CE: Astronomy

Herein contained, all information pertinent to the days, hours, and seasons of the lands of Edarin:

I. Calendar
A. The Months
B. The Days of the Week
II. The Suns and Moons
A. The Suns
1. Akail
2. Mosude
3. Ilwan
B. The Moons
1. Tadra
2. Kane

I. Calendar

A. The Months

Edarin's calendar contains twelve months. However, due to certain mischievous celestial bodies, once every sixth year Edarin loses the twelfth month, creating the anomalous eleven month year. Children born in this month, Xshetan, are said to be blessed by the heavens to live long and prosperous lives.

Below listed, the named months of the lands of Edarin and their New World counterparts for ease of reference to those travelers who have strayed too far off course:

1. Honan (January)
2. Arael (February)
3. Etwan (March)
4. Jetra (April)
5. Lyrs (May)
6. Beltane (June)
7. Mohain (July)
8. Ruvine (August)
9. Telune (September)
10. Avidane (October)
11. Soltas (November)
12. Xshetan (December)

B. The Days of the Week

The lands of Edarin circulate upon a week of seven days, each of which is approximately twenty-four hours long. The only exclusion to this rule is Enmasha(New World "Thursday") which has approximately twenty-seven hours. See below for further explanation.

Below listed, the named days of the lands of Edarin and their New World counterparts for ease of reference to those travelers who have strayed too far off course:

1. Hohsha (Sunday): 'day of awakening'
2. Risshia (Monday): 'day of rising'
3. Jahonsha (Tuesday): 'day of journeying'
4. Tohsa(Wednesday): 'day of surmounting'
5. Enmasha(Thursday): 'day of hours'
6. Vensha (Friday): 'day of parting'
7. Tahasha (Saturday): 'day of passing'

In days long past the peoples of Edarin considered the week of seven days a personification of the cycle of life and named them accordingly. The word 'sha' in the ancient language was used to delineate a period of time including one day and one night, literally translating as 'large sun to large sun'. Edarin's days are delineated in the passing of it's largest sun, Akail from one horizon to the other. Most days on Edarin last twenty-four hours, but due to the peculiar cycles of the varied celestial bodies [see also Ilwan] of this land, the fifth day, Enmasha, is longer, lasting approximately twenty-seven hours.

II. Suns and Moons

Children of the gods, three sons and two moons dictate the tides, passage of seasons and many of Edarin's natural phenomena. These celestial masses are also responsible for the length of days and years, dictating much of daily life upon the continent.

A. The Suns

Produced as the end result of a union between Fenris and Danai [see also Mythos], gods of Air and Fire, respectively, Edarin's three suns do much in controlling this world's weather and seasons.

1. Akail: The largest of the three, Akail is orange-gold in color and delineates day from night. This sun gives off heat and looms closer in the summer months. Akail's orbit is such that it remains closer to Southern Edarin, leaving the Northern lands in a permanent frost.

2. Mosude: The second largest of Edarin's suns, Mosude is blue-violet in shade. It sheds some light, but little heat, and for half of the year can only be seen from Windwarren, the Pyres of Shadowbane, and the peaks of the Nohra Mountains--Akail blocks it from view in the colder season. When Akail and Mosude are so aligned, the North is prone to higher tides. Windwarren endures crashing icebergs and freezing rains on its northernmost coastline at this time of year, and Xsenzar is resultantly flooded from the same solar phenomenon, the surface of the island submerged below sea level until these two suns slip out of alignment, allowing the tides to recede.

3. Ilwan: Edarin's smallest sun, Ilwan is deep burgundy-red in color. Swirls of bronze seem to race across its surface. This sun casts almost no light aside from a dim sepia glow and no heat to speak of. It is eclipsed by Akail each month on or around the tenth. This eclipse lasts approximately two to three days. It is for this reason that the 13th is considered by the superstitious a day of good fortune, especially when it falls upon the longest day of the week, Enmasha. While not the cause of great light or heat, Ilwan does exert the greatest power over the lands of Edarin, to a fashion, though it is much more subtle than its elder brothers. This sun determines the length of days and months. While it may seem a trivial affair, it is Ilwan's orbit that causes Enmasha to last three hours longer than any other day of the week, and the resulting irregularity is that every sixth year Edarin loses an entire month of winter, Xshetan, creating an anomalous eleven month year.

B. The Moons

The daughters of Inve and Sorth, deities of light and darkness, respectively, [see also Mythos] Edarin's two moons are worshipped by the fey as great sources of magic.

1. Tadra: Considered the silent and more passive of Edarin's two moons, Tadra casts a silverly light over the land's night life. She is considered one who 'watches rather than does' but personifies truth. Many believe that when one looks upon her at her fullest they cannot lie. In the autumn months, Tadra can be seen well into the afternoon within Mosude's shadow [see also Suns, Mosude]. This time of year is highly prized among the Fey, who are able to create more potent magical powders than is possible at all other times of year. Most fey choose to return to Lavidia Forest for work and celebration of the season at this time of year, which lasts approximately two months. [Telune and Avidane, see Months of the Year]

2. Kane: The smaller, more active of Edarin's sister moons, Kane orbits the third sun, Ilwan. She holds sway over the rise and fall of the tides and is rarely seen out of Ilwan's shadow. However, once per year Kane is eclipsed by her sister Tadra. It is on this day, Holy day, or Deisha, in the month of Honan that Etanmiel (The Kingdom of the Gods), descends to rest upon the surface of the southern sea, Jreadin. It is a greatly celebrated day in which any man who reaches Etanmiel Isle may walk among the gods. There is also a legend that whosoever solves Inve's riddle upon this day will be granted one boon from the goddess. Once the eclipse ends, Etanmiel is said to simply disappear within the morning mist.

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