Sefdaanian Ethnography Chapter 2 - Time

Pronunciation table

p	b	f	v	ɱ	m			t	d	þ	ð	ɫ	l			c	ᵶ	s	z	r	n			k	g	x	ᵹ	h	ȝ			sü	sÿ			i	e	a	ɵ	o	u			ı	ɛ	y
/p/	/b/	/ɸ/	/β/	/m̊/	/m/			/t/	/d/	/θ/	/ð/	/l̥/	/l/			/ʦ/	/ʣ/	/s/	/z/	/ɾ̥/	/n/			/k/	/g/	/ç/	/ʝ/	/j̊/	/j/			/sʷ/	/sʲ/			/i/	/e/	/ä/	/ɒ/	/o/	/u/			/ɪ/	/ɛ/	/ʊ/

Written history - ȝa̋raþa festɛsą̋ra

• The Loquent Peoples have no written accounts of historical facts. There is, however, a detailed mythology of their creation which is related in Chapter 8.

Calendar - áhluxta̋ga

The Sefdaanian calendar system was devised by Ȝumɱa̋ku Ma̋nu, the mage of astronomy. Both the solar cycle and the lunar cycle are used in the ancient original calendar, without an attempt to reconcile the two. The solar cycle is used to number the months and mark the solar festivals and to establish dates, whereas the lunar cycle is used exclusively for marking the semimonthly lunar celebrations.

The Eons and the Eras (ȝı̋kasküe þÿűdasküe)

• Sefdaanian history/mythology is divided into seven eons (ȝı̋ka) of 225,000,000 years each.
  • The First Eon was that of Yumu (ȝumȝı̋ka), the Self-existent (mi-ese̋ntu), the Ancient-One-Who-Is (sénese̋ntu) and, in reality, stretches back eternally. At the end of that eon, he created light.
  • The Second Eon was that of light (fÿoþȝı̋ka). At the end of the Second Eon, he created the cosmos.
  • The Third Eon was that of the cosmos (alméȝįȝı̋ka). At the end of the Third Eon, he created the elements.
  • The Fourth Eon was that of the elements (þę́xesȝı̋ka). At the end of the Fourth Eon, he created the sentient beings.
  • The Fifth Eon was that of the sentient beings (útantɛȝı̋ka). The Fifth Eon is divided into six eras of 26,000 years each. At the beginning of each era, he created one of the loquent beings.
  • The Sixth Eon was that of the loquent beings (sáƿantɛȝı̋ka). The Sixth Eon is divided into six eras of 26,000 years each. At the beginning of each era, he created one of the loquent beings.
    • The First Era was that of the Ethrans (gálÿǫnþÿűda), the Children of Air, 200,000 BP.
    • The Second Era was that of the Pyrans (ą́þÿonþÿűda), the Children of Fire, 174,000 BP.
    • The Third Era was that of the Hydorans (hurÿonþÿűda), the Children of Water, 148,000 BP.
    • The Fourth Era was that of the Humans (tálÿonþÿűda), the Children of Earth, 122,000 BP.
    • The Fifth Era was that of the Xylans (mą́tÿonþÿűda), the Children of Wood, 96,000 BP.
    • The Sixth Era was that of the Lithans (táinÿonþÿűda), the Children of Stone, 70,000 BP. It was during this Era that the Great Sundering (mezpűla) occurred, during which many fell out of harmony.
  • After the Great Sundering the Seventh Eon began, the Final Eon (muᵹȝı̋ka), the one in which we live today. This Seventh Eon extends as far into the future as the First Eon extends back into the past.

The Solar Cycle – sųlmőda

• The solar year begins at the winter solstice (hemsűka) and must begin on ilma̋ha. *Each of the twelve solar months (za̋lta, 'twelfth') consists of five six-day weeks. As this gives a total of only 360 days, an intercalary week (ƿǫ́ᵹpena̋ha) of five days is added after the twelfth month. In a leap year (iþdı̋la) this intercalary week has six days (ɱǫ́ᵹsąda̋ha).
• The solar year is divided into six seasons (ȝę̋ra), each consisting of two periods of approximately 45 days. These ȝę̋ras begin every 30° on the ecliptic (sųlfÿǫ̋lo).

The Seasons - ȝę̋ra

• There are six seasons in the Sefdaanian year.
• The underlined names are those used when only four seasons are recognized.
  • he̋ma (winter) 11/23-1/20 – cold to freezing; heavy snow, sometimes sleet or rain; heavy cloud cover most of the time.
  • kı̋ða (spring) 1/21-3/20 – rising temperature with melting of ice and snow; frequent and heavy rain with heavy cloud cover; plants begin to flower, trees to leaf.
  • ke̋sa (early-summer) 3/21-5/21 – temperature continues to rise; ground begins to dry out; plants are in full bloom and leaf; increased sun and wind; warm days and cool nights.
  • lę̋ta (summer) 5/22-7/22 – hot and dry; rains infrequently with little cloud cover; grass turns brown.
  • kų̋ra (autumn) 7/23-9/23 – cooler; clouds in morning and evening often with light rain; leaves begin to change color; crops ready to harvest.
  • ı̨̋fa (early-winter) 9/24-11/22 – temperature continues to fall; leaves begin to fall; increasing rainfall; crisp nights with frost in the morning.
• Eight celebrations are held in conjunction with the solar year:

↓ = number of days until the next celebration.

winter solstice	hemsűka	12/22	0°	42 days↓
spring festival	kiðsa̋rno	2/2	45°	46 days↓
vernal equinox	kiðpa̋ra	3/21	90°	44 days↓
early-summer festival	kesa̋rno	5/5	135°	46 days↓
summer solstice	lęþsűka	6/21	180°	47 days↓
autumn festival	kųrsa̋rno	8/6	225°	48 days↓
early-winter equinox	ifpa̋ra	9/23	270°	44 days↓
early-winter festival	ifsa̋rno	11/5	315°	45 days↓

• The dates of these cross-quarter days do not coincide with those of the contemporary festivals.

The Solar Months - za̋lta

• The agrarian Peoples (zɵ̋ðɱus), the four Peoples who grow crops and herd livestock, i.e., the Pyrans, Hydorans, Humans and Lithans, have a twelve-month calendar, the names of which months are taken from the natural world.

The twelve months of the year

# of month	Name of month	Translation	Dates	Season
1	toɱę̋a	snowdrift month	12/22-1/20
2	ce̋ra	antler-growing month	1/21-2/19	kiða
3	pı̨̋ta	sap-tapping month	2/20-3/21
4	tı̋ba	grass-sprouting month	3/22-4/20	ke̋sa
5	na̋na	flower-blooming month	4/21-5/20
6	tı̨̋þa	heating month	5/21-6/19	lę̋ta
7	ga̋þa	berry-picking month	6/20-7/19
8	kőȝa	harvesting month	7/20-8/18	kų̋ra
9	ą̋ka	colored-leaf month	8/19-9/17
10	ca̋da	rutting month	9/18-10/17	ı̨̋fa
11	gűsa	leaf-falling month	10/18-11/16
12	lų̋fa	snow-falling month	11/17-12/16	he̋ma
	ɱǫ́ᵹpena̋ha	intercalary week	12/17-12/21

• The Xylans also have a twelve-month calendar, the months of which are named after trees.

# of month	Name of month	Translation	Dates	Season
1	ȝőina	juniper	12/22-1/20
2	ða̋na	silver fir	1/21-2/19	kiða
3	aca̋na	Norway maple	2/20-3/21
4	cüa̋ma	linden	3/22-4/20	ke̋sa
5	sa̋lka	willow	4/21-5/20
6	abe̋la	apple	5/21-6/19	lę̋ta
7	xı̋ba	ash	6/20-7/19
8	pe̋rküa	oak	7/20-8/18	kų̋ra
9	vą̋ᵶa	beech	8/19-9/17
10	kűnüa	walnut	9/18-10/17	ı̨̋fa
11	ı̨̋ɱa	yew	10/18-11/16
12	tǫ̋pa	elm	11/17-12/16	he̋ma
	ɱǫ́ᵹpena̋ha	12/17-12/21

System of Dating – ahluka̋m pą̋so

• The days of the months are numbered using the cardinal number with the name of the month in the genitive case. Thus, lų̋fa 25th would be lųfa̋s xÿűr pen.
• The years are numbered according to their order in the era or eon. The current era is called the present era and dates from the winter solstice of 42,000 B.C. Thus the present year dated from 22 December 2015 is N.T. (N.Þ.) 44,015. N.T. (N.Þ.) stands for nı̋ka þÿuda̋s, ‘of the present era’.

The Zodiac – þasmőda

• The zodiac is the annual cycle of the sun around the ecliptic. The Ethrans saw in the star arrangements fanciful pictures of the animals that were native to Sefdaania, arranged in a more or less equal distribution around the ecliptic. They divided the ecliptic into twelve domains (ą̋ra) of 30° each.
• By the Sefdaanian reckoning, the starting point of the ecliptic is at the winter solstice which is marked 0°, although the vernal equinox is at 0° by contemporary reckoning.

degree	domain	date
0°	tur/kı̋te	12/22
30°	bear/ve̋re	1/20
60°	eagle/őre	2/19
90°	horse/mőre	3/21
120°	hare/cą̋se	4/20
150°	turtle/kűe	5/21
180°	aurochs/ta̋ure	6/21
210°	lion/bɪ̨̋re	7/23
240°	dragon/pą̋me	8/24
270°	boar/epe̋re	9/23
300°	squirrel/oɱe̋re	10/23
330°	salmon/la̋ce	11/22

The Sexagenary Cycle – tı̨̋r xÿurᵹe̋va mőda

• By combining the twelve zodiac signs (þásmoðne̋uo) with the names of the five precious jewels (a̋ro nÿe̋mo): ruby (xÿų̋ro), orange topaz (pų̋co), emerald (mı̋lo), sapphire (düı̋no),and amethyst (ɫı̋fo), a sexagenary cycle was created which is also used extensively in dating events, so that events are recorded as taking place in the year of the amethyst lion, the sapphire dragon, etc.

The Week - sąða̋ha

• After the creation of all six of the Loquent Peoples, the days of the week (which were formerly simply numbered) were given the names of the six avatars of God worshipped by each people, in the order of the creation of each people.
• When a seventh day is needed for the contemporary calendar, it is named ilmɛȝı̋ta, Ilmus’ eve. The week is then sefa̋ha.

ilma̋ha	Ilmus’ day	Ethrans	Sunday
pų́sana̋ha	Puusenus’ day	Pyrans	Monday
nęra̋ha	Neerus’ day	Hydorans	Tuesday
tárona̋ha	Taronus’ day	Humans	Wednesday
pérkuna̋ha	Perkunus’ day	Xylans	Thursday
kábeira̋ha	Kabeirus’ day	Lithans	Friday
ílmɛȝı̋ta	Ilmus’ eve		Saturday

The Day - a̋ha

• All time and calendar references are based on a duodecimal system. The day is divided into 24 sections known as te̋nas. The day begins at sunrise (nę̋da). In modern times this is considered to be 6:00 a.m. Each of the hours is named for an animal, as follows:

1st hour (6:00 a.m.)	hoopoe	ópofte̋na
2nd hour	quail	rę́kinte̋na
3rd hour	grebe	kuite̋na
4th hour	stork	hoste̋na
5th hour	swan	kųᵹte̋na
6th hour	honey bee	vįte̋na
7th hour (noon)	eagle	orte̋na
8th hour	swift	ᵹelte̋na
9th hour	loon	axte̋na
10th hour	heron	rǫðte̋na
11th hour	goose	gąrte̋na
12th hour	butterfly	pą́pilte̋na
13th hour (6:00 p.m.)	woodpecker	pįxte̋na
14th hour	snipe	tilte̋na
15th hour	gull	meɱte̋na
16th hour	osprey	gaste̋na
17th hour	grasshopper	fefte̋na
18th hour	nightingale	áɱęðte̋na
19th hour (midnight)	owl	simte̋na
20th hour	gyrfalcon	árgifte̋na
21st hour	jay	ceihte̋na
22nd hour	dove	álunte̋na
23rd hour	mallard	naþte̋na
24th hour	kingfisher	cę́rolte̋na

• The daylight hours are comprised of eight unequal sections:

1	daybreak	ahtőda
2	dawn	va̋iᵹa	daybreak to sunrise
3	sunrise	nę̋da
4	morning	ą̋ȝa	sunrise to noon
5	noon	lőuna
6	afternoon	sı̋xa	noon to sunset
7	sunset	dų̋a
8	evening	ȝı̋ta	sunset to nightfall
	nightfall	ląþtőda
	midnight	meðlą̋ta

• Telling time is always done by addition, never by subtraction; thus, 2:45, not 15 minutes (a quarter) to 3. The hour (te̋na) is told by the ordinal number. Thus 2:00 is düőta te̋na, the second hour. The minutes (te̋nka) are told by the cardinal numbers. Thus 2:45 is düőta te̋na düo xÿűr pen, the second hour forty-five. If there are seconds (sa̋mpa), they are added to the minutes using the co-ordinating conjunction. Thus, 2:45:16 is düőta te̋na düo xÿűr penküe kűsküe.
• Keeping time is the task of one of the adepts in each citadel. He is known as the tenpǫ̋þlu, the time guardian. He is also known as the ȝą̋xlu, the chandler. It is solely his task to make candles from the bees’ wax, both for lighting and for keeping time.

The Lunar Cycle – zęrmőda

• The lunar cycle contains twelve or thirteen months (e̋ida). The first month begins at midnight of the day on which the first crescent of the first new moon after hemsűka is sighted. The other months begin at midnight on the day of the successive new moons. These months are merely numbered.
• The lunar months are divided into halves. The waxing moon (ɱǫge̋ida) extends from the date of the new moon to the date of the full moon. The waning moon (lųde̋ida) extends from the date of the full moon to the date of the new moon.

Calendar summary - ahlúxtaga̋s ı̋sra

• s° = Sefdaanian degree; c° = contemporary degree.

ahlűka date	f̨a̋ga month	þasmődo zodiac	þeexe̋so element	na̋no flower	me̋a degree s°/c°	ȝe̋ra season	sa̋rno festival
12/22	sigf̨a̋ga	tur kı̋te Capricorn	air ga̋a̋lo	rose ṁõ̋di Rosa rubiginosa	0°/270°		hemsűka winter solstice
1/21	piiþf̨a̋ga	bear ve̋re Aquarius	fire a̋a̋þe	poppy ma̋a̋ki Papaver rhoeas	30°/300°	kı̋ða late winter
2/2					45°/315°		kiðsa̋rno late winter festival
2/20	ṡerf̨a̋ga	eagle őre Pisces	water	primrose pűi Primula vulgaris	60°/330°
3/22	tivf̨a̋ga	horse mőre Aries	earth	lavender hadi Lavandula angustifolia	90°/0°	ke̋sa spring	kespa̋ra vernal equinox
4/21	nanf̨a̋ga	hare ṡe̋ṡe Taurus	wood	hollyhock eba̋ki Alcea rosea	120°/30°
5/5					135°/45°		kes̈a̋rno spring festival
5/22	tiiþf̨a̋ga	turtle he̋le Gemini	stone	clematis labűżi Clematis vitalba	150°/60°	le̋e̋ta summer
6/21	gaþf̨a̋ga	aurochs ta̋ure Cancer	air	red clover dőbi Trifolium pratense	180°/90°		leeþsűka summer solstice
7/20	b̬aaþf̨a̋ga	lion bı̋ı̋re Leo	fire	white water lily la̋a̋ki Nymphaea alba	210°/120°	kuűra late summer
8/6					225°/135°		kuursa̋rno late summer festival
8/19	aakf̨a̋ga		water	columbine ṡõ̋ri Aquilegia vulgaris
8/23		pa̋a̋me dragon Virgo			240°/150°
9/18	ṡaðf̨a̋ga		earth	lady slipper aṡe̋nti Cypripedium calceolus
9/23		boar epe̋re Libra			270°/180°	ı̋fa autumn	ifpa̋ra autumn equinox
10/18	gűsf̨a̋ga		wood	sweet violet s̨űmi Viola odorata
10/23		squirrel epe̋re Scorpius			300°/210°
11/5					315°/225°		ifsa̋rno autumn festival
11/17	luuf̨̈a̋ga			crocus sı̋zi Crocus cartwrightianus
11/22		salmon la̋ṡe Sagittarius			330°/240°	he̋ma winter
12/17						m̃óóƣpena̋ha intercalary