The Saxon Year
Iul-manoð (Yule Moon). January-ish, pending the lunar calendar. Yule begins on the Full Moon of Iul-manoð. Yule is also the Saxon Mid-Winter. Yule lasted three nights and three days.
Sune-manoð (Sun Moon). February-ish, pending the lunar calendar.
Threa-manoð (Third Moon). March-ish, pending the lunar calendar. Idisa-Thing took place on the Full Moon of this month. (Disting to the Norse).
Summar-manoð (Summer Moon). April-ish, pending the lunar calendar. Summarblod is celebrated with a blod on Full Moon commemorating the first day of summer. Summarblod lasts three nights and days.
Fifto-manoð (Fifth Moon). May-ish, pending the lunar calendar.
Sehsi-manoð (Sixth Moon). June-ish, pending the lunar calendar.
Sivendo-manoð (Seventh Moon). July-ish, pending the lunar calendar. Mid-summer, is on the Full Moon of this moon, exactly three full moons after Sigurblod (four in a leap year), and three full moons before Winter Full Moon. Mid-summer was not a Saxon holiday, nor was it to the Norse and Anglish Heathens.
Ahtodo-manoð (Eighth Moon). August-ish, pending the lunar calendar.
Haleg-manoð (Holy Moon). September-ish, pending the lunar calendar.
Uuintar-manoð (Winter Moon). October-ish, pending the lunar calendar. There is a celebration and blod on the Full Moon of Uuintar-manoð, seen as the beginning of winter, one of the two Heathen seasons of the year. Three full moons later would be Yule, or Mid-Winter. Winter Full Moon began the Saxon Year. Winter Full Moon blod would last three nights and three days.
Blod-manoð (Blood Moon). November-ish, pending the lunar calendar. Blod rituals during this moon. Slaughtering of the animals for winter meat and skins for winter clothing. (Swedish: Alfablot)
Iul-manoð (Yule Moon). December-ish, pending the lunar calendar.
The Saxons used a lunisolar calendar. The Saxon word for “month” comes from the word “moon” as a month is a lunar cycle. Some years an extra moon was inserted after the seventh moon, giving the year a total of thirteen moons. This happened about once every three years and kept the year at pace with the solar calendar. Holidays were on full moons. The Saxon day began with night (the moon) at sundown. The Saxon moon/month began on the new moon. Please note the moon names in red above are either proven or attested in the Old Saxon historical sources. The moon names in blue are filled in as my guesses as the actual names are lost. I guessed Sune-manoð (sun moon) based on the Anglish and Norse calendars having the same name making it probable the Saxons shared it as well. I guessed Summar-manoð and Uuintar-manoð based on information from Bede. The rest of the moon names are numerical names. In a thirteen-moon year, there would be a Niguða-manoð meaning “ninth moon” before Haleg-manoð. The Old Saxon word for holy day is Uuihdage. Saxon uuihdage are in white underlined bold above.
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Old Norse Calendar
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"). Alfablot held on the full moon of this 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")
DistingTungel (March-ish pending the lunar calendar, "fat sucking moon") Disting celebrated on the full moon.
Summer
Góa (April-ish pending the lunar calendar, "Góa's moon") Sigurbltot on the full moon.
Einmánuður (May-ish pending the lunar calendar, "one 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, "second moon")
The calendar presented above is the restored Historical Norse calendar, based on the writings of Dr. Andreas Nordberg, Uppsala.
Yule, Disthing and pre-Julian Time-Reckoning. Calenders and Calendric Rituals in pre-ChristianScandinavia.
Acta Academiae Regiae Gustavi Adolphi 91. 169 pp. Uppsala. ISBN 91-85352-62-4.
Jul, disting och förkyrklig tideräkning Kalendrar och kalendariska riter i det förkristna Norden UPPSALA 2006 Andreas Nordberg
The Iceland Althing in the 10th century recorded the Norwegian Lunisolar Calendar. However, the Althing followed Hakon the Good, in eliminating one of two Yule moons, and moving the calendar backwards one month, to force Yule to coincide with Xmas (on the Julian Calendar Solstice, Dec 25), not a full moon in January. See Hakon the Good Saga 15 which records Hakon the Good forcefully converting Norway and moving Yule to be at the same time as Xmas, which is why Xmas is called "Yule" in Scandinavia today. The Iceland Althing also changed the calendar from a lunisolar calendar to a fixed solar calendar, with "moons" lasting 30 fixed days, with a leap week of 5-6 days in the summer, aligning with the Solar Calendar of the Roman Catholic Church. The calendar above, is the pre-christian Norse Heathen Calendar.
Sumble:
For how to do Sumble, please see the Sumble blog: https://www.aldsidu.com/blog/how-sumble-was-done-historically
Please note, Sumble is the most attested ritual in the lore.
Blot & Solitary Ritual:
For how to do solitary ritual, see the ritual blog: https://www.aldsidu.com/blog/how-to-do-solitary-ritual
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