The November full Moon is commonly called the Beaver Moon because it has historically been associated with beaver activity and fur trapping as winter approaches. Several traditions note that beavers are busy building dam structures and gathering food in preparation for the cold months, and this Moon’s timing in November aligned with those observations. In some sources, the name also reflects fur trade practices from earlier centuries when beaver pelts were hunted in preparation for winter trade. The name has been adopted across different cultures and regions, contributing to its wide usage today.
Key points
- Timing and behavior: November’s Moon occurs as beavers are most active, building lodges and storing food for winter, which led to the name in many indigenous and later European contexts.
- Fur trade connection: In some historical accounts, the Beaver Moon specifically references trapping for beaver pelts during fur trade periods.
- Variations and related names: Other cultures and regions have used different names for November’s full Moon, such as the Digging Moon, Deer Rutting Moon, or Frost Moon, but Beaver Moon remains the most widely recognized in contemporary astronomy/news contexts.
If you’d like, I can pull up a few current explanations from reputable sources and summarize any regional variations or recent observations (e.g., “Beaver Moon” as a nickname for the November full Moon, sometimes also called a supermoon depending on that year’s moon- Earth distance).
