On the worship of Mother Earth

Tacitus writes in his Germania (chapter 40) of a number of tribes living just after the time of Christ in what is now southern Denmark and northern Germany. He says:



After the Langobardi come the Reudigni, Auiones, Anglia, Varini, Eudoses, Suarines and Nuithones all well guarded by rivers and forests. There is nothing remarkable about any of these tribes unless it be the common worship of Nerthus, that is Mother Earth. They believe
she is interested in men's affairs and drives about among them. On an island in the Ocean sea there is a sacred grove wherein waits a holy wagon covered by a drape. One priest only is allowed to touch it. He can feel the presence of the goddess when she is there in her sanctuary and accompanies her with great reverence as she is pulled along by kine. It is a time of festive holiday-making in whatever place she deigns to honour with her advent and stay. No one goes to war, no one takes up arms, in fact every weapon is put away; only at that time are peace and quiet known and prized until the goddess, having had enough of people's company, is at last restored by the same priest to her temple. After which, the wagon and the drape, and if you like to believe me, the deity herself are bathed in a mysterious pool. The rite is performed by slaves who, as soon as it is done, are drowned in the lake. In this way mystery begets dread and a pious ignorance concerning what that sight may be which only those about to die are allowed to see.



Of the seven tribes mentioned by Tacitus in this passage, three have never been properly identified and two of the other four do not occur anywhere else; but what is important to us English is that of the remaining two, one is the Angli. Thus we have trustworthy testimony that at least one of the three main tribes which went to the making of the English nation worshipped Mother Earth round about AD100.