The old Scandinavian calendars runstav or primstav were shaped like modern rulers, with symbols or runes marking important days. One side of the calendar represented the summer months, and the other side winter. The last end of summer marked the end of the harvest, and the beginning of slaughter season.
The day of demarcation between the two sides was October the 14th (or 28 days after the fall equinox). The day is called vinternettene, and marks the date of one of the ancient major quarterly sacrificial rites, höstblot.
A blot was usually performed in a building dedicated to sacrificial and ritual purposes, a hov, and involved a sacrifice of food and animals. Blood from the animal was sprinkled on participants, walls and inventory of the hov. A feast followed the sacrifice.
And today we received the first snow, how appropriate.
3 kommentarer:
Interesting! I was a guide at a museum before, and there er had a runstav, but I didn't know this much about it.
/Marlene
Jag som var så glad över att slippa snön som kom för några veckor sedan hoppas att vintern väntar och inte lyssnar på vad någon har bestämt sedan många, långa år tillbaka! :)
Marlene: What a lovely job to have!
Monnah: Nä, nu är det vinter för mig. Hösten var härlig, men förbi vid det här laget. Jag har insett vilken breddgrad jag bor på kan man väl säga. Men i Stockholm välkomnade jag inte vintern före slutet av november och då bara för att november var så rått och grått.
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