22nd April, Today we commemorate the last British #Pagan King, and last king of the #IsleOfWight Arwald.

On this day in 686, Cædwalla, King of Wessex invaded the #Jutish kingdom of Wihtwara, the land of Whit [ ᚹᛁᚻᛏ ] (Spirits / Supernatural Beings).

Arwald had sent his two son to his kinsfolk, the Meonwara to keep them safe.

Due to their superior size, the army of Cædwalla were victorious. However, not without many casualties. #Folklore says that Arwald dealt Cædwalla a near fatal wound that never healed and would ultimately take his life many years later. The story says, that the last curse, uttered using the last of the old magic was from Arwald's lips as he struck Cædwalla.

After the battle, Cædwalla sent his men the commit genocide on the island. A memory that still runs deep on the Island, even to this day.

The two princes were also betrayed after they had been forced to convert to #christianity -- Cædwalla had them killed.

This is not the of the story, the sister of Arwald was the wife of the King of #Kent and was the great great great Grandmother of #AlfredTheGreat. One could argue, the line of Wiht is behind the whole of the British royal family.

#OldEnglish #histodons #medievodons #AngloSaxons #AngloSaxonSaturday #paganism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arwald

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Why do people always try to school me on #AngloSaxon and #Jutish #history?

There is always one who thinks they’re someone sort of expert and comes off looking like an idiot. The #DunningKruger is strong with this one.

Bit of a special #OldEnglish #WordOfTheDay today:

bróðormægen [ ᛒᚱᚩᚦᚩᚱᛗᚫᚷᛖᚾ ] : bothers in magic

bróðor: brother
mægen: strength ; power / magical power

Pronunciation: https://files-thefolklore-cafe.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/attachments/magic-brothers.m4a

This is a title used the users of the deepest of magics, those that are brothers by magics deeper than blood. Brothers in power, strength and magic.

Those of us who know #Hookland, know we are all bróðormægen.

#AngloSaxons #Jutish #histodons #pagan #paganism #FairytaleTuesday #Folklore

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#OldEnglish #WordOfTheDay

fyrnweorc [ ᚠᚣᚱᚾᚹᛖᚩᚱᚳ ]: An ancient work, the creation -- Literal translation ancient-work or ancient-creation

This means the building of all creation, the ancient magic that went into creating the world around us.

Pre-Christian /#Pagan context: The magical building blocks that went into the creation. The ancient work in this context is all the definitions in one. The building of all things as well as the creation of a work of art. Magic comes from the left-over stuff from creation (maybe? just a theory)

Christian: The creation of the world by God in Seven Days: Freá fyrnweorc (Lord of all creation)

fyrn:former / ancient

weorc: work ; in various senses ; including: labour, a creation / building / a work of art

Pronunciation: https://files-thefolklore-cafe.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/attachments/fyrnweorc.m4a

Example: he freá sceáwode fyrngeweorc [fyrnweorc]

Translation: the lord beheld the ancient work / the lord beheld all of creation

#AngloSaxon #histodon #Jutish #medievodons #Folklore

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#OldEnglish #WordOfTheDay

geonsíþ [ ᚷᛖᚩᚾᛋᛁᚦ ]: yon-journey; journey to the other world, death / Journey to the other place / travelling to the Somewhen

The is the great journey to the other place / to death. It is when the spirit leave the body and moves on to what is waiting for us. It is more than just a journey though, it is the etherial movement from this place to another, to the mysterious place yonder -- out of reach.

In pre-christian / #pagan beliefs, it would be to #Hell, not the #Christian Hell, but the after-life.

After #Christianity took over, it became the journey to either #Heaven (for reward) or Hell (punishment / damnation)

geon: Yon -- Something over there. A place or thing in the far off distance. The root of Yonder

síþ: going journeying; going from this world; a journey voyage course expedition undertaking enterprise

Pronunciation: https://files-thefolklore-cafe.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/attachments/geonsith.m4a

Example: Æfter hyra geonsíðe [ geonsíþ ] hié tó hellewítum beóð gelædde

Translation: She was lead on the yon-journey to pay within the torments of hell

#histodons #medieval #AngloSaxon #Death #Jutish #paganism #language #medievodons #Folklore

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#OldEnglish #WordOfTheDay

wærborh [ ᚹᚫᚱᛒᚩᚱᚻ ] : faith-pledge

wær: truth ; faith / fidelity ; friendship / agreement ; promise

borh/borg: pledge

Pronunciation: https://files-thefolklore-cafe.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/attachments/waerborh.m4a

The wærborh is a deep pledge, one that binds a person; more than just a legal agreement, it is an oath that is attached to oneself.

Example: Gif man ofslægen weorðe, gylde hine man swá hé geboren sý. And riht is ðæt se slaga, siþþan hé weres beweddod hæbbe, finde ðærtó wærborh...

Translation: If man kills the first person he sees he must pay the price of his worth. It is right that the killer pledges this and is bound by the faith-pledge.

ie: If you kill someone you must pay what that person is worth in a fine and he is bound to this

#AngloSaxon #Jutish #language #AngloSaxonLaw #histodons

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#OldEnglish #WordOfTheDay

dreócræft [ ᛞᚱᛖᚩᚳᚱᚫᚠᛏ ]: the magical arts; magic work ; casting magic; spell casting

dreó / drí / drý: A sorcerer, #magus; sorcery

cræft: strength ; power ; skill ; device, especially magical

Pronunciation: https://files-thefolklore-cafe.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/attachments/dreocraeft.m4a

This is the act of spell binding / making of powerful magic by a great #sorcerer.

"Simon se drý þurh dreócræft worhte ærene næddran, and ða hie styredan"

Translation: Simon the sorcerer [ #SimonMagus] made adders [snakes] made of brass and though the use of #magic they moved by themselves

"Hé bysmraþ men mid his dreócræfte"

Translation: He mocked men with his magical skills

#AngloSaxon #Jutish #WyrdWednesday #Folklore #pagan #WitchWednesday #Witchcraft

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#OldEnglish #WordOfTheDay

gliwhleóþriend [ ᚷᛚᛁᚹᚻᛚᛖᚩᚦᚱᛁᛖᚾᛞ ] : musician, minstrel.

gliw: Glee / Joyful

hleóþriend (or hleoþrung) : sound; noise; musical sound

Gliwhleóþriend: litteral translation is "Glee-Sounder" but it's meaning is "A person who making joyful music and sounds"

I love this word, because it beautifully describes what a musician / minstrel does. There is something magical and romantic in the simplicity of the literal translation, "glee-sounder". I am sure the images in our minds and the sounds that fill our imaginations are linked deeply with that outstanding and beautiful joy.

Another translation of a minstrel is: gleomann / glíwman which means "Glee man; a person that brings glee, this can also mean jester. However, for me gliwhleóþriend truly sums up emotion, romance and magic that a minstrel / musician brings to us all.

#FairytaleTuesday #AngloSaxon #Jutish

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#OldEnglish #WordOfTheDay

bealosíþ [ ᛒᛖᚪᛚᚩᛋᛁᚦ ] : a journey / to travel / make your way through a period of evil / calamity; A destructive or deadly path, travelling the journey to death.

bealo: baleful ; deadly ; dangerous ; wicked ; evil

síþ: time, going on a journey, to be late

Like a lot of Old English words, it is hard to break it down to a simple set of words in English. We have to look at the word through the eyes of a storyteller; there is a literal definition, but also a metaphorical definition.

The journey is also time, the travelling is our life moving forward. The evil are the wretched things that happen during this journey, those things that befall us that are out of our control.

Bealosíþ is a concept, it is those times in our life that we must travel trough that is filled with evil and calamity.

It can also describe the grim march to death, that lingering dark path.

The state of bealosíþ is part of the wyrd and could be cause by entities, curses, gods, or those that just want to do us harm. It is those darkest of times that surround us all.

#Histordons #AngloSaxon #Jutish #Folkore

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#OldEnglish #WordOfTheDay

wælmist [ ᚹᚫᛚᛗᛁᛋᛏ]: A mist that covers the bodies of the slain.

wæl: the slain, the dead, a number of slain, generally of death in battle.

The wælmist rises off the slain in a way that leaves the mortal heart arching with loss and fear -- the wælbrecða (or heart of sorrow for the slain).

They say, that after the battle between #Arwald (the last #pagan king in Britain) and #Cædwalla, Cædwalla's troops move their camp into the woodland of the #IsleOfWight at the sight of the wælmist lest the #Death (Hel) mistook them or one of her own.

#AngloSaxon #Jutish #histodons #History #Historian #Folklore #Paganism

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I’ve been working on the staging for my latest production — we are going to tell the story of the three sisters.

Main characters: The Three Sisters (the #maiden, the #mother, the #crone), #Horsa, Woden and Gerðar — #Goddess of the #Wyrd

Who likes the idea of shadow #puppets masked performers and a wooden horse?

#folklore #theatre #FolkloreThurday #StoryTelling #AngloSaxon #Jutish

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Old English word of the day: #Eftwyrd [ ᛖᚠᛏᚹᛁᚱᛞ ]

The end of the beginning is the beginning of the end…

A description of the Eftwyrd — a becoming again a renewal of existence

#AngloSaxon #OldEnglish #Pagan #Jutish #Folklore #Wyrd #WyrdWednesday #histodon

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All my #jutish #AngloSaxon #linguistics #dutch #oudnederlands #fries #frankish #language #oldenglish #archaism fans, should we call our community…anglosaxtodon? 😂

Morning Gang, how are we? Today I’m being interviewed on a #pagan podcast to talk about #Jutish and #AngloSaxon #NewYear celebrations. So if hearing about the old British / Germanic gods and practices is your bag then this might be right up your street.

I am going to tackle it from a half #historian and half #storyteller perspective. There will be a bit for everyone. Bit of fact, bit of speculation, a bit of storytelling, a bit of #magic and a bit of #OldEnglish

Let’s make this Wōdnesdæg (#Wednesday ) a bit of fun.

#art #histodon #histodons #pagans #yule

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Drawing of the lover god and goddess Helið in the early #medieval style, by me.

Time for a little #OldEnglish #Christmas / #Yule

Pre-Christian -- Lastnight was said to be Mother's Night, where I would like to think they celebrate the Goddesses of the year (Hrêða [ ᚻᚱᛖᚦᚪ ], Ēostre [ ᛖᚩᛋᛏᚱᛖ ] and Sceaðu [ ᛋᚳᛖᚪᚦᚢ ] ) NB: That is just my personal interpretation.

Gōd Mōdraniht sīe þē [ ᚷᚩᛞ:ᛗᚩᛞᚱᚪᚾᛁᚻᛏ:ᛋᛁᛖ:ᚦᛖ ] -- Good Mother's Night to you!

Gōd Gēol sīe þē [ ᚷᚩᛞ:ᚷᛖᚩᛚ:ᛋᛁᛖ:ᚦᛖ ] -- Good Yule to you!

Which then evolved into:

Gōd Crīstes mæsse sīe þē [ ᚷᚩᛞ:ᚳᚱᛁᛋᛏᛖᛋ:ᛗᚫᛋᛋᛖ:ᛋᛁᛖ:ᚦᛖ ] -- Good Christmas to you!

So take your pick my friends, whichever tickles your fancy: go a little pagan, go a little in-between or go for something more Christian/modern.

The choice is yours.

#Folklore #histodon #historians #History #Runes #AngloSaxon #AngloSaxonx #Jutes #Jutish #yuletide

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Gēolabletsung folc [ ᚷᛖᚩᛚᚪᛒᛚᛖᛏᛋᚢᚾᚷ:ᚠᚩᛚᚳ ] -- Yule Blessing to All People!

Tonight I am holding get together tonight for a bit more of a #pagan celebration. It is going to be the first of a set of pre-christian #Jutish / #AngloSaxon celebrations I am hoping to hold over the course of the following year.

I am going to read sone #OldEnglish poetry, meditation and talking about some of the old gods.

We will see how it goes.

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It is #Tuesday -- We get the name from the old #Jutish / #AngloSaxon god "Tíw [ ᛏᛁᚹ ]" -- Tíwesdæg [ ᛏᛁᚹᛖᛋᛞᚫᚷ ] .

There is little written about this God and even his name gives us little to go by. Some people think it is from the photo-germanic that means simply "god".

Tíw is often represented simply by the #rune ᛏ or Tir (which means "glory"), which itself is cognate of the Nordic / Icelandic "Týr". Týr (the god) and Tíw are most certainly the one and the same God.

This brings us to the #OldEnglish Rune #Poem and here is the section on "Tír"

Tír biþ tána sum healdeþ tréowa wel,
wiþ æþelingas á biþ on færelde,
ofer nihta genipu, næfre swíceþ.

Translation:

Tír is the token of the strongest loyalty pledged
to princes and it always hold's it course
And never betray them, even over the clouds of night.

Also, in Kent a 7th century spear blade and sword pommels have been found with the rune "ᛏ" stamped or engraved upon them.

So what does this tell us? Some will say the God of War, but I think that is too simplistic.

If we put the limited references together, with a little supposition: Tír is the God of loyalty and glory, the doer of great deeds. More than likely one who is invoked in battle, to help guide their swords and spears. Even in a person's darkest hour, Tír will never abandon them.

#Folklore #history #Medieval #MedievalArt #histodon #histodons #Pagan

More information on the pommels: https://finds.org.uk/staffshoardsymposium/papers/svantefischerandjeansoulat

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#GothicAdvent Day 15:

The mists of time run deep; the ebbs and flows of the wyrd span the course of human history.

#Mottistone, is the magical heart of the #IsleOfWight -- the village derives it's name from the great #LongStone that was known as the Mōtstán [ ᛗᚩᛏᛋᛏᚪᚾ ] or Meeting Stone.

Legend says that is where the Kings of the Island (the Wihtwalda [ ᚹᛁᚻᛏᚹᚪᛚᛞᚪ ] ) were chosen by at the Island witenagemot [ ᚹᛁᛏᛖᚾᚪᚷᛖᛗᚩᛏ ]

People believe that cries of the slaughtered souls from the last #Pagan and #Jutes of the Island can be heard at this time of the year. The Ghosts and shades of the past make their way to Meeting Stone; the lefthand side of the stone is known as the Weeping Skirt. Island #Pagans still go there today to pay their respects.

#Folklore #StandingStoneSunday
#OldEnglish #AngloSaxon #Jutish #Yule #Yuletide #history #Histodons #Histodon #Runes

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It's #Monday or #Mōnandæg [ ᛗᚩᚾᚪᚾᛞᚫᚷ ] - Mōna or Mōnē's day, the Day or the Moon God, his name is rooted on the old proto-germanic word for "to measure". It also the root of the word "mæl" (meal today) and #Mōna is the root of the word #mōnaþ [ ᛗᚩᚾᚪᚦ ] or Month.

There is very little written evidence left about Mōna, apart from his name being given to the word for today. However, as he is cognate to #Mani (Norse Moon #God) who is attested in Prose #Edda and the Poetic Edda.

I for one however, like to look at Mōna how the Germanic tribes might have, and let us create our own stories and traditions. That is how storytelling works -- nothing is made up, just remembered differently.

The #Moon was what was used to mark time, he travelled the heavens, guiding us forward, from the cradle to the grave. That is why some people believe he was also the protector of Children and life.

This piece of art, that I drew shows Mōna, cradling the children that he protects as he crosses the night sky and the passage of their lifetime. It is done in the Early Medieval Style

#History #Histodons #Folklore #Storytelling #Histordon #AngloSaxon #Jutes #Jutish #Art #AngloSaxonArt #MedievalArt

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Some of my favourite #OldEnglish words (with their #Runes):

1. rícen [ᚱᛁᚳᛖᚾ] - A powerful woman, a goddess!

2. fela-spræce [ᚠᛖᛚᚪᛋᛈᚱᚫᚳᛖ] - Using a lot of words to deceive someone: using word salad as a way to lie to someone

3.wyn-bliss [ᚹᚣᚾᛒᛚᛁᛋᛋ] - Literally "the Winning Bliss" ie, the most blissful thing ever.

4. wórung-gerýne [ᚹᚩᚱᚢᚾᚷᚷᛖᚱᚣᚾᛖ ] - Mysterious Wanderings; to walk in a mysterious and magical place

5. word-gerýne [ᚹᚩᚱᛞᚷᛖᚱᚣᚾᛖ] - A mystery expressed in words; deep sayings, spell bindings

#history #histodon #Histodons #AngloSaxon #Jutish

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