The Germanic calendars were the regional calendars used amongst the early Germanic peoples, prior to the adoption of the Julian calendar in the Early Middle Ages.
The Germanic peoples had their own names for the months which varied by region and dialect, which were later replaced with local adaptations of the Roman month names. Our records of Old English and Old High German month names date to the 8th and 9th centuries, respectively. Old Norse month names are attested from the 13th century. Like most pre-modern calendars, the reckoning used in early Germanic culture was likely lunisolar. The Runic calendar developed in Medieval Sweden is lunisolar, fixing the beginning of the year at the first full moon after winter solstice.
The month names do not coincide, thus it is not possible to postulate names of a Common Germanic stage, except possibly the name of a spring and a winter month, *austr- and *jehul-. The names of the seasons are also Common Germanic, *sumaraz, *harbistoz, *wentrus, and perhaps *wēr- "spring". The Common Germanic terms for "day", "month" and "year" were *dagaz, *mēnō-þ- "Moon" and *jǣrom. The latter two continue Proto-Indo-European *me(n)ses-, *iero- while *dagaz is a Germanic innovation from a root meaning "to be hot, to burn".
Tacitus in his Germania (ch. 11) gives some indication of how the Germanic peoples of the 1st century reckoned the days. In contrast to Roman usage, they considered the day to begin at sunset, a system that in the Middle Ages came to be known as the "Florentine reckoning". The same system is also recorded for the Gauls in Caesar's Gallic Wars.
The concept of the week, on the other hand, was adopted from the Romans, from about the 1st century, the various Germanic languages having adopted the Greco-Roman system of naming of the days of the week after the classical planets, inserting loan translations for the names of the planets, substituting the names Germanic gods in a process known as interpretatio germanica.
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The months were probably lunar; the Old English "mónaþ", Old Norse "mánaðr, and Old High German "mánód",[2] as well as the modern English "month", modern Icelandic "mánuður", modern Norwegian "måned", modern Swedish "månad", modern Dutch "maand", and the German "Monat",[2] are all derivatives of the word "moon", with the -th suffix found in words such as "depth", "width", "breadth", etc. This connection is also found in several other Indo-European languages. [3]
Our main source of reference for Old English month names comes from the Venerable Bede. He recorded the pre-Christian Anglo-Saxon month names in his Latin work known as De temporum ratione (De mensibus Anglorum), written in 725.[4]
Charlemagne (r. 768-814) modified the established Julian Calendar to use the agricultural Old High German names of the months in areas under his influence. (See Julian Calendar:Month names for other examples.) They were used until the 15th century, and persisted in popular or dialectal use into the 19th century.
| Modern English (Julian Roman) [Modern German] | Old English / Anglo-Saxon | Old Norse | Old High German (and the New High German equivalent) | Poetic German / Carolingian |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January (Ianuarius) [Januar] | Æftera Jéola (After Yule) or Jiuli | Mörsugur (Suet-sucker) or Jól (Yule) (the first half of the month) and Þorri (Thor) (the latter half) | Harti-mánód (New High German: Härte monat, English: Month of Severe Frost) | Hartung (Severeness), Eis-mond (Ice Month), or Schnee-mond (Snow Month) |
| February (Februarius) [Februar] | Sol-mónaþ (Sol Month) or Fillibrook (Brook-Filling) | Þorri and Gói (Possibly Winter); Kyndilsmessa (candle/kindle-mass) | Hornung (Hornung, Horning, the shedding of antlers) | Hornung (Horning)[1]) |
| March (Martius) [März] | Hréð-mónaþ (Month of the Goddess Hréð or Month of Wildness [2]) | Gói and Ein-mánuðr | Lenzin-mánód (Lenz monat, Spring Month) | Lenzing(Springing) or Lenz-mond (Springtime Month) |
| April (Aprilis) [April] | Eostur-mónaþ("Easter Month", "Spring month") (month named after the Goddess Eostre) | Ein-mánuðr and Harpa | Óstar-mánód (Oster monat) ("Ostern(Easter) Month", see also Oster) | Oster-mond (see also: Goddess Eostre) |
| May (Maius) [Mai] | Þrimilki-mónaþ (Month of Three Milkings) | Harpa and Skerpla | Drímilki [5] (no common NHG equivalent), Winni-mánód (Wonne monat) | Wonne-mond (Graze Month [later interpretation: Blissfulness Month]) |
| June (Iunius) [Juni] | Ærra Líða (Before Midsummer) | Skerpla and Sól-mánuðr (Sol month) | Bráh-mánód (Brach monat) | Brachet or Brach-mond (Fallow Month) |
| (None; leap month) | Þrilíða (Third Midsummer) | (none) | (none) | (none) |
| July (Quintilis/Iulius) [Juli] | Æftera Líða (After Midsummer) | Sól-mánuðr and Heyannir (Sol's month, Haying) | Hewi-mánód or Hou-mánód (both Heu monat, hay month) | Heuert or Heu-mond (Hay Month) |
| August (Sextilis/Augustus) [August] | Weod-mónaþ (Plant month) | Heyannir (Hay month)and Tvímánuðr (Double month) | Aran-mánód (Ernte monat, Month of Harvest) | Ernting or Ernte-mond (Harvesting, Crop Month / Harvest Month) |
| September (September) [September] | Hálig-mónaþ (Holy Month) or Hærfest-mónaþ (Harvest Month) | Tví-mánuðr and Haust-mánuðr (Harvest/autumn month) | Witu-mánód (Holz monat, Month of Wood); or Herbist-mānōd (Leaves month, Herbst monat, Month of Harvest) | Scheiding (Separating) or Herbst-mond (Autumn Month) |
| October (October) [Oktober] | Winterfylleth (Winterfilled) or Rujern (Rye harvest) or Win-mónaþ (Wine month) | Haust-manuðr and Gor-mánuðr | Windume-mánód (Weinlese monat, Month of Vintage) | Gilbhart / Gilbhard (Forest Yellowing, ) or Wein-mond (Wine Month) |
| November (November) [November] | Blót-mónaþ (Blót Month) | Gor-mánuðr and Frer-mánuðr (Frost month) | Wintar-mánód (Winter monat) | Nebelung (Fogging) or Nebel-mond (Fog Month) or Winter-mond (Winter Month) |
| December (December) [Dezember] | Ærra Jéola (Before Yule) or Jiuli (Yule) | Frer-mánuðr and Morsugr or Jól (Yule month) | (Jul monat) | Jul-mond (Yule Month) or Heil-mond (Holy Month) or Christ-mond (Christ Month) |
The old Icelandic calendar is not in official use any more, but some Icelandic holidays and annual feasts are still calculated from it. It has 12 months, broken down into two groups of six often termed "winter months" and "summer months". The calendar is peculiar in that the months always start on the same weekday rather than on the same date. Hence Þorri always started on a Friday sometime between 9 and 15 and January of the Julian calendar, Góa always starts on a Sunday between 8 and 14 February of the Julian calendar.
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