Game Calendar

[Valandil]

In this game we employ the Calendar used by the Dunedain. Or at least, one version of it. JRRT gives a few alternate versions, between Appendix D of LOTR, and his notes in HOME 12, The Peoples of Middle Earth.

We will give first the names of the equivalent modern month, the Sindarin name, the number of days, and the Fridays for that month in that year. Please note the following:

1. Friday was the last day of the week, and equivalent to the Sabbath in Hebrew/Jewish culture, or to Sunday in western culture today. (there is an interesting narrative on the days of the week in Appendix D, which I highly recommend)
2. The year begins and ends at the Winter Solstice. "A Description of Numenor" in UT indicates that the Numenoreans celebrated the other three points of the seasons: the Vernal and Autumnal Equinoxes, and the Summer Solstice (which is Mid-Year's Day - more or less).
3. Mid-Year's Day is a stand-alone, not a part of any month. It comes just after June and just before July. In Middle-earth, that and the Yule (at Winter Solstice) are the biggest celebrations.
4. This calendar follows a similar formula for determining "Leap Years" to what we use today. Every year divisible by four, except those ending in '00'. (Our 2000 AD was a Leap Year, but every 400 years, the '00' year IS a Leap Year, in our figuring)
5. In this game, 1348 will be a Leap Year. The Leap Year adjustment is to add another day after Mid-Year's Day.
6. Note that Shire Halflings did not count Mid-Year's Day (or the extra day, in Leap Years) as a day of the week. This adjustment made all dates fall on the same day of the week each year. But this practice came later, and was only used in the Shire (and later Bree, I think).
7. The Dunedain used the Sindarin names for the months. We generally try to embed these in posts, but to supply common contemporary month names at the headers.
8. Special days are also noted.

- - - - - - - -

Year 1348, Third Age:

January 1: Winter Solstice, Yule Celebration, New Year's Day, also yestare. Falls on a Friday in 1348.

January ( Narwain ) - 31 days / Fridays: 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
February ( Ninui ) - 30 days / Fridays: 5, 12, 19, 26
March ( Gwaeron ) - 30 days / Fridays: 3, 10, 17, 24

March 30/April 1: Vernal Equinox, (Erukyerme in Numenor)

April ( Gwirith ) - 30 days / Fridays: 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
May ( Lothron ) - 30 days / Fridays: 6, 13, 20, 27
June ( Norui ) - 31 days / Fridays: 4, 11, 18, 25

First Mid-Year's Day: Summer Solstice (Erulaitale in Numenor), also loende in non-Leap Years, but this and the day after are two enderi in 1348 - this day falls on a Friday in 1348.
Second Mid-Year's Day: "Leap Day" - in 1348 falls on a Saturday, which is the first day of the week, also the second enderi.

July ( Cerveth ) - 31 days / Fridays: 6, 13, 20, 27
August ( Urui ) - 30 days / Fridays: 3, 10, 17, 24
September ( Ivanneth ) - 30 days / Fridays: 1, 8, 15, 22, 29

September 30/October 1: Autumnal Equinox (Eruhantale in Numenor)

October ( Narbeleth ) - 30 days / Fridays: 6, 13, 20, 27 *
November ( Hithui ) - 30 days / Fridays: 4, 11, 18, 25 *
December ( Girithron ) - 31 days / Fridays: 2, 9, 16, 23, 30

December 31: Winter Solstice, Yule Celebration, last day of the year, also mettare. Falls on a Saturday in 1348.

- - - - - - - -

January 1 of 1349 will be a Sunday.


* Note: in this game, we established November 1 as a Dunedain holiday called "The Fall" - originally commemorating the Fall of Elendil and Gilgalad, along with Sauron, at the end of the Second Age. The term 'the fall' later become a substitution for the word 'autumn' (due to a later misconception that the term referred to the falling of the leaves from the trees). We selected this date for our own purposes, it is not given as any particular date by JRRT that we can determine. Those involved in the Black Arts soon began celebrating October 30 (the last day of October), as "Sauron's Last Night". This custom has spread somewhat beyond them now and become a popular part of Rhudaurian culture. These dates also 'just happen' to correspond well with "Halloween" and "All Saints' Day".

December 31, 1347 is a Thursday, by this calendar.

[Valandil]

One thing more on the days - and I don't know if this is pertinent or not, but I'll toss it out so we're consistent:

JRRT mentions that the Dunedain reckoned a 'day' from sunrise to sunrise. So the whole night after a day was still part of that day. This is opposite of the Hebrew/Jewish custom that a day goes from sunset to sunset (in their accounting, it becomes the next day after the sun goes down). And of course, it's different from our understanding (or practice) that the date change comes at midnight.

So, as an example from our game: it becomes 1348 at sunrise on January 1 - not at the midnight several hours before.

[Gordis]

And the longest night is the one before the sunrise of Jan 1 - right?

[Valandil]

May 4, 2008 15:12:00 GMT Gordis said:

And the longest night is the one before the sunrise of Jan 1 - right?

Essentially, yes. At least that was the aim.

From JRRT's narrative, I wonder if it drifted a day or two... and also, a 'calendar geek' might tell you that the exact point of the solstice could shift a little bit along the progression of 'normal' 365 day years, and Leap Years with 366 days.

But yes - the Winter solstice is supposed to happen either on Dec 31 or on Jan 1. That should generally make that night the longest. And... that was the intent of the calendar. ;D