The calendar used by Fyrnsidu is reconstructed from the Anglo-Saxon calendar described in the writings of the Venerable Bede, specifically in his work The Reckoning of Time. It is a lunisolar calendar, meaning that it uses the moon to determine the months, but adds an extra month every 2-3 years to avoid year-over-year seasonal drift.
The modern calendar closest to the Fyrnsidu calendar is the Jewish calendar. Like the Jewish Calendar, we begin our days at sunset, and use the Metonic cycle to determine when to add the extra month, on years 3, 6, 8, 11, 14, 17, and 19 (2021 is year 4 of Fyrnsidu’s Metonic cycle).
Like other Germanic cultures and many Celtic cultures, the Anglo-Saxons only recognized two seasons, winter and summer. Spring and Autumn were both split between the two seasons.
Months
In The Reckoning of Time, Bede tells us the name of each month, the translation, and the equivalent Roman month. The equivalent month is a rough estimate only, since it’s based on the lunar phases. In Fyrnsidu, we begin each month when the first sliver of the moon is visible after each new moon.
| Month name | Meaning | Gregorian equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Æfterra Ġēola | After Yule | January |
| Solmonaþ | Month of cakes | February |
| Hreðmonaþ | Hreðe’s month | March |
| Eosturmonaþ | Eostre’s Month | April |
| Þrīmilċe | Month of three milkings | May |
| Ærra Liða | Before Litha | June |
| Æfterra Liða | After Litha | July |
| Weodmonaþ | Month of weeds | August |
| Hāligmonaþ | Holy Month | September |
| Wintermonaþ | Winter month | October |
| Blōtmonaþ | Month of blood sacrifices | November |
| Ærra Ġeola | Before Yule | December |
In the leap years, the extra month (Þriliða, or third Liða) was added between the other two Liða months.
Holy Tides
There are four Holy Tides (or high holidays) in Fyrnsidu. These four days are widely celebrated in most forms of Heathenry, though with different names and possibly on different days.
| Day | Theme | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Ēosturdæg | “Eostre’s day”, first day of summer | Full moon of Eosturmonaþ |
| Midsumor/Liða | Midsummer | Summer solstice |
| Winterfylleþ | First day of winter | Full moon of Wintermonaþ |
| Ġeola | Yule/Midwinter | Winter solstice |
Other Holidays
There are many other holidays celebrated by followers of Fyrnsidu. A list of the most commonly celebrated holidays can be found on the Larhus Fyrnsida website.
Fyrnsidu 