Hornum Calendar

The Hornum Calendar (HC), sometimes called the Hexact Calendar, is a calendar used mainly in the Anrel Isles, named after the city of Hornum where it was devised. It is used officially by all the nations of Anrelplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigAnrel Isles

Anrel [ANN-rel], or the Anrel Isles, is the most northerly island group in the Natorn Archipelago. It consists of three major islands and numerous smaller ones. The largest, colloquially if infrequently called Mainland, is divided between the kingdoms of Trésard and Narette. The island
, but it is gradually being superseded by the Modern Epoch, used in much of the rest of the world.

Year 1 of the Hornum Calendar equates to 530 BME of the Modern Epoch calendar. The current year is

Calendar

This is in a series of articles about calendarsplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigCalendars

Many different calendars have been used during Helevos' long history. Most societies used individual calendars starting either with their founding, or from some religious or political event. This made comparative history a confusing subject, particularly with the passage of time.
and dating systems.

History

The calendar was devised in the northern city of Hornum in the Anrel Isles. Hornum was a highly cultured city, which in this period briefly became a powerhouse of creativity and invention, making great contributions to arts, sciences and philosophy. Foremost amongst these was the Hexact Doctrine, perhaps the greatest contribution to political philosophy of the modern era.

The Hornum Calendar was a reformed version of the traditional eight-season year. Each month had seven weeks All of the Natorn Isles used this annual calendar, but most numbered their years either using various interpretations of the Hirerk Moonscale, or from the accession of regional rulers, as Years Regnant. Different regions decided independently when the seasons started, had different length months, and added various local holidays and festivals. This made keeping track of history very difficult, particularly when records of kings and the length of their reigns was patchy. Some scholars dated their histories using the Hirerk Moonscale, but due to difficulties with counting epochsplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigWorld History

Helevos has eight thousand years of recorded history, with archeology, artefacts and myth stretching back much further. There are two dominant views of human history: the theological view that the whole world and humanity were created some thousands of years ago in one instant of creation; the second, that all humanity descends from a race of fallen demigods called the viridEmerald EpochBMEgreenBMEAnásthiasAnásthiasBMEAnásthiasfolkloreMiyarrisGodmenBMEMEOrorrHartheraMEviridAnásthi…
in that calendar, it was often used inaccurately.

The city therefore decided unilaterally to begin numbering years from year 1, using their new calendar, starting with 530 BMEplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigBME (Before Modern Epoch)

Used to date years Before the Modern Epoch.
. Many other states adopted the new system, and within two generations all of Anrel was using the Hornum Calendar.

On the isle of Besoa, the Kingdom of Sann'al used Years Regnant in royal proclamations, while the Alsan dated years from declaration of the Republic. The Hornum Calendar was therefore sometimes used for trade and academic writing, as a neutral reference.

After the Long War the newly founded Trésard adopted reforms called the New Kingdom Calendar, simplifying the system of intercalary days making the days of the week consistent. With the adoption of the Modern Epoch calendar by most of Anásthiasplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigAnásthias

Anásthias [a-NAS-thee-ass / ænæsθiːæs], or [an-ass-THEE-as] is an equatorial island continent, heart of the Civilised World. The north straddles the equator and is hot and humid, while most of the equatorial centre is an upland plateau with fertile river valleys, and stretches of arid plains and desert in the shadow of the mountains. The south is temperate but more wild, separated from the civilisations of the north by the almost impassable Harthera
, MEplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigModern Epoch (ME)

The Modern Calendar is a dating system acknowledged throughout the Civilised World. It numbers years from the Modern Epoch, abbreviated ME and BME (Before Modern Epoch). It is also called the Modern Era.

Calendar

This is in a series of articles about calendars and dating systems.OrorrHartheraHMOrorrHartheraOrorrOrorrHMHartheraHMHartheraOrorr
is now commonly used by traders though the Hornum calendar is still officially used by the nations. Having greatest contact with the south via its port of Belisan, Narette uses ME more commonly than any other Anrel nation.

Months of the Year

The Hornum Calendar has eight months, each being half a season, named (with regional variations):

  • Hotas (cold)
  • Ventas (winds)
  • Crenas (rain)
  • Ennan (new growth)
  • Mann (sunshine)
  • Ulat (heat)
  • Culas (harvest)
  • Revan (fall)

The year begins with the start of winter, and ends with the death of the year.

  • a Year is 414 days.
  • a Week is 7 days.
  • Each month consists of 7 weeks, plus a two-day seasonal festival holiday at the end of each month.
  • Each month has an extra holiday at the end of the third week, making a month last 52 days. The exceptions are Crenas and Culas, the planting and harvest months, which have 51.

Dates are written: day, week number, month and year eg. Fourday, Third in Culas 1660 HC; 4-3-Cu-1660; or 4/3/7/1660.

Days of the week

The seven days are named: Oneday, Twosday, Threesday, Elensday, Foursday, Fiveday, Lordsday, Sonday, or similar depending on local dialect.

Elensday refers to the nature goddess Cornelen, and is the weekly market day. Lordsday is a day of worship and often referred to by the preferred deity's name. Sonday refers to the Daystar, the Sun's Son, and is a day of rest, sometimes also called Shunday.

The New Kingdom Calendar

During the Long War in Anrel, different cities either added no holidays to the calendar, or added holidays ad hoc, so that by the end of the war, various regions had their calendars out of sync by up to a year or more.

The New Kingdom calendar was declared in Tresard as a reform to the old calendrial system. It kept the days of the week running continuously, with months consisting of 52 days except for the “working months” of Crenas and Culas. Similarly each month has 3 festival days with just 2 in the working months, making 21 holidays in total.

 
helevos/hornum_calendar.txt · Last modified: 2021/03/31 05:24 by Robert How · []