Re: Sprucing up the Western Calendar

From: Peter Metcalfe <metcalph_at_T2-wZ6pmWvEhaoTtfoqd6sSjFb7Ih5Ngd1DQQ7lIV92BMVVmkV0f0BQBt4xgGsgDr40>
Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2012 17:26:08 +1300


Given Orlanthi myth cites the Emperor as having 10 nobles and 294 commoners (KoS p57), it seems to me calenders of whatever sort existed before the Great Darkness. I don't think it meaningful to argue about whether who invented the standard calender (Five Seasons of Eight Weeks and Fourteen Days). The Vingkotlings may have learned of it from the Malkioni or vice versa or both may have stolen them from the Mostali. The answers are lost in mists of antiquity.

I wouldn't try a straight mapping between the actions and the seasons. It doesn't work for the theistic mythology (ie the seasonal sequence is sea-fire-earth-darkness-storm whereas the mythical sequence is creation age-green/earth age-fire/golden age-storm age-darkness).

On the celebration of Saint's days, they should be used as dates of cosmological significance rather than merely social ones. Five holy days should go for the four castes and the women (ie Talar's Day, Zzabur's Day etc). The Rokari will probably celebrate the revelation of the Abiding Book while the Loskalmi will commemorate instead the revelation of Joy. Another five days will be set aside for Malkion in each of the five Actions. Another six will be set aside to celebrate the six ancient arts of logic (Builder's Day, Thinker's Day, etc). Lastly there will be the fourteen days of Sacred Time, giving a total of 31 days. Putting Zzabur's Day, Sacrifice Day in Sacred Time gives us a total of 29 days which everyone celebrates.

As for the western view of time, IMO they see it as a property of the Fourth World (the other four being the essence planes and hell). The higher worlds are timeless and ageless in varying degrees whereas Hell is chaotic, turbulent and non sequential. The westerners do recognize a rhythm in the Fourth World in which some truths are more apparent than others at certain times but they do not see this as being an overall feature of the Cosmos.

--Peter Metcalfe            

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