Egyptian days

While I was working with my last Old English text, I learnt about these days. The Egyptian days were considered bad days. In the Anglo-Saxon literature, these days are regarded as unfavourable for blood-letting. Although thethese days come from the pagan tradition, the text they belonged to, "Lacnunga," was compiled in a monastery, and curiously the identification of these days was based on biblical episodes:

The first Monday in April; Cain was born and also killed his brother Abel.
The first Monday in August, Sodom and Gomorra were destroyed.
The last Monday in December was Judas Iscariot's birthday.

So if you are superstitious, don't arrange important events on these days. I'm not superstitious but I've found it curious our ancenstors have this type of proclivity.



The Egyptian Days


Three days there are in the year that we call Egyptiaci, that is in our tongue dangerous days, on which by no means, for no necessity, let either man’s or beast’s blood be diminished. The first of these is the Monday nearest to the end of the month which we call April. The second is the first Monday after the beginning of the month which we call August. The third is the first Monday after the end of the month of December. Whosoever on these three days diminish his blood, be it man, be it beast, shall, as we have heard say, soon on the first day or the fourth day end his life; or if his life is longer he shall not reach the seventh day; or if he taketh any draught on those three days he shall end his life within fifteen days. If any one is born on these days he shall end his life by an evil death. And he that on these days tastethe flesh of goose, within a space of forty days he shall end his life.

Anglo-Saxon Magic and Medicine. J. H. G. Grattan and Charles Singer Oxford University Press 1952. Oxford, p. 199. Folcroft Library Editions, Folcroft Pa, 1971.