The Anglo-Saxon Runic Calendar

The Anglo Saxon Runic Calendar is a working reconstruction of a historic runic calendar. Similar calendars were used as early as the 1300s. They were likely used much earlier by the early English, Norse, and Germanic peoples.  Practically, these calendars were used to track the solar and lunar dates simultaneously.  They were also used to keep track of the solstices, equinoxes, cross quarters, and eclipses. 

The runic calendar like many other luni-solar calendar systems tracks time using the Metonic cycle, a repeating 19-year pattern. To find the Metonic year number for any Gregorian year:

Divide the Gregorian year by 19. Take the remainder (the leftover after dividing by 19). Add 1 to that remainder.

Once you know your Metonic (Runic) Year number, you’re ready to locate any date.

Step 1 — Choose the Gregorian date

Decide the regular calendar date you want to find.

For example: March 1, 2026.

Step 2 — Find that date on the Gregorian ring

On the Anglo Saxon Runic Calendar, the innermost ring shows the familiar Gregorian months and days.

Locate March 1 on that inner ring.

Step 3 — Move outward through the rings

From that date, move straight outward through the calendar rings.

Each ring represents one year in the 19-year Metonic cycle.

Step 4 — Stop at your Metonic (Runic) Year

Continue counting outward until you reach the ring that matches the Metonic year number you calculated earlier.

For example:

2026 ÷ 19 leaves a remainder of 12, 12 + 1 = Metonic Year 13

The Metonic Year 13 corresponds to the Younger Futhark rune Eoh.

So for March 1, 2026, you would:

Find March 1 on the Gregorian ring. Count outward until you reach Ring 13. The position directly above March 1 on that ring — in the Eoh year — is your Runic date.

Here’s a cheat sheet for our current 19 year cycle with the Anglo Saxon Futhark:

The Anglo Saxon Month

Sticking with our same example, March 1st 2026. Once we find what Runic year we are in, Eoh, we can see what Anglo Saxon month we are in. The month names are found in the ring just inside the gregorian calendar ring. You can see on that March 1st in Eoh is the Anglo Saxon month of Hrethmonath.

Here are the Anglo Saxon Month names and their meanings. These come to us from the Venerable Bede (672/3 – 735), an English monk, author and scholar.

Each new month begins on a new moon. So now you have found yourself in Lunisolar time and can begin to track the cycles as they dance together.