Mōdraniht

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 hǫkunátt (alternatively hǫggunátt, in Template:Langx, Icelandic and Template:Langx, Template:Langx). The meaning of the prefix hǫku-/hǫggu- is unknown.

Attestation

In , Bede writes that the pagan Anglo-Saxons: Template:Verse translation

Theories and interpretations

Scholars have linked these ("Mothers") with the Germanic . Rudolf Simek says that "as a Germanic sacrificial festival should be associated with the Matron cult of the West Germanic peoples on the one hand, and to the and the already known from medieval Scandinavia on the other hand and is chronologically to be seen as a connecting link between these Germanic forms of cult."

Simek provides additional discussion about the connection between , the , and the norns. Scholars have placed the event as a part of the Germanic winter period of Yule.

Regarding Bede's attestation, Philip A. Shaw commented in 2011 that "the fact that Bede's can be to some extent confirmed by the Romano-Germanic votive inscriptions to matrons does at least indicate that we should not be too quick to dismiss the other evidence he provides for Anglo-Saxon deities".

See also

• Triple deity
• Yule

References

• Giles, John Allen (1843). The Complete Works of the Venerable Bede, in the Original Latin, Collated with the Manuscripts, and Various Print Editions, Accompanied by a New English Translation of the Historical Works, and a Life of the Author. Vol. VI: Scientific Tracts and Appendix. London: Whittaker and Co., Ave Maria Lane.
• Herbert, Kathleen (2007). Looking for the Lost Gods of England. Anglo-Saxon Books. Template:ISBN
• Orchard, Andy (1997). Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend. Cassell. Template:ISBN
• Shaw, Philip A. (2011). Pagan Goddesses in the Early Germanic World. Bristol Classical Press. Template:ISBN
• Simek, Rudolf (2007) translated by Angela Hall. Dictionary of Northern Mythology. D. S. Brewer. Template:ISBN
• Wallis, Faith (Trans.) (1999). Bede: The Reckoning of Time. Liverpool University Press. Template:ISBN