Wolf Moon of January

Martinsell Hill with its hillfort which the wolves guarded!

Yesterday 4th January, according to North American Indian folklore, was the time of the Wolf Moon, this is the time when the moon is at it's fullest in January.  Chasing this fact came up with the knowledge that it was first mentioned in 1918 in America.  My mind begs to differ so I check my blog and find that the brother's Hubbard had written of a Saxon Wolf Moon in this blog of 2008. Who are you to believe, had the story travelled to America? of course the answer is that storytelling in the world of myth and folklore is the fabrication of imagination built on little jewels of wisdom.  So I'm happy to stay with the Hubbard's view of the Saxon world even though they they got it ever so slightly wrong over Neolithic Dewponds, which as we should know were a much later historic event.  But of course if the Saxon Wolf-Monat is to be true, then the following quote .......

The only apparent ancient one is Oxenmere on Milk Hill on the downs to the north of the Vale of Pewsey. A Saxon charter of 825 refers to this pond as marking the boundary of Alton Priors, which it still does.

so the brothers Hubbard may be right after all, anyway you can buy a fascimile of their 1905 book on Amazon for a reasonable price.

Most existing dew ponds date from the 19th or early 20th centuries, although a few may be 18th century. The only apparent ancient one is Oxenmere on Milk Hill on the downs to the north of the Vale of Pewsey. A Saxon charter of 825 refers to this pond as marking the boundary of Alton Priors, which it still does. It is possible that a pond has been here since that date but only if it has been cleaned out and its lining renewed every 100 to 200 years for Ralph Whitlock estimated that the life of a dew pond is 100 to 150 years.

Quotation from the Hubbard book;

The month which we now call January our Saxon ancestors called wolf-monat, to wit, wolf-moneth, because people are wont always in that month to be in more danger to be devoured of wolves, than in any else season of the year; for that, through the extremity of cold and snow, these ravenous creatures could not find of other beasts sufficient to feed upon. Richard Verstegan, Restitution of Decayed Intelligence in Antiquities 1673

Martinsell Hill fort