Norse calendar Archives — The Rational Heathen

The Norse Calendar: Skerpla – The Month of Brightness and Clearness

May 9, 2023 The Rational Heathen Comments 0 Comment

The month of Skerpla roughly corresponds to our modern month of May. It was the second month of the summer season. Here we’ll explore the historical and mythological significance of Skerpla. You’ll also learn why it was important for the Norse pagan communities.

What is Skerpla?

Skerpla was a month in the Old Norse calendar that marked the transition from spring to summer. Arguably, the name Skerpla may mean “brightness” or “clearness,” and some scholars think it refers to the increasing light and longer days of the summer season. During Skerpla, the days would become noticeably longer, and the sun would rise earlier and set later.

Skerpla in the Old Norse Calendar

The Old Norse calendar had a unique way of dividing the year into distinct seasons and months. The Norse divided their calendar into two main seasons: winter and summer. They divided winter into six months, which roughly corresponds to October, November, December, January, February, and March. They also divided summer into six months, which roughly corresponds to April, May, June, July, August, and September.

Each month in the Old Norse calendar has its own unique name, which came from the seasonal or agricultural activities that took place during that time of year. Skerpla was the second month of the summer season. It was when people would prepare their farms and fields for planting and cultivation.

Image by Siegfried Poepperl from Pixabay

Skerpla was when the days grew longer and the weather grew warmer. During Skerpla, people celebrated the return of life and growth to the land, and honored the gods and goddesses who presided over fertility, agriculture, and nature. This month also had the names stekktíð and eggtíð, meaning lambing time and egg time. The Norse, who were predominantly an agrarian society, named their months after the specific periods during which various farming tasks were carried out.

Skerpla in Norse Mythology

Skerpla was an important month in Norse mythology, and it was associated with several gods and goddesses who influence the natural world and the changing of the seasons.

Freyja is one of the most important goddesses of Norse mythology. People associate her with fertility, love, and beauty. Freyja is a goddess of the earth and the natural world, and she is associated with the growing and harvesting of crops.

The goddess Sif is also associated with Skerpla, and she is believed to be a goddess of agriculture and the harvest. Sif is the wife of the god Thor, and she is known for her long, golden hair, which is believed to represent the golden fields of grain that farmers planted.

In addition to the gods and goddesses, this month is also associated with a number of other mythical beings and creatures. The most famous of these are the alfar, or elves, who are believed to inhabit the natural world and possess magical powers.

Holidays and Celebrations

There is one holiday and celebration that took place during Skerpla, which is marked by feasting, dancing, and other forms of merrymaking. The Norse called it Dísablót, and it was a very important celebration.

Dísablót is a celebration of female ancestors, or Dísir, is the major holiday that begins Skerpla, usually on May 14th. People celebrated this holiday with feasting and singing. The Dísir, like the Alfar, are considered powerful guardians–some even becoming goddesses. Since they are female ancestors, people offer blóts, usually of food and mead. I wrote a piece about Dísablót HERE.

Importance of Skerpla

Skerpla was an important month for the Norse and Norse pagan communities, as it marked the beginning of the agricultural season. During this month, people would prepare their fields and plant their crops. It was a busy time for everyone because the work done now would eventually lead to food for the winter.

Skerpla was an important month for our ancestors. It was a time of transition and change, as the days grew longer and the weather grew warmer. People celebrated the return of life and growth to the land, and honored the gods and goddesses who presided over fertility, agriculture, and nature. Skerpla was a time when people would come together to celebrate the abundance of the earth and the changing of the seasons.

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The Norse Calendar: Harpa or Gaukamánuður Month

April 21, 2023 The Rational Heathen Comments 0 Comment

Welcome, fellow Heathens, to the month of Harpa or Gaukamánuður. In modern times, this month roughly corresponds with the middle of April and marks the arrival of spring. In Old Norse tradition, Harpa was a time of celebration and renewal. People celebrated because winter gave way to the sun’s warmth and spring’s return.

Etymology of Harpa and Gaukamánuður

The month of Harpa takes its name from the harp. People associated this musical instrument with the goddess Eostre or Ostara, whom pagans celebrated this time of year. Eostre is a Germanic goddess of spring and fertility. Ancient Heathens often depicted her with hares or rabbits, which were symbols of fertility and rebirth.

Gaukamánuður takes its name from the cuckoo, a migratory bird that returns to Scandinavia during the spring. The cuckoo’s arrival heralded the changing season, and the bird became a symbol of spring and renewal.

Celebrating the Return of the Sun

During the month of Harpa, the Vikings celebrated the sun’s return and the longer days. In Norse mythology, the sun is personified as the goddess Sunna, who rides across the sky in a horse-drawn chariot. The Vikings celebrated the return of the sun with festivals and rituals.

The Blót of Eostre or Ostara

One of Harpa’s most important festivals is the Blót of Eostre or Ostara, It is held to honor the goddess of spring and fertility. The Blót was a sacrificial rite in which animals, usually a boar or a goat, were slaughtered and their blood was offered to the gods. The meat was then cooked and shared among the community in a feast that marked the beginning of spring.

During the Blót, offerings of eggs and flowers were also made to the goddess Eostre, as eggs symbolized new life and flowers represented the beauty of nature. The festival of Eostre was also associated with the Christian holiday of Easter, which falls around the same time of year and shares many similarities with the pagan celebration.

Walpurgis Night Festival

Walpurgis Night in Jesenice in Prague-West District, Czech Republic by Chmee2, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.

Another important festival is Walpurgis Night, which is celebrated on the night of April 30th. Walpurgis Night was named after Saint Walpurga, a Christian missionary who was venerated in Scandinavia. It may sound strange to celebrate this holiday, but the festival, itself, has pagan origins. Unfortunately, the name has been lost to time.

During Walpurgis Night, the Vikings would light bonfires and dance around them. This celebrated the arrival of spring and warded off evil spirits. They believed the bonfires had purifying and healing powers, and people would jump over them for good luck and fertility.

Other Rituals and Activities

Harpa was also a time for spring cleaning and renewal. The Vikings would clean their homes and barns. Now is the time they would repair any damage caused by the winter and prepared for the planting season. They would also perform rituals to bless their crops. To ensure a good harvest, they might sprinkle the fields with holy water or ashes from the Yule log. Or they might make offerings to the land spirits.

In addition to the festivals and rituals, Harpa was also a time for outdoor activities and games. The Vikings would engage in sports such as archery, wrestling, and spear throwing, as well as horse racing and boat races. These activities were not just for entertainment, but also served as a way to train for warfare and maintain physical fitness.

Celebrating Harpa or Gaukamánuður

As modern-day Heathens, we can still honor the traditions of the month of Harpa and celebrate spring’s arrival. We can hold Blót rituals, make offerings of flowers and eggs, and hold feasts with friends and family. We can also perform spring cleaning rituals in our homes and gardens, and take part in outdoor activities that connect us with the natural world.

One way to honor the goddess Eostre is to create an altar or shrine dedicated to her. This can be as simple or elaborate as you like, and can include offerings of eggs, flowers, or other items. You may also wish to light candles or incense in her honor. Use them in meditation on her qualities of fertility, growth, and renewal.

Another way to celebrate the month of Harpa is to hold a bonfire or other outdoor gathering with friends and family. You can gather around the fire, share food and drink, and tell stories or sing songs that connect you with the natural world. You may also wish to perform a ritual or make offerings to the land spirits, asking for their blessings on the coming season.

Finally, you can connect with the spirit of the cuckoo during the month of Gaukamánuður by spending time outdoors and observing the signs of spring. You may hear the cuckoo’s call, or see other signs of wildlife returning after the winter. You can also plant seeds or tend to your garden, honoring the cycle of growth and renewal that is central to this season.

Consider Celebrating Harpa or Gaukamánuður

The month of Harpa or Gaukamánuður was a time of celebration and renewal in Old Norse tradition, marking the arrival of spring and the return of the sun’s warmth. As modern-day Heathens, we can honor this tradition by holding Blót rituals, creating altars to the goddess Eostre, holding bonfires or outdoor gatherings, and connecting with the spirit of the cuckoo and the natural world. By doing so, we can deepen our connection to the season and the cycles of nature, and honor the traditions of our ancestors in meaningful and relevant ways.

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The Viking Month of Mörsugur, or the Bone-Sucking Month

February 8, 2023 The Rational Heathen Comments 0 Comment

Well, it’s that time again to talk about the Viking Calendar. This month is Mörsugur, the second Yule month. Mörsugur is also known as jólmanoðr (Yule Month) and hrutmánuðr/hrutmánaðr (Ram Month). It is the third winter month. Yule proper occurs during Mörsugur.

Mörsugur: Why Bone-Sucking Month?

The name seems odd to our modern sensibilities. Mörsugur is the fat and bone-sucking month because that’s how our ancestors got their calories during this freezing time. By cracking open bones and sucking on them to get the marrow, the Northen ancestors were able to get enough nutrition to survive the cold.

Mörsugur, aptly translated to “the bone-sucking month”, is an ancient Viking month held in winter right after Yule (the winter solstice). It is the coldest, longest and darkest of all Viking months as the days near Yule are the shortest. This is because Mörsugur occurs at the end of winter and marks the point when the sun returns and the first signs of spring begin to appear.

Mörsugur ran from mid to late December into January. At this time, there weren’t any fresh vegetables or fruit. If you ate fresh food at all, it came from animals: meat, fat, eggs, milk, and products from those foods.

Bone-Sucking Tradition

The name may have originated from the traditions the Vikings practiced during Mörsugur, when the whole community would undertake a “bone-sucking” ceremony. The Norse practiced this tradition while they celebrated the longest night of the year, symbolizing the end of Yule. As part of the ceremony, everyone gathered around to “suck on bones”; they would pass around bones that had been cut up, the pieces containing marrow and fat. This practice was believed to bring good fortune for the upcoming year. Thus the Norse month of Mörsugur started. It was a month-long celebration that occurred during the winter months in Scandinavian and Baltic countries.

The month’s name may have also come from an ancient Norse practice called Haflgerðing, or “bone-worming”. Norse peoples carved a tiny hole in an animal bone using a knife, and then inserted a small object into the bone, either a piece of cloth or a tiny animal bone. They then buried the bone in the ground, and they believed that by doing this, the gods would more likely grant the wishes of the person who buried the bone.

Our Northern Ancestors Held Celebrations During Mörsugur

Mörsugur was a special month for our ancestors, as it was a time for families and communities to come together and celebrate the winter season. During Mörsugur, our Northern ancestors indulged in their traditions and ancient customs. The center of attention during the month was feasting, drinking, and games. They sang various songs and danced; families and friends enjoyed large feasts. People feasted while sitting around a fire and sipping drinks like mead. Meals included beef or pork, smoked or salted fish, legumes, vegetables, and cheeses.

Playing Games

The Viking played many games, including those played indoors and those played outdoors. Examples of outdoor ngames include rolling snowballs, skis, and sleighs. Indoor games included dice and board games and the Viking version of chess. Like today, people enjoyed parties, both indoors and out. Concerts and theatrical performances were also popular.

Religious Significance of Mörsugur

Mörsugur was also a month of religious observance. People dedicated the Mörsugur celebrations to Odin and Thor. They inscribed runes on tree branches to give luck for the new year. At midwinter, our ancestors lit sacred fires to celebrate the winter solstice. The celebrations emphasized joy over fear. People believed that a good harvest, success, and protection from natural disasters depended on the gods.

During this month, people made offerings of food and drink to the gods and wights. Our ancestors would also offer gifts of horses and weapons to their ancestors. The Vikings lived under the death’s constant threat, so this was the time to ask for prosperity from all those who could help them.

Mörsugur Today

Mörsugur was an ancient celebration, yet it still lives on today, through the culture and traditions that are celebrated throughout the Nordic region. In Finland, a special dish called Mustamakkara is prepared during this month, which consists of a black sausage. The Swedes serve a traditional drink called Glogg from Yule until Christmas. In Norway, there is still a tradition of sacrifice to the goddess Freyja during Mörsugur. This sacrifice is a small offering made by throwing coins into a bowl of water.

The month of Mörsugur is a month to celebrate the gods and ask for abundance. The ancient Norse people created these joyful celebrations which we can still enjoy today. The month of Mörsugur is just one of many special occasions in the Viking calendar.

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The Month of Ýlir or the First Yule Month

December 20, 2022 The Rational Heathen Comments 0 Comment

I had been meaning to write about Ýlir for some time, but life and everything has gotten in my way (blah, blah, blah, excuses, excuses). So, I’m looking at the end of Ýlir and wondering if I can pull off a post before Yule. well, here goes very little.

The Norse divided the year into two seasons: winter and summer. Ýlir is the second month of winter in the Old Norse calendar. It is also the first Yule month. It generally started late November and ran until late December, usually ending on the Winter Solstice. The Viking calendar was flexible because it was set to the lunar phases. So, the actual dates varied when compared to our own calendar.

Let’s Talk Yule and Ýlir

It seems a number of websites have different opinions on Ýlir and Yule. Some sources claim that Ýlir gets its name from Yule, which is named after Jólnir from the word Jól. Jólnir is one of Odin’s many names, so it stands to reason that Ýlir is a reference to Odin.

The problem with this is that an Icelandic site points out that this is debatable because in 8th century Old English, géol, means Christmas festival. England was in the middle of conversion to Christianity by the 7th century and was mostly converted by the 8th century. That being said, there were still holdouts and pockets of paganism, so it’s likely that géol is what was carried over from the pagan winter celebration.

The word géol is the Anglo-Saxon word for Yule. We know that Norse pagans celebrated Jul — the old name for Yule — and the Saxons were Germanic tribes with the same gods as the Norse. Now whether Ýlir references Yule is arguable, but I suspect it does.

Feasting during Ýlir

Now that we’ve beaten a dead etymological horse, let’s look at Yule. In many cases Norse and Germanic pagans held feasts that lasted twelve days and included the solstice. As I mentioned in my last post, land owners and nobles frequently used winter celebrations as a way of displaying their wealth and power. After all, what gave you more cred than hosting big feasts that had foods people normally didn’t have this time of year? The commoners loved it because it meant more food and celebrations. The nobles loved it because it was a good time, all around.

Not everything was about war during the Viking era, but even in the winter months, noblest tried to outdo each other. What better way to strengthen your people’s loyalty than show how generous you were?

What Yule was All About

December in Reykjavík, Iceland. Helgi Halldórsson from Reykjavík, Iceland, photographer. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. No, the Vikings didn’t have airplanes.

Yule was a twelve day celebration of the return of the sun. Even if you lived where you wouldn’t see the sun above the horizon, the winter solstice marked the last day of the year where the darkness was at its longest. After winter solstice, you could guarantee the days would start growing longer again.

In many ways, Yule signified the return of Baldr, the god of the summer sun. Just as summer solstice was the longest day before the northern hemisphere retreated into darkness, Yule marked the cycle of return to the light. So if Yule is Baldr’s return, summer solstice was the death of Baldr by Hodr’s hand.

I cover the history of Yule in this post, so I’m not really inclined to do so again. I also cover the Yule Goat and other Yule celebrations in previous posts, so check them out.

Have a wonderful Yule!

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The Month of Gói or Women’s Month

March 24, 2020 The Rational Heathen Comments 0 Comment

Sorry I dropped off writing about the months. I’ll pick up now with the month of Gói, which is the fifth winter month in the Norse calendar. We don’t know a lot about the traditions of this particular month, except that the Norse named it after the daughter of Þorri, or Thorri. The month of Þorri precedes Gói, and is most known for its Thorrablot. Thorri is a winter spirit, akin to our own Jack Frost. Farmers held a blot to Gói in this month to welcome her. Tradition states that this month was the month where men took care of their women more. I can totally get behind that.

Weather During the Month of Gói

Gói runs somewhere between mid-February to mid-March, so there’s no doubt that even if the Spring Equinox is just around the corner, the weather during Gói was daunting during Viking times. The temperature in Norway was probably high 20s to low 40s Fahrenheit during the month, with occasional drops below zero. Sure, there were thaws, but the weather was too cold to consider planting, given that you could have some pretty nasty freezes. I suspect that farmers welcomes Gói because of the signs of an upcoming spring (even though they had only two seasons: winter and summer). Maybe Gói was considered a herald for summer when the farmers could plant their crops? Regardless, it’s unlikely anyone farmed during this time.

What Did People do with All that Winter?

At this point, you’re probably wondering how people didn’t go stir-crazy with all that winter. There were plenty of things to do during winter, especially crafting and repairs. People had to keep their livestock alive, which meant proper care for them in the winter so they would have wool, fiber, meat, and milk for the rest of the year. There was hunting, if you wanted fresh meat. They also played games, sang, told stories, and prepared their tools and weapons for the upcoming summer. And they had skis and ice skates to get around on the snow and lakes.

Food was what they preserved over the summer and fall. The cold, dry air allowed them to dry fish and other meats using a brine to help preserve them. The only fresh food was the meat they could hunt and catch, and perhaps milk, if their cows or goats started to calve or kid. As a side note, you know all about the Christmas fruitcake, made from dried fruit and nuts. Well, I suspect these cakes come from earlier times as a way to provide a treat with fruit, even when the fresh fruit was out of season.

New Life

About this time, the livestock would start giving birth to their offspring. I know, because that’s how my goats are, if I breed them. The Viking farmers would’ve kept their calves, kids, and lambs inside with the other livestock, possibly in a birthing pen so the little ones could stick around their mom and not get trampled by the rest of the herd. They would’ve taken the extra milk to make cheese or use in cooking after the young ones had eaten their fill.

So, the month of Gói was largely spent in preparation for summer. In a few weeks, I’ll talk about the next month, Einmánuður.

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The Month of Gormánuður or the Slaughter Month

November 26, 2019 The Rational Heathen Comments 0 Comment

By now, we’re in the midst of Gormánuður according to the old Norse calendar. It is the first month of winter according to the ancient calendar, and it is the month of slaughter or butchering. I figured that since I’ve talked about Haustmánuður, the Harvest Month, I should continue with the months…well,…monthly, so you can get a feeling of the ancient Norse year.

A Bit of History About Refrigeration (Stick with me on this)

Nowadays we have refrigeration, which is possibly why Gormánuður may be puzzling to some of you. After all, we can get meat year round and keep it in the freezer or refrigerator. And you’re probably quite aware that our ancestors didn’t have refrigeration until 1913–not that long ago–available for home use. Even then, owning a home refrigerator was expensive and it didn’t become popular until the 1930s. So, your recent ancestors probably had iceboxes–that is actual boxes that held ice to keep their food fresh. The icebox was invented and patented by a farmer in 1802. The original icebox was made from wood, rabbit skins, and lots of ice (duh!). The icebox took off, and there even was a market for harvested lake ice up until the 1930s. These required ice houses that kept the ice together even during the summer months until the lakes started freezing over again.

As an aside, as a child I did hear adults use the term “icebox” for refrigerator, even though the days of the icebox were long since gone. I assumed that they meant “freezer” because that’s where you kept the ice. Yeah, that makes me older than dirt. Deal with it.

How Did Gormánuður Get Its Name?

So, how did Gormánuður get its name? Well, if you didn’t have refrigeration or even an icebox, slaughtering an animal was a bit problematic. You had to either slaughter and prepare the

animal right there or risk spoilage, or you had to wait until the weather was cool enough to keep the meat fresh. Since it was very expensive to feed animals during the winter months (using up valuable resources of hay and grain), most farmers slaughtered all but their breeding stock for the next year. That required a way to preserve the meat so it would last during the winter and into the early part of the summer.

In many climes, Gormánuður was cold, but not brutally cold yet. Although the days were significantly shorter, there was still daylight left. And you could pretty much count on the weather keeping your food cold before you could salt it and preserve it further.

Common Practice Even into the 20th Century

Surprisingly, the idea of butchering meat in the fall was common practice until fairly recently. It wasn’t that uncommon for farms to slaughter pigs in the fall and store to have “pork sales” in the months leading up to Christmas and Yule. If you ever wondered why it’s still popular for people to have a Christmas ham, there you go. That, and our ancestors had a ham to celebrate Freyr during Yule and the increasing daylight. In fact, after hunting season, I’m going to be slaughtering goats and geese to reduce the herd. I suspect other farmers and ranchers out here do that out of necessity, too.

Nowadays, we see some of the remnants of this, but in the age of factory farming and a global economy, we can get foods we like anytime and don’t have to wait to get our favorite foods. All we have to do is shell out a bit more money to get what we want. When I buy foods, I tend to choose local, so the seasons are more apparent to me.

Ways to Celebrate Gormánuður

With Thanksgiving or Harvest coming up, celebrating Gormánuður is easy. Farmers and ranchers have raised turkeys to be slaughtered during the fall just in time for Thanksgiving and Christmas. While they’re not pigs, goats, or cattle, you can certainly go with the intent of the season. Here are some other ways to celebrate Gormánuður:

Look for deep deals on local pork.
Choose foods which would have been harvested in October and November as part of your Harvest meal.
Choose local foods over those imported from the gods know where.
Learn all you can about local farming and slaughter practices. Find those farmers who use sustainable methods and patronize them.
Hunt for your meat. You’ll have a learning curve if you don’t hunt, so if you can find a knowledgeable and ethical hunter who will let you tag along this year just to help them (and maybe get some yummy venison), do that.
Get your pantry stocked up for Yule.

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