Germanic calendar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 30/1/12 1:17

Germanic calendar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Germanic calendars were the regional calendars used amongst the early Germanic peoples, prior to the adoption of the Julian calendar in the Early Middle Ages.

The Germanic peoples had their own names for the months which varied by region and dialect, which were later replaced with local adaptations of the Roman month names. Our
records of Old English and Old High German month names date to the 8th and 9th centuries, respectively. Old Norse month names are attested from the 13th century. Like most
pre-modern calendars, the reckoning used in early Germanic culture was likely lunisolar. The Runic calendar developed in Medieval Sweden is lunisolar, fixing the beginning of
the year at the first full moon after winter solstice.

The month names do not coincide, thus it is not possible to postulate names of a Common Germanic stage, except possibly the name of a spring and a winter month, *austr- and
*jehul-. The names of the seasons are also Common Germanic, *sumaraz, *harbistoz, *wentrus, and perhaps *w!r- "spring". The Common Germanic terms for "day", "month" and
"year" were *dagaz, *m!n"-#- "Moon" and *j$rom. The latter two continue Proto-Indo-European *me(n)ses-, *iero- while *dagaz is a Germanic innovation from a root meaning
"to be hot, to burn".

Tacitus in his Germania (ch. 11) gives some indication of how the Germanic peoples of the 1st century reckoned the days. In contrast to Roman usage, they considered the day to
begin at sunset, a system that in the Middle Ages came to be known as the "Florentine reckoning". The same system is also recorded for the Gauls in Caesar's Gallic Wars.

"They assemble, except in the case of a sudden emergency, on certain fixed days, either at new or at full moon; for this they consider the most auspicious season for the
transaction of business. Instead of reckoning by days as we do, they reckon by nights, and in this manner fix both their ordinary and their legal appointments. Night they regard
as bringing on day."[1]

The concept of the week, on the other hand, was adopted from the Romans, from about the 1st century, the various Germanic languages having adopted the Greco-Roman system
of naming of the days of the week after the classical planets, inserting loan translations for the names of the planets, substituting the names Germanic gods in a process known as
interpretatio germanica.

Month names
The months were probably lunar; the Old English "móna!", Old Norse "mána"r, and Old High German "mánód",[2] as well as the modern English "month", modern Icelandic
"mánu"ur", modern Norwegian "måned", modern Swedish "månad", modern Dutch "maand", and the German "Monat",[2] are all derivatives of the word "moon", with the -th
suffix found in words such as "depth", "width", "breadth", etc. This connection is also found in several other Indo-European languages. [3]

Our main source of reference for Old English month names comes from the Venerable Bede. He recorded the pre-Christian Anglo-Saxon month names in his Latin work known as
De temporum ratione (De mensibus Anglorum), written in 725.[4]

Charlemagne (r. 768-814) modified the established Julian Calendar to use the agricultural Old High German names of the months in areas under his influence. (See Julian
Calendar:Month names for other examples.) They were used until the 15th century, and persisted in popular or dialectal use into the 19th century.

Old High
Modern English
German (and
(Julian Roman)
Old English / Anglo-Saxon Old Norse the New High
[Modern
German
German]
equivalent)
Mörsugur (Suet-
Harti-mánód
sucker) or Jól
(New High
(Yule) (the first
January (Ianuarius) German: Härte
Æftera Jéola (After Yule) or Jiuli half of the Hartung (Severeness), Eis-mon
[Januar] monat, English:
month) and
Month of Severe
#orri (Thor) (the
Frost)
latter half)
#orri and Gói
Hornung
(Possibly
February (Hornung, Hornung (Horning)[1]
Winter);
(Februarius) Sol-móna! (Sol Month) or Fillibrook (Brook-Filling) Horning, the (http://www.koeblergerhard.de
Kyndilsmessa
[Februar] shedding of )
(candle/kindle-
antlers)
mass)
Hré"-móna! (Month of the Goddess Hré% or Month of Wildness [2] Lenzin-mánód
March (Martius) Gói and Ein-
(http://www.koeblergerhard.de/germanistischewoerterbuecher/altenglischeswoerterbuch/AENG- (Lenz monat, Lenzing(Springing) or Lenz-m
[März] mánu"r
H.pdf) ) Spring Month)
Óstar-mánód
(Oster monat)
April (Aprilis) Ein-mánu"r and
Eostur-móna!("Easter Month", "Spring month") (month named after the Goddess Eostre) ("Ostern(Easter) Oster-mond (see also: Goddess
[April] Harpa
Month", see also
Oster)
Drímilki [5] (no
May (Maius) Harpa and common NHG
#rimilki-móna! (Month of Three Milkings) equivalent), Wonne-mond (Graze Month [l
[Mai] Skerpla
Winni-mánód
(Wonne monat)
Skerpla and Sól-
June (Iunius) Bráh-mánód

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[Juni] Ærra Lí"a (Before Midsummer) mánu"r (Sol (Brach monat) Brachet or Brach-mond (
month)
(None; leap
#rilí"a (Third Midsummer) (none) (none) (none)
month)
Hewi-mánód or
July Sól-mánu"r and Hou-mánód
(Quintilis/Iulius) Æftera Lí"a (After Midsummer) Heyannir (Sol's (both Heu Heuert or Heu-mond (Hay
[Juli] month, Haying) monat, hay
month)

Heyannir (Hay Aran-mánód

August
month)and (Ernte monat,
(Sextilis/Augustus) Weod-móna! (Plant month) Ernting or Ernte-mond (Harve
Tvímánu"r Month of
[August]
(Double month) Harvest)
Witu-mánód
(Holz monat,
Month of
Tví-mánu"r and
September Wood); or
Haust-mánu"r
(September) Hálig-móna! (Holy Month) or Hærfest-móna! (Harvest Month) Herbist-m$n%d Scheiding (Separating) or Herb
(Harvest/autumn
[September] (Leaves month,
month)
Herbst monat,
Month of
Harvest)
Windume-
mánód
October (October) Haust-manu"r
Winterfylleth (Winterfilled) or Rujern (Rye harvest) or Win-móna! (Wine month) (Weinlese Gilbhart / Gilbhard (Forest Yel
[Oktober] and Gor-mánu"r
monat, Month of
Vintage)
November Gor-mánu"r and
Wintar-mánód
(November) Blót-móna! (Blót Month) Frer-mánu"r Nebelung (Fogging) or Nebel-
(Winter monat)
[November] (Frost month)
December Frer-mánu"r and
(December) Ærra Jéola (Before Yule) or Jiuli (Yule) Morsugr or Jól (Jul monat) Jul-mond (Yule Month) or Heil
[Dezember] (Yule month)

Icelandic calendar
The old Icelandic calendar is not in official use any more, but some Icelandic holidays and annual feasts are still calculated from it. It has 12 months, broken down into two groups
of six often termed "winter months" and "summer months". The calendar is peculiar in that the months always start on the same weekday rather than on the same date. Hence #orri
always started on a Friday sometime between 9 and 15 and January of the Julian calendar, Góa always starts on a Sunday between 8 and 14 February of the Julian calendar.

Skammdegi ("Short days")

1. Gormánu"ur (mid October - mid November, "slaughter month" or "Gór's month")

2. &lir (mid November - mid December, "Yule month")
3. Mörsugur (mid December - mid January, "fat sucking month")
4. #orri (mid January - mid February, "frozen snow month")
5. Góa (mid February - mid March, "Góa's month", see Nór)
6. Einmánu"ur (mid March - mid April, "lone" or "single month")

Náttleysi ("Nightless days")

1. Harpa (mid April - mid May, Harpa is a female name, probably a forgotten goddess, first day of Harpa is celebrated as Sumardagurinn fyrsti - first day of summer)
2. Skerpla (mid May - mid June, another forgotten goddess)
3. Sólmánu"ur (mid June - mid July, "sun month")
4. Heyannir (mid July - mid August, "hay business month")
5. Tvímánu"ur (mid August - mid September, "two" or "second month")
6. Haustmánu"ur (mid September - mid October, "autumn month")

See also
Runic calendar

Notes
1. ^ Coeunt, nisi quid fortuitum et subitum inciderit, certis diebus, cum aut inchoatur luna aut impletur: nam agendis rebus hoc auspicatissimum initium credunt. Nec dierum numerum, ut nos, sed
noctium computant. Sic constituunt, sic condicunt: nox ducere diem videtur.
2. ^ a b http://www.koeblergerhard.de/germanistischewoerterbuecher/althochdeutscheswoerterbuch/ahdM.pdf
3. ^ http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=month&searchmode=none
4. ^ Beda Venerabilis, De Temporum Ratione, Chapter 15, "De mensibus Anglorum" (http://www.nabkal.de/beda/beda_15.html)
5. ^ http://www.koeblergerhard.de/germanistischewoerterbuecher/althochdeutscheswoerterbuch/ahdD.pdf

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External links
(German) Old High German dictionary, including month names (http://www.koeblergerhard.de/ahdwbhin.html)
Northvegr article on dating (http://www.northvegr.org/date.php)
Facts and Figures: The Norse Way (http://www.timelessmyths.com/norse/way.html) General information on old Germanic culture, including time.
(German) Old High German dictionary, including month names (http://www.koeblergerhard.de/ahdwbhin.html)
(German) Old Norse dictionary, including month names (http://www.koeblergerhard.de/anwbhinw.html)
(German) Old English dictionary, including month names (http://www.koeblergerhard.de/aewbhinw.html)
Anglo-Saxon month names (http://spiritualtraditions.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=19&Itemid=31)
The Anglo-Saxon Calendar (http://www.englatheod.org/calendar.htm)

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Categories: Germanic paganism Obsolete calendars

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