Caer Australis - Celtic Calendar: Samhradh

"Who can tell the Phases of the Moon?" - Song of Amergin

Samhradh - the start of the year

samon duman rivros anagantios ogronnos cvtios || giammon semivisonna equos elemivios aedrini cantlos

This section looks at the first six months of the Celtic year. The months are named as shown on the Coligny Tablet, also called the 'Coligny Calendar' or the 'Gaulish Calendar', from first century BC Gaul, which is the oldest wholly Celtic calendar known. All of the Gaulish names for the months can be found reflected in Irish and Welsh words, which brings their meaning to light. The most obvious continuation of the ancient Celtic month names into modern times is the first month of the Celtic year, Samon. Its name has carried forward in Irish as the name for the season of summer, Samhradh. Other months of the calendar can also be seen to have a clearly seasonal name, such as Ogronnos, which falls at the start of autumn, and whose name means 'colder', and which is retained in the Welsh oer and the Irish fuar. Still others reflect a symbolism for the time of the year, Riuros in the heat of summer being called the 'king' of the months; or agricultrual activity, Anagantios being the month of rest before the harvest.

Each month is examined and the meaning of its name explored, with particular use of the etymological dictionary provided by MacBain (1982). Linking the Celtic year to mythological themes and tales from Ireland and Wales shows that from ancient times until the adoption of the Roman calendar, summer began the Celtic year througout the Celtic world. The fire feast of Beltaine marks the start of the Celtic summer today, at the beginning of the month of May; on the Coligny Tablet a festival 'the three nights of summer' Trinox Samoni performed the same function, likely, as the ancient sources indicate, to be at the heliacal rise of the Pleiades.

A dualism in the Celtic calendar extends at all levels: night precedes the daytime (Caesar, Bellum Gallium, 6.18) so that the first-quarter moon appears overhead at the start of the first day of the month (Pliny the Elder, Natural History, 17.95). The first half of the month is brightly lit by the moon, followed by a division on the Coligny Tablet headed by 'Atenoux', meaning 'returning dark'. Like the first half of the month, the year is split into the first light and warm 'Samon' summer half, followed by the dark, cold shorter days of the 'Giammon' winter half. The dualism of the calendar extends to the names for the months. The first months of the two halves of the year form a complementary pair, 'Samon' summer, and 'Giammon' winter.

They Hunted each Day with their Dogs

The 16th Century Irish tale Tóraigheacht an Ghiolla Dheacair: The Pursuit of the Giolla Dacker and his Horse tells us that the Irish year began at Beltaine. The tale opens, "One day in the beginning of summer, Finn, the son of Cumhal...feasted the chief people of Erin [and it was such that] they divided the year into two parts. During the first half, namely, from Bealtaine - the first of May - to Samhain - the first of November - they hunted each day with their dogs; and during the second half, namely from Samhain to Bealtaine, they...quartered [themselves indoors] during the winter half of the year" (Joyce, 1907, p.173; published on-line).

The arrival of the Tuatha de Danaan in Ireland was also at Beltaine, beginning life in a new land at the beginning of a new year. How fitting it was that the Druid Amergin invoked the calendar at their arrival, when he declared "Who tells the ages of the moon, if not I? Who shows the place where the sun goes to rest, if not I?" (Ellis, 1994, p8; Gregory, 1904, The Song of Amergin ).

May, the month when Samhradh the Celtic summer begins, came to the Irish when the Julian calendar was introduced, following the introduction of Christianity after Patrick. Britain and Gaul had been conquered earlier by Rome, and had been obliged to use the Julian calendar since at least the first century AD (Plutarch, Life of Caesar, 59). In Ireland, the Celtic system was retained for five centuries after Caesar's conquest of Gaul after 58BC.

The Early Irish name for the Julian calendar month of May was given as cét-Soman, explained in Cormac's Glossary from the late ninth century as as cét-sam-sín, the first weather-motion of Samrad the summer. The month is thus the 'first cét of summer sam' (MacBain, 1982). Samhradh comes from a very old Indo-European word *samo-, 'pertaining to the summer', in Irish originally Samrad, or simply Sam.

Samon - The Summer

The first regular month of the Celtic year, Samon, is named for the season it heads, namely the Celtic summer. The attributes of Samon on the Coligny Tablet correspond to the Early Irish name for May, cét-Soman. Both month names invoke the summer. And both are positioned at the start of the year, since as the Fennian tale (Joyce, 1907, p.173) reveals, Beltaine begins the Irish year in May, that is, cétSamhin.

As shown in the Coligny Tablet section, the calendar had as it highest order structure a thirty year age, comprised of six cycles of five solar years/ 62 lunations, and each year commencing with Samon as its first regular month.

Pliny the Elder, in the first century AD, referred to the Druidic "months and years, as also of their ages, which, with them, are but thirty years"(Natural History, 17.95) and Plutarch, in his De Facie, written after 75AD, talks of "intervals of thirty years [when] the star of Cronus, their 'Night-watchman', enters the sign of the Bull" (Plutarch, De Facie, Loeb p.185). The thirty year age is shown by these historians to commence at Samon when Saturn enters Taurus.

The most recent thirty year age commenced in 2002, when Saturn appeared in the dawn skies in Taurus in May. An image of this occurrence is shown in the introduction to Celtic Calendar 2008. The Celtic year of 2007 was the first year of a second five year cycle of the current age; as such it commenced with the intercalary Ciallos month, whose name means 'sense', as found in Irish ciall and Welsh pwyll - the 'sense' of a month that keeps the sun and moon aligned.

The heliacal rise of the Pleiades, the cluster of stars within Taurus, marked the start of the summer in Europe since the early first millennium BC (Hesiod, Works and Days, 380) and marked the completion of a Celtic festival marking a lunar Metonic cycle when 'Apollo', in other words Belinos, attended (Diodorus, Library of History 2,47), and of course coincided with the thirty year age when Saturn appears in Taurus.

The correspondence of the May festival of Beltaine with the May rise of the Pleiades in ancient times and the start of the Celtic year shows that the Celtic fire feasts celebrated today have very ancient origins.

Praise for the bright and warm new year is found in Celtic poetry, such as the ninth century 'May Day', a poem said to have been sung by Finn after eating of the Salmon of Knowledge, echoed in 'Song of Summer' and 'Summer Has Come' and the poetry of Dafydd ap Gwilym in the mid-fourteenth century such as 'May' and 'Summer', all recorded in Summer in The Grove.

The month of Samon in 2008 is detailed in Celtic Calendar 2008 - Samon.

Duman - The World

The second month of the Celtic summer is Duman. Comparisons to the Gaullish Dumno- and Old Irish Doman ( I. Domhan 'universe'), show that these words are all derived from Common Celtic *dubno- meaning the concept of 'the world, the deep'.

The second lunation of the year generally equates to the Gregorian month of June, in which falls the longest day of the year, the summer solstice. The strength of the sun at this time may be what is reflected in the month's name.

In the dualistic naming system of the Celtic calendar, the corresponding month of the winter half of the year 'Semiuisonna' means 'the centre', complementary to the all-encompassing 'world'.

The month of Duman in 2008 is detailed in Celtic Calendar 2008 - Duman.

Riuros - The King

The third month of the Celtic summer is Riuros. The month name comprises the royal word, Ri-, found in the Irish Ard Rí, the High Kings, or Welsh Rhiannon, Great Queen, and Gaulish -rix, king; combined with -ur-, found in the words for 'new': Early Irish úr, Welsh ir. The month name Riuros yields, 'The New King'.

The third lunation of the year generally equates to the Gregorian month of July, in which falls the hottest days of the year following the solstice. The warmth and well-being provided by the sun at this time may be what is reflected in the month's name.

In the dualistic naming system of the Celtic calendar, the corresponding month of the winter half of the year 'Equos' means 'horse', the animals who assist men complementary to the king, the leader of men.

The month of Riuros in 2008 is detailed in Celtic Calendar 2008 - Riuros.

Anagantios - Unwonted

The fourth month of the Celtic summer is Anagantios. The month name is comprises 'Ana-', negative prefix plus 'Gant', pertaining to custom, usualness, wont: The name resolves to 'Unwonted', 'Extraordinary': this is the month of the August Games.

The fourth lunation of the year generally equates to the Gregorian month of August, in which falls the Lughnasadh festival. The games preceding the harvest give thanks to the bounty supplied by the earth. It was at this time that the bright star Sirius anciently rose, possibly marking the time of the feast.

In the dualistic naming system of the Celtic calendar, the corresponding month of the winter half of the year 'Elembiuos' means 'the circuit', the spring cycle initiating the tour of life peaking at the month of unwonted celebration.

The month of Anagantios in 2008 is detailed in Celtic Calendar 2008 - Anagantios.

Ogronnos - Colder

The fifth month of the Celtic summer is Ogronnos. The month name means 'cold', derived from the stem *ogro-, the Celtic root of words for 'cold', such as Welsh oer and Irish fuar.

The fifth lunation of the year generally equates to the Gregorian month of September, in which falls the autumnal equinox, and colder temperatures. The nights for the first time in the year are longer than the daylight hours.

In the dualistic naming system of the Celtic calendar, the corresponding month of the winter half of the year 'Aedrini' means 'flame', the indicative warmth complementary to the concept of cold.

The month of Ogronnos in 2008 is detailed in Celtic Calendar 2008 - Ogronnos.

Cutios - Hidden

The sixth and final month of the Celtic summer is Cutios. The month name literally means 'hidden', found in the Welsh word cuddio meaning 'to cover or conceal'.

The sixth lunation of the year generally equates to the Gregorian month of October, the end of the Celtic summer. The days continue to shorten, and the Pleiades cluster, which jubilantly opened the summer at their dawn rising, now set at dawn.

In the dualistic naming system of the Celtic calendar, the corresponding final month of the winter half of the year 'Cantlos' literally means 'to sing', the 'exhaltation' complementary to the concept of 'hidden'.

The month of Cutios in 2008 is detailed in Celtic Calendar 2008 - Cutios.

The following section examines the six regular months of Geimhreadh the Celtic winter, headed by the month Giammon. In summary, presented below are the months of the two Celtic seasons of the year.

SAMHRADH - SAMON - SUMMER		GEIMHREADH - GIAMMON - WINTER
SAMON	"Summer"	GIAMMON	"Winter"
DUMAN	"The World"	SEMIUISONNA	"The Source"
RIUROS	"The King"	EQUOS	"Horse"
ANAGANTIOS	"Unwonted"	ELEMBIUOS	"The Circuit"
OGRONNOS	"Coldness"	AEDRINI	"Warmth"
CUTIOS	"Hidden"	CANTLOS	"Exhalting"

References for this section.

ancient sources

C. Julius Caesar. Caesar's Gallic War. Translator. W. A. McDevitte. Translator. W. S. Bohn. 1st Edition. New York. Harper & Brothers. 1869. Harper's New Classical Library. [available on-line:
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Caes.+Gal.+6.18 ]

Diodorus, Library of History Book II, Loeb translation, In: Hawkins, G. (1965) Stonehenge Decoded. Fontana, London, pp.165-166.

Hesiod. The Homeric Hymns and Homerica with an English Translation by Hugh G. Evelyn-White. Works and Days. Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1914. [available on-line:
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Hes.+WD+1 ]

Pliny the Elder. The Natural History. John Bostock, M.D., F.R.S. H.T. Riley, Esq., B.A. London. Taylor and Francis, Red Lion Court, Fleet Street. 1855. [available on-line:
'Historical Facts Connected With The Mistletoe': http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plin.+Nat.+17.95]

Plutarch, Life of Caesar. In: Plutarch. Fall of the Roman Republic. Transl. R. Warner (1972). London: Penguin, pp. 243-310.

Plutarch. Moralia. De Facie 'The Face in the Moon' with an introduction. Vol. XII of the Loeb Classical Library edition, 1957. [available on-line:
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/
Moralia/The_Face_in_the_Moon*/Introduction.html ]

websites, monographs and image credits

Cormac's Glossary, translated and annotated by John O'Donovan, edited with notes and indices, edited by Dr. Whitely Stokes, published in 1862 and 1868 Calcutta. Llanerch Press; Facsimile edition (Mar 2000)
A useful on-line resource for Whitley Stokes: http://www.ucc.ie/celt/stokebib.html

Ellis, P.B. (1994) The Druids. Constable and Company, Ltd. London.

Lady Gregory (1904) Gods and Fighting Men. The story of the Tuatha de Danaan and of the Fianna of Ireland, arranged and put into English. The Coole Edition. 1970 reprint, Colin Smythe Ltd, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire.

Joyce, P.W. (1907) The Pursuit of the Giolla Dacker and His Horse, an Irish story known from the 16th century. In: Old Celtic Romances, collected by PW Joyce (1907: republished 2000) Wordsworth Editions Ltd in association with FLS Books, The Folklore Society.

MacBain, A. (1982) An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language
http://www.ceantar.org/Dicts/MB2/index.html

'Samon month title' image: http://www.answers.com/topic/coligny-calendar

'Trinox detail' image: http://www.tartanplace.com