Hretha is a goddess in Anglo-Saxon paganism. Hretha is attested solely by Bede in his 8th century work De temporum ratione, chapter XV. Bede associates Hretha with the third month of his listing of the Anglo-Saxon calendar, Hreth-monath, corresponding to what is now March.

De temporum ratione

Bede writes that:

In olden times the English people— for it did not seem fitting to me that I should speak of other nations' observance of the year and yet be silent about my own nation's— calculated their months according to the course of the Moon. Hence, after the manner of the Hebrews and the Greeks, [the months] take their name from the Moon, for the moon is called mona and each month monath.

The first month, which the Latins call January, is Giuli; February is called Sol-monath; March, Hreth-monath; April, Eostur-monath ...

Bede writes the month was "named from their goddess Hretha, whom they sacrificed to in that month". Hretha signifies "fame", and Hrethel, or Hreðel was the king of the Geats, in Beowulf. Such a name for a warrior is very widespread among European peoples: cf. for example the Greek name Etiocles.

Grimm

According to Jacob Grimm in his work 19th century work Deutsche Mythologie, her name may be related to Old High German hruod and Old Norse hróðr, "glory".

Tolkien

J.R.R. Tolkien adapted Hrethmonath for his "Shire-reckoning" in The Lord of the Rings

See also

• Ēostre

References

• Wallis, Faith (translator) 1999. Bede: The Reckoning of Time (Liverpool University Press).

External links

• Richard Sermon, "The Celtic calendar and the Anglo-Saxon year" at Gloucester and District Archaeological Research Group webite
• "The Shire Calendar"

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