DEVELOPMENT
AND HISTORY OF THE EVERWAY GREAT CALENDAR
The Great Calendar of
Everway, in use for almost 2,000 years, was first developed during a period
of Everway's history in which the culture and politics of the nation was
largely governed by the intelligentsia. Philosophy was considered
the highest form of expression, and the land was ruled by the Philosopher-Kings
of the Snakering family. During this period the calendar then in
use (similar in nature to our own Julian calendar) was being increasingly
criticized for inaccuracy (it had been in use for some 270 years previously,
and lacking a leap year it was off by approximately 67 days). A conclave
of philosophers, astrologers, mathematicians, and thaumaturges was convened
by the Great King to determine a solution to the problem. Competing
interests within the conclave (such as those advocating a lunar calendar
versus those advocating a solar calendar) slowed proceedings and complicated
matters no end, and it was only after five years of periodic meetings that
the ground rules for the creation of the calendar were finally agreed upon.
Three requirements were eventually laid down for the development of what
would be the Everway Great Calendar: first, the calendar must be
an accurate solar calendar; second, it must also be an accurate lunar calendar;
and third, it must accept and conform to the structure of the Everway Fortune
Deck bestowed upon the people by the Walker.
Ten more years of work were needed before the calendar was presented in what was, more or less, its final form. As might be guessed, much work had to be done towards the end merely to bring the project close to comprehensibility and use by the common folks of Everway (throughout most of its development the "Great Year" of the calendar was 60 solar years long [equivalent to one cycle of the final Everway calendar] and there were no subdivisions into solar years). Even so, the final version of the Everway Great Calendar was rather cumbersome and difficult to use for the population at large. Nevertheless, too much work had gone into it for it to be thrown away, and the system was duly instituted as the official dating system of the kingdom.
The original Everway Great Calendar used a cumbersome naming system for the various months that utilized the names of all of the various cards of the Fortune deck in rotating succession, save for the Usurper which was utilized exclusively for the 13th month in years when that month had 31 days. This proved unsatisfactory, and a reform of the naming system was instituted in the year 345. Under the current system 31 of the 36 cards of the Fortune Deck are utilized in some way in the Great Calendar. In order to satisfy the requirement that each of the 36 cards be used in some manner the Great King was prevailed upon to perform certain ceremonial functions having to do with the Great Calendar, thus symbolizing that card's effect on the Calendar itself. The other four missing cards, War, Law, Trickery, and Nature have been placed at the Great King's disposal (their effect is described below). It should be noted that this system is not considered a perfect one by any means, and several attempts at a second reform have been made over the years. To date, however, none have succeded, and the Great Calendar has remained unchanged since 345.
STRUCTURE
OF THE EVERWAY GREAT CALENDAR
Each year of the Great
Calendar is divided into months - usually 12 but sometimes 13. All
odd numbered months have 29 days, and all even numbered months have 30
days, save for the 13th month which has either 30 or 31 days.
Most years have twelve months, but some years have thirteen. All odd numbered months have 29 days and all even numbered months have 30 days, except that the 13th month in a long year has either 30 or 31 days. Years containing the 13th month are commonly referred to as "Aspect Years", with those in which the 13th month contains 30 days are known as "Years of the Defender" and those in which the 13th month contains 31 days being known as "Years of the Creator".
Each year is divided into
four seasons - Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter, each of three months.
The 13th month is considered a separate season during years in which it
occurs. The months are named as follows:
| SPRING | AUTUMN |
| The Eagle (29 days) | The Lion (29 days) |
| The Peasant (30 days) | The Smith (30 days) |
| Inspiration (29 days) | The Fool (29 days) |
| SUMMER | WINTER |
| Fertility (30 days) | The Fish (30 days) |
| The Soldier (29 days) | The Priestess (29 days) |
| The Hermit (30 days) | Knowledge (30 days) |
| THE USURPER (30 or 31 days) |
The rules for calculating
Aspect Years are somewhat convoluted. The rules for (i) when a year
is an Aspect year, and (ii) when the month of the Usurper has 31 days,
are as follows, where
Y = 6840, L = 2519 and M = 1328:
In addition to this, during Years of the Creator (Aspect Years in which the month of The Usurper has 31 days) one additional day is added to the final week of the month. This day, known as the "Day of Death" is a day for many celebrations (despite the nasty name), much prognostication, and is considered a time to make changes or to renew contracts. By law no long term contract (that is no contract lasting longer than one year and which has been in effect for longer than one year) may last longer than the arrival of the next "Day of Death". Years of the Creator, therefor, are traditionally years in which contracts are renewed.
Sixty years of the Great Calendar completes a single "Cycle". For each cycle the years are given a designation based upon a card from the Fortune Deck, but excluding all cards of the Faults suite and the Usurper. These designations are followed by the designation "Upright" for the first thirty years of the cycle, and the designation "Reversed" for the second thirty years of the cycle.
One hundred and fourteen
cycles has been determined to represent an epoch, although to date the
system is still well within its first epoch.
NOTATION
OF THE EVERWAY GREAT CALENDAR
Whenever formally giving
a precise date the order of listing is [epoch] cycle - year -
month - week -day, though all but the most important of royal documents
have, by now, dispensed with the listing of epoch. In formal usage
the full name of each aspect of a particular date is used in full, thus
"First Epoch, Fourteenth Cycle, Year of the Griffin Upright, Month of Inspiration,
Week of the Cockatrice Reversed, Day of Drowning In Armor Reversed".
In more common usage both epoch and cycle are usually omitted and other
portions of the date are shortened, thus, "We'll meet again in Inspiration,
Dragon's Armorsday." In informal written notation (such as that used
for record keeping purposes) the form becomes even simpler, with numbers
replacing the names. Cycle numbers are integers, year numbers range
from 1-60, month numbers from 1-13, weeks are omitted, and day numbers
range from 1-31.
EFFECTS
OF THE EVERWAY GREAT CALENDAR ON EVERWAY SOCIETY
One of the most important
effects that the Great Calendar has had on life in Everway is that its
complexity makes it very difficult for people to accurately tell what the
date is. This is particularly true during Aspect Years when there
is an extra month thrown in (and one with a variable number of days at
that). Because of this an entire industry has developed around telling
people what day it is, and there is a minor family in Everway, the Stargazers
(to be detailed later) who have the task of maintaining the Great Calendar,
making certain people don't get their dates mixed up, predicting solar
eclipses, and so on
In addition, due to the importance that the average citizen of Everway places on the prognosticatory powers of the tarot, people tend to be very superstitious regarding certain time of the year. Oversday, for example, is considered a particularly appropriate day to place wagers, while the month of the Priestess is considered particularly propitious for putting ones affairs with a god or gods in order.
The completion of a cycle is an important time of change in Everway politics, for by law no single individual may hold a seat on the Council or even on the Great King's throne, for more than a single cycle, save if that individual takes her or his seat in the year prior to the turning of the cycle. The turning of the cycle is a time for renewed efforts, for renovations on a city-wide level, and for all manner of prognostications, predictions, and celebrations.
Each year on the last day of the year the Great King presides over a ceremony known as "The Turning of the Year" in which the Great King declares officially that one year is at an end and a new year beginning. Additionally, at the end of each month the Great King officially declares to the court that one month is at an end and another begun In this manner the Great King becomes the personification of the card The King, presiding in a symbolic way over the passage of the days and years.
Four cards of the Fortune
Deck have been placed at the disposal of the Great King and the Council.
These are Law, Nature, Trickery, and War. These cards are used not
to indicate specific times, but the general state of Everway at a given
time. These cards typically only appear on very important royal or
councillor documents, and on the Royal Registry of court events.
Of the four Law is considered to be the default, indicating the nation
is at peace and everything is proceeding normally. War is used to
designate a time when the nation is at war with a foreign power.
Trickery indicates a time when the nation is in a state of unrest of rebellion.
Nature indicates a time of natural disaster, such as flooding, drought,
or plague. Each of these various conditions except Law modifies the
exact powers and responisbilites of both the High King and the Council.
Only the High King may declare a change from the default state of Law,
and it requires ratification by the Council before it takes effect.
Usage of these descriptors follows the listing of the day when used, thus
"First Epoch, Fourteenth Cycle, Year of the Griffin Upright, Month of Inspiration,
Week of the Cockatrice Reversed, Day of Drowning In Armor Reversed - a
time of Law." As the exact nature and powers bestowed by the various
states is not properly the concern of the Great Calendar itself they will
be detailed later.
Other material on this
page, including the use of the Meyer-Palmen Solilunar Calendar to create
an imaginary calendar system for the realm of Everway is copyright Edmund
Metheny, 1999, and its use for commercial purposes without expressed written
permission is forbidden.