Tomorrow sees in the first full moon of the year, at around 10am UK time. As Sagnamaðr Stark points out in his post here, this moon is known as Wolf Moon, amongst other names. In OE we find this in the name wulf-monaþ, when hunger forced wolves to chance encounters with shepherds and farmers. The plant we know as teasel (OE tæsel) was once also known as wulfes-camb or wolf's comb and if you've ever brushed your skin against a teasel head you'll know it feels like a bristly comb. I've no doubt that the same shepherds and farmers would have, in years passed, walked the outskirts of their fields looking for wolf hair trapped in the teasel, which would indicate their presence.

Old Norse and Germanic Graves by J Hoynck van Papendrecht depicting (1) Old Nordic megalithic tomb of the Young Stone Age (3000 B.C.) (2) Barrow of Leuningen. Early Bronze Age. First half of 2nd Millennium B.C. (3) Tree Trunk Coffin from Jutland. Middle Bronze Age. Midst of 2nd Millennium B.C. (4) The royal tomb of Seddin. Late Bronze Age around 800 B.C. (5) Ashes graves of the Iron Age. 800-500 A.C. (6) Tomb of Leuna. Early Iron Age around 300. A.C. (7) Oseberg-grave. Viking-Age. Around 900 A.C.

But there rose up a man most ancient, and he cried: "Hail Dawn of the Day!
How many things shalt thou quicken, how many shalt thou slay!
How many things shalt thou waken, how many lull to sleep!
How many things shalt thou scatter, how many gather and keep!
O me, how thy love shall cherish, how thine hate shall wither and burn!
How the hope shall be sped from thy right hand, nor the fear to thy left return!
O thy deeds that men shall sing of! O thy deeds that the Gods shall see!
O SIGURD, Son of the Volsungs, O Victory yet to be!"

from The Story of Sigurd the Volsung by William Morris (1922)

A stone weoh at Bede's World museum in Jarrow. The face is based on the faces found on the Sutton Hoo sceptre /whetstone whilst the bottom part of the design is in the shape of an Anglo-Saxon buckle.

One of the faces from the Sutton Hoo whetstone, in my opinion having a similar beard and hair pattern as the imagery found on the many Woden head pendants.

On top of the sceptre / whetstone sits a red deer (or High Deer). In OE the High Deer or Heahdeor was a symbol of Anglo-Saxon royalty. Heah meant tall, high, proud or exalted and is cognate with Hár – a byname used by Woden.

Reconstructed sceptre, helmet and clothing for the Wuffinga king Raedwald.

British Museum

At our larger folk-moots we often use drums whilst chanting galdor, which helps keep rhythm. These are normally Irish Bodhráns. It’s believed the Bodhrán was once a farming tool, used to remove husk from grains. A very similar drum can be found in English folk music called the riddle drum. This is a modern name for a type of drum possibly having been once called a ‘hylsung’ in Anglo-Saxon times. Just like the Bodhrán this was originally a farming tool designed to remove husk from grains, a process called winnowing or riddling – hence the name. The instrument was played across the British isles, including Cornwall and Ireland where it was known as the English riddle.

Image – Buster Ancient Farm.

Photo of a recently discovered carnyx from a site in Thetford. Only two others have ever been found in Britain and this one is the most complete carnyx ever discovered. Along with the carnyx was a bronze boar head war standard.

Three Carnyx players are depicted in this scene on the Gundestrup Cauldron.

Os byþ ordfruma ælere spræce,
wisdomes wraþu ond witena frofur
and eorla gehwam eadnys ond tohiht

Os is the origin of all language
Wisdom’s foundation and wise man’s comfort
And to every hero blessings and hope.

Os rune and Woden artwork by Brian Partridge