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The poems on this blog are mostly written on the basis of my historical reading and are intended to be both educational and entertaining.
Recently I have also begun posting some of my work with Anglo-Saxon charms. This work is somewhat speculative and is conducted as an amateur researcher and keen Pagan historian.

Please feel free to use anything on this site as a resource if you think that it may be relevant to your needs.

Sunday, 3 February 2013

February (Solmonath)


Introduction to ‘February’ (Solmonath)

Solmonath, means mud month,

Saint Bede in his ‘De Temporum Ratione’ (on the computation of time) mentions that the name of the month came about as a result of the cakes the Anglo-Saxons offered to their gods in that month. There are surviving Anglo-Saxon charms that give first hand evidence of such a custom amongst Heathen farmers.

The Earth Mother (Eorthen Mordor) was called Nerthus/Erce and the Sky Father was called Wuldorfadur, or Glory Father.

The sol cakes were planted into the ground as an offering to both Nerthus and Wuldorfador. We have no complete recipe for the cakes, but given that the tradition of ploughing the corn dolly into the ground at the start of ploughing and sowing season was widely observed until modern times it seems possible that the dolly would have been broken up and added to a mixture of some kind, perhaps of flour of various grains, and returned to the ground uncooked to preserve its fertility.

February (Solmonath)

February ploughing, of the field,
Sowing the seed, to bring the yield.
The Anglo-Saxon, month of cakes,
As snow departs, and nature wakes.

Offer to the gods, to give rebirth,
The month, to celebrate the earth.
Hoping to see, the last snowflake,
The season for, Solcakes to Bake.

Earth Mother Nerthus, we implore,
And Sky Father, Wuldorfadur.
Cakes in the ground, we now enchant,
Wish for abundance, you may grant.

Copyright Andrew Rea 2008


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