Along with the heatwave, England has had some intense thunder storms. According to the Met Office, well over half a million lightning strikes have struck since Wednesday. Heofon-fýr or Heaven-fire was an OE kenning for lightning, whilst þunressleġe or Thunor's strike / Thunor's blow was the thunder clap.

Photo Nick Bull

I would describe the English today as primarily a Germanic folk. They mixed with the Celtic population of these isles, especially in the south-west, whilst in the north Danish blood was absorbed under Danelaw. Later still, Norman stock was added. For over a thousand years these folk lived in the lands king Æthelstan had once united, to become the modern English. I have both Germanic and Cornish ancestry, but I regard myself English first and foremost. To say the English don’t exist because we are the descendants of these different northwestern tribes is like trying to argue purple doesn’t exist because it's a mix of red and blue. The question is what are we willing to do, so that in another thousand years, our descendants still recognise the English we are today.

Some interesting etymology regarding the term 'bigot'. It is suggested it comes from Middle French, from Old French bigot, a derogatory term applied to Normans, possibly due to their frequent use of the Old English oath bī god 'by God'.

The moon will be at its fullest today, at 11.27am here in England. This is the first full moon since the sunstede and as usual my family-hearth will be honouring gods and ancestors, folk and land.

Personally I don't use the name strawberry moon, this is an Amerindian term. Germanic names for this moon include plough moon, fallow moon and the summer moon.

Some new lino prints with the original carving I completed today. As usual I'll give these away to family and friends.

This image of Woden comes from the Vendel helmet. Both the serpent and birds are symbols of Woden. A friend and follower of Grim once shared an interesting observation with me, that because the artistic styles of the two birds were different they perhaps represented two different species, notably the Raven and Eagle, both of which are associated with Woden.

A golden bird headed fylfot with filigree scrollwork, from the Staffordshire hoard. Unlike the Nordic countries where the fylfot is regarded a sign of Thor, in England examples of the fylfot are often found alongside imagery and symbols we associate with Woden.

Anglo-Saxon era stone carving from Breedon on the Hill.

Some sources claim fylfot means 'four footed' but this is debated. Here the prefix fyl- is said to be a corruption of fower or fēower, OE for ‘four’. Other suggestions are it means 'filler' (page filler) from OE fyllan and ‘foot’. This is because the symbol was used as a decorative design used the fill the foot of written documents.

In 1979 British folklorist and author Nigel Pennick wrote an article for the Journal of Geomancy called ‘Woden’s Swastika’, becoming one of the first modern authors to recognise the connection. The fylfot is certainly connected with the runic formula ALU and appears not only on the gold Bracteates (along with ALU runes and ravens) but also Anglo Saxon burial urns found in England, perhaps to honour Woden as god of the dead.

Photo of a fylfot decorated burial urn, West Stow village by Hāmasson

The Cerne Abbas Giant gets its name from the river Cerne. It is likely that the figure represents a largely unknown Anglo-Saxon god called Heiliþ. Local legend says that the abbey was founded to convert the heathen English away from their worship of Heiliþ, also known by the names Heil, Helia, Heile, Heilor and Helið.

Helið is cognate with the OE Hælep meaning hero or warrior and is related to the proto-Germanic haluð that means the same. The Giant is now known to have been carved during Anglo-Saxon times.

William Camden (1551-1623) had this to say about the Cerne Giant -

from the North receiveth a little river running downe by Cerne Abbay which Augustine the Apostle of the English nation built when he had broken their in peeces Heil, the Idol of the heathen English-Saxons.

Hige sceal þē heardra, heorte þē cēnre, mōd sceal þē māre, þē ūre mægen lytlað. ("The will must be the harder, the heart the bolder, the spirit the greater, as our strength diminishes.") — The Battle of Maldon

​In modernity, we usually think and believe that our motivation and willpower are tied to our chances of success. If our strength goes down, our morale usually goes down with it.

​The Anglo-Saxon worldview flipped that entirely on its head: The worse the situation gets, the more intense your inner resolve must become to compensate for it.

The Anglo-Saxons were intense fatalists. They believed that Wyrd (fate) ultimately decided when you would die and when your tribe would fall, and no amount of fighting could change a predetermined end.

​Because they believed you couldn't control whether you won or lost, the only thing you could actually control was how you faced the end. Therefore, when your strength is diminishing and defeat looks certain, that is the exact moment your true character is tested.