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 |  This is a continuation of my blogging here at WdC |
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This will be a blog for my writing, maybe with (too much) personal thrown in. I am hoping it will be a little more interactive, with me answering questions, helping out and whatnot. If it falls this year (2024), then I may stop the whole blogging thing, but that's all a "wait and see" scenario. An index of topics can be found here: "Writing Blog No.2 Index"  Feel free to comment and interact. |
| Moon Names First… this is not a list of every single moon goddess (or, rarely, moon-god) from ancient cultures. This is not a list of the names of the moons of the planets of the solar system. And this is not a list of different names for that hunk of rock circling our own planet Terra. No, this is the traditional names for the full moons in northern hemisphere paganism. Yes, northern hemisphere, especially indigenous Americans and north-east European (Celtic, Norse, etc.) names. Southern hemisphere cultures tended to not name the moons. Southern pagans use the northern names despite them being completely irrelevant to our shared experience, and this is actually a reason why neo-paganism no longer emphasises the names of the moons, where if you go back to the 1970s and earlier, they were everywhere. Of course, some neo-pagans (term used in a very loose sense here) from the USA insist the moon names are fixed, and they tend to be the ones who fill the Internet, so this list comes from other sources. So, why have moon names? This differentiated the moons and showed the passage of time in cultures that did not name the months but had definite seasons. It was a way of marking passage of time, and also indicated which forces were at work in the pagan belief systems. Specific sacrifices and rituals were required at each moon. For a writer, this is the sort of weird knowledge that can add colour to your writing and world building. In your culture, do they recognise months? Do they have moon names? What are they? Why do they have those names? It can really help colour a world. Blue Moon There are sometimes thirteen full moons in a year. Modern neo-paganism states that in the month with two full moons, the second is called a blue moon. However, traditionally, if a season has four full moons, the third is called the blue moon… however this can be confusing as the season dates and times are not consistent around the world. Harvest Moon In modern neo-paganism, the full moon closest to the autumn equinox (September 21-23 in the north, March 19-21 in the south) is called the Harvest Moon. Traditionally, however, it is the one before or on the autumn equinox, not after. Blood Moon The Blood Moon is the moon that occurs when there is a total lunar eclipse. The red and associated light with wavelengths of around that size are the only ones that reach the moon, giving it the coloured appearance. So, those are the special moons. Now, let’s look at each month. Where I mention Native Americans, the individual Peoples and Groupings are not mentioned because US neo-pagans tend to lump all USA indigenous peoples together as one amorphous mass. I know they are not, and I know this is rather demeaning of a rich culture, but it is what it is in the minds of those people. January Generally, this is called Wolf Moon, coming from Celtic traditions. It is also known as Quiet Moon. Anglo-Saxons referred to it as Yule Moon as it was nearly always the full moon after Yule was over. Native Americans call it Severe Moon, White Moon or Centre Moon. February Snow Moon is a name here shared by Europeans and Native Americans. They also shared the names Bear Moon and Storm Moon. Native Americans also had the name Hungry Mon, while Celtic peoples also used Ice Moon. March Worm Moon comes from the Europeans. Anglo-Saxons also called it Spring Moon or Lenten Moon (Lenten means Spring). Celts called it Plough Moon and UK Celts called it Wind Moon. Native Americans called it Crow Moon. Two other names – Death Moon and Chaste Moon – are used, but they have little historical validity. April April has the name Pink Moon, which comes from the Native Americans, and they also called it Red Grass Moon. Europeans had names like Egg Moon, Growing Moon, Shoot(s) Moon and Seed Moon. Breaking Ice Moon is also seen, but, again, this does not appear to have a historical basis. May Both sides of the Atlantic call this Flower Moon. For Native Americans, this was their Egg Room and also a Plant Moon. Other European names were Milk Moon, Hares Moon, Rabbit Moon, Mothers’ Moon and Grass Moon. A modern name is Bright Moon. June June’s name of Strawberry Moon comes from the Native Americans, as do Berry Moon, Corn Moon, Ripe Moon and Berries Ripen Moon. The Celts called it Mead Moon, Horse Moon, and Rose Moon. The English, however, call this moon their Flower Moon, as well as Planting Moon. July This is known as Buck Moon, from the Native Americans noticing antlers appearing on deer. Native Americans also called it Salmon Moon. The Anglo-Saxon name was Hay Moon, while English Celts called it their Mead Moon, and mainland Celts Wyrt Moon or Herb Moon. August The name is Sturgeon Moon, from the tribes around the Great Lakes region of North America. The Celts called it Lynx Moon and maybe Dispute Moon. Anglo-Saxons used the name Grain Moon. The English called it Corn Moon. However… see September. Addendum: Both July and August are also known as Lightning Moon and Thunder Moon. September Generally, this is the Harvest Moon. If the full moon happens after the equinox, then it is called Farm Moon. In this case, the August full moon will be the Harvest Moon. Native Americans also call it Corn Moon, while Europeans call it Barley Moon or Wine Moon. Modern neo-paganism call it Song Moon, but, again, validity is difficult. October From the Europeans, it is the Hunter’s Moon. In modern definitions, every three years, this will be Harvest Moon. Celts also call it Blood Moon or Sanguine Moon. Native Americans used Falling Leaves Moon or Freezing Moon. November From the Native Americans, this is the Beaver Moon, but they also called it Frost Moon and another Freezing Moon. Celtic names were Dark(est) Moon and Black Moon. Another name given is Mourning Moon, but where this comes from is hard to ascertain. December This is Cold Moon for both sides of the Atlantic. The Celts also called it the Long Night Moon or Oak Moon and Anglo-Saxons The Moon Before Yule. This list is not comprehensive, but these are the names most generally recognised for each month. Month Etymology Month is the ordinal form of the word moon, from Old English. Ordinal is like first, second, third, fourth, etc. and we now only use it for numbers, but when it came to other words, ordinals were also used. So a month was the time it took for the moon to go from full moon to full moon, a month. A year was also known as a Solst for the same reason, and that is where the word Solstice comes from. Anyway, hope you found that interesting. |
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