An Anglian
Time Line Anglians
The term "Anglo-Saxon" is a misnomer used by the
Normans for legal purposes and often as a term of derision. The Germanic migrants
of Europe were distinct enough for Bede
to refer to them as discrete groups, the Angles, the Saxons, the Jutes and the Frisians
There had been a small Christian community in Roman
York in the late 100's ,their bishop attending the Council of Arles
in 314, but until the arrival of Christian missionaries in England, the land was
so-called pagan. However during this time of evangelism many of the Anglian,
Saxon, Jutish and Frisian feast days were incorporated into the Christian
calendar, not the least of which was Yuletide, now Christmas, formerly a
mid-winter feast centred around the culling of excess breeding stock for food
before winter.
400's
410-411 AD The Romans began to leave Britain as
Rome's corruption and financial difficulties continued, a salutary lesson for
today's politicians.
420 Britain was instructed by Rome to defend itself,
the Anglian and Saxon raids increased as the Roman "Saxon Shore
" forts fell to the invaders.
425 In the south the British king Vortigern requested
two men from Angeln, Hengist and Horsa to help keep the invaders out of Britain.
These two had been mercenaries in the Roman army and with their group of
followers they entered Britain to fight against the Picts who were invading
from the north. TIt is thought that during the 400's the Scotii of Antrim were beginning
to displace the Picts as the greater force in what we now call Scotland.
450 Anglians from southern Denmark colonise land
in the Yorkshire Wolds.
Rowena who was the pagan Hengist's second daughter after Octa,
married Vortigern, a British Christian, their son was
Vortimer.
457 Horsa travels to the north to assist the Britons against the Picts and was slain at Conisbrough,
thereafter lawlessness ranged for a period of 90 years in the North.
The medieval castle here may lie over an Anglian earthwork. Horsa, the former
Roman army mercenary from the continent may have been buried here.
Hengist became king of Kent.
500's
During the 500's The Pennines were in the control
of the Britons.
537 A battle took place at the Roman
Camboglanna (Either
Birdoswald in Northumberland or
Castlesteads in Cumbria) between the Britons and
the Anglian invaders. This has been suggested as a site for 'Camelot' (Camlann).3 However
'Camelot' seems to be an invention of the medieval mind. See Arthurian
Legends
547 Ida the Anglian landed in Northumberland,
the nucleus was Bamburgh. Ida remained king of Northumbria (Bernicia) until
560. He was the first real English king.
Ida was succeeded by Gloppa or Ellapa.
560-588 Aelle (Ella) son of Yffa according to
the A/S Chronicle gained Deira. He
resided at Elloughton & York. Besides Elloughton (Ella's Town), places named
after him are Kirk Ella, West Ella and Ellerker (Ella's Carr) which lie near
Hull and north of the Humber estuary.
574-78 According to Bede retelling a tale in The
Ecclesiastical History of the English People, when Benedict I was
Pope (575-579), Gregory
heard of the presence of some young strangers in Rome with light skin and
fair hair. Gregory questioned them and found that they were Angels from the
Kingdom of Deira then ruled by king Aelle. When told they
were Angles, he described them as being like angels, 'Non Angli. sed Angeli'.
| 'Non Angli, sed Angeli' |
 |
| A painting by William Midgley (1899) illustrating the allegedly apocryphal meeting between brother Gregory, later Pope Gregory (590-604) and child slaves from Deira. If true this may have occurred sometime between 575 and 579 when Benedict I was pope and Aelle was King of Deira. Later in 595-6 Augustine was sent by Pope Gregory to evangelise the people of Kent where he landed with forty monks in 597. |
577 At Deorham in Gloucestershire the Romano-Britons
lost a battle against the Saxons. This was important because it separated the Welsh and Cornish British, the Saxons forcing a wedge
between
these two groups into what became Wessex.
Ca. 590, The Anglians (Englet from Angeln of
Southern Denmark) moved along the Roman Road and defeated the Britons
and the Manau Goddodin at Catterick (Catraeth). This was a decisive
battle which ended British resistance in the North and who had attempted to
keep the Anglians out of the N.E., it was thus as decisive as Powys later in 616.9(p.
91) The Manau Goddodin came from the Fife area of eastern
Scotland. On the Catterick by-pass road at SE 239973 a pagan Anglo-Saxon
inhumation cemetery has been found. Pagan A/S cemeteries are found on either
side of the Roman Road "The Saxty Way" (Saxon Way?).Here there are instances of cremation with the
ashes being placed in funereal urns
and buried.
Whitcliffe Scar to the west of Catterick was
probably an old Brigantine stronghold in the 500's and could have been used by the Manau Goddodin
(Britons). The Britons
perhaps moved from Catterick to Whitcliffe Scar to await the Anglians. Between Catterick and Whitcliffe Scar lies the east
facing "Scots Dyke" which is ascribed to the "Dark Age Celtic" on the Ordnance
Survey and may represent a defensive line of this time. The Battle of Catterick
may also represent another 'Arthurian' stand alongside Camlann (537), Arthuret (Armterid) in
573 and the Battle of Badon in 493 (Bede) the site of which has not been
positively identified, but may be at Bath-Hill outside Bath.
The Mt. Badon battle was a significant repulsion
of the Anglians and Saxons and brought peace for forty years for the
Britons. It is said that Arthur carried
the cross of Christ for three days at this battle . [Annales Cambriae]
588 Some say that Ethelric/Aethelric is supposed to have
replaced Aelle as King of Deira at his death in 588 although little is
known of Ethelric, his death year of 604 being questionable.
589 Aethelfrith (son of Ethelric who was the
4th son of Ida) succeeded to Deira, he married Acca daughter of Aelle.
593 Aethelfrith becomes queen of Bernicia and
thus Northumbria.
595-6 The Frankish monk (St.) Augustine is sent
by Pope Gregory to England, he lands in Kent from Rome in 597 and establishes a
Roman Church at Canterbury.
600's
600 Little progress was made by the Anglians as the British
(Celtic,Welsh) repulsed the incursions.
Urien of Rheged (principality in S.W. Scotland)
pushes the Anglians back to Lindisfarne on the east coast of Northumbria.
600 Paulinus arrives in Kent from Rome.
601 Augustine becomes the first Archbishop of Canterbury.
603 Aethelfrith fights against the Scottii.
In the early 600's Yeavering was
built for King Edwin and his successors in the Kingdom of Bernicia.
Early Anglo-Saxon
Settlement:(410-650)
The first Anglian and Saxon settlements were
on the coast, banks of rivers or at the foot of hills. Settlements were
named after chiefs e.g. Haesta led the South Saxons (Haestas People). 'Ingas"
= people e.g. Haestinasg (Hastings), Tootas people= Tootaingas= Tooting
also Worthing, Reading etc.
Thus ING or INGS indicates an early Saxon settlement.
LEAH (O.E.) means wood or woodland clearing.
Archaeology since the 1960's shows us that buildings
in this early period were rectangular sunken huts with wooden
floors (Grubenhauser)
grouped around large timber Halls, this was a Germanic pattern.1 The
wooden floors appear to have been suspended over a sunken pit. Loom weights
found in these pits suggest these buildings were used for weaving.
Following the early period of settlement, the Christian
religion had a greater effect than the ecclesiastical historic sources suggest.
Edwin in order for him to marry into the Saxon family of Kent had to accept
baptism from (St.) Paulinus to marry his Christian bride.
 |
| The East Angles and the Northumbrians were united by the marriage of Aethelric and Hereswith |
616 Aethelfrith calls upon the King of East
Anglia, Redwald, to hand over Edwin or kill him. King Raedwald may
have had his capital at Rendlesham, Suffolk. Redwald refused and lead a battle
against Aethelfrith near the River Idle8. It may be the
Sutton Hoo ship in East Anglia and its helmet that are Redwald's as
no body was ever found in the ship. However phosphatic sand was found in the
hull which could be skeletal remains.
616-617 Aethelfrith fights back against the British
(Celtic, North Welsh), when he defeats the Welsh King Powys
at Chester in 616. Aethelfrith utilised the Roman road from York to
swiftly defeat the British at Chester15. This separated the
Welsh Britons from the Strathclyde Britons and was thus a decisive victory.
Anglians now pushed west through the Pennines into what is now Lancashire.
The Midgley and Heptonsall areas could have been settled at this time. The
British Kingdom of Elmete was still in existence until Edwin of Northumbria
attacked it in 626 See
Elmete location map
| Thus the three decisive battles the Anglians and Saxons fought against the British were: |
|
Dyrham 577 Catterick ca 590 Chester 616 |
617 Aethelfrith dies in battle slain by Eadwin
(Edwine). Edwin was Acca's brother.
Edwin of Deira, returns from exile in East
Anglia with Redwald and seizes the Anglian Northumberland.
Edwin names Edinburgh ("Edwin's borough"). The Bernicean
family Eanfrith seeks refuge in Dalriada. Edwin is thought to have resided
at Yeavering Bell, N.W. of Earle.
617-619 Rheged & Loidis Regio (Elmete or Elmet)
is taken by Edwin along with the Isle of Man.
Edwin defeated the King of Elmete, Ceretic who
had employed British guerrilla warfare. Ceretic was maintained as a client
king.
Elmet was a Celtic/Romano British (Proto-Welsh) kingdom
its capital was at Leeds (Loidus), Elmete now lost its independence.
Selby
and Elmet area history (Yorkshire) Some Anglian settlement may
have occurred after this time when Midgley and other vills ending in -ley were established as a settlement
sites to the west of the region.
To the S.E. of Wentbridge are A/S inhumations
at North Elmshall and Whitehart Farm (grid ref 477127). There
are others at Womersley to the N.E. and Knottingley to the
North. From the evidence supplied by grave goods these are likely to be pagan burials (Christian
burials did not have grave goods) and probably predate 650. See Saxon inhumations
at Berinsfield, Oxon.
Pagan burials (cemeteries) were probably sited on
boundary of the community land. Middle Field near Campsall is at the centre of
a triangle made by joining these three inhumation sites.
Inhumations were in distinct family groups, separately
oriented and containing people of all ages and both sexes and all conditions
of life. With primary internments barrows were thrown up at the time. The
small number of pagan burials in the North compared with the South of England
may be explained as Christianity probably arrived in the North sooner than
thought, thus it is suggested that burials occurred in the settlement under
existing cemeteries.
The marshes of the Humber restricted the N-S traffic
towards the west along the line of the Roman road from Doncaster to Tadcaster
& York. Dykes just south of Tadcaster (The Becca Banks which face south-Becca
was an Anglo-Saxon personage) may represent an interuption of this corridor
whilst one to the south between Doncaster and Sheffield may represent another.This
boundary could have been a frontier between Northumbria and Mercia and possibly
an earlier Celtic boundary.It may have protected Northumbria and Elmete
or perhaps the Anglian Hatfield Chase.
The Sheaf river runs east-west through Sheffield,
sheaf means "boundary river" in Anglian and probably formed the boundary of
the kingdom of Elmete in an earlier period. The Humber also formed a boundary
for Northumberland as did the Mersey River.
Dore which lies on the boundary of Mercia and Northumbria
("Door") a Pennine pass may have been a meeting place between the kings
of Mercia and Northumbria.
Running north from Doncaster may be another boundary
called Roman Ridge, the line of a Roman road. East of present day Leeds
lies "Roman Rig" passing through Penda's Crossing which may mark another
boundary.Others have suggested That Penda's crossing is the site of Winwaed
Field.
On the Ordnance Survey of Dark Age Britain Becca
Banks are shown as being of Celtic Dark Age, that is British origin. They
may therefore represent boundaries to the British Kingdom of Elmete.
The Saints who brought Christianity to Yorkshire & Northumberland:
| St. Paulinus from France | * The first great Archbishop of York
*Disciple of Pope St. Gregory the Great who sent him to assist St. Augustine *He converted Edwin who was baptised Easter Day 627 at York. *Edwin commenced Cathederal of York immediately. |
St. Paulinus 's Day: October the 10th |
| St. Wilfrid of York | *Wilfrid was a Saxon. *He was the 3rd Archbishop of York & Northumbria. *Founded Ripon monastery, now a Cathederal where he was buried in the crypt. *Cathederal dedicated to God in the names of St. Peter & St. Wilfrid. Wilfrid was followed by Thurstan who died in 1140 |
St. Wilfrid's Day is commemorated on October 12th |
| St. William of York | *Son of King Stephen's sister Emma.
*May have died from a poisoned chalice |
St. William's Day commemorated on June
the 8th He died 1154 |
| St. John of Beverley (Beaver-lea) | *Archbishop of York in 705 *Born at Harpham near Driffield. *Educated under St.Hilda, he taught and ordained The Venerable Bede. *1st bishop of Hexham *Built a cell at Beverley to retire from the office of Archbishop which later became a monastery (=Minster) |
|
| St. Hilda (St. Hild of Streoneshalch) | *Princess Hild was related to king
Edwin (great neice) & embraced Christianity at the same time as the
king. *Later trained by St. Aidan *Founded many monasteries Abbess of Whitby *Kings & princes sought her council as a pious woman |
born circa 614, died 12th November 680 |
The Saxons had Shriving bells in their churches (Shrive=
confess), originally rung from 6 or 7am, noon and 7 or 8pm. Now it is rung
at 11 am on Shrove Tuesday ("The Pancake Bell").
It became necessary for the people to give "tithes"
to the church (one tenth of their wealth).
632 Edwin and his Christian son Osfrid(Osric)
are slain by the heathens Penda & Cadwallon at Hatfield Chase,
near Doncaster as a result Mercia took Elmet. Northumbria fell
back to its constituent parts. Eadfrid (Eadfrith) surrendered to
Penda and fled to Mercia (his grand-daughter, Hild became Abbess
of Whitby or Streoneshalch).
But in 632 the Christian Oswald of Bernicia
returned from exile with Irish monks on Iona, ascended the throne & retook
Elmet in 633 at Haethfelth near Doncaster. It is believed that Northumbrian
kings may have established a palace at Doncaster which was later destroyed
by the Danes. The Roman roads were still used for the movement of armies,
here the road from Lincoln to York was utilised near Doncaster.
Oswald is believed to have resided at Milfield (Yeavering Bell), Nothumberland.
633 Oswald the Celtic Christian defeats the pagans,
Penda of Mercia & the Cymric king Cadwallon of North Wales near
Hexham (Hefenfelth or Heavenfield) and retakes the North. These
two battles reasserted Northumbria's power. The Northern part was Bernicia
(Beornice) and the southern part Deira (Dere or Deur), Deira had
been the Roman name for York City. Deira was taken over by Germanic mercenaries.
633 Osiric ruled Deira until 634 and Eanfrid
the same year.
634 Paulinus had returned to the Roman Christian
Church in Kent so Oswald asked the Irish monks to send Aidan who
founded the Celtic Christian Church at Lindisfarne.As a result the
Celtic Christians established monasteries throughout the North. Cuthbert
was bishop of Lindisfarne until his death in 687.
635 (St). Aidan the Celtic Christian missionary
proselytising in N. England.
642 According to Bede (St.) Oswald king of Northumbria
is killed in battle at Masserfeld (Masserfelth) near Wigan, Lancashire,
he is beheaded by the pagan Penda of Mercia. In this year a stone cross is
erected at Staincross, South Yorkshire. Stone crosses were erected wherever
Christian worship took place.
642 At Winwidfield near Leeds Penda and Ethelbert
were slain, Oswy was victorious12.
(but see Winwaed
field 655 below)
643 Penda of Mercia seizes Lindsey, Elmet and a large
part of Deira (Yorkshire) from Northumbria. This area is placed under the
rule of Edwin's grandson Osric
647 Hild took the veil from
the Celtic Bishop Aidan of Lindisfarne.
652 Penda attacks northern Northumbria as far as
Bamburgh with the assistance of Ethelwald, king of Deira.
Paeda the son of Penda is baptised and married to
the daughter of King Oswy of Northumbria near the Roman Wall (Hexham?).
| Northumbrian Kings |
| King | Reign | Duration of Reign | Comments |
| Aelle | 551-592 | 41 | Ruled Deira, fought against Cerdic the British King who died 616 |
| Aethelfrith | 593-616 | 28 | Ruled Bernicia, united & ruled Northumbria,
killed by Edwin in battle. |
| Edwin | 616-633 | 12 | Ruled Deira. killed by Oswald in battle. Paulinus baptised Edwin Easter day 627 |
| Eanfrith | Son of Aethelfrith, Ruled Bernicia. In exile in Edwin's reign in Dalriada, returned after Edwin's death. Converted to Christianity. | ||
| (St.)Oswald | 633-642 | 9 | Ruled Bernicia. Defeated Edwin. Killed in battle against Penda of Mercia |
| Osywy (Osuiu) | 642-670 | 28 | He combined Deira & Bernicia.
Son or brother? of St.Oswald, converted to Christianity. 655-Battle of Winwaed* 650 -LEY names appear in the countryside. |
| Oswine | Ruled Deira, murdered by Osywy in 651 at Gulling. | ||
| Ecgfrith | 670-685 | 15 | Wilfrid expelled by Ecgfrith.Defeated at Nechtansmere by Southern Picts. |
| Aldfrith | 685- | Son of Ecgfrith Ruled Northumbria. Celtic Christian |
|
| After 700 Northumberland declines. | |||
Middle Anglo-Saxon
settlement:(650-800)
Most medieval villages date from this time.1
Anglians and Saxons had an aversion for living inside the walled Roman towns,
York (Eoforwich) was one of them. (wich, Latin : vicus = settlement), populations
only fleeing back when the Vikings attacked. The Vikings or Norse are often
depicted with horns on their helmets but no evidence of this has ever been
found, it is probably a figment of the modern cartoonists imagination. That the
Vikings drank from horn vessels is probably closer to the truth.
Here at York the Anglo-Saxon settlement lies to the
N.E. of the Roman city (under the present Gilbertine monastery AD 750-850),
after the Vikings settled in 910 they established their town to the
N.W. at Coppergate.
Towns with the name ending in -wich may have been
trading towns, distinct from political centres. Other towns grew up around
palaces as "Villa regalis".
650 "Beowulf" an epic Anglian poem which was probably being composed in Northern England or East Anglia at bout this time (some say as late as 720 though). It was written before christianisation of England was complete. The characters are European pagan (Denmark & Southern Scandinavian historical). God is mentioned about every sixty lines.
655 The Battle of Winwaed* | DUPLICATE PLACE-NAMES | LOCATIONS |
| Osmotherley | Yorks. & Westmorland. |
| Staveley | Two in Westmorland and a third in Yorkshire. |
| Midgley | Near Halifax and S.W. of Wakefield |
| Middleton | N.of Ilkley & S.of Leeds. |
| Hebdenbridge/Hebden | Hebdenbridge and Hebden near Grassington. |
| Crofton | Near Heptonstall & near Wakefield. |
| Slack | Heptonstall Slack near Huddersfield. |
| Stansfeld/Stanley | nr. Heptonstall and Stanley near Wakefield. |
| Cawthorn(e) | S. Yorks. & N. Yorks. |
| Newsholme | Near Howden Humberside and nr. Keighley |
| First Settlements (AD 410-650) | Second Settlements (AD 650-800) |
| ING, INGS, INGTON,INGHAM, HAM, TON, HAMTON.
In Yorks. & Lincs. these are represented east of Doncaster. |
LEY, LEA, FIELD, FOLD, HURST, HIRST, HOUGH,
DON, FORD, DENN, SEY, NEY. In West & South Yorkshire most of these are represented by old forested. |
664 The Synod of Whitby was convened. There
were two parties:
1. The Celtic Party
2. The Roman Party
The Celtic Party was composed of Osywy (Earl of Northumberland),
Cedd the Bishop of the East Saxons who came from Northumbria, Hild (Abbess
of Whitby), and Colmar (Bishop of Lindisfarne)
The Roman Party consisted of Alchfrith (son
of Osywy), Agilberht (a bishop of the West Saxons, James The Deacon
and (St.) Wilfrid of Ripon Monastery.
Wilfrid supported the Roman date for Easter, Hild
did not, Osywy's daughter, Aelffled did.
They discussed where to place Easter in the Christian
calendar. Easter
was set according to the Roman Church rather than the wishes of the Celtic
Church.
King Osywy decided in favour of the Papal Party probably because he was influenced
by the claim of Pope Gregory that he had been trusted with the keys of heaven
& hell. By this time most of England was Christian6.
Circa 671 the Celtic kingdom of Rheged (Cumbria and
Dumfies) are captured by Northumbria.
672/3 Bede is born (later wrote the Ecclesiastical
History)
674 Ecgfrith is defeated by the Mercians on the Trent.
In the same year a monastery is built at Monkwearmouth near the mouth
of the Wear by Benedict Biscop, the land being granted by Ecgfrith.
677 Ecgfrith king of Northumbria expels
Wilfrid from Northumbria. Wilfrid had induced Ecgfriths wife, Aethelthryth
(Audrey) to become a Christian, she became a nun. Audrey was the daughter
of King Anna of East Anglia. There was no issue. Previously Audrey
had been married to Tondberct who had died in battle. Audrey founded
the monastery of Ely.
681 or 684 Jarrow established by Benedict Biscop,
again the land was granted by Ecgfrith.
685 Ecgfrith is defeated by the Picts at Nechtansmere
and dies. Wilfrid returned to Ripon on Ecgfriths death. From here
there is a decline in the power of Northumbria.
691 Wilfrid expelled from Northumbria for the
second time by Aldfrith who is more Celtic Christian.
700's
Before 700 Caedmon dies. He was a lay brother
in charge of animals at Whitby Abbey, he became a monk late in life.
He wrote what has come to be known as 'Caedmon's Hymn' an A/S poem of the creation. Possibly written
in the last part of the 600's. Caedmon had been born into a pagan world
and so knew both aspects.
By 700 Northumbria had passed its political
power and was taken over by the Northmen. Mercia was in ascendancy.
709 Wilfrid dies at Oundle monastery after being
restored to his monasteries of Ripon & Hexham.
731 Bede completes the first history of England.
( Ecclesiastical History of the English Church and People.)
735, 25th May The Venerable Bede dies at Jarrow.
He spent his ecclesiastical life on Holy
Island, Northumbria and recorded much of the
history, but archaeology has shown the picture of migration and settlement
discussed to be more complex than he ever indicated.
Bede mentions three stronger peoples in Germany,
one group the Angles from Angeln he records as living between the the lands
of the Saxons and that of the Jutes.
In England the Anglians formed the East Anglians,
Middle Anglians, Mercians, Northumbrians (North of the Humber) with other
Anglian tribes.
In the 600's Northumbria was strongest under King
Edwin, by the 700's Mercia was ascendant under Egbert & Offa.
Ca. 780 an iron and brass Anglian helmet from
this time has been found at Coppergate, York.
793 Vikings invading Lindisfarne Island.
794 They attacked Jarrow.
795 The Vikings reach and attack Iona.
EARLY ENGLISH TOPOGRAPHICAL NAMES AND THEIR MEANINGS:
| Early English | Meaning | Comment |
| hlaw, hloew, beorh | barrow or mound | both natural and artificial |
| bury | fortress | |
| denu | valley | |
| feld, field | plain, open space | |
| lea | clearing | |
| leah | wood or clearing in wood | |
| folc | people | |
| hearh | hill sanctuary | |
| weoh | idol or shrine | |
| ealh | temple | |
| frogga | frog | Norse: froskr, Old High German: Forsk |
The Saxons:
The Saxons were mentioned by Ptolemy in the 2nd Century
A.D. as settled in S. Jutland around the mouth of the River Elbe and nearby
islands. They spread across the Wesser. They were ruled by chieftains (princes).
By the 3rd-4th centuries they were raiding the North Sea coast (Litora Saxonica)
into S.E. Britain and from the Loire to Sheldt.
By 450 A.D. they were starting to settle Britain,
they were, like the Angles established by the end of the 500's
These groups originated from Holstein on both sides
of the River Elbe as far south as the rivers Ems, Rhine, Sieg and Unstrut6.
The Old Saxons moved East and conquered Thuringia and occupied N.W. Germany.
They colonised S.E. England (Kent, Essex & Sussex)
According to Bede these formed the East Saxons (Essex),
West Saxons (Wessex) & the South Saxons (Sussex)
The Angles (Englet):
Originated from a district still called Angeln between
Schleswig and Flensburg6 north of the Eider. They colonised
Humber, Lincoln, north East Anglia (Norfolk) and south East Anglia(Suffolk).
Regions such as Deira, Bernicia, Lindsey formed in the North.
According to Bede the Angles formed the East Anglians,
Middle Anglians, Mercians & Northumbrians.
The Jutes:
Originated from the banks of the lower Rhine 6
According to Bede these formed the folk of Kent,
Isle of Wight & the coast opposite the Isle of Wight.
There was mixing of the Angles, Saxons & Jutes
before migration.
Pre Christian ANGLO-SAXON DEITIES:
Reference: “Legends of the Northmen"
by K.M. Midgley published by A. Wheaton & Co. Paternoster Press Exeter.
These names are all found as prefixes to Saxon, Angle
and Jutish place names
| DEITY | COMMENT | DAY OF THE WEEK |
| Woden | (in Norse: Odin husband to Freya) wind god, nickname: Grim, hence Woden's Dyke (Wansdyke) and Grim's Dyke | Wednesday (Roman: Mercury's Day) |
| Thunor | (Norse:Thor) Thunder god, red hair, beard, thunderbolt, hammer. | Thursdsay (Roman: Jupiter's or Jove's Day) |
| Frigg | Mother goddess of Earth. Goddess of love &
fecundity, wife to Frey. (Norse: Freya wife of Odin), in Norse mythology she was a fertility goddess with exaggerated sexual organs. @ Christians made Frigg, Mary. In Norse mythology there is also Frea-Ing, a God who is the brother of Fija/Freja18 |
Friday (Roman: Venus's Day) |
| Tiw | Chief god, sky father, god of death. The upright Runic arrow (letter T) was often marked on swords. | Tuesday (Roman: Mar's Day) |
| Balder (Phol or Pule)# | Son of Odin & Frigg. The God of dying vegetation
who afterwards returns to his lover-Earth. Brother to the blind Hod(ur).
Nanna was Balders wife. Balder was killed by a bough of mistletoe thrown by Hod who was misled by the malicious Loki. The Christians made Balder Christ. Nanna had a sister Senna the Moon Maiden. |
There is no derived week name but many place names have Balder as their origin e.g. Pule Hill- at least 3 places in Yorkshire, Bolsterstone, Baldersley, Polesleah. |
| Loki (Loke) | Husband of Hag Loki misled Hod to kill Balder. Mallerstang, Cumbria: The Parish church is built on the site of a Saxon church which contains relics including the "Loki Stone" from the 700's. Loki was the Norse god representing a bound devil, this is one of only two known in Europe. Loki or Luck was seen as evil10. |
|
| Monday- Moon Day | ||
| Sunday- Sun Day | ||
| Saturday (Roman: Saturn's Day) |
# Balder would bleed to death(Winter) he was immune from injury except from mistletoe, kissing under the mistletoe may derive from this (loved one is not immune from its effects)
@ In Ireland Freya or Frigg was called Sighle-na-gcioch,
in Scotland, Sile-nagaioc, in England Sheela-na-gig. There are 70 known Sheelas
in Ireland 23 in Gt. Britain,18 in England, 17 in Christian churches and
one in Royston, Hertfordshire, which is the only one not in a church6(p.
154)
The Norse legends give Odin as the chief God. The
Gods lived in Asgard where Valhalla or Gladsheim Palace lay.
The giants lived in a place called Hel. Below Asgard was a place called
Midgard and below this, caverns where skilled dwarves (elves &
pixies) lived. These were originally friends of the Gods.
Bede describes how a pagan Temple at Godmanham in
the East Riding was destroyed. Coifu the high priest destroyed the idols &
altars.
The church suppressed heathen references in their
ecclesiastical writings.
Oak Trees:
The Saxons connected gods with trees especially the
oak tree because of its susceptibility to lightning strikes and hence its
association with the god Thor.("The blasted oak" of Shakespeare).
Elder Trees however were held never to be
struck by lightning. The Anglian and Saxon communities used it in
their folklore referring to it as Eldrun which was later corrupted
to Hyldor and Hyllan. Danish legend connected this tree with
magic, believing that in the branches dwelt a dryad, Hylde-Moer, the Elder-tree
Mother, and that if one stood under the tree on Mid-summer eve, one would
see the king of Fairyland and all his train ride by. They also believed that
a child's cradle should not be made of elder wood, for Hylde-Moer would come
and pull the child's legs, giving it no peace until it was lifted out!
Elder is described as the "medicine chest of the
country folk All parts of the plant can be used.17
There are numerous mentions of apples in Anglo-Saxon
texts which would be the crabapple.
The Anglo-Saxon Year according
to Bede:
25 December: Heathen Year begins
26 December : "Mothers Night" (now "Boxing Night")
First month: Modern Yule (Giuli)
Second month: Solmonath (cakes offered to Gods-ploughing
of loaves into the first furrow)
Third: Hretha (Goddess)
Fourth: Eostre (Easter) named after the Goddess
Fifth: Thrimilci -cows milked three times a day
Sixth & seventh: Litha (moon)
Eighth: Weodmonath weed month
Ninth: Halegmonath (holy month) month of offerings
(Harvest Festival)
Tenth :Wintirfyllith (winter full moon) first full
moon of winter
Eleventh: Blotmonath (blood month) sacrifice &
killing of animals for winter.
Twelth: Also called Giuli (O.E. Geol= Yule)
1. King
2. Eorl (Earl)
3.Thegn (Thane).A freeman up to 5 hides* of land.
He could own slaves.
4. Ceorl (churl). A freeman
5a) Farmer 1 hide of land. 5b) Craftsmen
6. Blacksmith. A freeman
[* a hide of land provided enough food for 1 family]
