or (;

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

for "Night of the Mothers" or "Mothers' Night") was an event held on or around the northern hemisphere's longest night of the year ( the winter or hibernal solstice), by Anglo-Saxon pagans. The event is solely attested by the medieval English historian

Bede Bede (; ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, Bede of Jarrow, the Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable (), was an English monk, author and scholar. He was one of the most known writers during the Early Middle Ages, and his most f ...

in his eighth-century Latin work . It has been suggested that sacrifices may have occurred during this event. Scholars have proposed connections between the Anglo-Saxon and events attested among other

Germanic peoples The Germanic peoples were tribal groups who lived in Northern Europe in Classical antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. In modern scholarship, they typically include not only the Roman-era ''Germani'' who lived in both ''Germania'' and parts of ...

(specifically those involving the , collective female ancestral beings, and

Yule Yule is a winter festival historically observed by the Germanic peoples that was incorporated into Christmas during the Christianisation of the Germanic peoples. In present times adherents of some new religious movements (such as Modern ...

), and the Germanic , female beings attested by way of

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

and

votive A votive offering or votive deposit is one or more objects displayed or deposited, without the intention of recovery or use, in a sacred place for religious purposes. Such items are a feature of modern and ancient societies and are generally ...

inscriptions, nearly always appearing in trios. The Norse equivalent to Mōdraniht was ' (alternatively ''hǫggunátt'', in , Icelandic and , ). The meaning of the prefix ''hǫku-/hǫggu-'' is unknown.

Attestation

In , Bede writes that the pagan Anglo-Saxons:

Theories and interpretations

Scholars have linked these ' ("Mothers") with the Germanic .Simek (2007:205–207) and Herbert (2007:24).

Rudolf Simek Rudolf Simek (born 21 February 1954) is an Austrian philologist and religious studies scholar who is Professor and Chair of Ancient German and Nordic Studies at the University of Bonn. Simek specializes in Germanic studies, and is the author ...

says that ' "as a Germanic sacrificial festival should be associated with the Matron cult of the

West Germanic The West Germanic languages constitute the largest of the three branches of the Germanic languages, Germanic family of languages (the others being the North Germanic languages, North Germanic and the extinct East Germanic languages, East Germ ...

peoples on the one hand, and to the ' and the ' already known from medieval Scandinavia on the other hand and is chronologically to be seen as a connecting link between these Germanic forms of cult."Simek (2007:220). Simek provides additional discussion about the connection between ', the ', and the

norns The Norns ( , plural: ) are a group of deities in Norse mythology responsible for shaping the course of human destinies.''Nordisk familjebok'' (1907) The Norns are often represented as three goddesses known as Urd ( Urðr), Verðandi, and S ...

.Simek (2007:205–207). Scholars have placed the event as a part of the Germanic winter period of

.Orchard (1997:187). Regarding Bede's attestation, Philip A. Shaw commented in 2011 that "the fact that Bede's ' can be to some extent confirmed by the Romano-Germanic votive inscriptions to matrons does at least indicate that we should not be too quick to dismiss the other evidence he provides for Anglo-Saxon deities".Shaw (2011:61).

Notes

References

* Giles, John Allen (1843). ''The Complete Works of the Venerable Bede, in the Original Latin, Collated with the Manuscripts, and Various Print Editions, Accompanied by a New English Translation of the Historical Works, and a Life of the Author. Vol. VI: Scientific Tracts and Appendix.'' London: Whittaker and Co., Ave Maria Lane. * Herbert, Kathleen (2007). ''Looking for the Lost Gods of England''. Anglo-Saxon Books. * Orchard, Andy (1997). ''Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend''. Cassell. * Shaw, Philip A. (2011). ''Pagan Goddesses in the Early Germanic World''. Bristol Classical Press. * Simek, Rudolf (2007) translated by Angela Hall. ''Dictionary of Northern Mythology''. D. S. Brewer. * Wallis, Faith (Trans.) (1999). ''Bede: The Reckoning of Time''.

Liverpool University Press Liverpool University Press (LUP), founded in 1899, is the third oldest university press in England after Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press. As the press of the University of Liverpool, it specialises in modern languages, lit ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Modraniht Anglo-Saxon paganism December observances Events in Norse mythology

Attestation

Theories and interpretations

See also

Notes

References