Greyhawk calendar

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The Greyhawk Calendar is the most common system for tracking the days and months of the Common Year in the Flanaess.

Months, festivals, and seasons

The year consists of 364 days,[note 1] split into twelve months of twenty-eight days each, and four seven-day festivals, each placed at three-month intervals.[1][2][3][4][5][6] Diverse cultures have their own names for the months and festivals. The months and festivals are commonly referred to as the Dozenmonth of Luna and the Four Festivals.[1] [2][3][4][5][6]

The months and festivals are based on the cycles of Oerth's moons, Luna and Celene. Luna has a twenty-eight day cycle, while Celene's cycle is ninety-one days. Celene is full at the midpoint of each festival week (the fourth day),[7] while Luna is full at various times throughout the year. Notably, both moons are full on Richfest 4.[8]

There are five seasons—two summer seasons, low summer and high summer, totaling six months, while winter, spring, and autumn are each only two months long.

Art by Larry Elmore World oof Greyhawk boxed set (1983).
Month Common Elven Nomads Season
Needfest (Midwinter)
1 Fireseek Diamondice Tiger Winter
2 Readying Yellowillow Bear Spring
3 Coldeven Snowflowers Lion Spring
Growfest
4 Planting Blossoms Frog Low summer
5 Flocktime Violets Turtle Low summer
6 Wealsun Berrytime Fox Low summer
Richfest (Midsummer)
7 Reaping Goldfields Snake High summer
8 Goodmonth Sunflowers Boar High summer
9 Harvester Fruitfall Squirrel High summer
Brewfest
10 Patchwall Brightleaf Hare Autumn
11 Ready'reat Tinklingice Hawk Autumn
12 Sunsebb Lacysnows Wolf Winter

Days of the week

A week is sometimes called a sennight[9][10] and periods of two weeks are commonly called a fortnight.[11]

The names of the days of the week used in the Common Year calendar are adopted from the Flan calendar.[12][13]

The days are reckoned in weeks of seven days each. In order, the days of the week are: Starday, Sunday, Moonday, Godsday, Waterday, Earthday, and Freeday. Godsday is commonly associated with worship, and Freeday with rest. The remaining days are considered workdays.

The Touv Calendar uses different names for the days of the week. They are "named for the major Touv gods or their areas of influence"[14]—Uday, Sunday. Rainday, Lawday, Lifeday, Goldday. Kunday

An interesting feature of the Greyhawk calendar is that the days of the week always occur on the same calendar date every year, a result of the year having a number of days evenly divisible by seven.

The first of the month is always a Starday, and the rest follow as shown below:

  • Starday is always on the 1st, 8th, 15th, and 22nd of the month.
  • Sunday is always on the 2nd, 9th, 16th, and 23rd of the month.
  • Moonday is always on the 3rd, 10th, 17th, and 24th of the month.
  • Godsday is always on the 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th of the month.
  • Waterday is always on the 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th of the month.
  • Earthday is always on the 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th of the month.
  • Freeday is always on the 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th of the month.

Publishing History

In the 1980 World of Greyhawk Fantasy World Setting folio by Gary Gygax the dozenmonth was said to have 360 days, because the festivals only had six days apiece, shortening the calendar. Following that in 1983, in the World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting boxed set, Gygax revised it to be 364 days in the year, with all weeks (including festivals) being of equal length. 364 has been the standard dozenmonth in all publications since.

See also

Various Calendars

Greyhawk calendar
Days Starday • Sunday • Moonday • Godsday • Waterday • Earthday • Freeday
Months Fireseek • Readying • Coldeven • Planting • Flocktime • Wealsun • Reaping • Goodmonth • Harvester • Patchwall • Ready'reat • Sunsebb
Festivals Needfest • Growfest • Richfest • Brewfest
Seasons Winter • Spring • Low summer • High summer • (Summer) • Autumn
Solar events Spring equinox, Summer solstice, Autumnal equinox, Winter solstice
Holidays Agelong • Blood Moon Festival • Breadgiving Day • Council Day • Council of Mayors and Manorial Lords • Crowning Day • Dark Night • Day of the Legion Will • Day of Treachery • Declaration Day • Election Day • Faerieluck • Fallrite • Feast of Edoira • Feast of Fools • Feast of Wenta • Freedom Day • Frost Days • Great Moon's Glory • Guild Days • Holy Day of Serenity • Midsummer's Day • Midwinter Night • Remembrance Day • Rollo's Day • Saint Cuthbert's Day • Spring Feast • Springrite • Thrommel's Day • Yeartide •

References

Notes

  1. ↑ The length of the year is given as 364 days in almost all sources. However, in the 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. However, in the 1983 WoG box set and after, Gygax changed the length to 364 days—which carried forward to later sources. Also, in SJR6 Greyspace (p7) (1992), the length of the year is erroneously given as 365 days, agreeing with no other source. It is presumed to be an error.

Citations

  1. ↑ a b The World of Greyhawk Fantasy World Setting (1980), p.4.
  2. ↑ a b World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting (1983), p.5, Guide.
  3. ↑ a b Player's Guide (1998), p.13.
  4. ↑ a b The Adventure Begins (1998), p.39.
  5. ↑ a b Living Greyhawk Gazetteer (2000), p.2.
  6. ↑ a b Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk (2007), p.14.
  7. ↑ From the Ashes (1992), p.1, Reference Card.
  8. ↑ The Adventure Begins (1998), p.45, "The evening of Richfest 4th is, of course, Midsummer Night. Both moons, Luna and Celene, are full.".
  9. ↑ Dragon #56 (Dec 1981), p.20.
  10. ↑ S3 Expedition to the Barrier Peaks (1980), p.2.
  11. ↑ Living Greyhawk Gazetteer (2000), p.43.
  12. ↑ The World of Greyhawk Fantasy World Setting (1980), p.4.
  13. ↑ World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting (1983), p.5, Catalogue.
  14. ↑ The Scarlet Brotherhood (1999), p.38.

Bibliography

Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index

The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index (EGI) is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, continued by numerous other fans. The EGI article has a list of sources, product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.

Topic Type Description Product Page/Card/Image

Baklunish Hegira Calendar Living Greyhawk Gazetteer 13
Baklunish Hegira Calendar Living Greyhawk Journal #3 9
Baklunish Hegira Calendar Living Greyhawk Journal #5 20, 21
Baklunish Hegira Calendar Player's Guide to Greyhawk 14
Baklunish Hegira Calendar The Adventure Begins 39
Flan Tracking Calendar Living Greyhawk Gazetteer 13
Flan Tracking Calendar Player's Guide to Greyhawk 14
Flan Tracking Calendar The Adventure Begins 39
Grand Calendar Calendar The Scarlet Brotherhood 50
Oeridian Record {Reckoning} Calendar Living Greyhawk, Living Onnwal Gazetteer, D&D 3.5e 15
Oeridian Record {Reckoning} Calendar Living Greyhawk Gazetteer 13
Oeridian Record {Reckoning} Calendar Player's Guide to Greyhawk 13
Oeridian Record {Reckoning} Calendar The Adventure Begins 9, 55
Olman Lunar Calendar Calendar The Scarlet Brotherhood 64
Onnwal Calendar Calendar Living Greyhawk, Living Onnwal Gazetteer, D&D 3.5e 1
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