Sefdaanian Ethnography Chapter 2 - Time

Pronunciation table

peműko (labial)								riisűko (dental)								muitűko (alveolar)								vainűko (palatal)							ṡ̨uuše̋nos (vowels with प)								nı̋þo ṡ̨uuše̋nos (weak vowels)
p	b	f	v	m̃	m			t	d	þ	ð	ɫ	l			ṡ	ż	s	z	r	n			k	g	x	ƣ	h	ȝ			š	s̨			i	e	a	ɔ	o	u			ı	ɛ	y
प	ब	फ	भ	म़	म			त	द	थ	ध	ल़	ल			च	ज	स	स़	र	न			क	ग	क़	ग़	ह	य			स्व	स्य			इ ई पि पी	ए एै ए पै	अ आ प पा	ऒ ॵ पॊ पॏ	ओ औ पो पौ	उ ऊ पु पू			पं	पऺ	पॅ
/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/	/ɛ/	/ʊ/

Written history - ȝa̋raþa postɛsa̋a̋r̈a

• 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 – Faith.

Calendar - áhluxta̋ga

• The Sefdaanian calendar system was devised by Ȝumm̃a̋ku Ma̋nu, the archimage 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, to 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 three eons (ȝı̋ka) and fourteen eras (þ̨űda). An era is 25,920 years long.
• The First Eon was that of Yumu (ȝumȝı̋ka), the Self-existent (mi-bűȝantu), the Ancient-One-Who-Is (sene̋santu) and, in reality, extends back eternally.
• The end of this eon is marked by the creation of air, the first element. This is reckoned to have taken place in the year 358,560 B.C.E.
  • This is the Era of Air (gaalþ̨űda). The creation of air marks the beginning of the Second Eon, that of the Elements (þééxesȝı̋ka).
  • The Era of Fire (aaþ̨̈űda) begins with the creation of the second element, fire, in the year 332,640.
  • The Era of Water (hurþ̨űda) begins with the creation of the third element, water, in the year 306,720.
  • The Era of Earth (talþ̨űda) begins with the creation of the fourth element, earth, in the year 280,800.
  • The Era of Wood (maaþ̨̈űda) begins with the creation of the fifth element, wood, in the year 254,880.
  • The Era of Stone (taainþ̨űda) begins with the creation of the sixth element, stone, in the year 228,960.
• The Eon of Life (ǧiiȝı̋ka) begins with the creation of the plants.
  • The Era of Plants (muulþ̨űda) begins with the creation of plants in the year 203,040.
  • The Era of Animals (tasþ̨űda) begins with the creation of the animals in the year 177,120.
  • The Era of the Ethrans (gáál̨onþ̨űda), the Children of Air, begins with the creation of the Ethrans in the year 151,200.
  • The Era of the Pyrans (ááþ̨onþ̨űda), the Children of Fire, begins with the creation of the Pyrans in the year 125,280.
  • The Era of the Hydorans (húr̨onþ̨űda), the Children of Water, begins with the creation of the Hydorans in the year 99,360.
    • It was half way through this Era, in the year 86,400, that the Great Sundering (me̋ża pűlra) occurred, when many fell out of harmony.
  • The Era of the Humans (tál̨onþ̨űda), the Children of Earth, begins with the creation of the Humans in the year 73,440.
  • The Era of the Xylans (máát̨onþ̨̈űda), the Children of Wood, begins with the creation of the Xylans in the year 47,520.
  • The Era of the Lithans (tááin̨onþ̨űda), the Children of Stone, begins with the creation of the Lithans in the year 21,600.
• In the year 11,500, the Ethrans revised the calendar and, regressing, started the era on the winter solstice of 21,600 in the House of Tur (Capricorn). This became the first year of the renamed Present Era (nı̋ka þ̨űda) which extends into the future as far 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 (late-winter) 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 (spring) 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 (late-summer) 7/23-9/23 – cooler; clouds in morning and evening often with light rain; leaves begin to change color; crops ready to harvest.
  • ı̋pa (autumn) 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	0°	42 days↓
late winter festival	kiðsa̋rno	2/2	45°	46 days↓
vernal equinox	kespa̋ra	3/21	90°	44 days↓
spring festival	kes̈a̋ro	5/5	135°	46 days↓
summer solstice	leeþsűka	6/21	180°	47 days↓
late summer festival	kuursa̋rno	8/6	225°	48 days↓
late summer equinox	kuurpa̋ra	9/23	270°	44 days↓
autumn 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 (zǫ̋ðm̃us), 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
aivf̨a̋ga	grass-sprouting month	2/20-3/21
ṡaarf̨a̋ga	antler-growing 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
gusf̨a̋ga	leaf-falling month	9/18-10/17	ı̋fa
ṡaðf̨a̋ga	rutting month	10/18-11/16
luunf̨a̋ga	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
ȝoinf̨a̋ga	juniper	12/22-1/20
oim̃f̨a̋ga	wild service tree	1/21-2/19	kiða
s̨ulf̨a̋ga	Swiss pine	2/20-3/21
tilf̨a̋ga	linden	3/22-4/20	ke̋sa
uƣf̨a̋ga	silver birch	4/21-5/20
kɔnf̨a̋ga	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	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 ta̋go

• 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 d̬ófoos pe̋n.
• The years are numbered according to their order in the era. The current era, the Present Era, dates from the winter solstice of 21,600 B.C.E. Thus the year 2020-21, dated from 22 December 2020, is N.T. (N.Þ.) 23,620. 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
0°	unicorn pı̋ṡe पि॓चे	†Alcephalus monoceros	12/22
30°	reindeer tűnte तु॓न्ते	Rangifer tarandus	1/21
60°	ostrich kűűge कू॓गे	Pachystruthio spp.	2/19
90°	horse mőre मो॓रे	Equus ferus przewalskii	3/21
120°	squirrel om̃e̋re ओम़े॓रे	Sciurus vulgaris	4/20
150°	tur kı̋te कि॓ते	Capra caucasica	4/20
180°	eagle műire मु॓इरे	Aquila chrysaetos	5/21
210°	salmon la̋ṡe ल॓चे	Salmo labrax	6/21
240°	otter dage̋re दगे॓रे	L. lutra	7/23
270°	western dragon m̨űde म्यु॓दे	†Draco inalatus	8/24
300°	wisent m̃isőnte म़िसोन्ते	Bison bonasus	9/23
330°	tortoise k̨a̋fe क्य॓फे	Testudo graeca	11/23

The Week - saada̋ha

• After the creation of all six of the Loquent Peoples, the days of the week (which formerly were 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 ilmɛȝı̋ta, Ilmus' eve. The week is then sefa̋ha.

ilma̋ha	Ilmus' day	Ethrans	Sunday
púúsena̋ha	Puusenus' day	Pyrans	Monday
neera̋ha	Neerus' day	Hydorans	Tuesday
tárona̋ha	Taronus' day	Humans	Wednesday
pérkuna̋ha	Perkunus' day	Xylans	Thursday
kábeira̋ha	Kabeirus' day	Lithans	Friday
ilmɛȝı̋ta	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 flying animal, as follows:

1st hour (6:00 a.m.)	eagle	Aquila heliaca	muirte̋na
2nd hour	quail	C. coturnix	réékinte̋na
3rd hour	common crane	G. grus	gérante̋na
4th hour	whooper swan	C. cygnus	elm̃ıte̋na
5th hour	chaffinch	Fringilla coelebs	fingɛte̋na
6th hour	honey bee	Apis mellifera	viite̋na
7th hour (noon)	gyrfalcon	Falco rusticolus	árgifte̋na
8th hour	grey partridge	P. perdix lucida	m̃órtoxte̋na
9th hour	stork	C. ciconia	guzte̋na
10th hour	goose	Anser fabalis	gaarte̋na
11th hour	jay	Garrulus glandarius	ṡeihte̋na
12th hour	butterfly	Papilio machaon	páápilte̋na
13th hour (6:00 p.m.)	osprey	Pandion haliaëtus	gaste̋na
14th hour	grouse	Lyrurus tetrix	gerkɛte̋na
15th hour	heron	Ardea cinerea	rooðte̋na
16th hour	shelduck	T. tadorna	ƣandɛte̋na
17th hour	nightingale	Luscinia megarhynchos	ám̃eeðte̋na
18th hour	grasshopper	Chorthippus brunneus	fefte̋na
19th hour (midnight)	owl	B. bubo	simte̋na
20th hour	hoopoe	Upupa epops	ópofte̋na
21st hour	kingfisher	Alcedo atthis	ṡéérolte̋na
22nd hour	mallard	Columba l. livia	álunte̋na
23rd hour	barn swallow	Hirundo r. rustica	ƣelte̋na
24th hour	dragonfly	Aeshna juncea	sarṡɛte̋na

• The day is comprised of six divisions:

1	dawn	za̋ȝa	first light to appearance of sun
2	morning	a̋a̋ȝa	full sunrise to noon
3	noon	lőuna
4	afternoon	sı̋xa	noon to sun touching horizon
5	dusk	ȝiþhe̋e̋l̨a	disappearance of sun to darkness
6	night	la̋a̋ta

• Telling time is always done by addition, never by subtraction; thus, 2:45, not 15 minutes (a quarter) to 3. The hour (őrda) is told by the ordinal number. Thus 2:00 is d̬őta őrda, the second hour. The minutes (te̋nka) are told by the cardinal numbers. Thus 2:45 is d̬őta őrda náálfoos 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 őrda náálfoos 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 dawn of the day after the first sighting of the waxing crescent after hemsűka. The other months begin at the successive first sightings. These months are merely numbered: þune̋ida, d̬e̋ida, tire̋ida, etc.
• The lunar months are divided into halves. The first half extends from the waxing crescent to the waning crescent. The second half extends from the waning crescent to the waxing crescent.

The Sexagenary Cycle – saaðfóósdila̋s mőda

• By combining the twelve zodiac signs (þásmoðne̋uo) with the names of five of the 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 Unicorn (x̨uurpı̋ṡe).

).*The Gregorian year 2017-18 is the year of the Topaz Reindeer (puustűnte).

• The Gregorian year 2018-19 is the year of the Emerald Swan (milkűűge ).
• The Gregorian year 2019-20 is the year of the Sapphire Horse (d̬inmőre ).
• The Gregorian year 2020-21 is the year of the Amethyst Bear (ɫifṡe̋ṡe).
• The Gregorian year 2021-22 is the year of the Ruby Tur (x̨uurkı̋te).

• The Gregorian year 2022-23 is the year of the Topaz Eagle (puuskűe).
• The Gregorian year 2023-24 is the year of the Emerald Salmon (mil̤a̋ṡe).
• The Gregorian year 2024-25 is the year of the Sapphire Otter (d̬índage̋re).
• The Gregorian year 2025-26 is the year of the Amethyst Hawk (d̬ínosgı̋de ).
• The Gregorian year 2026-27 is the year of the Ruby Woodpecker (x̨uurpı̋ı̋ke).
• The Gregorian year 2027-28 is the year of the Topaz Dragon (puusm̨űde').
• etc.

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 ȝőinf̨a̋ga	tur kı̋te Capricorn	air ga̋a̋lo	hollyhock eba̋ki Alcea rosea	0°/270°		hemsűka winter solstice
1/21	piiþf̨a̋ga oim̃f̨a̋ga	bear ve̋re Aquarius	air ga̋a̋lo	crocus sı̋zi Crocus cartwrightianus	30°/300°	kı̋ða late winter
2/2					45°/315°		kiðsa̋rno late winter festival
2/20	ṡerf̨a̋ga s̨ulf̨a̋ga	eagle műire Pisces	fire a̋a̋þe	primrose pűi Primula vulgaris	60°/330°
3/22	tivf̨a̋ga tı̋lf̨a̋ga	horse mőre Aries	fire a̋a̋þe	sloe ṡőőfi Prunus spinosa	90°/0°	ke̋sa spring	kespa̋ra vernal equinox
4/21	nanf̨a̋ga uƣf̨a̋ga	hare ṡe̋ṡe Taurus	water hűro	columbine ṡǫ̋ri 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 m̃ǫ̋di 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	aaxf̨a̋ga		wood ma̋a̋to	anemone m̃eezı̋di Anemone nemorosa
8/23		m̨űde 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 ta̋a̋ino	sweet violet s̨űmi Viola odorata
10/23		squirrel om̃e̋re Scorpius			300°/210°
11/5					315°/225°		ifsa̋rno autumn festival
11/17	luuf̨̈a̋ga		stone ta̋a̋ino	apple abe̋li Malus sylvestris
11/22		salmon la̋ṡe Sagittarius			330°/240°	he̋ma winter
12/17						m̃óóƣpena̋ha intercalary

Sefdaanian Ethnography Chapter 3 - Race and Ethnicity