Rheda (mythology) facts for kids

Rheda was an ancient goddess from Anglo-Saxon paganism. She is connected to a month called "Rhedmonth." This name likely meant "the famous" or "the victorious." We only know about Rheda because of a writer named Bede. He wrote about her in his book De temporum ratione in the 8th century.

Rheda's name in Bede's book was Rheda. Today, some people call her Hretha. "Rhedmonth" was one of the few names in the Anglo-Saxon calendar that referred to a god or goddess. The other two were "Ēostermōnaþ" (named after the goddess Ēostre) and "Mōdraniht."

Bede's Ancient Calendar

In his book De temporum ratione, Bede wrote about the English months and their celebrations. He explained that "Rhedmonth" was like our month of March. Bede said that "Rhedmonth is named for their goddess Hretha, to whom they sacrificed at this time." This means people offered things to Rheda during March.

Bede also mentioned other months. He said "Solmōnaþ" (February) was named because people offered cakes to their gods then. "Ēostermōnaþ" (April) was named after the goddess Ēostre.

Ideas About Rheda

Many years later, in the 1800s, a scholar named Jacob Grimm studied these ancient names. He noticed that no other old writings mentioned Rheda or Ēostre besides Bede's book. However, Grimm believed Bede was telling the truth. He thought it was unlikely that Bede, a church leader, would just invent these goddesses.

Grimm found similar names in other old Germanic languages. He thought this showed that Rheda was a real goddess. Another scholar, Rudolf Simek, suggested that Rheda's name might have a meaning similar to the Roman god Mars. Mars was also connected to the month of March.

Historian David Raoul Wilson thinks that the rituals for Rheda and Ēostre were probably about the start of spring. They might have celebrated the new growing season and the land becoming fertile again.

Rheda in Modern Stories

The famous author J. R. R. Tolkien was inspired by these old Anglo-Saxon names. In his books, like The Lord of the Rings, he created a calendar for the Hobbits. The third month in the Hobbit calendar is called "Rethe." This name is based on the ancient "Hrēþmōnaþ" or "Rhedmonth."