Issues About Reckoning Heathen Time, part 1: Winterfylleth

How we reckon the passage of time is an another area of how we acculturate ourselves as modern Heathens. With this series I intend to go into my theories about Heathen time reckoning, and I will admit upfront that I am woefully under-researched on this topic, but I still wanted to bring it out for discussion anyway.

One aspect to bringing the Germanic calendar back into modern use that I feel has been neglected in our modern revival efforts is to take better account of the original agricultural context it came from. I think this is strongly illustrated with current interpretations of the meaning of the Anglo-Saxon calendar name of 'Winterfylleth'. Strictly translated this means 'winter-filled' and the 'filled' is often thought to refer to the full moon. I have yet to find a good reason for this in any of the lore or literature I've been able to find on the topic; besides just the context of it being a month name and that the Germanic calendar ran on lunar months. If one was just wanting to designate it as 'winter-month', then the suffix of -mónaþ is already well established in the other month names. If it is meant to talk about the status of the moon, there is a whole other list of specific names for the full moons that are independent of the month names.

Here's what I think. The information I've been able to find defines a lunar month in the Germanic calender as being from the first sighting of the waxing crescent to ending with the dark of the new moon. That would make Winterfylleth, this year by my reckoning, having started on September 30th and lasting until a day or two ago. If anything, special emphasis is on that first sighting of the crescent as it establishes a new month, not on the full phase, which seems to be reserved for other observations.

On the other hand, there is a strong pattern in the naming of the months that relates to the working activities of a northern climate farm with livestock. The month we've now just moved into, Blót-mónaþ, at its core is about slaughter and sacrifice; natural activities to prepare for the winter as the herd is culled to the best of the breeding stock that can be supported by the winter fodder collected. Later in the spring you have 'Þrimilki-mónaþ' (3 milkings month), when your livestock is calving/lambing, later in the summer 'Weod-mónaþ' (plant month) when the vegetable harvest starts, followed by 'Hærfest-mónaþ' for the grains/crops and then you come back around to 'Winterfylleth'. With the two previous month names being associated with harvest and crops and the one following it about herd culling, it just makes logical sense that 'fylleth' in this case is about filling the pantries, graineries and haylofts in preparation for winter. This is particularly important since this is how you know how much fodder you have for the winter, which determines how much of your herd you can over-winter. To my mind that is a much more pragmatic interpretation than a vague reference to the moon.

I have a lot more thoughts on time reckoning and I will continue this series intermittently as I am to put together further postings.

In frith and to the greater good of our folkway.