Rheda's Month

A new lunar month is upon us! This is what the Anglo-Saxons called Hrēþ-mōnaþ, the moon of the goddess Hretha, also known as Rheda. Although we have next to nothing to base our ideas on, just like the goddess Ostara, we can guess as to her role. Some have suggested that she could have been a warrior goddess, who fights away the darkness of winter, in order for the spring equinox to triumph. The Romans named this month after the warrior god Mars. March was considered the first month of the Roman calendar year, until perhaps as late as 153 BCE. England later adopted the 25th March as their New Year, until reverting back to 1st January in 1752.

Another name for this month is Lentmonat, meaning the month of "spring" or "lengthening of days". This is where we get the term "Lent" from, as a spring period during which food is sparse. In England a common feature of this month is the blossoming of daffodils, which spend most of the year dormant beneath the Earth. This year we have had an early blooming, due to the mild weather.I'm told we could expect 15 degree centigrade next week, which will be lovely. So, does this early arrival of spring mean that a spring sabbat should be held earlier than usual? In my practice, you do indeed celebrate the seasons as they happen. How are seasonal changes celebrated? It can be as simple as going outdoors and taking in the wonderful sights. I had a bouquet of daffodils at my shrine last month. Now the daffodils are dried to a crisp, and replaced with pink carnations. As the temperature gets warmer and the dawn seems to creep into my bedroom a little earlier every morning, I like to think of the sun as a valiant goddess, a warrior woman.

In 1997 the earliest known burial mounds of warrior women were excavated in southern Russia. The women were buried with their swords, daggers, arrowheads and saddles. To me, the idea that all women are prescribed a certain gender role, and that it is somehow more natural for women to take a passive role, staying at home while men go out to hunt and fight, is a kind of cultural propaganda to support our sexist stereotypes. We have archaeological proof that this stereotype of the house-bound woman is a false representation.

In 2004, the 2,000 year old remains of an Iranian female warrior were found in the northwestern Iranian city of Tabriz. She was one of one of the warrior women who inspired the Greek legends of the Amazons.The Greco-Roman historian Plutarch described how the women of Argos were also warriors, and fought against the Spartans in the 5th century BCE. In British history we are all familiar with Boudica, fierce leader of the Iceni tribe.According to the Roman historian Dio Cassius, Boudica invoked the goddess Andraste in her fight against the Romans.

"Let us, therefore, go against [the Romans], trusting boldly to good fortune. Let us show them that they are hares and foxes trying to rule over dogs and wolves." When she [Boudica] had finished speaking, she employed a species of divination, letting a hare escape from the fold of her dress; and since it ran on what they considered the auspicious side, the whole multitude shouted with pleasure, and Boudica, raising her hand toward heaven, said: "I thank you, Andraste, and call upon you as woman speaking to woman ... I beg you for victory and preservation of liberty." Dio Cassius.

I imagine Rheda as a similar warrior goddess, riding a chariot as warrior goddesses often did. The four-spoked chariot wheel became a symbol of triumph and of the sun riding across the sky. It is at this time of year that we are asked to triumph over our weaknesses by sacrificing something for Lent, as a demonstration of our will power. The message for this month is to have courage in the face of adversity, learn from your challenges in life, and to become a master of your self.