The Norse pagan calendar, also known as the Old Norse calendar, was a system used by the ancient Norse people to track and divide time. It was based on a combination of lunar and solar cycles, and its precise details varied depending on the region and time period. The Norse pagan calendar consisted of twelve lunar months, each lasting approximately 29.5 days. These lunar months were known as "mánaðr" in Old Norse. However, since the lunar cycle is shorter than a solar year, additional "intercalary" months were inserted periodically to align the calendar with the seasons.

Ancient Norse Calendars & Celebrations

Months were based on the timing of either the new or full moon. Many scholars believe the new moon would be the new month, and certain full moons marked specific occasions. Many ancient civilizations follow this model as well.

In this case, each new moon was counted and would have been observed as the first of that month (aka moon). It is impossible to assign each moon to a specific month of the modern calendar because they shift weeks every year. It also wouldn't be the same for every country or tribe.

Taking information from the foremost expert in the pre-Christian, Scandinavian calendar published, Dr. Andreas Nordberg, I created the chart below using the earliest calendar attestation compiled and documented by Snorri Sturluson.

*Note: The dates below can shift two weeks earlier or later than the month assigned because the lunisolar and Gregorian calendars do not align. Instead of trying to say 'October - give or take two weeks,' I use 'October-ish.'

(Find the bonus glossary of months at the end of this blog):

However, since the lunar cycle is shorter than a solar year, additional "intercalary" months were inserted periodically to align the calendar with the seasons. In addition to lunar months, the Norse pagan calendar also had its own system of weeks and weekdays. Each week was divided into seven days, with the names of the days derived from the names of Norse deities, such as Odin, Thor, and Freya.

Archeological Evidence for Heathen Calendar Observances

How do we know anything about Heathen celebrations, months and seasons? Anyone can cite a historian or researcher who is doing their best to explain theories and connections from medieval manuscripts, but if you are like me, that doesn't suffice. I thought, "We must have discovered something that references the observed dates of Heathen ancestors, right? We can't be basing everything off lore. " and I was right. Enter the archaeological finds of a Viking Age runic calendars: These calendars were engraved in the Old Norse language in writing or symbols known as Younger Futhark runes. The runes were written on parchment or carved onto bone, horns, rocks or wood. The symbols represent solstices, equinoxes, festivals, and holidays. Birthdays did not exist. Instead, a person's age was calculated by how many winters they lived. There are over 650 known 'calendars.' In Norway and Denmark, they are called a primstav, and in Sweden, it is called a runstav.

The oldest known stav was found in Nyköping, Sweden and has been dated back to the 13th century; however, a primstav was mentioned in an Anglo-Saxon chronicle for the year 876, which is believed to have arrived there with Danish Vikings during their settlement of England. ( source )

Photo: Ingvar Bohm / Nordic Museum, Stockholm

Primstav from Setesdal, Norway, 1781.

This primstav model was used in Norway until the 17th century when the first book was printed. This book was called 'Christiana .' Following this , the Julian Calendar was replaced with the Gregorian Calendar , and the stavs became archaic . However , some remote areas of Norway still used the stav model until the 1800s (19th century) (source) . Another famous runic calendar includes Worm’s Norwegian runic calendar from 1643, carved into bone. He described the winter months in his book 'Fasti Danici' but neglected to document the summer side. ( source : to translate , download an OCR-reader)

Photo: Worm's Norwegian runic calendar Source: 1643 Fasti Danici

Seasons

The primstav and runstav have a winter side and a summer side. I have not found any attestation of spring and fall. The summer side would start on the full moon on or around April 14, and the winter side would begin on or around October 15. That said, one of the foremost experts on Ancient Norse Celebrations and Rites, Dr. Andreas Nordberg, shows evidence of pre-Christian observations that separate the year into quarters. If you're not Swedish, you can translate his study into English through a Google translation tool.

Celebrations

As mentioned above, the runic symbols represent solstices, equinoxes, festivals, and holidays; but they were used until the 1900s, which meant information was updated. To determine what was historically observed, people turn to attestations in the Eddas and sagas or historical manuscripts written by historians or travellers of the time. From these sources, we can determine sumbel occurred during these celebrations. A sumbel is ritualistic drinking and feasting. Sometimes a sumbel happens during a blót, and a blót is a ceremonial sacrifice.

1. Hökunótt: 28 days or four full weeks after the winter solstice;
2. Somarmál: 28 days after the spring equinox;
3. Midsommar: 28 days after the summer solstice; and,
4. Vetrnætr: 28 days after the autumn equinox.
5. Alfablot: Some time after Vetrnætr

Hökunótt (Midwinter Day) - This is considered 'Viking Yule' or Julblót. It takes place in the middle of the Heathen winter months - The first full moon after the new moon of the solstice (Around mid-January). Somarmál (Summer) - This is also known as Sigurblót or Victory-Blót. It occurs on Summer Day during the full moon of Goa Moon (around mid-April). Midsommar (Mid-Summer) - A (possibly) newer festival celebration different than other celebrations on this list. Midsommar is generally considered a frivolous and fun community gathering where singing, dancing, flirting and mockery would be observed. It was not given a name or a date until the 1700s , although variations had been celebrated for longer.

Vetrnætr (Winter Nights) - On the first day of winter on the full moon of Haustmanuthr (Around mid-October)

Alfablót - This is not attested on archaeological finds, but it is attested in a poem and a couple of scriptures. Alfablót is a private Swedish tradition held after Winter Nights to honour ancestors.

Another great source of information lies in the law books of the Kings of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. These kings came into power using Christianity for power. To have power over the people, they needed people to accept them as their king and convert people to their religion. One of the last areas to convert was the people under the King of Norway-and-Sweden. The majority of these people were Heathens. Many of their customs were so firmly rooted in society that laws banning specific celebrations would fail. Instead, kings got wise (sometimes) and began merging Heathen customs with Christian celebrations, making compromises in some areas and outright banning non-civilized practices in return - such is the case for Yule and Midsommarfest.

My research into ancient Norse calendars is far from over. Throughout several sources I read to get this far, I have also learned that each tribe, city and country would have their own version of celebrations and traditions at different times. As far as I have been able to piece together, the above findings are as broad as I can manage at present. If you have a calendar you follow, please add the link to the comment section below with the country and era of origin. Sincerely, Jennifer Hartman Pagan Kids pagankids.org

Bonus: Glossary of Months (aka Moons):

The Heathen calendar is split into two sections/seasons: Winter months and summer months. Instead of being January, February, March, etc., these were their names and what they represented:

Haustmanudur: Harvest Moon On the full moon in or around October, the crops would need to be harvested to prepare for the cold and harsh winter months. *A major Heathen celebration (aka blot) called 'Winternights' or 'Vetraenatr' would be held at this time to thank the gods for the bounty and hope for their favour during the coming darkness. Gormanudur: Slaughter Moon The next full moon after the harvest moon symbolized the 'Slaughter Moon.' Animals that were not expected to survive the winters would be slaughtered and turned into preserves to feed the family during the winter months. (November-ish) Jolmanudur: Yule Month The full moon following 'Slaughter-Moon, was the new Yule Moon. The new moon symbolizes the longest and coldest time of the year and the start of the countdown to the next full moon in which the Yule blot will be held (December-ish). Jolmanudur: Yule Moon The full moon after the new moon (of the winter solstice) is Yule. This marks the coming of light, which happens in or around January. *A major Heathen celebration (aka blot) called Yule would be held at this time for three days and nights or until the festivities food and drinks ran out.

Sanmanudur: Sun Moon The next full moon following the Yule moon is called the Sun moon, presumably because the days start to last longer in or around February. DistingTungel: Fat Sucking Moon The full moon after Sun month means it is DistingTungel month. This would occur around March. We don't know why it's called the 'Fat Sucking' moon, but we can assume the food was getting scarce, and people began losing a lot of their fat due to hunger.

Einmánuður: One Moon Following Góa Month, the next full moon is One Moon which happens in or around May. Harpa: Harpa's Moon After the full moon of Goa month, the full moon is called Harpa's moon. This falls in or around June. Skerpla: Skerpla's Moon (July-ish) The next full moon is called Skerpla's Moon. This full moon occurs in or around July. Heyannir: Hay Moon (August-ish) Hay Moon is the full moon occurring in or around August. We can assume it marked the beginning of harvest season when it was time for the farmers to prepare the hay. Tvimanuur: Second Moon (September-ish) The full moon after Hay month is Tvimanuur. This occurs in or around September. After Tvimanuur, we cycle back to the first moon of this list: Haustmanudur.

What are the most important Viking holidays?

The Vikings, like many other pagan cultures, celebrated particular holidays that marked different periods of the year. Prior to the Christianization in the early medieval period, the most important Viking holidays were based on the lunisolar calendar.

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Despite using a different calendar to what we in the Western world use, some of the holidays that the Vikings celebrated would be familiar to us. Source: slowowl / Pixabay

The lunisolar calendar is a calendar that combines both lunar and solar calendars. The Vikings were not alone in using a lunisolar calendar. From the ancient Assyrians to the Jains, a huge range of cultures, peoples, religions, and civilizations throughout history have more or less used the lunisolar calendar.

The lunisolar calendar indicates both the current phase of the moon combined with the position of the Sun in the Earth's sky. Currently, it is the foundation of the Buddhist, Chinese, Hebrew, and Vietnamese calendars.

However, the names and order of weekdays could differ between different regions and time periods within the Norse world. Important dates and festivals were an essential part of the Norse pagan calendar. These included the solstices and equinoxes, which marked the changing of seasons and were celebrated with feasts and rituals. Other significant festivals included the Yule, held around the winter solstice, and Midsummer, which celebrated the summer solstice. The Norse pagan calendar was not static, and it underwent changes and adjustments over time. As Norse society became more influenced by Christianity, the calendar began to incorporate Christian elements, such as the adoption of Christian holidays like Christmas and Easter. However, the traditional Norse pagan festivals and customs still held a significant place in the lives of the Norse people. Today, there is a renewed interest in the Norse pagan calendar among modern practitioners of Norse paganism and neo-paganism. Many individuals and groups attempt to reconstruct and follow the ancient calendar as closely as possible, using available historical sources to determine the dates and rituals associated with each month and festival. In conclusion, the Norse pagan calendar was a lunar-solar system used by the ancient Norse people to track time and mark important festivals and events. It was a combination of lunar months, weeks, and weekdays, and incorporated both pagan and Christian elements depending on the region and time period. Despite the passage of centuries, the Norse pagan calendar continues to inspire and influence modern practitioners of Norse paganism..

Reviews for "Norse Pagan Calendar and Nature: Exploring the Connection between Seasons and the Natural World"

1. Sarah - 2 stars - The Norse pagan calendar was not what I expected at all. The descriptions of the holidays and rituals were very vague and lacking in detail. I was hoping for a more comprehensive guide that would help me understand the significance of each month and how to celebrate accordingly, but this book fell short. Additionally, I found the organization of the calendar to be confusing, making it difficult to navigate and find the information I was looking for. Overall, I was disappointed and did not find this book to be a helpful resource for understanding and practicing Norse paganism.

2. John - 1 star - I was excited to delve into the Norse pagan calendar and learn more about the ancient traditions and celebrations. However, this book was a huge letdown. The information provided was incredibly repetitive, with the same basic explanations repeated throughout different sections. It felt like there was a lack of research and depth put into this calendar. It barely scratched the surface of Norse pagan practices and left me wanting more. I would not recommend this book to anyone looking for a comprehensive and informative guide on the subject.

3. Michelle - 2 stars - The Norse pagan calendar did not meet my expectations. It lacked clear instructions on how to observe and celebrate the different holidays and festivals. I was hoping for more guidance on setting up altars, performing rituals, and connecting with the gods and goddesses of Norse mythology. The information provided was basic and left me wanting a lot more. Overall, I found this calendar to be lacking in substance and depth.

4. Robert - 2 stars - As someone interested in Norse mythology and paganism, I found the Norse pagan calendar to be quite disappointing. The information provided was too general and lacked the historical and cultural context that I was hoping for. I was looking for a calendar that would deepen my understanding of Norse traditions and provide detailed explanations of each holiday and its significance, but this book fell short. It felt more like a surface-level overview rather than a comprehensive guide. I would recommend looking for other resources if you're seeking a more in-depth understanding of Norse paganism.

Lunar Influences and the Norse Pagan Calendar: Understanding the Role of the Moon in Norse Holidays