apr 27 3 31 May 3 19 50
Three Milkings
May 11 19 00 May 19 19 13 May 26 11 14 Jun 2 7 24
Ere Litha
Jun 10 10 53 Jun 18 3 54 Jun 24 18 40 Jul 1 21 11
After-Litha
Jul 10 1 16 Jul 17 10 11 Jul 24 2 37 Jul 31 13 16
Weod Month
Aug 8 13 50 Aug 15 15 19 Aug 22 12 02 Aug 30 7 13
Halig Month
Sep 7 0 52 Sep 13 20 39 Sep 20 23 55 Sep 29 1 57
Winterfull
Oct 6 11 05 Oct 13 3 25 Oct 20 14 57 Oct 28 20 05
Blot Month
Nov 4 21 14 Nov 11 12 46 Nov 19 8 57 Nov 27 12 28
Ere-Yule
Dec 4 7 43 Dec 11 1 35 Dec 19 4 35 Dec 27 2 24

2022
New Moon First Quarter Full Moon Last Quarter
d h m d h m d h m d h m
After-Yule
Jan 2 18 33 Jan 9 18 11 Jan 17 23 48 Jan 25 13 41
Sol Month
Feb 1 5 46 Feb 8 13 50 Feb 16 16 56 Feb 23 22 32
Hreth Month
Mar 2 17 35 Mar 10 10 45 Mar 18 7 17 Mar 25 5 37
Easter Month
Apr 1 6 24 Apr 9 6 48 Apr 16 18 55 Apr 23 11 56
Three Milkings
Apr 30 20 28 May 9 0 21 May 16 4 14 May 22 18 43
Ere Litha
May 30 11 30 Jun 7 14 48 Jun 14 11 52 Jun 21 3 11
After-Litha
Jun 29 2 52 Jul 7 2 14 Jul 13 18 38 Jul 20 14 18
Weod Month
Jul 28 17 55 Aug 5 11 06 Aug 12 1 36 Aug 19 4 36
Halig Month
Aug 27 8 17 Sep 3 18 08 Sep 10 9 59 Sep 17 21 52
Winterfull
Sep 25 21 54 Oct 3 0 14 Oct 9 20 55 Oct 17 17 15
Blot Month
Oct 25 10 49 Nov 1 6 37 Nov 8 11 02 Nov 16 13 27
Ere-Yule
Nov 23 22 57 Nov 30 14 36 Dec 8 4 08 Dec 16 8 56

2023
New Moon First Quarter Full Moon Last Quarter
d h m d h m d h m d h m
After-Yule
Dec 23 10 17 Dec 30 1 20 Jan 6 23 08 Jan 15 2 10
Sol Month
Jan 21 20 53 Jan 28 15 19 Feb 5 18 28 Feb 13 16 01
Hreth Month
Feb 20 7 06 Feb 27 8 05 Mar 7 12 40 Mar 15 2 08
Easter Month
Mar 21 17 23 Mar 29 2 32 Apr 6 4 34 Apr 13 9 11
Three Milkings
Apr 20 4 12 Apr 27 21 20 May 5 17 34 May 12 14 28
Ere Litha
May 19 15 53 May 27 15 22 Jun 4 3 42 Jun 10 19 31
Litha
 Jun 18 4 37 Jun 26 7 50 Jul 3 11 39 Jul 10 1 48
After-Litha
Jul 17 18 32 Jul 25 22 07 Aug 1 18 32 Aug 8 10 28
Weod Month
Aug 16 9 38 Aug 24 9 57 Aug 31 1 35 Sep 6 22 21
Halig Month
Sep 15 1 40 Sep 22 19 32 Sep 29 9 57 Oct 6 13 48
Winterfull
Oct 14 17 55 Oct 22 3 29 Oct 28 20 24 Nov 5 8 37
Blot Month
Nov 13 9 27 Nov 20 10 50 Nov 27 9 16 Dec 5 5 49
Ere-Yule
Dec 12 23 32 Dec 19 18 39 Dec 27 0 33 Jan 4 3 30

2024
New Moon First Quarter Full Moon Last Quarter
d h m d h m d h m d h m
After-Yule
Jan 11 11 57 Jan 18 3 52 Jan 25 17 54 Feb 2 23 18
Sol Month
Feb 9 22 59 Feb 16 15 01 Feb 24 12 30 Mar 3 15 23
Hreth Month
Mar 10 9 00 Mar 17 4 11 Mar 25 7 00 Apr 2 3 15
Easter Month
Apr 8 18 21 Apr 15 19 13 Apr 23 23 49 May 1 11 27
Three Milkings
May 8 3 22 May 15 11 48 May 23 13 53 May 30 17 13
Ere-Litha
Jun 6 12 38 Jun 14 5 18 Jun 22 1 08 Jun 28 21 53
After-Litha
Jul 5 22 57 Jul 13 22 49 Jul 21 10 17 Jul 28 2 51
Weod Month
Aug 4 11 13 Aug 12 15 19 Aug 19 18 26 Aug 26 9 26
Halig Month
Sep 3 1 55 Sep 11 6 05 Sep 18 2 34 Sep 24 18 50
Winterfull
Oct 2 18 49 Oct 10 18 55 Oct 17 11 26 Oct 24 8 03
Blot Month
Nov 1 12 47 Nov 9 5 55 Nov 15 21 28 Nov 23 1 28
Ere-Yule
Dec 1 6 21 Dec 8 15 26 Dec 15 9 02 Dec 22 22 18

2025
New Moon First Quarter Full Moon Last Quarter
d h m d h m d h m d h m
After-Yule
Dec 30 22 27 Jan 6 23 56 Jan 13 22 27 Jan 21 20 31
Sol Month
Jan 29 12 36 Feb 5 8 02 Feb 12 13 53 Feb 20 17 32
Hreth Month
Feb 28 0 45 Mar 6 16 31 Mar 14 6 54 Mar 22 11 29
Easter Month
Mar 29 10 58 Apr 5 2 15 Apr 13 0 22 Apr 21 1 35
Three Milkings
Apr 27 19 31 May 4 13 52 May 12 16 56 May 20 11 59
Ere-Litha
May 27 3 02 Jun 3 3 41 Jun 11 7 44 Jun 18 19 19
Litha
Jun 25 10 31 Jul 2 19 30 Jul 10 20 37 Jul 18 0 37
After-Litha
Jul 24 19 11 Aug 1 12 41 Aug 9 7 55 Aug 16 5 12
Weod Month
Aug 23 6 06 Aug 31 6 25 Sep 7 18 09 Sep 14 10 33
Halig Month
Sep 21 19 54 Sep 29 23 54 Oct 7 3 47 Oct 13 18 13
Winterfull
Oct 21 12 25 Oct 29 16 21 Nov 5 13 19 Nov 12 5 28
Blot Month
Nov 20 6 47 Nov 28 6 59 Dec 4 23 14 Dec 11 20 52
Ere-Yule
Dec 20 1 43 Dec 27 19 10 Jan 3 10 03 Jan 10 15 48

2026
New Moon First Quarter Full Moon Last Quarter
d h m d h m d h m d h m
After-Yule
Jan 18 19 52 Jan 26 4 47 Feb 1 22 09 Feb 9 12 43
Sol Month
Feb 17 12 01 Feb 24 12 27 Mar 3 11 38 Mar 11 9 38
Hreth Month
Mar 19 1 23 Mar 25 19 18 Apr 2 2 12 Apr 10 4 51
Easter Month
Apr 17 11 52 Apr 24 2 32 May 1 17 23 May 9 21 10
Three Milkings
May 16 20 01 May 23 11 11 May 31 8 45 Jun 8 10 00
Ere-Litha
Jun 15 2 54 Jun 21 21 55 Jun 29 23 57 Jul 7 19 29
After-Litha
Jul 14 9 43 Jul 21 11 05 Jul 29 14 36 Aug 6 2 21
Weod Month
Aug 12 17 37 Aug 20 2 46 Aug 28 4 18 Sep 4 7 51
Halig Month
Sep 11 3 27 Sep 18 20 44 Sep 26 16 49 Oct 3 13 25
Winterfull
Oct 10 15 50 Oct 18 16 12 Oct 26 4 12 Nov 1 20 28
Blot Month
Nov 9 7 02 Nov 17 11 48 Nov 24 14 53 Dec 1 6 08
Ere-Yule
Dec 9 0 52 Dec 17 5 42 Dec 24 1 28 Dec 30 18 59