Greenhall Calendar

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he calendar used throughout most of Greenhall during the Time of Riches was of ancient origin, and had not been adjusted or altered since the reforms of the Time of Empire. Although the names of the days and seasons varied from place to place according to linguistic custom, the essential structure of the calendar was the same in all realms of the Empeira.

The days of the week follow the pattern with which we are familiar, named for the visible planets in the usual order. The planetary deities, however, bear different names in the Greenhall, handed down from misty prehistory. Mercury was called Oestanor, but was colloquially referred to as "the little wizard" in the Empeira, and the local names for his day reflect this apellation. Venus was Eissar. Mars was Ranki, but was commonly called "the bleeder". Jupiter was Ravda, a goddess rather than a god, and Saturn was Skolom.

The chart below shows the day names in Olimaci, along with an English translation intended to convey, in a loose way, the connotations of the names used in the Greenhall, which differ slightly from our own.

Highday was the last day of the week (not the first), and was set aside for the worship of the Twin Gods and other celebratory activities.

 

Day (Olimaci)

Day (English)

Equivalent

Lunéźes

Monsday

Monday

Sanuedoréźies

Blodday

Tuesday

Maźeśléźes

Wezarday

Wednesday

Radvéźes

Thorsday

Thursday

Esaréźies

Fresday

Friday

Zecoloméźies

Saturnsday

Saturday

Jesalta

Highday

Sunday

The year was divided into seven seasons of seven or eight weeks in length. This was originally an agricultural calendar, not an astronomical one; the approximate correspondence of the first day of winter with the solstice is likely coincidental. Each season began with a Monsday and ended with a Highday.

Season (Olimaci)

Season (English)

Duration

Approximate dates

Primavereiź

Spring

7 weeks

April 5 - May 23

Ezedaj

Summer

8 weeks

May 24 - July 18

Mes

Harvest

8 weeks

July 19 - September 12

Odoumuo

Autumn

7 weeks

September 13 - October 31

Vozecando

Darkening

7 weeks

November 1 - December 19

Iverno

Winter

8 weeks

December 20 - February 13

Solvendo

Thawing

7 weeks

February 14 - April 4

The year was thus exactly 52 weeks (364 days) long. To keep the calendar aligned with the seasons, an unusual scheme for introducing "leap weeks" was employed. Every ten years, an eighth week was added to Spring. Every 12 years, an eighth week was added to Autumn. Every sixty years, the two cycles would coincide, producing a year of 54 weeks, referred to as a royal year. Every 180 years, however, the additional week of spring was omitted from the royal year. This resulted in a calendar that lost step with the season by about one day every 500 years, a discrepancy too small to attract the attention of the scholars of the time.

Days were not numbered consecutively through a season, but were referred to by their weekday names: "Third Thorsday of Autumn", "Fifth Highday of Thawing", etc.

Years were usually identified by reference to the reign of a local monarch. When comparison of dates spanning different realms or historical periods was needed, historians employed a "scholar's accounting", which counted years from the date of the proclamations of the First Lawgiver, 18 centuries prior to the events recorded in A Wall Against the Morning. For reference, the reigns of the monarchs of Aronizen are presented here:

Monarch

Year of ascension, scholar's accounting

Time of Empire

Galźon I

1633

Galźon II

1657

Julia

1690

Galźon III

1701

Time of Riches

Beślav

1722

Berendo

1748

Beralta

1781

Clávos I

1793

Clávos II

1808

The Imaginarium is a regular feature of Starweaver's Gems from Earth and Sky

Copyright © 2008 Tom Waters