Sefdaanian Ethnography Chapter 2 - Time

Written history - ȝa̋raþa festɘsą̋ra

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

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 (ȝı̋kask̬e þ̇űdask̬e)

• 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 (miese̋ntu), 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 (f̣oþȝı̋ka). At the end of the Second Eon, he created the cosmos.
  • The Third Eon was that of the cosmos (ṡafȝı̋ka). 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 (úþmantëȝı̋ka). 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 (sáɱantɘȝı̋ka). 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 (íðṙonþ̇űda), the Children of Air, 200,000 BP.
    • The Second Era was that of the Pyrans (ą́þ̇onþ̇űda), the Children of Fire, 174,000 BP.
    • The Third Era was that of the Hydorans (huṙonþ̇űda), the Children of Water, 148,000 BP.
    • The Fourth Era was that of the Humans (táḷonþ̇űda), the Children of Earth, 122,000 BP.
    • The Fifth Era was that of the Xylans (mą́ṭonþ̇űda), the Children of Wood, 96,000 BP.
    • The Sixth Era was that of the Lithans (táiṅonþ̇űda), 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 (ɱǫ̋ga pena̋ha) of five days is added after the twelfth month. In a leap year (ite̋na) this intercalary week has six days (ɱǫ̋ga ruþa̋ha).
• 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 (sųlf̣ǫ̋lo).

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°	43 days ↘
spring festival	kiðsa̋rno	2/2	45°	45 days ↘
vernal equinox	kiðpa̋ra	3/21	90°	45 days ↘
early-summer festival	kesa̋rno	5/5	135°	47 days ↘
summer solstice	lęþsűka	6/21	180°	45 days ↘
autumn festival	kųrsa̋rno	8/6	225°	46 days ↘
early-winter equinox	ifpa̋ra	9/23	270°	43 days ↘
early-winter festival	ifsa̋rno	11/5	315°	46 days ↗

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

The Solar Months - za̋lta

The twelve months of the year

# of month	Name of month	Translation	Dates	Season
1	puvza̋lta	frostbite month	12/22-1/20
2	fomza̋lta	struggling-through-snow month	1/20-2/18	kiða
3	pįþza̋lta	sap-tapping month	2/19-3/20
4	tivza̋lta	grass-sprouting month	3/21-4/19	ke̋sa
5	nanza̋lta	flower-blooming month	4/20-5/20
6	ovza̋lta	sun-heating month	5/21-6/20	lę̋ta
7	cąrza̋lta	antler-growing month	6/21-7/22
8	nimza̋lta	velvet-shedding month	7/23-8/23	kų̋ra
9	tęrza̋lta	coloring month	8/24-9/22
10	caðza̋lta	rutting month	9/23-10/22	ı̨̋fa
11	gusza̋lta	leaf-falling month	10/23-11/20
12	lumza̋lta	snow-falling month	11/22-12/16	he̋ma
	ɱǫ̋ga pena̋ha	intercalary week	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 stative case. Thus, lumza̋lta 25th would be lumzalta̋s ẋűr 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 2014 is N.T. (N.Þ.) 44,014. N.T. (N.Þ.) stands for nı̋ka þ̇űda̋s, ‘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/sı̋nᵹe	7/23
240°	dragon/pą̋me	8/24
270°	boar/epe̋re	9/23
300°	squirrel/ oɱe̋re	10/23
330°	fish/ḍa̋ge	11/22

The Sexagenary Cycle – tı̨̋r ẋurᵹe̋va mőda

• By combining the twelve zodiac signs (þásmoðne̋uo) with the names of the five precious jewels (a̋ro ṅe̋mo): amethyst (łı̋fo), emerald (mı̋lo), ruby (ẋų̋ro), topaz (pų̋co) and sapphire (d̬ı̋no), 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 - ruþa̋ha

• 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 ílmɘȝı̋ta, 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
ílmɘȝı̋ta	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	poslőuna	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 d̬őta te̋na, the second hour. The minutes (te̋nka) are told by the cardinal numbers. Thus 2:45 is d̬őta te̋na d̬o ẋűr 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 d̬őta te̋na d̬o ẋűr penk̬e kűsk̬e.
• 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.

The Lunar Calendar 2014 (Gregorian dates)

month	Date & Time of NM	ɱǫge̋ida	Date & Time of FM	lųde̋ida
semte̋ida	01/01 0615	01/02	01/15 2353	01/16
d̬ite̋ida	01/30 1640	01/31	02/14 1854	02/15
tirte̋ida	03/01 0302	03/02	03/16 1310	03/17
nąlte̋ida	03/30 1448	03/31	04/15 0345	04/16
pente̋ida	04/29 0217	04/30	05/14 1518	05/15
ruþte̋ida	05/28 1443	05/29	06/13 0013	06/14
sefte̋ida	06/27 0410	06/28	07/12 0726	07/13
bunte̋ida	07/26 1842	07/27	08/10 1410	08/11
numte̋ida'	08/25 1013	08/26	09/08 2138	09/09
fǫte̋ida	09/24 0213	09/25	10/08 0650	10/09
þute̋ida	10/23 1756	10/24	11/06 1722	11/07
zalte̋ida	11/22 0732	11/23	12/06 0727	12/07
šimte̋ida	12/21 2036	12/22

Calendar summary - ahlúxtaga̋s ı̋sra

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

ahlűka date	me̋a degree s°/c°	þasmődo zodiac	element	flower		ȝe̋ra season	sa̋rno festival	za̋lta month
12/22	0°/270°	őre eagle	air	honeysuckle	Capricorn 		winter solstice	puv
1/20	30°/300°	pą̋me dragon	fire	poppy	Aquarius 	late winter		fom
2/2	45°/315°						late winter festival	pı̨̋t
2/19	60°/330°	kaȝa̋me crayfish	water	lavender	Pisces 
3/21	90°/0°	mőre horse	earth	rose	Aries 	spring	vernal equinox	tiv
4/20	120°/30°	ve̋re bear	wood	clematis	Taurus 			nan
5/5	135°/45°						spring festival
5/21	150°/60°	kı̋te tur	stone	hollyhock	Gemini 	summer		ov
6/21	180°/90°	butterfly pąpı̋le	air	violet	Cancer 		summer solstice	cąr
7/23	210°/120°	sı̋nᵹe lion	fire	primrose	Leo 	late summer		nim
8/6	225°/135°						late summer festival
8/24	240°/150°	la̋ce salmon	water	water lily	Virgo 			tęr
9/23	270°/180°	ta̋ure aurochs	earth	lady slipper	Libra 	autumn	autumn equinox	cad
10/23	300°/210°	epe̋re boar	wood	dogwood	Scorpius 			gus
11/5	315°/225°						autumn festival
11/22	330°/240°	kűe turtle	stone	crocus	Sagittarius 	winter		lum
12/17						intercalary