Sefdaanian Ethnography Chapter 2 - Time: Difference between revisions

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| align=center | '''C. ciconia'''
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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 ('''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 na̋a̋lfoos pe̋n''', 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 na̋a̋lfoos pe̋nk̬e főősaaðk̬e'''.
*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 na̋a̋lfoos pe̋n''', 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 na̋a̋lfoos pe̋nk̬e főősaaðk̬e'''.
*Keeping time is the task of one of the adepts in each citadel.  He is known as the '''tenpőőþlu''', the time guardian.  He is also known as the '''ȝa̋a̋xlu''', the chandler.  It is solely his task to make candles from the bees’ wax, both for lighting and for keeping time.  
*Keeping time is the task of one of the adepts in each citadel.  He is known as the '''tenpőőþlu''', the time guardian.  He is also known as the '''ȝa̋a̋xlu''', the chandler.  It is solely his task to make candles from the bees’ wax, both for lighting and for keeping time.
 


===The Lunar Cycle – '''zeermőda'''===
===The Lunar Cycle – '''zeermőda'''===

Revision as of 10:35, 13 April 2017

Pronunciation table

p b f v m t d þ ð ɫ l ż s z r n k g x ƣ h ȝ š i e a õ o u ĭ ĕ ŭ
/p/ /b/ /ɸ/ /β/ /m̥/ /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/ /ĕ/ /ʊ/


Written history - ȝa̋raþa festĕsa̋a̋r̈a

  • 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 Ȝumm̃a̋ku 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 þ̨űdask̬e

  • 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 (f̨oþȝı̋ka). At the end of the Second Eon, he created the cosmos.
    • The Third Eon was that of the cosmos (álmeiȝı̋ka). At the end of the Third Eon, he created the elements.
    • The Fourth Eon was that of the elements (þééxesȝı̋ka). At the end of the Fourth Eon, he created the sentient beings.
    • The Fifth Eon was that of the sentient beings (útantĕȝı̋ka). 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 (sám̃antĕȝı̋ka). 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 (gál̨onþ̨űda), the Children of Air, 200,000 BP.
      • The Second Era was that of the Pyrans (ááþ̨onþ̨űda), the Children of Fire, 174,000 BP.
      • The Third Era was that of the Hydorans (hur̨onþ̨űda), the Children of Water, 148,000 BP.
      • The Fourth Era was that of the Humans (tál̨onþ̨űda), the Children of Earth, 122,000 BP.
      • The Fifth Era was that of the Xylans (máát̨onþ̨űda), the Children of Wood, 96,000 BP.
      • The Sixth Era was that of the Lithans (táin̨onþ̨űda), 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 (muƣȝı̋ka), 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 – suulmőda

  • The solar year begins at the winter solstice (hemsűka) and must begin on ilma̋ha.
  • Each of the twelve solar months (f̨a̋ga) consists of five six-day weeks (saaða̋ha). As this gives a total of only 360 days, an intercalary week (m̃óóƣpena̋ha) of five days is added after the twelfth month. In a leap year (iþdı̋la) this intercalary week has six days (m̃óóƣsaaða̋ha).

The Seasons - ȝe̋e̋ra

  • The solar year is divided into six seasons (ȝe̋e̋ra), each consisting of two periods of approximately 45 days. These ȝe̋e̋ras begin every 30° on the ecliptic (suulf̨őőlo).
  • 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.
    • le̋e̋ta (summer) 5/22-7/22 – hot and dry; rains infrequently with little cloud cover; grass turns brown.
    • kűűra (autumn) 7/23-9/23 – cooler; clouds in morning and evening often with light rain; leaves begin to change color; crops ready to harvest.
    • ı̋fa (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 42 days↓
spring festival kiðsa̋rno 2/2 45° 46 days↓
vernal equinox kiðpa̋ra 3/21 90° 44 days↓
early-summer festival kes̈a̋rno 5/5 135° 46 days↓
summer solstice leeþsűka 6/21 180° 47 days↓
autumn festival kuursa̋rno 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 - f̨a̋ga

  • The agrarian Peoples (zõ̋ðm̃us), the three Peoples who grow crops and herd livestock, i.e., the Pyrans, 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
Name of month Translation Dates Season
sigf̨a̋ga snowstorm month 12/22-1/20
piiþf̨a̋ga sap-tapping month 1/21-2/19 kiða
ṡerf̨a̋ga antler-growing month 2/20-3/21
tivf̨a̋ga grass-sprouting month 3/22-4/20 ke̋sa
nanf̨a̋ga flower-blooming month 4/21-5/20
tiiþf̨a̋ga heating month 5/21-6/19 le̋e̋ta
gaþf̨a̋ga berry-picking month 6/20-7/19
b̬aaþf̨a̋ga velvet-shedding month 7/20-8/18 kűűra
aaxf̨a̋ga colored-leaf month 8/19-9/17
ṡaðf̨a̋ga rutting month 9/18-10/17 ı̋fa
gusf̨a̋ga leaf-falling month 10/18-11/16
luuf̨̈a̋ga snow-falling month 11/17-12/16 he̋ma
m̃óóƣpena̋ha intercalary week 12/17-12/21
  • The Xylans also have a twelve-month calendar, the months of which are named after trees.
Name of month Translation Dates Season
ȝőinf̨a̋ga juniper 12/22-1/20
oim̃f̨a̋ga wild service tree 1/21-2/19 kiða
s̨ulf̨a̋ga Swiss pine 2/20-3/21
tı̋lf̨a̋ga linden 3/22-4/20 ke̋sa
uƣf̨a̋ga silver birch 4/21-5/20
kõnf̨a̋ga cornelian cherry 5/21-6/19 le̋e̋ta
xivf̨a̋ga ash 6/20-7/19
aizf̨a̋ga sessile oak 7/20-8/18 kűűra
vaazf̨a̋ga beech 8/19-9/17
leezf̨a̋ga Turkish hazelnut 9/18-10/17 ı̋ı̋fa
iim̃f̨a̋ga yew 10/18-11/16
toof̨̈a̋ga elm 11/17-12/16 he̋ma
m̃óóƣpena̋ha 12/17-12/21

System of Dating – ahluka̋m pa̋a̋so

  • The days of the months are numbered using the cardinal number with the name of the month in the genitive case. Thus, aaxf̨a̋ga 25th would be aaxf̨aga̋s d̬őfoos pe̋n.
  • 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 2016 is N.T. (N.Þ.) 44,016. N.T. (N.Þ.) stands for nı̋ka þ̨uda̋s, 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 (a̋a̋ra) 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 binomial date
tur kı̋te Capra caucasica 12/22
30° cave bear ȝőlże Ursus spelaeus 1/20
60° imperial eagle őre Aquila heliaca 2/19
90° horse mőre Equus ferus przewalskii 3/21
120° hare ṡe̋ṡe Lepus europaeus 4/20
150° turtle kűe Emys orbicularis 5/21
180° aurochs ta̋ure Bos primigenius 6/21
210° lion bı̋ı̋re Panthera leo spelaea 7/23
240° dragon m̨űde Draco volans 8/24
270° boar epe̋re Sus scrofa 9/23
300° squirrel om̃e̋re Sciurus vulgaris 10/23
330° salmon la̋ṡe Salmo labrax 11/22

The Sexagenary Cycle – saaðfóósdila̋s mőda

  • By combining the twelve zodiac signs (þásmoðne̋uo) with the names of the five precious jewels (a̋ro n̨e̋mo): ruby (x̨űűro), orange topaz (pűűṡo), emerald (mı̋lo), sapphire (d̬ı̋no),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 Gregorian year 2016-17 is the year of the Ruby Tur.

The Week - saada̋ha

  • 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 Ȝűmu 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 ilmĕȝı̋ta, Ilmus’ eve. The week is then sefa̋ha.
ilma̋ha Ilmus' day Ethrans Sunday
púúsana̋ha Puusenus' day Pyrans Monday
neera̋ha Neerus' day Hydorans Tuesday
tárona̋ha Taronus' day Humans Wednesday
pérkuna̋ha Perkunus' day Xylans Thursday
kábeira̋ha Kabeirus' day Lithans Friday
ilmĕȝı̋ta 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 (ne̋e̋da). In modern times this is considered to be 6:00 a.m. Each of the hours is named for a bird or flying insect, as follows:
1st hour (6:00 a.m.) hoopoe Upupa epops ópofte̋na
2nd hour quail C. coturnix réékinte̋na
3rd hour grebe Podiceps cristatus kuite̋na
4th hour stork C. ciconia guzte̋na
5th hour swan Cygnus falconeri kuuƣte̋na
6th hour honey bee Apis mellifera viite̋na
7th hour (noon) eagle Aquila heliaca orte̋na
8th hour swift A. apus ƣelte̋na
9th hour loon Gavia immer axte̋na
10th hour heron Ardea cinerea rooðte̋na
11th hour goose Anser fabalis gaarte̋na
12th hour butterfly Papilio machaon páápilte̋na
13th hour (6:00 p.m.) woodpecker Picus viridis piixte̋na
14th hour snipe G. gallinago tiste̋na
15th hour gull Larus canus mem̃te̋na
16th hour osprey Pandion haliaëtus gaste̋na
17th hour grasshopper Chorthippus brunneus fefte̋na
18th hour nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos ám̃eeðte̋na
19th hour (midnight) owl B. bubo simte̋na
20th hour gyrfalcon Falco rusticolus árgifte̋na
21st hour jay Garrulus glandarius ṡeihte̋na
22nd hour dove Columba l. livia álunte̋na
23rd hour mallard Anas platyrhynchos naþte̋na
24th hour kingfisher Alcedo atthis ceérolte̋na
  • The daylight hours are comprised of eight unequal sections:
1 daybreak ahtőda
2 dawn va̋iƣa daybreak to sunrise
3 sunrise ne̋e̋da
4 morning a̋a̋ȝa sunrise to noon
5 noon lőuna
6 afternoon sı̋xa noon to sunset
7 sunset dűűa
8 evening ȝı̋ta sunset to nightfall
nightfall laaþtőda
midnight meðla̋a̋ta
  • 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 na̋a̋lfoos pe̋n, 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 na̋a̋lfoos pe̋nk̬e főősaaðk̬e.
  • Keeping time is the task of one of the adepts in each citadel. He is known as the tenpőőþlu, the time guardian. He is also known as the ȝa̋a̋xlu, the chandler. It is solely his task to make candles from the bees’ wax, both for lighting and for keeping time.

The Lunar Cycle – zeermőda

  • 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 full moon after hemsűka is sighted. The other months begin at midnight on the day of the successive new moons. These months are merely numbered:þune̋ida d̬e̋ida tire̋ida, etc.
  • The lunar months are divided into halves. The waxing moon (m̃ooge̋ida) extends from the date of the new moon to the date of the full moon. The waning moon (pine̋ida) 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
moðme̋a
degree s°/c°
ȝe̋ra
season
sa̋rno
festival
12/22 sigf̨a̋ga tur kı̋te
Capricorn
air ga̋a̋lo hollyhock eba̋ki
Alcea rosea
0°/270° hemsűka
winter solstice
1/21 piiþf̨a̋ga bear ve̋re
Aquarius
air ga̋a̋lo crocus sı̋zi
Crocus cartwrightianus
30°/300° kı̋ða
late winter
2/2 lavender ha̋di
Lavandula angustifolia clematis labűżi
Clematis vitalba
45°/315° kiðsa̋rno
late winter festival
2/20 ṡerf̨a̋ga eagle őre
Pisces
fire a̋a̋þe primrose pűi
Primula vulgaris
60°/330°
3/22 tivf̨a̋ga horse mőre
Aries
fire a̋a̋þe sloe ṡőőfi
Prunus spinosa
90°/0° ke̋sa
spring
kespa̋ra
vernal equinox
4/21 nanf̨a̋ga hare ṡe̋ṡe
Taurus
water hűro columbine ṡõ̋ri
Aquilegia vulgaris
120°/30°
5/5 135°/45° kes̈a̋rno
spring festival
5/22 tiiþf̨a̋ga turtle he̋le
Gemini
water hűro white water lily la̋a̋ki
Nymphaea alba
150°/60° le̋e̋ta
summer
6/21 gaþf̨a̋ga aurochs ta̋ure
Cancer
earth ta̋le rose m̃õ̋di
Rosa rubiginosa
180°/90° leeþsűka
summer solstice
7/20 b̬aaþf̨a̋ga lion bı̋ı̋re
Leo
earth ta̋le poppy ma̋a̋ki
Papaver rhoeas
210°/120° kuűra
late summer
8/6 225°/135° kuursa̋rno
late summer festival
8/19 aakf̨a̋ga wood ma̋a̋to anemone m̃eezı̋di
Anemone nemorosa
8/23 pa̋a̋me dragon
Virgo
240°/150°
9/18 ṡaðf̨a̋ga wood ma̋a̋to
9/23 boar epe̋re
Libra
lady slipper aṡe̋nti
Cypripedium calceolus
270°/180° ı̋fa
autumn
ifpa̋ra
autumn equinox
10/18 gűsf̨a̋ga stone ta̋ino sweet violet s̨űmi
Viola odorata
10/23 squirrel epe̋re
Scorpius
300°/210°
11/5 315°/225° ifsa̋rno
autumn festival
11/17 luuf̨̈a̋ga stone ta̋ino apple abeli
Malus sylvestris
11/22 salmon la̋ṡe
Sagittarius
330°/240° he̋ma
winter
12/17 m̃óóƣpena̋ha
intercalary