Would like to know more about Eorpe (do not have any idea to type the special character). My only understanding is that it mean earth from the acerbot but do not know the full connection to the goddess other than Erce being mother earth.
This is from my reseach, it's lengthy sorry
Veneration of Еогþe in Anglo-Saxon England
From surviving literature Еогþe was thought to be associated not only with agriculture and fertility but also with health and healing. Early evidence by Tacitus states that certain Germanic tribes worshipped ‘Nerthum, id est Terram matrem' (earth mother or mother earth). In Germania Tacitus states:
'There follow in order the Reudignians, and Aviones, and Angles, and Varinians, and Eudoses, and Suardones and Nuithones; all defended by rivers or forests. Nor in one of these nations does aught remarkable occur, only that they universally join in the worship of Herthum; that is to say, the Mother Earth.’ (Germ. 40. 2).
These tribes included the Anglii who were the ancestors of the Anglian tribesman/women that migrated to England. It has been theorized that the veneration of an earth goddess survived among the Angles into Christian times as evidenced by the Anglo-Saxon Æcerbot ritual. The bilingual (Old English and Latin) field remedy commonly called the Æcerbot Ritual exists in a single manuscript: London, British Library Cotton Caligula A.
The Æcerbot chant/ritual to be performed on land that is unfruitful shows the clearest traces of veneration of Mother Earth. Lines 54-69 of Æcerbot contain a hymn to eorþan módor translated as either earth-mother or mother of earth. Lines 30-42 of the Æcerbot contain the clearest trace of sun worship in any written Germanic source. Æcerbot ritual specifies that the one should face eastwards then turn three times with the course of the sun then stretch yourself along the ground. Mallory and Adams (1997) state that linguistic evidence specifies that Indo European traditions orientated oneself in the direction of the rising sun.
The entire ritual is complex containing four metrical prayers, superficially Christian but pagan in substance.
J.P. Mallory & D.Q. Adams, Encyclopedia of Indo- European Culture, London and Chicago; Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 1997.
Excerpts from the Æcerbot instruct as follows:
Eastwards I stand, for favours I pray.
I pray the mighty lord, I pray the mighty prince,
I pray the holy guardian of the heavenly kingdom.
Earth I pray and sky.
And later in the ritual
Erce, Erce, Erce, mother of the earth,
May the all-powerful, eternal ruler
grant the acres fruitful
and flourishing, increasing
and strengthening,in high condition,
in bright abundance,and the broad
barley crops,and the whitecorncrops,
and all earthly abundance.
It is unclear whether or not the Eternal Lord/mighty prince alludes to a pre-Christian consort of Еогþe or has been superficially Christianised to make the charm palatable to Christians. Clearly the charm retained its importance into the post conversion era. I tend to use the name Еогþe as this is simply Old English for earth, she most likely had many different tribal names but these have been lost to time.
In addition in the Anglo-Saxon Charm WaeterœlfAdl (Against The Water-Elf Disease) the power of the Еогþe is invoked for healing of a skin lesion:
Еогþe þe onbere eallum hire mihtum and maegenum’.
May the earth destroy you with all her might and main.
Again the the Old English bee charm (Wiþ Ymbe) Еогþe is called upon:
Lo! Earþ has power over all creatures,
over grudges, over malice, over evil rites,
over even the mighty, slanderous tongues of men.
Later in Ælfric's homily De Auguriis, women are forbidden to draw their children through the earth at crossroads in an attempt to heal them. Indicating that earth was considered to be associated with healing and was particularly potent at crossroads.
This association of the earth with healing magic was stressed again in the confessional and penitential pseudo-Egbert in the 10th C:
A women is worthy of three years on bread and water if she cures a child by any potion or drags it through the earth at any crossroad; for this is a great paganism.
The Old English translation of the apocryphal Latin Alexander's Letters to Aristotle makes it clear that the Еогþe produces life, ‘ the producer of wild beasts, well known plants and stones, metal ores and wondrous creatures’.
As late as the twelfth-century herbal we find a prayer to Earth (translated by Dr Charles Singer, Early English Magic and Medicine)
" Earth, divine goddess, Mother Nature who generatest all things and bringest forth anew the sun which thou hast given to the nations. Guardian of sky and sea and of all gods and powers and through thy power all nature falls silent and then sinks in sleep. And again thou bringest back the light and chasest away night and yet again thou coverest us most securely with thy shades. Thou dost contain chaos infinite, yea and winds and showers and storms; thou sendest them out when thou wilt and causest the seas to roar; thou chasest away the sun and arousest the storm. Again when thou wilt thou sendest forth the joyous day and givest the nourishment of life with thy eternal surety; and when the soul departs to thee we return. Thou indeed art duly called great Mother of the gods; thou conquerest by thy divine name. Thou art the source of the strength of nations and of gods, without thee nothing can be brought to perfection or be born; thou art great queen of the gods. Goddess ! I adore thee as divine; I call upon thy name; be pleased to grant that which I ask thee, so shall I give thanks to thee, goddess, with one faith. Hear, I beseech thee, and be favourable to my prayer. Whatsoever herb thy power dost produce, give, I pray, with goodwill to all nations to save them and grant me this my medicine. Come to me with thy powers, and howsoever I may use them may they have good success and to whomsoever I may give them. Whatever thou dost grant it may prosper. To thee all things return. Those who rightly receive these herbs. from me, do thou make them whole. Goddess, I beseech thee; I pray thee as a suppHant that by thy majesty thou grant this to me. " Now I make intercession to you all ye powers and herbs and to your majesty, ye whom Earth parent of all hath produced and given as a medicine of health to all nations and hath put majesty upon you, be, I pray you, the greatest help to the human race. This I pray and beseech from you, and be present here with your virtues, for she who created you hath herself promised that I may gather you into the goodwill of him on whom the art of medicine was bestowed, and grant for health's sake good medicine by grace of your powers. I pray grant me through your virtues that whatsoe'er is wrought by me through you may in all its powers have a good and speedy effect and good success and that I may always be permitted with the favour of your majesty to gather you into my hands and to glean your fruits. So shall I give thanks to you in the name of that majesty which ordained your birth."
This is my prayer song to Еогþe.
Mihtig Еогþe
Eastweard ic stände, arena ic me bidde.
Bidde ic þone wæstmfæst gyden, ic bidde þone mihtig Еогþe
Bidde ic þu hæl eallcræftig Еогþe, fertile gyden
Еогþe lîffruma, geunne us growende gife
Beo thu growende and aweccan ealle wyrte ealle treowwes
Gefylle ealne middangeard mid œcera wexendra and wridendra,
Eacniendra and elniendra, beorht blowende
Hal wes þu, eallcræftig Folde, fira modor,
Ic singan þis gealdor, ic give þis offrung
Mote þu giefan þa eorðan bearnum mit blede us to woruldnytte
Mighty Еогþe
Eastward I stand for favours I pray.
I pray the fruitful goddess, I pray the mighty Еогþe
I pray you be whole all powerful Еогþe, fertile goddess
Еогþe source of life, grant us the gift of fertility.
May you be fruitful and raise up all the plants and trees
Fill all the earth with fields growing and thriving,
Flourishing and bountiful, brightly blooming
Hail to you, all powerful Еогþe, mother of men,
I sing this charm, I give this offering
May you bestow/gift the children of earth with crops/fruit/blossoms for our worldly benefit.
