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| ==Written history==
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| *The Loquent Peoples have no written accounts of historical facts. There is, however, a detailed mythology of their creation which will be related in Chapter 7, Faith.
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| =Calendar <font color=blue>ą̀mṙënemsémos</font>=
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| *The Sefdaanian calendar was devised by Arkanus, the archimage of astronomy. Both the solar cycle and the lunar cycle are used in the ancient original calendar, but there is no 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 full moon celebrations.
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| ==1. The Solar Cycle (<font color=blue>sųlmódas</font>)==
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| *The solar year begins at the winter solstice and must begin on <font color=blue>ilmą́mṙas</font>. Each of the twelve months (<font color=blue>záltas</font>, ‘twelfth’) consists of five six-day weeks. As this gives a total of only 360 days, an intercalary week of five days is added after the twelfth month. In a leap year this intercalary week has six days.
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| *The solar year is divided into six seasons (<font color=blue>ȝę́ṙas</font>), each consisting of two periods of approximately 45 days. These <font color=blue>ȝęṙáes</font> begin every 30° on the ecliptic.
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| *Eight celebrations are held in conjunction with the solar year, four quarter days and four cross-quarter days:
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| {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
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| | Winter solstice
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| | ''ȝ̇emsúĸas''
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| | 12/22
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| | 0
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| | 43
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| |-
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| | Spring festival
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| | ''ṁesṙëtúȝnos''
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| | 2/2
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| | 45
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| | 45
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| |-
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| | Vernal equinox
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| | ''ṁèsṙëpáṙas''
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| | 3/20
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| | 90
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| | 45
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| |-
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| | Early summer festival
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| | ''nèngëtúȝnos''
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| | 5/5
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| | 135
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| | 47
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| |-
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| | Summer solstice
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| | ''lęþsúĸas''
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| | 6/21
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| | 180
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| | 45
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| |-
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| | Autumn festival
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| | ''òsnëtúȝnos''
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| | 8/6
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| | 225
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| | 46
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| |-
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| | Winter equinox
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| | ''tèlmëpáṙas''
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| | 9/23
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| | 270
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| | 43
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| |-
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| | Early winter festival
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| | ''tèlṁëtúȝnos''
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| | 11/5
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| | 315
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| | 46
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| |}
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| *The dates of these cross-quarter days do not coincide with those of the contemporary festivals.
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| ==2. The Seasons <font color=blue>ȝęṙáes</font>==
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| *There are six seasons in the Sefdaanian year. Their names with a general description follow. The names in parentheses are those used when only four seasons are recognized.
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| #<font color=blue>ȝ̇émas</font> (winter) 11/22-1/19 – cold to freezing; heavy snow, sometimes sleet or rain; heavy cloud cover most of the time.
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| #<font color=blue>ṁésnas</font> (spring) 1/20-3/20 – rising temperature with melting of ice and snow; frequent and heavy rain with heavy cloud cover; plants begin to flower, trees to leaf.
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| #<font color=blue>néngas</font> 3/21-5/20 – 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.
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| #<font color=blue>lę́tas</font> (summer) 5/21-7/22 – hot and dry; rains infrequently with little cloud cover; grass turns brown.
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| #<font color=blue>ósnas</font> (autumn) 7/23-9/22 – cooler; clouds in morning and evening often with light rain; leaves begin to change color; crops ready to harvest.
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| #<font color=blue>télṁas</font> 9/23-11/21 – temperature continues to fall; leaves begin to fall; increasing rainfall; crisp nights with frost in the morning.
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| ==3. The Months <font color=blue>zaltáes</font>==
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| Twelve months of the year
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| 1 <font color=blue>póm̌antas</font> struggling through snow 12/22-1/19 <font color=blue>ȝ̇emĸę́ṙĸ̌as</font>
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| 2 <font color=blue>sísmantas</font> snow melting 1/20-2/18 <font color=blue>ṁesnéqṙas</font>
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| 3 <font color=blue>pį́tantas</font> sap tapping 2/19-3/20 <font color=blue>ṁesnëĸę́ṙĸ̌as</font>
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| 4 <font color=blue>cį́nantas</font> grass sprouting 3/21-4/19 <font color=blue>nengéqṙas</font>
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| 5 <font color=blue>ánðantas</font> flower blooming 4/20-5/20 <font color=blue>nengëĸę́ṙĸ̌as</font>
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| 6 <font color=blue>endéqṙantas</font> heat beginning 5/21-6/20 <font color=blue>lętéqṙas</font>
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| 7 <font color=blue>cą́ṙantas</font> antler growing 6/21-7/22 <font color=blue>lęþĸę́ṙĸ̌as</font>
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| 8 <font color=blue>ðénantas</font> fruit producing 7/23-8/22 <font color=blue>osnéqṙas</font>
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| 9 <font color=blue>smą́gantas</font> feather molting 8/23-9/22 <font color=blue>osnëĸę́ṙĸ̌as</font>
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| 10 <font color=blue>ǫ́gantas</font> berry picking 9/23-10/22 <font color=blue>telṁéqṙas</font>
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| 11 <font color=blue>ǧázdantas</font> leaf falling 10/23-11/21 <font color=blue>telṁëĸę́ṙĸ̌as</font>
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| 12 <font color=blue>úqṙantas</font> becoming cold 11/22-12/21 <font color=blue>ȝ̇eméqṙas</font>
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| ==4. System of Dating==
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| *The days of the months are numbered using the cardinal number with the name of the month in the locative case. Thus, <font color=blue>úqṙantas</font> 25th would be <font color=blue>uqṙantás lu tam</font>.
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| *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 10,598 B.C. Thus the present year dated from 22 December 2011 is N.M. 12,610. N.M. stands for <font color=blue>nų́na mezdįtás</font>, 'of the present era.'
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| ==5. The Zodiac <font color=blue>tasmódos</font>==
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| *The zodiac is the annual cycle of the sun around the ecliptic. The Ethrans saw in the star arrangements fanciful pictures of the animals (mammals) that were native to Sefdaania, arranged in a more or less equal distribution around the ecliptic. They divided the ecliptic into twelve domains (<font color=blue>ṙéƶos</font>) of 30° each.
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| degree domain date
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| 0° otter/<font color=blue>úðṙes</font> 12/22
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| 30° red deer/<font color=blue>lą́nes</font> 1/20
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| 60° bear/<font color=blue>ɔ́þces</font> 2/19
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| 90° bison/<font color=blue>ṁisóntes</font> 3/21
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| 120° lynx/<font color=blue>lúnges</font> 4/20
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| 150° badger/<font color=blue>váṙĸes</font> 5/21
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| 180° camel/<font color=blue>sų́bes</font> 6/21
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| 210° beaver/<font color=blue>vévṙes</font> 7/23
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| 240° lion/<font color=blue>sínqes</font> 8/29
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| 270° ibex/<font color=blue>qaídes</font> 9/23
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| 300° seal/<font color=blue>sélĸes</font> 10/23
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| 330° rabbit/<font color=blue>b̧éṁnes</font> 11/22
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| *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.
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| ==6. The Sexagenary Cycle==
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| *By combining the signs of the zodiac with the names of the five visible planets, a sexagenary cycle was created which is also used extensively in dating events.
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| ==7. The Week <font color=blue>sefą́mṙas</font>==
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| *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.
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| *When a seventh day is needed for the contemporary calendar, it is named <font color=blue>ìlmṁespéṙas</font>, Ilmus’ eve.
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| <font color=blue>ilmą́mṙas</font> Ilmus’ day Ethrans Sunday
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| <font color=blue>p̌ą̀seną́mṙas</font> Pwaasenus’ day Pyrans Monday
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| <font color=blue>nęṙą́mṙas</font> Neerus’ day Hydorans Tuesday
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| <font color=blue>tàṙoną́mṙas</font> Taronus’ day Humans Wednesday
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| <font color=blue>pèṙĸuną́mṙas</font> Perkunus’ day Xylans Thursday
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| <font color=blue>ȝ̇àlsǫsą́mṙas</font> Halsoosus’ day Lithans Friday
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| <font color=blue>ìlmṁespéṙas</font> Saturday
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| ==8. The Day <font color=blue>ą́mṙas</font>==
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| *All time and calendar references are based on a duodecimal system. The day is divided into 24 sections known as <font color=blue>tenáes</font>. The day begins at sunrise (<font color=blue>sųlm̧ácas</font>). In modern times this is considered to be 6:00 a.m. Each of the hours is named for an animal, as follows:
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| 1st hour (6:00 a.m.) hoopoe <font color=blue>òpofténas</font>
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| 2nd hour moose <font color=blue>òlcëténas</font>
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| 3rd hour aurochs <font color=blue>tàuṙténas</font>
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| 4th hour stork <font color=blue>gèṙïténas</font>
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| 5th hour swan <font color=blue>ȝ̇òlvïténas</font>
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| 6th hour honey bee <font color=blue>veȝténas</font>
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| 7th hour (noon) eagle <font color=blue>mùȝṙëténas</font>
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| 8th hour boar <font color=blue>èpeṙténas</font>
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| 9th hour horse <font color=blue>ècüténas</font>
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| 10th hour wild cat <font color=blue>malténas</font>
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| 11th hour goose <font color=blue>ȝ̇ànsëténas</font>
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| 12th hour butterfly <font color=blue>fą̀flëténas</font>
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| 13th hour (6:00 p.m.) woodpecker <font color=blue>pèixténas</font>
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| 14th hour wolf <font color=blue>lufténas</font>
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| 15th hour hare <font color=blue>casténas</font>
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| 16th hour osprey <font color=blue>gasténas</font>
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| 17th hour heron <font color=blue>àṙǫðténas</font>
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| 18th hour salmon <font color=blue>àṁęðténas</font>
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| 19th hour (midnight) owl <font color=blue>simténas</font>
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| 20th hour leopard <font color=blue>ȝàṙgëténas</font>
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| 21st hour jackal <font color=blue>tuṙténas</font>
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| 22nd hour weasel <font color=blue>ĸesténas</font>
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| 23rd hour mallard <font color=blue>nąþténas</font>
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| 24th hour kingfisher <font color=blue>cę̀ṙolténas</font>
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| *The daylight hours are comprised of eight unequal sections;
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| 1 daybreak <font color=blue>ąmṙéqṙas</font>
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| 2 dawn <font color=blue>ą̀uspéṙas</font> daybreak to sunrise
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| 3 sunrise <font color=blue>sųlm̧ácas</font>
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| 4 morning <font color=blue>ą́ȝṙas</font> sunrise to noon
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| 5 noon <font color=blue>lóṁnas</font>
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| 6 afternoon <font color=blue>poslóṁnas</font> noon to sunset
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| 7 sunset <font color=blue>dų́as</font>
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| 8 evening <font color=blue>ṁespéṙas</font> sunset to nightfall
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| nightfall <font color=blue>noḷéqṙas</font>
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| midnight <font color=blue>mèðïnóḷtas</font>
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| *Telling time is always done by addition, never by subtraction; thus, 2:45, not 15 minutes (a quarter) to 3. The hour (<font color=blue>ténas</font?> is told by the ordinal number. Thus 2:00 is <font color=blue>d̬óta ténas</font>, the second hour. The minutes (<font color=blue>ténlas</font>) are told by the cardinal numbers. Thus 2:45 is <font color=blue>d̬óta ténas d̬o κ̧úṙ pis</font>, the second hour forty-five. If there are seconds (<font color=blue>ténlëĸas</font>), they are added to the minutes using the co-ordinating conjunction. Thus, 2:45:16 is <font color=blue>d̬óta ténas d̬ò κ̧uṙ pènĸ̌e κų́zĸ̌e</font>.
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| *Keeping time is the task of one of the ? in each citadel. He is known as the <font color=blue>tenpǫ́tus</font>, the timekeeper. He is also known as the <font color=blue>ȝą́ĸus</font>, the chandler. It is his sole task to make candles from the bees’ wax, both for lighting and for keeping time.
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| ==9. The Lunar Cycle==
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| *The lunar cycle contains thirteen moons (<font color=blue>mę́nsas</font>). The first month begins at midnight on the day when the first crescent of the first new moon after <font color=blue>ȝ̇emsúĸas</font> is sighted. The other months begin at midnight on the day of the successive new moons. These months are merely numbered.
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