Mōdraniht
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' or ' (; Old English for "Night of the Mothers" or "Mothers' Night") was an event held on or around the northern hemisphere's longest night of the year (the winter or hibernal solstice), by Anglo-Saxon pagans. The event is solely attested by the medieval English historian Bede in his eighth-century Latin work . It has been suggested that sacrifices may have occurred during this event. Scholars have proposed connections between the Anglo-Saxon and events attested among other Germanic peoples (specifically those involving the , collective female ancestral beings, and Yule), and the Germanic , f
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Article
5 sectionsContents
- Attestation
- Theories and interpretations
- See also
- Notes
- References
' or ' (; Old English for "Night of the Mothers" or "Mothers' Night") was an event held on or around the northern hemisphere's longest night of the year (the winter or hibernal solstice), by Anglo-Saxon pagans. The event is solely attested by the medieval English historian Bede in his eighth-century Latin work . It has been suggested that sacrifices may have occurred during this event. Scholars have proposed connections between the Anglo-Saxon and events attested among other Germanic peoples (specifically those involving the , collective female ancestral beings, and Yule), and the Germanic , female beings attested by way of altar and votive inscriptions, nearly always appearing in trios.
The Norse equivalent to Mōdraniht was '' (alternatively hǫggunátt, in , Icelandic and , ). The meaning of the prefix hǫku-/hǫggu-'' is unknown.