"When [the sun] is moving south, she makes the autumnal equinox. The further south she goes, the closer it draws near to winter, and the winter chill follows after her."
The Old English word for equinox is "emniht", from "efen" and "niht",when night and day are evenly balanced. Today is the "hærfestlice
emniht", autumnal equinox; after this, says Byrhtferth of Ramsey, "langað seo niht and wanað se dæg", "the night lengthens and the day wanes".