There’s a full moon coming up on Monday, December 4th. The moon has always fascinated me, even as a little kid. Have you ever felt a truly pressing desire to just go out and howl at it? I have. As my friends will reluctantly attest to. As a witch, the full moon takes on new meaning - full bodied feminie power. The moon is most often viewed (in Western/European magic, at least) as a symbol of the feminine divine. In modern Wicca and other traditions, the full moon is a time of celebration of the goddess (or goddesses), or of the feminine side of the divine, and it’s said to be a time where magical workings are more potent. Many traditions hold Esbat celebrations on each full moon - which is really just a time of gathering (if one practices with a group), celebration, prayer, magic, and honor. As a solitary practitioner, I tend to use the time to remember my own spirituality, and to work magic when desired - and, of course, howl at the moon.

This week, I’ll be exploring the various names the full moons of the year have - there are probably dozens of variations, but I’ll touch upon a couple - popular Colonial names, and Native American names. This info was taken from The Witches’ Almanac, a handy little book full of interesting tidbits. If anything’s wrong, it’s either a typo, or they’re lying. ;-)

Thirteen Names of the Full Moons

1. January Full Moon ~ The January moon is often called even in modern day times, the Wolf Moon. Another name for it is the After Yule Moon (imagine that!). Some Native people called it the Snow Moon.
2. February Full Moon ~ The Snow Moon, or the Hunger moon, according to old Colonial records. I’ve heard both used, though Hunger tends to be more popular where I live! Hunger also is the name certain Native people gave it - appropriate, as February tends to be one of the coldest months of the year, and a time where food was often scarce.
3. March Full Moon ~ The Sap Moon, aka, the Worm moon (egh) or the Crow moon. Many names for this moon, as the Natives also had the Crow moon, and the Sore Eye moon. This is my birthday month, and on a personal note, I do prefer the Sap Moon.
4. April Full Moon ~ Ever heard of the Grass Moon? Now you have! other names include the Pink moon, and the Egg moon, or in Native American style, the Green Grass Moon.
5. May Full Moon ~ The May Moon is unsurprisingly called the Flower moon or the Planting moon. An intriguing name, however, by the Natives, is the Shed Moon. Wonder why…
6. June Full Moon ~ June. Ahh, the Strawberry Moon. Reminds me of this song by the Dixie Chicks, I think, called Strawberry Wine. But I’m getting off track. Also called the Rose moon, or the “Make Fat” moon. Rose is shared between Colonial and Native cultures - Make Fat, however, is all Native American. Appropriate, perhaps, for cultures living off the land and agriculture - however, the last thing I need is a moon dedicated to fat. Nosiree. Maybe a Make Fat Go Away Moon…
7. The July Moon ~ July is the Thunder Moon, or the Buck Moon - take your pick. Both seem to be equally appropriate, though I’m partial to Thunder.
8. The August Moon ~ August is the Sturgeon Moon (sturgeon, for those who don’t know, is a sort of really huge and ugly fish), or the Grain Moon. Or, perhaps you like the delightful sounding Cherries Ripen Moon, courtesy of the Native Americans?
9. The September Moon ~ The Harvest Moon. Who hasn’t heard of that? Or perhaps the Fruit Moon, though that certainly doesn’t apply to this part of the country. The Natives called it the Hunting Moon.
10. The October Moon ~ Almost everyone around here knows this one - It’s the Hunter’s Moon, and it tends to be huge and orange and brilliant at this time of year. Alternately, you could call it the Falling Leaf Moon.
11. The November Moon ~ Try the Beaver Moon. Or the Frosty Moon. Or even the Mad Moon (Native). Hehe. The last is amusing, and perhaps appropriate. I’m going mad this month, that’s for sure….
12. The December Moon ~ The Cold Moon, or the Long Night Moon - both seem to be fairly pervasive. The last is both a Native and Colonial name - unsurprising, since December is indeed the month heralding the longest night in the year.
13. The 13th Moon ~ Every once in a while, we have a second full moon in a single calendar month. We call it a Blue Moon, and it happens… well, every once in a blue moon, of course! It’s said that this moon holds extra power when working magic that night. Intriguing, but I can’t say I’ve had the opportunity to test the theory yet.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

14 Comments »

1. Love your 13…very informative. And I love the full moon each month. Thanks for visiting my TT.

   Comment by Terri — November 30, 2006 @ 5:50 am

2. I love your TT! Also adore your blog design, it’s very pretty. I’ll drop by again to read more :)

   Happy TT!

   Comment by Silver — November 30, 2006 @ 6:49 am

3. What an informative list. I hd no idea the different moons had different names. Thank you for posting this. I’m going to keep these. :)

   Comment by Christine d'Abo — November 30, 2006 @ 6:59 am

4. Great list! I never knew any of that. Well, I guess I’ve heard of the Harvest Moon, but never thought about the other names.

   Learn something new and interesting everyday…

   Happy TT and thanks for visiting!

   Comment by tbirdonawire — November 30, 2006 @ 6:59 am

5. I just watched a PBS documentary, The Mysteries of Chaco Canyon, and there was some amazing information on how the structures there were built to use the cycles of the moon.

   Comment by Alison Kent — November 30, 2006 @ 7:27 am

6. I had no idea! I can hardly name the phases of the moon. Next week you should do moon-themed songs/movies: Moonstruck, Moon River, etc.

   Comment by Di — November 30, 2006 @ 7:57 am

7. Wow - interesting! :) I knew about the Blue Moon (well, that when a month has two full moons, the second is called a blue moon) but I didn’t know each month’s full moon had a special name and characteristic. Thanks for the information. :)

   Have a good day. :)

   Caylynn & Dragonheart
   http://caylynn.blogspot.com
   http://dragonheartsdomain.blogspot.com

   Comment by Caylynn — November 30, 2006 @ 8:00 am

8. Wow!!! Thanks for the info on the moons. I didn’t realize they all had a name.

   What an interesting 13. My birth month is the Thunder moon. and I’m partial to that name too.

   My 13 are up.

   Comment by Chickadee — November 30, 2006 @ 8:19 am

9. I’d heard of a harvest moon and a blue moon, and read a book called Wolf Moon, but I didn’t know they all had names. Fascinating list. Thanks!

   Comment by Darla — November 30, 2006 @ 9:00 am

10. Great list! I always like finding lists where I learn something! Happy TT.

    Comment by Stephanie — November 30, 2006 @ 9:45 am

11. Thanks for coming by my blog and finding me and my TT!

    Your post is very interesting, and reminds me of a school of thought in regards to beauty/body care and its relation to the mooon.

    A German woman by the name of Gabriella Just created a whole line of pure natural beauty products that work with the phases of the moon…there are certain times of the month that it’s better, according to her, to treat certain skin/body problems.

    Anyway, it was fascinating to me (I worked with her…long story) and your post reminds me of her philosophy.

    You can find info, I think, at justpure.com (or justpure.de).

    Comment by Colleen Gleason — November 30, 2006 @ 12:20 pm

12. Very interesting-thanks!

    Comment by Jenny Ryan — November 30, 2006 @ 12:58 pm

13. I’ve heard of Harvest Moon and Blue Moon, and That Lucky Ol’ Moon, but that’s it. Interesting!

    Thanks for visiting my TT.

    Comment by Norma — November 30, 2006 @ 2:17 pm

14. Each name is almost like a mini story. or maybe a preamble to a story. at any rate I get visions of potential stories seeing them. but i see stories everywhere.

    thanx for visiting my TT. sorry it took me so long to return the visit. I’ll do better next week now that NaNoWriMo is over.

    Comment by Joy Renee — December 2, 2006 @ 3:08 am

Leave a comment