Earendel will be celebrating May Day this year on May 9th.  Is that a bit late?  Not at all.  Saxon Pagans traditionally observed a lunar calendar, which never corresponds exactly with the new way of reckoning the passage of time.  This year the first day of the month of May can fall on either May 1st or May 9th depending on how one defines a “month”.

Observing a traditional calendar is not difficult.  Each month (monath in Old English) begins at the full moon (mona).  This is reconciled with the solar year when the sun stands still, at the sun-steads or, if you prefer Latin, the solstices.  The winter solstice, of course, falls during the Yuletide.  The first full moon following the winter solstice is Æfterra Geola (“After Yule”) and marks the latter part of the Yule season.  Yule finally ends at the full moon after this, and Solmonath begins.  The dates for these traditional months – the dates when Mona is in his full glory – can be found in any Almanac.  The traditional Saxon months, their meanings and modern correspondences are:

Æfterra Geola – After Yule (January)

Solmonath – Mud Month (February)

Hrethmonath – Hertha’s Month (March)

Eostremonath – Eostre’s Month (April)

Thrimilci – Three Milkings (May)

Ærra Litha – Before the Point (June)

Æfterra Litha – After the Point (July)

Weodmonath – Weed Month (August)

Haligmonath – Holy Month (September)

Winterfylleth – Winter Filling (October)

Blotmonath – Blood Month (November)

Ærra Geola – Early Yule (December)

If the moon is waxing gibbous (second quarter) on the night of the winter solstice, a thirteenth month needs to be added to reconcile the lunar and solar cycles.  This extra month falls between the next Ærra Litha and Æfterra Litha, and is simply called Litha.  This word comes from the Old English lith meaning “a point”).  It references the point where the daylight hours stop growing in length and begin to diminish.

Modern Gregorian calendars set May 1st while the moon is still in its first quarter, but this year the traditional myrge monath begins more than a week later!

Although I now live in Pennsylvania, I was born and raised in Tom Sawyer’s neck of the woods.  I spent most of my childhood in Arkansas and Missouri, and almost the entirety of my adult life in Missouri.  It was there where I learned to touch and cherish the earth.  It was there where I opened my heart to the gods.

When our lady Sunne comes into her full glory, at the summer solstice, I will be returning to my homeland for a booksigning tour.  I cannot fully express how excited I am about this.  It is such an honor to be invited to speak at venues in my home state, and a pleasure to have my friends and neighbors receive Travels Through Middle Earth with the enthusiasm they have shown.

On Saturday, June 20th I will be giving a presentation and signing books at Aquarius Books in Kansas City.  This had to be my first stop.  It could be no other way.  The owner of Aquarius, Barbara Criswell, has been a dear friend for more than 30 years.

On Monday, June 22nd I will be signing books at Renaissance Books in Springfield, Missouri.  I lived in Springfield in the early 70′s and am looking forward to visiting the city again.  I wonder if there’ll be time for a side trip down to Branson?

On Thursday, June 25th I will be giving a talk and signing books at Pathways in St. Louis.  My mouth is already watering for a St. Louis style pizza.

I’m going to try to arrange a visit to at least one other city – perhaps Cincinnatti or Columbus, Ohio – on my way back to Pennsylvania over the following weekend.  And after that my focus for the rest of the year will be on more easterly venues.  But I’m glad the promotion of Travels Through Middle Earth is beginning among the people and lands that have shaped me so much as a person.

Many people celebrate “Ostara” (the continental Germanic name for Eostre) at the spring equinox, but the Anglo-Saxons followed a synodic calendar.  Earendel, my Saxon inhíred, observes a Feast of Eostre as our ancestors almost certainly did, at the first full moon after the equinox.  This annual event includes a húsel honoring our Lady of the Spring and Dawn, and always features the requisite feast, a Charming the Plow ritual and, of course, eggs.

For our ancestors, eggs were nothing less than a life-sustaining miracle at this time of year.  Egg laying is directly related to the hours of light a hen is exposed to.  In pre-Christian England, without the benefit of artificial lighting, hens laid very few eggs.  Most people subsisted on cabbages, stored root crops and whatever they could scrounge.  In lean years starvation was a very real possibility.  No wonder people gave thanks when the ewes began to give milk!  No wonder people celebrated eggs when their poultry began producing again!

As a part of our Eostre celebration we made a contest of dying eggs.  A prize went to the most creative egg.  After we’d completed our artistic masterpieces, the eggs were laid out for a vote.  We had eggs decorated with runes and hammers, bunnies and faces.  The prize went to Shari, for a fiery egg colored orange and red and rose, and painted with lapping flames.  The winning egg also had a place on our wéofod during the ritual.

This custom is appropriate for adults and older children in any inhíred.  And of course the eggs can be hidden in the early hours for younger children to hunt on Easter morning!