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Calendar Confusion

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
Syltorian
Jun 20, 2013 4:43:26
Dear all,

I’ve been wondering for a while about the calendars of Eberron, in particular, the difference of the Qabalrin Wheel and the current Galifarian calendar.

As established, the Galifar Calendar, adopted by Galifar II the Dark probably in the first century YK, is a lunar calendar of 12 equally long months, each counting 28 days. This makes for a year of 336 days. It is also a solar calendar, considering that each month is clearly associated with a season. Zarantyr is always mid-winter, for instance.1

The Qabalrin Wheel, predates the Galifar Calendar by millennia. Developed on Xen’drik by the Qabalrin elves, still used by the Blood of Vol, and probably used by the Giants before the sundering of the 13th moon 40'000 years ago, it counts 13 months, adding the month of Crya between Vult and Zaranrtyr, and is thus also a lunar calendar.2 It is not clear whether it was also a a solar calendar, or if, throughout the years, the months cycled through the seasons - Zarantayr eventually being mid-summer?

For most societies, it is quite important that the calendar matches the seasons. You have to know when to sow and reap, when to prepare for the coming of winter, when to open and close the fighting season, and, in Eberron, remember to stay indoors during Long Night. It is true that several cultures worked and continue to work with lunar calendars – the Chinese, Hebrew and the Islamic cultures, for instance. Other cultures tried to amend the calendar as they went along: the Roman high priest could insert a few days here and there, but that eventually resulted in the chaos of the Year of Confusion.3 To the Qabalrin, or the Aereni House of Vol, this might not have mattered: they both lived in an equatorial region, which does not know seasons. But it would have been a headache for anyone trying to use the calendar elsewhere.

Now, I’ve come up with some tentative ideas about this. Ideas about which I’d really like to hear your opinion.

1) Seasons are influenced by the moons, not by the sun. Perhaps the planet follows a perfectly circular, rather than elliptical path around the sun, and has a straight, rather than inclined axis. Besides, we already know that Zarantyr influences storms and Aryth manifest zones.4 It also appears that the coterminous/remote phases of the planes are tied to the moons, most importantly Fernia (hot summer), Risia (harsh winter), and Lamannia (growing season).5 But that begs a few other questions. Was Winter longer when Crya was still in the sky? The ratio of four seasons to twelve months works, but with thirteen, it breaks down. Also, if we take the sun out of the equation as a major influence, are there seasons in the equatorial region, and is Zarantyr mid-winter on both hemispheres? If Eberron functions like Earth, Zarantyr would be mid-summer south of the Equator… so does this mean that Risia comes coterminous in summer on the southern hemisphere?

2) One of the calendars uses an adjustment system similar to the pre-Julian calendar. Even the Julian one has to account for a difference of nearly a quarter-day; the Galifiar one for 28 days (and that’s still wrong by a few minutes). Unfortunately, we are not told about this anywhere (I know, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence), and it would make the game highly confusing. Alternatively, the Qabalrin Wheel used an adjustment system, (if they noticed or cared about seasons, which, as said, presumably didn’t exist around their lands).

3) The months of the Qabalrin Wheel were not of equal length. From 12 months, 20-odd days have to be removed to make up the month of Crya. Considering the ties of the months to magical aspects (see footnote4), this is again not without its problems, and requires an explanation why the ascendant phases of the moons changed. Compensation (physical laws of attraction? Magical?)?

4) The planet picked up speed. When the giants destroyed Crya, the planet was either freed of a cosmic brake, or tried to compensate, and it completes the orbit around the sun in 336 days rather than 354. Assuming a similar speed as Earth, this is 66’660 mph. If that was the speed for 13 month, it should now be travelling at 72,215 mph. If it is the current speed, it was travelling at 61,532 mph before. This would mean an increased pressure on everything on Eberron, though. I’m not enough of a physics expert, but such a sudden increase of speed might be lethal, unless the gods, or at least very powerful dragons compensated. The giants seem not to have paid too much attention, considering how angry the dragons became at their irresponsible behavior.

At any rate, thanks for reading – and for commenting!

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1 ECS (3.5), pp. 129-130, ECS (4E), p.33

2 Faith of Eberron, p.80. ECS (4E) p.249 changes Revelaton Day from Crya to Zarantyr.

3 Wikipedia Link

4 Moons of Eberron

5 ECS (3.5), pp. 95; 97. Risia is coterminious in Zarantyr every five years, and remote in Lhravion every five years; Fernia follows the opposite cycle, and Lamannia is coterminous one week every year and remote six months later, with no months given. Cf. PGtE:120-121. ECS (4E) no longer gives dates for coterminous/remote phases, instead speaking of a much less meaningful "influence".
#2
KhanSemus
Jun 23, 2013 19:14:38 I always linked the Qabalrin Wheel to the Mayan Calendar, so you can look for comparisons there. Also, the Egyptians had a wandering calendar that did not account for seasons but they survived regular flooding.

I do think it's an interesting idea to have the moons make small changes but not necessarily whole seasons.
#3
Syltorian
Jun 26, 2013 12:41:05 Thanks for the comments. I've also always pictured the Qabalrin Wheel as a Mayan Calendar, at least in the literal meaning of "pictured". Xen'drik might have a lot of 19th-century Africa about it, with the explorations of that day, but the pre-Columbian American cultures also hit close to the mark. I'll check out in more detail how the Maya counted the year itself, rather than the cycle of years which gave rise to the latest prophecy of doom.

As far as the Egyptians are concerned, matters are rather complex. The three seasons based on the Nile were important, but they were also responsible for the Julian calendar, commissioned by Caesar, which redressed many of the problems that had appeared because the latest high priest had forgotten to properly take care of his responsabilities and keep the calender working. Never mind that said high priest was also Caesar.
#4
Beoric
Jul 01, 2013 21:28:39 Given the cataclysm at the time, I think you are free to do anything you want with the length of the year, or months, or, for that matter, the tilt of Eberron's axis (which I have assumed to be 23.5 deg., but which doesn't have to be), which would have an effect on the seasons.

Note the Ring of Storms looks to be close to the tropics, which means that before the giants messed up Xen'drik's weather there may not have been a great deal of difference between the seasons. And if you really only have two seasons, they don't need to be the same length. You could have a 6 month dry season and a 7 month wet season, or vice versa.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Syltorian Jun 20, 2013 4:43:26	Dear all, I’ve been wondering for a while about the calendars of Eberron, in particular, the difference of the Qabalrin Wheel and the current Galifarian calendar. As established, the Galifar Calendar, adopted by Galifar II the Dark probably in the first century YK, is a lunar calendar of 12 equally long months, each counting 28 days. This makes for a year of 336 days. It is also a solar calendar, considering that each month is clearly associated with a season. Zarantyr is always mid-winter, for instance.1 The Qabalrin Wheel, predates the Galifar Calendar by millennia. Developed on Xen’drik by the Qabalrin elves, still used by the Blood of Vol, and probably used by the Giants before the sundering of the 13th moon 40'000 years ago, it counts 13 months, adding the month of Crya between Vult and Zaranrtyr, and is thus also a lunar calendar.2 It is not clear whether it was also a a solar calendar, or if, throughout the years, the months cycled through the seasons - Zarantayr eventually being mid-summer? For most societies, it is quite important that the calendar matches the seasons. You have to know when to sow and reap, when to prepare for the coming of winter, when to open and close the fighting season, and, in Eberron, remember to stay indoors during Long Night. It is true that several cultures worked and continue to work with lunar calendars – the Chinese, Hebrew and the Islamic cultures, for instance. Other cultures tried to amend the calendar as they went along: the Roman high priest could insert a few days here and there, but that eventually resulted in the chaos of the Year of Confusion.3 To the Qabalrin, or the Aereni House of Vol, this might not have mattered: they both lived in an equatorial region, which does not know seasons. But it would have been a headache for anyone trying to use the calendar elsewhere. Now, I’ve come up with some tentative ideas about this. Ideas about which I’d really like to hear your opinion. 1) Seasons are influenced by the moons, not by the sun. Perhaps the planet follows a perfectly circular, rather than elliptical path around the sun, and has a straight, rather than inclined axis. Besides, we already know that Zarantyr influences storms and Aryth manifest zones.4 It also appears that the coterminous/remote phases of the planes are tied to the moons, most importantly Fernia (hot summer), Risia (harsh winter), and Lamannia (growing season).5 But that begs a few other questions. Was Winter longer when Crya was still in the sky? The ratio of four seasons to twelve months works, but with thirteen, it breaks down. Also, if we take the sun out of the equation as a major influence, are there seasons in the equatorial region, and is Zarantyr mid-winter on both hemispheres? If Eberron functions like Earth, Zarantyr would be mid-summer south of the Equator… so does this mean that Risia comes coterminous in summer on the southern hemisphere? 2) One of the calendars uses an adjustment system similar to the pre-Julian calendar. Even the Julian one has to account for a difference of nearly a quarter-day; the Galifiar one for 28 days (and that’s still wrong by a few minutes). Unfortunately, we are not told about this anywhere (I know, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence), and it would make the game highly confusing. Alternatively, the Qabalrin Wheel used an adjustment system, (if they noticed or cared about seasons, which, as said, presumably didn’t exist around their lands). 3) The months of the Qabalrin Wheel were not of equal length. From 12 months, 20-odd days have to be removed to make up the month of Crya. Considering the ties of the months to magical aspects (see footnote4), this is again not without its problems, and requires an explanation why the ascendant phases of the moons changed. Compensation (physical laws of attraction? Magical?)? 4) The planet picked up speed. When the giants destroyed Crya, the planet was either freed of a cosmic brake, or tried to compensate, and it completes the orbit around the sun in 336 days rather than 354. Assuming a similar speed as Earth, this is 66’660 mph. If that was the speed for 13 month, it should now be travelling at 72,215 mph. If it is the current speed, it was travelling at 61,532 mph before. This would mean an increased pressure on everything on Eberron, though. I’m not enough of a physics expert, but such a sudden increase of speed might be lethal, unless the gods, or at least very powerful dragons compensated. The giants seem not to have paid too much attention, considering how angry the dragons became at their irresponsible behavior. At any rate, thanks for reading – and for commenting! _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1 ECS (3.5), pp. 129-130, ECS (4E), p.33 2 Faith of Eberron, p.80. ECS (4E) p.249 changes Revelaton Day from Crya to Zarantyr. 3 Wikipedia Link 4 Moons of Eberron 5 ECS (3.5), pp. 95; 97. Risia is coterminious in Zarantyr every five years, and remote in Lhravion every five years; Fernia follows the opposite cycle, and Lamannia is coterminous one week every year and remote six months later, with no months given. Cf. PGtE:120-121. ECS (4E) no longer gives dates for coterminous/remote phases, instead speaking of a much less meaningful "influence".
#2 KhanSemus Jun 23, 2013 19:14:38	I always linked the Qabalrin Wheel to the Mayan Calendar, so you can look for comparisons there. Also, the Egyptians had a wandering calendar that did not account for seasons but they survived regular flooding. I do think it's an interesting idea to have the moons make small changes but not necessarily whole seasons.
#3 Syltorian Jun 26, 2013 12:41:05	Thanks for the comments. I've also always pictured the Qabalrin Wheel as a Mayan Calendar, at least in the literal meaning of "pictured". Xen'drik might have a lot of 19th-century Africa about it, with the explorations of that day, but the pre-Columbian American cultures also hit close to the mark. I'll check out in more detail how the Maya counted the year itself, rather than the cycle of years which gave rise to the latest prophecy of doom. As far as the Egyptians are concerned, matters are rather complex. The three seasons based on the Nile were important, but they were also responsible for the Julian calendar, commissioned by Caesar, which redressed many of the problems that had appeared because the latest high priest had forgotten to properly take care of his responsabilities and keep the calender working. Never mind that said high priest was also Caesar.
#4 Beoric Jul 01, 2013 21:28:39	Given the cataclysm at the time, I think you are free to do anything you want with the length of the year, or months, or, for that matter, the tilt of Eberron's axis (which I have assumed to be 23.5 deg., but which doesn't have to be), which would have an effect on the seasons. Note the Ring of Storms looks to be close to the tropics, which means that before the giants messed up Xen'drik's weather there may not have been a great deal of difference between the seasons. And if you really only have two seasons, they don't need to be the same length. You could have a 6 month dry season and a 7 month wet season, or vice versa.