View source for Oerth

{{Greyspace
|name        = 
|image       = [[Image:Oerth00.jpg]]
|caption     = Oerth, as depicted on the cover of the 3.5 ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' (2003). Art by Henry Higginbotham.
|alias       = 
|type        = Earth
|size        = 8,021.5 miles in diameter.
|day         = 24 hours
|year        = N/A; [[Liga]] orbits Oerth every 364 days
|satellites  = [[Celene (Kule)]] and [[Luna (Raenei)]]; technically, as the prime, all planets in [[Greyspace]] are Oerth's satellites.
|distance    = 0 (prime)
|inhabitants = [[Human]]s, [[elves]], [[dwarves]], [[orc]]s, [[halfling]]s, [[gnome]]s, [[goblinoid]]s, many others.
}}
'''Oerth''' is the name of the planet on which the ''[[World of Greyhawk]]'' campaign setting is located. Oerth has an axial tilt of 30 degrees, which should cause greater extremes of temperature in different seasons but for wizardly and divine magic shifting weather patterns to be more favorable to the populace (at least the god-fearing folks).

"Oerth is loosely based on medieval European society and culture."{{csb|MotP3e|43}}

==Physical Features==
''[[The Adventure Begins]]'' gives Oerth's circumference as 25,200 miles (40,555.47 km), and its diameter is 8,021.5 miles (12,909.35 km).{{csb|TAB|9}}

Oerth has four continents, the largest of which is [[Oerik]], lying mainly in the Northern Hemisphere. Southeast of Oerik lies the much-smaller landmass of [[Hepmonaland]], lying in the tropics. Hyperboria, also called [[Telchuria]] (after [[Telchur]], the god of Winter), lies at the north pole, while an unnamed fourth continent lies in the southern hemisphere.  Gary Gygax's ''[[Gord the Rogue]]'' novels refer to a continent called [[Gonduria]].<ref name="DOD, p.402">[[Gary Gygax|Gygax, Gary]]. [[Dance of Demons]], p.402.</ref> 

Oerth has four oceans, including the [[Solnor Ocean]], the [[Dramidj Ocean]] which circles Telchuria, the [[Ocean of Storms]] south of Oerik, and the [[Sea of Thunder]] encompassing Polaria.{{csb|TAB|12}}  

Oerth also has a number of islands, the largest being the archipelago known as [[Fireland]] in the northern Solnor. [[Polaria]] is a chain of mountainous islands covered for at least part of the year by the southern polar ice cap.

The easternmost part of Oerik, the [[Flanaess]], has received the lion's share of detail, though Hepmonaland has received significant attention. [[Western Oerik]] was the setting for Wizards of the Coast's original miniature line, ''Chainmail'', which was cancelled in 2002.

Author [[Frank Mentzer]], in a series of early [[RPGA]] adventures, added a small territory called [[New Empyrea]] to the world, across the [[Solnor Ocean]] from the Flanaess, but it has not been mentioned in any officially published Greyhawk products, though [[Gary Gygax]] seems to have at least ''approved'' of its inclusion, at some point before the {{smallcaps|World of Greyhawk}}™ global map was published in 1996 in ''[[dragmag|Dragon]]'' Annual #1.{{cite dragon|A1|73}}

==Oerth's planetary system==
It takes exactly 24 hours for Oerth to make one revolution on its axis. Oerth lies at the center of [[Greyspace]]. Unlike most planets, Oerth does not orbit its sun, [[Liga]]. Instead, the sun, and all other planets in the crystal sphere, orbit Oerth. Thus, Greyspace is geocentric. Oerth's "moons," Celene ([[Celene (Kule)|Kule]]) and Luna ([[Luna (Raenei)|Raenei]]), are in fact the first and second planets in the system, with Liga being the third. From Oerth, planets beyond Liga appear to the naked eye as wandering stars.

Liga orbits the Oerth once every 364 days,<ref  group=note name=year>The length of the year is  most commonly given as 364 days.  In the [[World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting|1983 WoG box set]] and after, Gygax changed the length to 364 days.  However, in the ''[[The World of Greyhawk Fantasy World Setting|1980 Folio]]'' (p4) Gygax gave the year length as 360 days, which was shorter due to each festival being only 6 days instead of 7.  Also, in SJR6 ''Greyspace'' (p7) (1992), the length of the year is given as 365 days.</ref>thus the Oerthly year is slightly shorter than that on Earth. Luna has a 28 day lunar cycle, while Celene's cycle is 91 days.

==Alternate Oerths==
=== Official known Oerths ===
Oerth was originally described by Gary Gygax as one of "an endless succession of Earths".{{cite dragon|1|30|note=''The Gnome Cache'', Gary Gygax}}<ref group=note name=gnomecache>Gygax, "The Gnome Cache", ''[[dragmag|Dragon]]'' #1, 1976—"Far from our probability line is a world called by its inhabitants Oerth. It is very similar to Earth in many ways, but it is also quite different ... If the learned men of Oerth were able to tell you its geography, they would say that in relation to our planet they are quite alike. Asia is a trifle smaller, Europe and North America a trifle larger — but the scientists (or rather philosophers) of Oerth are not able to explain this for two reasons: They neither know of the alternate worlds in Oerth’s probability line nor do they have any sure knowledge of Oerth’s geography outside their immediate areas."</ref>

In a 1985 article for ''[[Polyhedron]]'' Newszine, [[Gary Gygax]] revealed several "alternate Oerths" while explaining the setting for his ''Heroes Challenge'' game books, co-written with author Flint Dille and published under the aegis of the Dungeons & Dragons Entertainment Corporation by the Wanderer Book division of Simon & Schuster. 

{{quote|... [the] action takes place on '''Yarth''', a place somewhat similar to Oerth, the setting of Greyhawk, et al. It has fewer magical properties than [[Oerth]] but more than [[Earth]]. It is not impossible that additional works will be contracted for in months to come, action being set on Yarth or perhaps another alternate world, '''Aerth'''. On '''Earth''', magic is virtually non-existent. On '''Uerth''', dweomers are weak, chancy things. '''Yarth''' has a sprinkling of things magical, and Oerth is pure magic.|[[Gary Gygax]] |[[Polyhedron]]|1984|<ref>{{cite journal |last= Gygax|first= Gary | authorlink=Gary Gygax | title= Why Gargoyles Don't Have Wings but Should | journal= [[Polyhedron]] Newszine #21| location= Lake Geneva, WI | publisher= [[TSR]], inc. | date= Nov 1984 | volume=4 | issue= 6 |page= 9}}</ref>}}Other references to these alternate Oerths appear in the [[Gord the Rogue]] short story anthology ''[[Night Arrant]]'' as well as in Gygax's ''Epic of Ærth'' campaign setting for the ''Dangerous Journeys'' roleplaying game. 

The five parallel worlds of Oerth—Aerth, Earth, Oerth, Uerth, and Yarth—were mentioned in the third edition adventure ''[[Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk]]''{{csb|EttRoG|91}} and thus found their way into third edition canon.

=== Other versions of Oerth ===
In addition to the officially established parallel versions of Oerth, early works by Gary Gygax (''[[The Gnome Cache]]'', 1976) and [[Andre Norton]] (''[[Quag Keep]]'', 1978) feature an Oerth which contains familiar locations but has radically different geography and history. (e.g.—[[Free City of Greyhawk]], [[Sea of Dust]], [[Great Kingdom]]){{cite dragon|1|30|note=''The Gnome Cache'', Gary Gygax}}<ref group=note name=gnomecache />

=== Parallel locations in other settings ===
The world of Mystara (the ''Known World'' setting) depicts a few locations also found on Oerth, such as [[Blackmoor]] and [[Tenh|the Duchy of Ten]], because [[Gary Gygax|Gygax]] and [[Dave Arneson|Arneson]] shared world-creation and played in each other's campaigns.   The [[Isle of Dread]] was also later placed in Greyhawk, thus making a version in each setting.

== See also ==
''See also:''
* [[Aerth]]
* [[Earth]]
* [[Uerth]]
* [[Yarth]]

== External links ==
{{External link disclaimer}}
*[http://www.www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=15 "Oerth Summary" at ''Canonfire!''].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greyhawk#Setting Wikipedia article on Oerth].<!-- Link updated—deletionists at Wikipedia had "Oerth" merged with "Greyhawk". -->

== Gallery ==
=== Maps ===
<gallery>
File:Oerik02.png|thumb|400px|.''D&D Gazetteer'' and the ''[[LGG]]'' (2000)
File:Oerik.jpg|350px|thumb|right|. The [[Sutherland map]], ''[[Dragmag|Dragon]]'' Annual #1 (1996). Cartography by [[Dave Sutherland]].
</gallery>

== References ==
=== Notes ===
<references group="note" />
=== Citations ===
<references />
=== Bibliography ===
*[[Nigel Findley|Findley, Nigel]]. ''[[Greyspace]]''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1992.
*[[Gygax, Gary]]. ''Epic of Ærth''. Bloomington, IL: GDW, 1992. 
:———. ''Night Arrant'' (New Infinities, 1987).
:———. "Why Gargoyles Don't Have Wings but Should." ''[[Polyhedron]]'' #21. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1984.
:———. ''[[World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting]]''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1983.
*[[Holian, Gary]]. "Measuring up the Oerth." ''[[Oerth Journal]]'' #4. [[Council of Greyhawk]], 1996. Available online:[http://www.greyhawkonline.com/canonfire/OJ_04.pdf]
*[[Holian, Gary]], [[Erik Mona]], [[Sean K Reynolds]], and [[Frederick Weining]]. ''[[Living Greyhawk Gazetteer]]''. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000.
*[[Frank Mentzer|Mentzer, Frank]]. ''[[Doc's Island]]''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR Hobbies, 1983. 
:———. ''[[Egg of the Phoenix]]''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR Hobbies, 1982. 
:———. ''[[The Investigation of Hydell]]''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR Hobbies, 1982. 
:———.  ''[[To the Aid of Falx]]''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR Hobbies, 1982.
*[[Frank Mentzer|Mentzer, Frank]], and Paul Jaquays. ''[[Egg of the Phoenix (supermodule)|Egg of the Phoenix]]''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1987.
*[[Moore, Roger E]]. ''[[The Adventure Begins]]''. Renton, WA: TSR, 1998.
:———. "Oerth from the Ground Up." ''[[Oerth Journal]]'' #3. [[Council of Greyhawk]], 1996. Available online:[http://www.greyhawkonline.com/canonfire/OJ_03.pdf]
*[[Williams, Skip]], and [[David C. Sutherland III]]. "Beyond the Flanaess." ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' Annual'' #1. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1996.
{{index|title=Oerth }}

[[Category:Planets]]
[[Category:Greyspace]]