<< I ignored the solstices and equinoxes mostly because I can't figure out
what they're supposed to represent in the Gloranthan sense >>
The same as they did in the real ancient world before they knew about heliocentrism. For example, the summer solstice is defined as the longest day of the year.
<< Besides they mean diddly where I live. Dec 21st is the first day of
winter? Baw hah hah. Then why has there been snow on the ground for five
weeks already?>>
So you're defining 'winter' as being the time when there's snow on the ground? Means I didn't have a winter here this year (well, not yet, anyway), although I pretty much thought I lived in the temperate zone...
Still, I'm sure that's a perfectly reasonable working definition in many parts of the world (such as Winnipeg). But it does mean that the question 'what weeks of the Gloranthan calendar correspond with winter?' has different answers in different parts of the world, even if we ignore the arctic and tropical zones.
At any rate, pick whatever day you think winter starts in the RW, figure out how much fraction of year separates it from the winter solstice, and use that to place the start of winter relative to the winter solstice in Glorantha.
Incidentally, it has been argued that the lengths of the four seasons (using the solstice/equinox definitions) are not identical in Glorantha, such that the spring equinox falls on the first day of the year, immediately after the Sacred Time. I'm not sure whether this has been officially confirmed but it makes a lot of sense for, using this, you'll find the autumn equinox falls on Clayday of Ernalda's High Holy Week = Eiritha's HHD = Grain Goddesses HHD = Aldrya's HHD. The winter solstice stubbornly refuses to be any interesting day religiously, unfortunately.
<< I don't disagree that the solstices/equinoxes are supposed to designate the start of the seasons but they certainly don't in many parts of the world.>>
Using your definition of seasons, obviously not. I was attempting to find out what that definition was.
<< Winter is the cold bit where most of the plants are dormant or dead, spring
is when it gets warmer and plants start to grow, >>
How much warmer is 'warmer'? Do snowdrops etc. count for purposes of determing what plants are doing? Even in my garden not all plants begin to grow at the same time of the year. This is what I mean by the definition of the seasons being arbitrary - there is no clear dividing line between them, and we could just as easily define any number of seasons. Four is convenient, because its easy to predict when they fall astronomically using the solstices and equinoxes (although whether you chose to put those dates at the beginning of the seasons, in the middle of them, or a few weeks before them is entirely up to the calendar maker).
<< Again, I'm not sure I like the official definitions if they depend on the
solstices/
equinoxes. That completely ignores latitude on Earth >>
In so far as the tropics don't have seasons, yes. But that's going to be true for any fixed date correspondances - I was simply saying that that wasn't what you were after, and that your question was, in that sense, rather vague (I think you've clarified it since). Indeed, any definition of seasons is going to ignore latitude on Earth; for example your definition means there is no winter in the mediterranean with its primarily evergreen trees, yet I doubt the people who live there would agree.
<< and is meaningless on Glorantha where I suspect proximity/distance from the
glacier in the north and the desert in the south determines very roughly how
warm/cold your climate is. >>
True, but that doesn't make a solstice/equinox definition meaningless, as Glorantha does have solstices and equinoces. Whether it's any use is, of course, a seperate question :-)
<< Note I said very roughly. Geographical influences like large bodies of
water, mountains and even forests still have their effects as do
magical/divine influences.>>
The two major currents from Valind's Glacier in the west and Togaro's Ocean in the east have the largest effect after 'latitude' so that, for example, Seshnela is colder than Teshnos and Umathela is colder than Maslo.
<< I'll bet Dagori Ingarth is cooler than it's surrounding areas and not just
because of the mountains. Well, that's pretty speculative.>>
Seemingly, it gets less sunshine on account of the blobs of elemental darkness, so I expect you're right about the temperature.
<< I bet that most of Pamaltela doesn't have anything beyond dry and wet
seasons due to the influence of the fiery south. >>
Umathela is the only part of Pamaltela known to have seasons in the sense of winter being colder than summer, while Jolar definately has only wet and dry seasons, so I'd guess you're probably right. Although the Doraddi do have a year divided into four seasons, these are influenced not by Valind and his snows and frosts, but by Sikkanos and his dry wind. What exactly the four seasons are has not been defined to my knowledge.
Forward the glorious Red Army!
Trotsky
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