My last name Stiff comes from a Jute chieftain named Stuf... many, MANY years ago...

#Stiff #Stuf #Jute #Jutes #AngloSaxon #Denmark #England #Scotland #Britain #British #ancestors #ancestry

Og ja, måske er internettet blevet noget rod de sidste år, men der er stadig mange ting, som er brilliante. Så når jeg begynder at stave mig lidt rundt i en angelsaksisk tekst, så er der selvfølgelig nogen, som har lavet en brugbar angelsaksisk ordbog, jeg umiddelbart kan slå op i. Det er man jo nødt til at elske.

#AngloSaxon #Grundtvig #Ordbog #Forskning #DkMastodon #Internet

https://bosworthtoller.com

"I Kveld blev der banket paa Helvedes Port" trækker mig så over i Grundtvigs forhold til den angelsaksiske litteratur. Der nusser jeg så for min fornøjelses skyld rundt i hans forhold til "Beowulf" og får bekræftet, hvad jeg godt vidste, men delvis havde glemt, at Tolkien kendte Grundtvig godt og lå tæt på ham i forståelsen af "Beowulf".

Måske skriver jeg i virkeligheden om Grundtvig, fordi jeg er rollespiller og fantasylæser.

#Grundtvig #Tolkien #Salmer #AngloSaxon #ttrpg #genre

Anglo-Saxon gold-and-garnet hoard discovered in England reveals early medieval jewelry and ritual practices

A set of striking Anglo-Saxon gold-and-garnet ornaments discovered on a hillside in eastern England is providing archaeologists with new views on the circulation, reuse, and sometimes deliberate removal from use of high-status jewelry during the early medieval period...

More info: https://archaeologymag.com/2025/12/anglo-saxon-hoard-reveals-medieval-jewelry-practices/

Follow us @archaeology

#archaeology #archeology #anglosaxon #medieval

The Anglo-Saxon calendar of the Internet.

January:
Nīeweġēarmōnaþ "New year month"
Winterǣfenmæssemōnaþ "Winter eve mass month"

February
Sweartenatalumōnaþ "Blacks' tale month"

March:
Wīfatalumōnaþ "Women's tale month"
Wīfamōnaþ "Women's month"
Mariġesmōnaþ "Marius's month"

April:
Mōdġemyndmōnaþ "Mind remembrance month"

May:
Ġewyrhtenamōnaþ "Fellow workers month"
Steorrangūþmōnaþ "Star war month"
Steorranmōnaþ "Star month"

June:
Prȳdemōnaþ "Pride month"

July:
Frēondsċipemōnaþ "Friendship month"

August:
Ġeoguþmōnaþ "Youth month"

September:
Weorcmōnaþ "Work month"
Bōcrǣdingemōnaþ "Book-reading month"

October:
Missenlīċnessemōnaþ "Diversity month"
Fyrhtumōnaþ "Fright month"

November:
Weramōnaþ "Men's month"
Granumōnaþ "Moustache month"

December:
Ġēolmōnaþ "Yule month"

#OldEnglish #AngloSaxon #Calendar #InternetCulture #GeekCulture #Linguistics

Here are two #Christian-themed #ThisDayInHistory events in the conversion of France & England.
508: #Merovingian #KingClovisI of Francia was baptized Catholic at #Reims by #SaintRemigius.
597: Augustine of #Canterbury and his helpers baptized 10,000 #AngloSaxon pagans in #Kent.

Blīðe Cristesmæssan ond glæd nīwe gēar from The Wordhord! 🌲🕯️
​For the language enthusiasts: "Blīðe" (blithe) meant joyous or kind, and "glæd" (glad) carried meanings of brightness and shining in Old English. Wishing you all a bright and joyous season, just as the ancestors would have said it over a thousand years ago.

#OldEnglish #AngloSaxon #Etymology #Linguistics #DarkAcademia #Yule #LangToot #Christmas

Detail from the Winchester Hanging Bowl. Dating from the late C7th or C8th, the bowl was found as part of an Anglo-Saxon burial at Oliver's Battery, near Winchester in Hampshire. Now part of the collections at Winchester City Museum. 📸 #FindsFriday #AngloSaxon #Winchester

Dear #Archaeology colleagues,

A project I have had the privilege to be involved in is up for an award! Our work at the
#AngloSaxon and #Medieval manor at Bosham is up for 'Research Project of the Year' in the Current Archaeology Awards 2026. We would appreciate your support. In addition, my excellent colleagues at Wessex Archaeology are up for 'Rescue Project of the Year' for their work on the wreck found on Sanday, Orkney.

https://the-past.com/feature/from-bayeux-to-bosham-tracing-lordly-sites-in-medieval-england/

https://archaeology.co.uk/vote

Noble Anglo-Saxon warrior of the ~6th century AD

Saxon Sculptures, Chichester Cathedral, Sussex, 1928 - WH Barrett Postcard

https://www.ebid.net/uk/for-sale/saxon-sculptures-chichester-cathedral-sussex-1928-wh-barrett-postcard-223519107.htm

#Chichester #ChichesterCathedral #AngloSaxon

A trio of Saxon warriors

Pocket Sundial, Anglo-Saxon, 10th century AD

I took a trip to Deerhust a few weeks ago, visiting the Anglo-Saxon site of St Marys Church and Oddas Chapel.

While there I improvised some filming. It's taken a little while, and I wish I'd had my equipment, but the video of that visit is now live.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEVJ7VMahZw

#history #anglosaxon
#england #english #englishhistory
#video #getoutside #getoutdoors
#saxon #darkages #earlymedieval
#anglosaxonhistory #albion #youtube

Banshees

A banshee (Bean si in Modern Irish & ben side, in Old Irish, meaning “woman of the fairy mound,” or “fairy woman”) is a female spirit in Irish folklore who heralds the death of a family member. She usually does this by screaming, wailing, shrieking, or keening. Keening is a traditional form of vocal lament for the dead in the Gaelic Celtic tradition. This is known to have taken place in Ireland & Scotland.

Banshees are strongly associated with specific Irish families. The belief is that the banshee is a family spirit attached to a particular lineage. Her mournful wail/cry is heard only by family members as a warning of an imminent death.

Another of the banshee characteristics is their unwavering attachment to certain Gaelic families such as the O’Neills, O’Brians, O’Connors, O’Grady, & Kavanaghs, among others. Some traditions hold that the banshee is the ghost. This is perhaps a mother of a famous poet/singer from the family who died tragically. In this sense, she’s an ancestral spirit tied to the bloodline & the land.

She appears or is heard only to mourn & warn the family of an impending death. Often before anyone has received news of it. This direct, specific role makes her an inherently familiar guardian or omen for that clan/family.

They aren’t family pets, the banshees presence is a known, if terrifying, part of the family’s history & destiny, linking her fate to theirs across generations.

A banshee is an autonomous entity, a powerful fairy-woman (bean sidhe) or ghost, isn’t under the control of any living person.

Sometimes she has long streaming hair, which she may be seen combing, with some legends specifying she can only be keen while combing her hair. She wears a gray cloak over a green dress. Her eyes are red from continual weeping. She’s sometimes dressed in white with red hair & a ghastly complexion.

In Ireland & parts of Scotland, a traditional part of mourning is the keening woman (bean chaointe), who wails a lament. This keening woman may be a professional, in some cases. The best Keeners would be in high demand.

Irish legends talks about a lament being sung by a fairy woman, or banshee. She would sing it when a family member died or was about to die. Even if the person had died far away & news of their death hasn’t come yet. In those cases, her wailing would be the 1st warning the household had of the death.

The banshee is also a predictor of death. If someone is about to enter a situation where it’s unlikely they’ll come out alive, she’ll warn people by screaming/wailing. This gives rise to the banshee also being known as a wailing woman. The banshee was also linked with the death coach. The banshee is said to either summon the death coach with her keening or travel in tandem with it.

When several banshees show up at 1 time, it usually indicates the death of someone holy or great. The story sometimes tells that the woman (though called a fairy) was a ghost. She’s often a specific murdered woman, or a man who passed away in childbirth.

In some parts of Leinster, she’s referred to as the bean chaointe or ban nigheachain (“little washerwoman”) or nigheag na h-ath (“little washer at the ford”). She’s seen washing bloodstained clothes or armor of those who are about to die.

In Welsh folklore, there’s also a similar being known as the cyhyraeth. The cyhyraeth gives a disembodied moaning voice before the person’s passing.

Some sources suggest that the banshees Laments only the descendants of pure Milesian stock of Ireland. The Milesians were the final race to settle in Ireland. The original belief appears to be associated with a number of ancient Irish families. According to tradition, a banshee wouldn’t lament or visit someone of Saxon or Norman descent or those who came to Ireland later.

Most, not all, of the last names associated with banshees have the “O” or “Mc/Mac” prefix. That means people with the last names of Goidelic origin. This means a family native to the Insular Celtic lands. Rather than those of the Norse, Anglo-Saxon, or Norman.

There are some exceptions to the banshee lore. A banshee may lament a person who’s been gifted with music & song.

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#AngloSaxon #BanNigheachain #Banshees #BeanChaointe #BeanNighe #BeanSi #beanSidhe #BenSide #Celtic #Cyhyraeth #DeathCoach #Gaelic #Goidelic #InsularCeltic #Ireland #IrishFolklore #Kavanaghs #keening #KeeningWoman #Milesian #ModernIrish #Norman #Norse #OBrians #OConnors #OGrady #ONeills #OldIrish #Poet #Saxon #Scotland #ScottishFolklore #Singer #WelshFolklore

Sutton Hoo treasures reveal ancient global connections - with Sue Brunning | Curator’s Corner S10 E7

One of my favorite bits of medieval art. I've never been able to see them in person, just in photos, so it's nice to at least see video of them for more context.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65d27rWlU1k #AngloSaxon #ArtHistory #History

Residence of an Anglo-Saxon monarch

✨ Happy St Elfleda’s Day! ✨

(The alternative date is 14th April.)

Did you know? Two miracles are associated with this 10th-century saint: 1️⃣ When a king visited Elfleda and she had no drinks for his men, she prayed—and turned water into mead so everyone could have a drink! 2️⃣ Want to know her second miracle? Check out “Unsung Women in Somerset” or “On This Day in Somerset” for the full story.

#History #Saints #Miracles #Somerset #womeninsomerset #womeninhistory #anglosaxon #histodon

Anglo-Saxon belt buckle, with diagram of representations, England, early 7th century AD

The second set of pics from my Deerhurst visit.

This is St Mary's church, which has it's origins in the 8th century. The church has grown and changed over the centuries, but to stand in such an ancient building was incredible. The third image shows the Deerhurst Angel, and the last shows a Wolf head (one of a pair).

#history #anglosaxon #england #english #englishhistory #photo #photography #getoutside #getoutdoors #saxon #darkages #earlymedieval #anglosaxonhistory #albion