Edited: 01-05-2015
Calendar Girls:
Dates etc
Different places have different systems – not surprising, but I needed to take a moment to put this to paper (or pixels... whatever.) As it stands, this section is done now only because The Lieutenant (forthcoming... eventually) opens with a date. And it made me finish Of Gods, which made me finish/edit Magic.
There's a lot of multiples of three. And cycles. Hyrule is all about things coming back around.
YEARS
Hyrule has several year systems.
Local calendars run by the years of a monarchs reign OR by who the current sages are. (The Gorons will reckon by the Fire sage – this is more constant measure since sages tend to life very long lives.)
Ex.: Year three of the rule of Zelda XXIV (and variants thereupon). Standard throne names - like the ever recurring 'Zelda' - have short hand forms, as do historically important or long lived monarchs: 3ZLD24.
Some names must be writ in full, and the same form is used for sages, though they will used 'watch,' 'purview,' or something similar rather than 'rule' or reign.' The sages watch, guard, lead, protect... These forms are constant across Hyrule.
There is also a system that claims to count back to creation. The actual year is disputed, but the practical date is standard so it would be the one to over take other systems in the future - shaded possibly by the celestial calendar. (Authors: Use arbitrary numbers.)
The celestial calendar is inclusive in all calendars – some years will be recognised as heavily in the influence of a certain god and will be called the Year of Din/Uruisg/etc accordingly in all calendars, internationally. You don't ignore gods.
MONTHS
The Hylian year has eleven months – ostensibly accounting for the elements, although Time is replaced by Ice. The months follow the lunar cycle - there are two full cycles (eighteen days each) per month, with the last night of the month being a full moon.
The months, beginning with the Harvest month, are named after the old gods.
[Language peeps: the names of months end in the feminine 'a'. Elides with vowels, long '-aa' after a dental except after 'n' when it becomes '-ya', and palatals reduplicate.]
Month [aspect] Characterised by _
Hayetaa [Energy] Growth returns. The planting begins in most areas
Dekanya [Life] The first lush month of the year
Uruisgga [Water] Month of storms
Ujaalaa [Light] Brightest month, midsummer is at the end of the month
Dinya [Fire] Hottest and driest month of the year, forest and grass fires
Pehteya [Earth] Month of the early harvest
Pretaa [Spirit] Late harvests, spirit world nears
Mawtaa [Death] Late fall, early winter, month of rot
Amcherra [Shadow] Darkest month of the year
Nairnya [Ice] The calm brittle cold of winter in most regions
Farorae [Air] Late winter – warm air from the south
DAYS
396 days in a year, thirty-six days in a month, two eighteen day lunar cycles, four nine day weeks.
Week Days:
Weekdays are named for the parts of the Legends, and so are heavily based in cycles - the heroic cycles in particular. Eventually the relevance is lost to the people of Hyrule, but the days retain any power they might have regardless of mortal notice.
[Language header: '-an' is the suffix indicating weeks, although many of these are Hylian words in their own rights. These are borrowed from Welsh, Gaelic, Norman, Punjabi, and Sanskrit]
Day [Hylian word] Meaning (additional names) Day used to _
Ayeran [Ayer] Day of the Heir (the Lady's Day, Princess's Day) Coronations & appointing officials. Half day for work.
Torman [Tormod] Day of Courage; Week's first full day of work, auspicious to begin endeavours
Gwidan [Gwido] Day of Guidance; Auspicious to petition the gods
Nitiman [Nitima] Day of Wisdom; Auspicious for making choices
Rajan [Rajan] King's Day; Frequently a festival day
Azan [Azan] Day of Strength; Auspicious for contests
Sibhan [Sibhan] Day of Gods; To honour the spirits
Amitan [Amita] Day of Truth; Auspicious for receiving answers, completing work
Anluan [Anluan] Hero's Day (Day of rest)
The days are ordered specifically. Each week inherits from the last – Heirs Day. We begin every great endeavour with courage – and then seek guidance. With guidance [Gwidan – gwido – (a) guide] comes learning and wisdom – something a good leader needs to rule, and the attaining of wisdom is celebrated. With courage and wisdom we grow strong. With all three we become worthy of the gods. At the end of things we come to truth and the results of our labour. The last day, rest, is what the toiling soul has earned.
Or such was my logic at midnight.
Miscellaneous other days:
Red Moon – the eighteenth of the month. Night of memory. (Honour past wars, lost souls...) Things have a tendency to happen on Red Moons. (Consequently it is also considered Hayeta's night.)
Blood Moon – the Red Moons things happen on.
Blue Moon – the last day of the month. (36th) Night of Peace.
New Moon – Inauspicious nights.
DATES
Months begin on the first (dawn following the night of the Blue Moon) and count forwards to the last day, the 36th (Blue Moon).
There are two ways of telling the date.
Numerical date, which looks like:
The 17th of Dinya, 6398 FC (later form)
Or by week:
Dinya 2 Amitan, 3rd Year of Q. Zelda XXIV's rule (archaic)
The date by week is the formal date, homing in on the date: month, week, day, what year, with the year given as ruler or sage. That date is specific to nations, while "day number; month; year From Chaos or Creation or whatever it gets dubbed" is the international and probably politically correct one.
The day begins at dawn and goes until the next dawn.
Before Clockworks:
A day begins at dawn and is measured in: hand spans (time the sun or moon take to cross the distance of a hand held up against the sky – three spans to mid day, a span since dawn, etc) or turns for the glass (variable by hourglass, but each is very precise in its own time. Someone manning a bell tower will ring the turns) or by water clock (like hourglasses have variable time – look up Greek or Roman water clocks) or candle clocks.
Clock Time:
Hyrule has long since possessed clockworks, and has made full advantage. The day has twenty-four hours from dawn to dawn. Sunset till dawn is divided into four watches, varying in length by time of year. Most clock towers only ring in the first ten hours of the day, while the watches are done manually. At night, talk about how long it is until the X watch.
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