A Concise Description of the Khajiiti Lunisolar Calendar
Presented with many apologies to users of the Hindu Lunisolar Calendar, and with many thanks to Wikipedia and the creators of this amazing web applet
[Preface from the Editor:
The following text seems to describe the traditional Lunisolar Calendar of the Khajiit of Elsweyr.
This Calendar, and derivatives of it, is used by the Moon Bishops and Clan Mothers to calculate when to hold auspicious rituals and social events. It is a closely guarded secret, and it is unknown under what circumstances this copy was made, obtained, or translated from the original, presumed ancient, dialect of Ne Quin-aliit Ta'agra into the modern Crystal Altmeris we have before us.
One thing is clear from the examination of this document, however. In every mention of the supreme being, (which goes unmentioned in the widely publicised "Words of Clan Mother Ahnissi to her Favoured Daughter") the original ink has been scratched off the page, and replaced with "ANU", no doubt by a later zealous Altmeri hand.]
Breathe in the air of Khenarthi. This is your Waxing. [Ed.: ~4 seconds]
Breathe out the air of Khenarthi. This is your Waning.
There are 6 such Breaths in a Ja'[untranslatable]. [Ed.: ~24 seconds]
There are 60 Ja'[untranslatable] in a [untranslatable]. [Ed.: ~24 minutes]
There are 2 [untranslatable] in a Moment. [Ed.: ~48 minutes]
There are 15 Moments in the first half-Moon-Day, whose name you should know.
There are 15 Moments in the second half-Moon-Day, whose name you should also know.
Together, they make one Moon-Day at 30 Moments. Thus there are 60 [untranslatable] in a Moon-Day.
A Moon-Day lasts for as long as it takes for the Moons to advance 1 Thirtieth of the Sky ahead of Magrus.
There are 15 Moon-Days in the Waxing Fortnight.
There are 15 Moon-Days in the Waning Fortnight.
The Waning Fortnight begins immediately after Masurr is Full.
Together, they make one Moon-Month at 30 Moon-Days.
The Moon-Month begins immediately after Masurr is New.
The Sun-Month begins when Magrus visits the next Clan of His Litter.
This is important only to name the Moon-Month.
There are 2 Months in every Season.
There are 3 Seasons in the Waxing (Warming) Seasons.
There are 3 Seasons in the Waning (Cooling) Seasons.
Together, they make one Year at 6 Seasons.
A Year is as a Day- and a Night-for-Nirni.
There are 30 Days- and 30 Nights-for-Nirni in a Month-for-Nirni.
There are 12 Months-for-Nirni in a Year-for-Nirni.
There are 10,008 Years for Nirni in her Lifespan.
This is called the Kalpa.
These are divided into 8 Equal Periods of 1,251 Years-for-Nirni and distributed thusly:
- 2 Periods to the Waxing Moons Age
- 3 Periods to the Full Moons Age
- 2 Periods to the Waning Moons Age
- 1 Period to the New Moons Age
Every Kalpa is followed by a Dissolution lasting as long as a Full Moons Age.
There are 1,008 Kalpas in a Day-for-[ANU].
Thus a Day-for-[ANU] lasts as long as 11,088 Moon Ages.
Every Day-for-[ANU] is followed by an equally long Dissolution.
This is a Night-for-[ANU].
There are 30 Days- and 30 Nights-for-[ANU] in a Month-for-[ANU].
There are 12 Months-for-[ANU] in a Year-for-[ANU].
There are 54 Years-for-[ANU] in its Waxing Period.
There are 54 Years-for-[ANU] in its Waning Period.
Together, they make the Lifespan-of-[ANU] at 108 Years-for-[ANU].
Every Lifespan of [ANU] is followed by an equally long Dissolution.
After which, [ANU] is born again in a new form.
~~
So, the young Khajiit asks "Enough of times Khajiit will never see, what is the time now?", eh?
To catch the glimmer of the scales of Alkosh, ask yourself these questions as Magrus crests the Horizon:
What is the name of this Week-Day?
This, there is no way to know but to know. Ask around. What is a week? It is for dealing with foreigners who do not know the moons. For whatever reason, the cycle just repeats, across months, across years, without end.
0 ~ Magrus' Day [Ed.: Sundas]
1 ~ Lorkhaj's Day [Ed.: Morndas]
2 ~ Khenarthi's Day [Ed.: Tirdas]
3 ~ S'rendarr's Day [Ed.: Middas]
4 ~ Alkhosh's Day [Ed.: Turdas]
5 ~ Mara's Day [Ed.: Fredas]
6 ~ Azurah's Day [Ed.: Loredas]
Which Fortnight are we in?
Is Masurr Waxing, or Waning? That is the Fortnight.
[Editor's Note: "Fortnight" seems to be a compromise by the translator, as there appear to be 15 days in these "Fortnights".]
What is the name of this Moon-Day?
Each of the fifteen days of the Waxing Fortnight, and the fifteen days of the Waning Fortnight has their own name.
Ink is valuable. Here, this one shall draw them in the dust.
What is the name of this half of this Moon-Day?
The first half of the first Moon-Day in a Moon-Month is named First-Light-Shines-on-Masurr's-Belly.
After the first, repeat the following seven names eight times over.
0 ~ There-Have-Been-N'one
1 ~ There-Has-Been-One
2 ~ There-Have-Been-Two
3 ~ There-Has-Been-Three
4 ~ There-Have-Been-Four
5 ~ There-Has-Been-Five
6 ~ There-Have-Been-Six
[Editor's Note: The names of this set demonstrate that the Khajiit count the number of fully elapsed days, years, months, and etcetera, that is to say "None, One, Two, Three", rather than the modern practice of ordinaly counting the day, month, etc. that is ongoing, that is to say, "First, Second, Third, Fourth"]
And the last three halves of Moon-Days in a Moon-Month shall be named Light-Falls-Away, The-Monthly-Doubting, and Death-Leads-Ever-to-Rebirth.
What is Segunda doing right now?
Look up at Segunda. Where is it? What is it doing?
Do not worry. It is expected. Segunda's motions are not regular to the eye, but its patterns are clear in its mind. The right sugar gives us eyes that see, but it is not for you, Ja'khajiit.
Simply note whether Segunda is Waning, Full, Waxing, or New.
What is the name of the Clan of Magrus' Litter that Magrus will next visit in this Sun-Month?
0 ~ Jo'[Ritual] ~~ The Moon-Month shall be named: [Rain's Hand]
1 ~ Dar'[Lover] ~~ The Moon-Month shall be named: [Second Seed]
2 ~ Do'[Lord] ~~ The Moon-Month shall be named: [Mid Year]
3 ~ Jo'[Mage]-Ri ~~ The Moon-Month shall be named: [Sun's Height]
4 ~ Dar'[Shadow] ~~ The Moon-Month shall be named: [Last Seed]
5 ~ Do'[Steed] ~~ The Moon-Month shall be named: [Hearth Fire]
6 ~ Jo'[Apprentice] ~~ The Moon-Month shall be named: [Frost Fall]
7 ~ Do'[Warrior]-Ri ~~ The Moon-Month shall be named: [Sun's Dusk]
8 ~ Do'[Lady] ~~ The Moon-Month shall be named: [Evening Star]
9 ~ Dar'[Tower] ~~ The Moon-Month shall be named: [Morning Star]
10 ~ Jo'[Atronach] ~~ The Moon-Month shall be named: [Sun's Dawn]
11 ~ Dar'[Thief]-Ri ~~ The Moon-Month shall be named: [First Seed]
[Editor's Note: Aside from the shame of losing the original Ta'agra names to the translator's modern approximations, it is worth noting that today, the Year traditionally starts in Morning Star, with Sun rising in the Ritual. The translation indicates that this calendar begins in Rain's Hand with the Spring Equinox, which today rises in the Mage. However here the count begins with the Ritual. This implies that since the time this calendar was devised, the position of the Sun in the Spring Equinox has gradually shifted a whole Quarter of the span of the Horizon. I have not encountered this procession attested in any other document. If this is one of the most closely guarded secrets of the Cat Men, it is odd that it has nothing to do with their venerated Moons.]
If this is the same Clan as last moon-month, do not use that Clan's associated Moon-name. They have had enough attention for now.
Instead, use the name of the next Clan for the next two months. This is okay.
Sometimes Magrus will miss one of his Clans. This is also okay, Magrus is an old cat, and Khajiit shall remember them for him.
You should not worry about it too much.
What is the name of this Year?
Just as each of the Moon-Days in a Moon-Month have their name, so too does each of the Days-for-Nirni in a Month-for-Nirni have their name. As with them, this one shall draw them in dust for the sake of economy.
What Moon-Age are we in?
Waxing Moons Age: 0 years to 2,501 years [Ed.: The Merethic Era]
Full Moons Age: 2,502 years to 6,254 years [Ed.: The First Era to the Birth of Tiber Septim]
Waning Moons Age: 6,255 years to 8,756 years [Ed.: The Birth of Tiber Septim to the Distant Future]
New Moons Age: 8,757 years to 10,007 years
What is the name of this Kalpa?
This is the Golden Monkey Kalpa. Unless this one's words somehow survive the great dissolution and end up in the next, or the previous, in which case, ask Hermorah, who most likely brought you these words to begin with.
So, to know the time, you must know the names of:
- the 7 Week Days,
- the 2 Fortnights,
- the 15 Moon-Days,
- the 11 half-Moon-Days,
- the 12 Moon-Months and how they relate to the Clans of the Litter of Magrus,
- the 60 Repeating Years,
- the 4 Moon-Ages,
- and this Kalpa.
Together, those are the names of this time until Magrus crests the Horizon once more.