“Look-out for small curved pirate ships of the Saxons in whose every oarsman you think to detect an arch-pirate. Captains and crews alike, to a man they teach or learn the art of brigandage; therefore let me urgently caution you to be ever on the alert.”
~Sidonius
Painting: Saxon Warship by Mary Evans. 𐃏

The Saxons were well known for their maritime skills. They raided the British coast long before Hengist and Horsa led the Germanic tribes to Britain, which meant the Romans who occupied Britain were required to build sea defences, along the southern and eastern coastline, which became known as the Saxon Shore fortifications. The Angles were also a maritime folk. One suggestion for the origin of the name is that it comes from the angle fishing hook (A History of the English Language).

Gārseċġ is the name normally given to the English Sea-god. The meaning of his name remains a mystery, though the prefix gār seems to certainly means ‘spear’. Another OE kenning for spear was æsc (ash) and the term was also used to describe the Saxon seafarers, æscmann meaning a sailor or pirate.

Photo of the gilded silver hilt from an Anglo Saxon sword recently found in Kent. The sword, which is reported to have a runic innoscription on it, is one of a large number of grave finds from the discovery of an Anglo Saxon cemetery near Canterbury. Other finds include seaxes and spears and as well as beads, buckles and brooches. It will be very interesting to learn what the runic innoscription reads. No doubt it's mysteries will be revealed in time.

Regarding the translation of ‘Sol’ in Solmonaþ, Bede claimed Sol was a type of cake and that Solmonaþ was a time of baking cakes and this is the translation I use. Not only did this custom most likely continue into Christianity as the soul-cakes and Easter hot-cross buns but we find the practise was common in other pagan traditions. A yellow dyed cake was baked in honour of the Latin goddess Mater Matuta – the Mother Morning. The Romans called her Aurōra so she could be compared with our own Ēostre.

‘Sol-Monath can be said to be the month of cakes, which were offered to their gods’ – Bede.

Another translation is mud-month. Not very inspiring however with the amount of rain England gets this time of year it is very fitting.

My lino prints now as A6 greeting cards. Thunor Woden and Frēa.

Ēþel byþ oferleof æghwylcum men, gif he mot ðær rihtes and gerysena on brucan on bolde bleadum oftast.

To every man his home is very dear, as long as he can enjoy his rights and proper station there, in his own house, for the most part prosperously.

The eðel or eþel rune, which is shown on the garment above means much more than 'estate' which is the standard translation. The rune represents our home and homeland, the land that is given to us through inheritance. This is a rune which symbolises our birthright. As a pictogram I've come to view the rune as the womb of the Earth goddess.

Our modern word spring replaced the OE word lencten (also spelt lengten), the name for the spring season which came from the Germanic root langatīn meaning longer-day, a reference to the growing length of sun light which peaks at the sunstead. Christians took the name for Lent, but its first meaning was the name of the season.

Also here's some interesting etymology for you guys.

Alfǫðr, the name of Wóden/Óðinn, does not actually mean Allfather and is unrelated to Proto-Germanic *fadēr (father). The word fǫðr is from *fadiz (though the shift of *fad- to fǫd- suggests mutation from a u-stem of *faduz), meaning lord or master, and which is from Indo-European *pótis, a very old word found in despot (from *déms pótis, master of the house) and other noscripts.

This same noscript is archaic even for Proto-Germanic, but is still found in Gothic words like brūþfaþs (bride-groom) or hundafaþs (centurion). That shows how old the noscript of Alfǫðr may be.

Therefore Allfather should be read more as All-Master or All-Lord.

It wasn’t just the heathen holidays the christian church appropriated from us. The church claimed the names of our gods as well – giving them to jesus. In Anglo-Saxon England the church claimed that Bealdor (Baldur), Fréa (Frey), Wuldor (Ullr) and Earendel (Aurvandil) were all names for jesus. They even claimed jesus was the ‘high Thunderer’ (Thunor) in a 10th century charter of Edward the Elder!

The Wayland Smithy.

The Wayland’s Smithy long barrow lies just off the ancient Ridge Way and is home to the Smith-god Wayland or Weland. A charter from the reign of King Eadred (955AD) names the site as welandes smidðan (Weland's Smithy). During the early 19th century the site became associated with the Viking earl Bagsecg who died at the Battle of Ashdown, when a West Saxon army crushed the Danes led by Bagsecg and Halfdan.

Legend also has it if you leave a silver coin at the smithy, Weland would re-shoe your horse.

Pictured above is the pub sign of the The Blowing Stone Inn at Kingston Lisle near Wantage. It shows king Alfred blowing the Blowing Stone, which according to legend was used to summon the Saxon army who then defeated the Danes at the Battle of Ashdown.

First verse of The Blow Stone (or King Alfred’s Bugle) from the 1855 book A Day on the Downs.

This stone, which utter’d many a blast,
In silence lay for ages past.
By man unheard, by man unseen,
Tradition said it once had been,
And that for miles its loud alarms
Were heard when Alfred blew to arms.
And this tradition had it still,
The stone was on White Horse Hill.
From sire to son the Blow Stone tale
Thus circled round the White Horse Vale.

Anglo Saxon grave goods from Breach Down, Kent, including an interesting bronze figure; like a pocket-sized godpole. The eye holes appear to have been added after it was made, and may have been filled with stones or enamel. ᚩ

This image was widely shared on other channels a few years back. It is a painting that I did of a Woden god-pole or Woden-Stapol. Woden Worhte Weos.