Sacrifice cycles [gothic-l] METON

[keth at ONLINE.NO]

Hi Ingemar and Troels!
>Troels wrote:
>"Which cycles of Suevi, Svear, Gaut, Wodan and Odin are attested - and
>how? Please don't mix the groups in your answer."
>
>Hi Troels,
>
>Examinations of a.e. Swedish and Danish grave monuments from stone- and
>bronze-age  indicate a dependence either of the moon from full moon to
>full moon starting and ending in meton-cycles - that is 19 year
>periods.It goes for megalithic time also elsewhere. About 475 AD the law
>of Aun in Uppsala tells that sacrifice shall be every ninth year meaning
>a sacrifice-cycle is  eight years. Göran Henriksson assumes Roman
>influens in time measuring and before him Sune Lindqvist also attested
>Roman influence when digging the Uppsala howes. 

How can you know that the influences are not Anglo-Saxon?
The Anglo-Saxons are also supposed to have been extremely knowledgable about
cycles.

>I conclude this is well fitted in time to the estimated arrival of the
>continental cult of Óðinn to the Mälar valley area.
>
>Accordingly the old Svía-cult (Suiþioþ) had a meton cycle and with Óðinn
>as the latest it becomes 8-year cycles. I presume Gaut was emerging from
>the 19-year cycle and that is also suggested in Skírnismál where Skírnir
>brings 11 apples and  Draupnir drops  eight days- or eight years in a
>sacrifice cycle of the new type. That makes a total sum of 19 for his
>gifts to Gerðr/Freja pointing backvards to a former Meton cycle.


The 8-year cycle is only an appriximate cycle.
It is somewhat better than the 3-year cycle, though.

The reason for these cycles is simply because the Lunar year (12 lunar
months) is ca. 354 days, and hence each year shows an 11 day deficit.
However, after 3 years you will have a deficit of 33 days (=3 times 11),
which is only ca. 3 days removed from a whole month. Thus you
if you insert a 13th month every 3rd year, you will have a year
that is approximately in balance. (only 3 days off).

But in the long run these 3 days will also begin to add up,
and after 10 years (approximately) they will have added up
to another month. But the exact answer is actually 8 years
and not 10 years (because here it is the decimals that are beginning
to count). Hence each 8th year one *also needs to insert an
extra month in *addition to every 3rd year. Hence in practice
one uses both 3 and 8 year cycles. You will then see that
after 24 years (=3 times 8) the two cycles match up with
each other.

The 11 year cycle can be seen as a mere combination of
the 3 and 8 year cycle (3 + 8 = 11), and is not much
"better" (i.e. off by number of days) that the 8 year cycle.
Then, adding up the numbers, you also get a cycle that 
lasts 11 + 8 = 19 years. This one is however VERY exact,
and it is *this cycle that was discovered BC by the Greek
astronomer METON. (255 lunar months = very nearly 19 
solar years, which equation is the mathematical basis
of Meton's cycle).

The Meton cycle was used by the Church to calculate the 
dates for Easter, because Easter was the Church's most important
holiday. Hence Meton cycles might very well indicate Christian 
influence.

Best regards
Keth






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