Праздники вархаммер фэнтези

The Known World takes 400 days to travel round its sun, a much larger and hotter star than our own, and is orbited by two moons. The larger of these — known in The Empire as Mannslieb («Beloved of Manann») — has a cycle of 25 days from full to full and looks not unlike the moon of our own world. The other — named Morrslieb («Beloved of Mórr») — is erratic, appearing now closer, now further away than its partner.

There are two main legends concerning the origins and nature of Morrslieb. According to the first, it was once a gateway in the sky, through which daemons came to prey upon the people of the Known World. Mórr inflicted a great and terrible death upon them and fashioned the second moon out of the wreckage, so that mortals would never forget how the god had saved them. The second legend maintains that when Chaos first broke through into the Known World, a great block of Warpstone was hurled high into the sky, where it circles endlessly, spreading Chaos on the lands over which it passes. This legend is believed mainly by the followers of Chaos, who hold festivals when Morrslieb is full. (Morrslieb’s orbit is chaotic and cannot be predicted more than a few days in advance. However, it is always full on Hexensnacht and Geheimnisnacht.)

The Imperial Calendar[]

♦ First day of Spring.
♦♦ First day of Summer.
♦♦♦ First day of Autumn.
♦♦♦♦ First day of Winter.
♠ Full moon (Mannslieb).
♠♠ New moon (Mannslieb).

The year begins on a different day of the week, depending on the year. The day listed below that the year begins on is on 1 Nachexen (as Hexenstag has no day of the week).

• Years ending in 00, 04, 08, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60, 64, 68, 72, 76, 80, 84, 88, 92, or 96 begin on Wellentag.
• Years ending in 01, 05, 09, 13, 17, 21, 25, 29, 33, 37, 41, 45, 49, 53, 57, 61, 65, 69, 73, 77, 81, 85, 89, 93, or 97 begin on Marktag.
• Years ending in 02, 06, 10, 14, 18, 22, 26, 30, 34, 38, 42, 46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 70, 74, 78, 82, 86, 90, 94, or 98 begin on Bezahltag.
• Years ending in 03, 07, 11, 15, 19, 23, 27, 31, 35, 39, 43, 47, 51, 55, 59, 63, 67, 71, 75, 79, 83, 87, 91, 95, or 99 begin on Angestag.

Months And Festivals[]

There are almost as many calendars in the Known World as their are races and countries, but the one shown here is standard throughout The Empire (and, inevitably, in the kingdoms and countries around it). The Imperial calendar divides the year into 12 months of 32 or 33 days and six days that fall between months and are not numbered. Four of these are festivals connected to seasonal events — the summer and winter solstices and the spring and autumn equinoxes — while the other two mark the occasions when both moons are full. These last are greatly feared and even the most hardened cynics stay out of the eerie light cast by the moons on Hexensnacht («Witching Night») and Geheimnisnacht («Night of Mystery»).

The months may be translated as «After-Witching», «Year-Turn», «Ploughtide», «Sigmar-tide», «Summertide», «Fore-Mystery», «After-Mystery», «Harvest-tide», «Brewmonth», «Chillmonth», «Ulric-tide», and «Fore-Witching».

Athough the names of the days, months, and festivals change from country to country and there are a few minor regional differences, the same calendar is observed throughout the Old World.

Major religious festivals are as follows:

Days Of The Week[]

There are eight days in the Imperial week, whose names probably date back to pre-Empire times: Wellentag, Aubentag, Marktag, Backertag, Bezahltag, Konistag, Angestag, Festag.

In order, they could be translated as «Workday», «Levyday», «Marketday», «Bakeday», «Taxday», «Kingday», «Startweek», and «Holiday». However, the reasons for such names are now largely forgotten — a market day can be any day of the week, depending where you go in the Empire, while holidays vary according to deity of the local temple(s).

Of the eight days of the week, Festag is technically a day of rest, reserved for Worship. Shops should be shut and no work or trade done. However, this varies from area to area, depending on the harshness of the local ruler and the amount of hold that priests and temples have over the local community.

Within The Empire, major festivals and feast-days do not fall on a day of the week. Imagine it as: Monday, Tuesday, Midsummer Day, Wednesday, Thursday… This gives the festivals an extra emphasis, making them stand apart from the rest of the week. Festivals and feast-days are not normal days, they are important events in the religions and beliefs of the Old World and they are far more than an excuse for a day off. Anyone who expects to find people conducting normal business on a festival-day is going to be disappointed.

There are other feast-days in the calendar, but most of them are only observed in certain areas or by certain groups of people. A day sacred to Verena will be observed by scholars, scribes, lawyers, and any profession linked to learning or justice, for example. Towns and cities will have special holidays in memory of local heroes or major days in the area’s history, such as the ending of a siege, a famous victory, the overthrowing of a tyrant, or the anniversary of the birth or death of a well-loved ruler.

The Known World takes 400 days to travel round its sun, a much larger and hotter star than our own, and is orbited by two moons. The larger of these — known in The Empire as Mannslieb («Beloved of Manann») — has a cycle of 25 days from full to full and looks not unlike the moon of our own world. The other — named Morrslieb («Beloved of Mórr») — is erratic, appearing now closer, now further away than its partner.

There are two main legends concerning the origins and nature of Morrslieb. According to the first, it was once a gateway in the sky, through which daemons came to prey upon the people of the Known World. Mórr inflicted a great and terrible death upon them and fashioned the second moon out of the wreckage, so that mortals would never forget how the god had saved them. The second legend maintains that when Chaos first broke through into the Known World, a great block of Warpstone was hurled high into the sky, where it circles endlessly, spreading Chaos on the lands over which it passes. This legend is believed mainly by the followers of Chaos, who hold festivals when Morrslieb is full. (Morrslieb’s orbit is chaotic and cannot be predicted more than a few days in advance. However, it is always full on Hexensnacht and Geheimnisnacht.)

The Imperial Calendar[]

♦ First day of Spring.
♦♦ First day of Summer.
♦♦♦ First day of Autumn.
♦♦♦♦ First day of Winter.
♠ Full moon (Mannslieb).
♠♠ New moon (Mannslieb).

The year begins on a different day of the week, depending on the year. The day listed below that the year begins on is on 1 Nachexen (as Hexenstag has no day of the week).

• Years ending in 00, 04, 08, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60, 64, 68, 72, 76, 80, 84, 88, 92, or 96 begin on Wellentag.
• Years ending in 01, 05, 09, 13, 17, 21, 25, 29, 33, 37, 41, 45, 49, 53, 57, 61, 65, 69, 73, 77, 81, 85, 89, 93, or 97 begin on Marktag.
• Years ending in 02, 06, 10, 14, 18, 22, 26, 30, 34, 38, 42, 46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 70, 74, 78, 82, 86, 90, 94, or 98 begin on Bezahltag.
• Years ending in 03, 07, 11, 15, 19, 23, 27, 31, 35, 39, 43, 47, 51, 55, 59, 63, 67, 71, 75, 79, 83, 87, 91, 95, or 99 begin on Angestag.

Months And Festivals[]

There are almost as many calendars in the Known World as their are races and countries, but the one shown here is standard throughout The Empire (and, inevitably, in the kingdoms and countries around it). The Imperial calendar divides the year into 12 months of 32 or 33 days and six days that fall between months and are not numbered. Four of these are festivals connected to seasonal events — the summer and winter solstices and the spring and autumn equinoxes — while the other two mark the occasions when both moons are full. These last are greatly feared and even the most hardened cynics stay out of the eerie light cast by the moons on Hexensnacht («Witching Night») and Geheimnisnacht («Night of Mystery»).

The months may be translated as «After-Witching», «Year-Turn», «Ploughtide», «Sigmar-tide», «Summertide», «Fore-Mystery», «After-Mystery», «Harvest-tide», «Brewmonth», «Chillmonth», «Ulric-tide», and «Fore-Witching».

Athough the names of the days, months, and festivals change from country to country and there are a few minor regional differences, the same calendar is observed throughout the Old World.

Major religious festivals are as follows:

Days Of The Week[]

There are eight days in the Imperial week, whose names probably date back to pre-Empire times: Wellentag, Aubentag, Marktag, Backertag, Bezahltag, Konistag, Angestag, Festag.

In order, they could be translated as «Workday», «Levyday», «Marketday», «Bakeday», «Taxday», «Kingday», «Startweek», and «Holiday». However, the reasons for such names are now largely forgotten — a market day can be any day of the week, depending where you go in the Empire, while holidays vary according to deity of the local temple(s).

Of the eight days of the week, Festag is technically a day of rest, reserved for Worship. Shops should be shut and no work or trade done. However, this varies from area to area, depending on the harshness of the local ruler and the amount of hold that priests and temples have over the local community.

Within The Empire, major festivals and feast-days do not fall on a day of the week. Imagine it as: Monday, Tuesday, Midsummer Day, Wednesday, Thursday… This gives the festivals an extra emphasis, making them stand apart from the rest of the week. Festivals and feast-days are not normal days, they are important events in the religions and beliefs of the Old World and they are far more than an excuse for a day off. Anyone who expects to find people conducting normal business on a festival-day is going to be disappointed.

There are other feast-days in the calendar, but most of them are only observed in certain areas or by certain groups of people. A day sacred to Verena will be observed by scholars, scribes, lawyers, and any profession linked to learning or justice, for example. Towns and cities will have special holidays in memory of local heroes or major days in the area’s history, such as the ending of a siege, a famous victory, the overthrowing of a tyrant, or the anniversary of the birth or death of a well-loved ruler.

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Развернуть

The Imperial Calendar is the official calendar of the Empire and the most commonly-used system of dating among the Human cultures of the Old World continent on the Warhammer World.

The Imperial Calendar is dated from the year of Sigmar’s coronation as the first emperor, which serves as the year 1 Imperial Calendar (I.C.).

Overview

The Imperial Calendar is of great importance and influence in the Empire. It allows the common folk to count the passing days and prepare for the festivals. It allows for historical events to be recorded and contextualised in time.

It allows men who have never met to agree on reliable dates that they both understand. In short, it is the cog around which the machinery of the Empire revolves. Without standardised, measured time, everything would soon collapse into confusion.

Most people believe that divine Sigmar, first emperor of the united tribes of Man, formed the Imperial Calendar. The dating system splits the 400-day year into twelve months of 32 or 33 days, and includes six important festival days, each of which lie between the months.

The months are further divided by eight-day weeks, which bridge the months uninterrupted, even if a week is broken by one of the intercalary festivals.

However, although Sigmar was involved with its creation, the truth of the calendar’s genesis is more complex, and far older than the Empire’s patron.

Days of the Week

The eight days of the week are: Wellentag (Workday), Aubentag (Levyday), Marktag (Marketday), Backertag (Bakeday), Bezahltag (Taxday), Konistag (Kingday), Angestag (Startweek), and Festag (Holiday).^[2a]

The reasons for these names are long-forgotten and probably originated in pre-Empire times. Nowadays, market day occurs on any day of the week depending on which part of the Empire you are in, and festivals and holidays take place according to the traditions of each cult. There is no weekly religious holiday, but everyone seizes the chance to celebrate at festival times.^[2a]

• Wellentag (VELL’n-taag): «Workday»^[2a][2b]
• Aubentag (OW-ben-taag): «Levy Day»^[2a][2b]
• Marktag (MARK-taag): «Market Day»^[2a][2b]
• Backertag (BAKKER-taag): «Baking Day»^[2a][2b]
• Bezahltag (b’TZAAL-taag): «Tax Day»^[2a][2b]
• Konistag (KO-nis-taag): «King Day»^[2a][2b]
• Angestag (AN-ges-taag): «Start Day»^[2a][2b]
• Festag (FESS-taag): «Holiday»^[2a][2b]

Months in Order

The twelve months of the year are: Nachexen (After-Witching), Jahrdrung (Year-Turn), Pflugzeit (Ploughtide), Sigmarzeit (Sigmartide), Sommerzeit (Summertide), Vorgeheim (Fore-Mystery), Nachgeheim (After-Mystery), Erntezeit (Harvest-tide), Brauzeit (Brew month), Kaldezeit (Chill month), Ulriczeit (Ulric-tide), and Vorhexen (Fore-Witching).^[2a]

The six extra days are: Hexenstag (Witching Day – New Year’s Day), Mitterfruhl (Start Growth – Spring Equinox), Sonnstill (Sun Still – Summer Solstice), Geheimnistag (Day of Mystery), Mittherbst (Less Growth – Autumn Equinox), and Mondstille (World Still – Winter Solstice).^[2a]

Three of the months mark the agricultural activities that occur at those times – ploughing, harvesting, and brewing. The equinoxes and solstices mark the peak of each season – spring, summer, autumn, and winter.^[2a]

Sigmar and Ulric each have one month apiece dedicated to them. Sigmar’s month dominates the onset of summer while Ulric’s month falls in midwinter. This clearly demonstrates their opposing natures. Nobody knows what Sigmarzeit was called in pre-Empire times, though some scholars surmise it was named after Taal.^[2a]

• Nachhexen (Nach-HEX’n): ‘After-Witching’^[3a]
• Jahrdrung (YAAR-drung): ‘Year-Turn’^[3a]
• Pflugzeit (pFLOOG-tsight): ‘Plough-Tide’^[3a]
• Sigmarzeit (ZIGG-mar-tsight): ‘Sigmar-Tide’^[3a]
• Sommerzeit (ZOMMER-tsight): ‘Summer-Time’^[3a]
• Vorgeheim (FORR-g’hime): ‘Before Mystery’^[3a]
• Nachgeheim (NACH-g’hime): ‘After Mystery’^[3a]
• Erntezeit (ERN-t’sight): ‘Harvest Time’^[3a]
• Brauzeit (BRAOW-tsight): ‘Brewing Time’^[3a]
• Kaldezeit (KAL-tsight): ‘Cold Time’^[3a]
• Ulriczeit (UL-rik-tsight): ‘Ulric-Tide’^[3a]
• Vorhexen (FORR-hex’n): ‘Before Witching’^[3a]

Before Time was Recorded

Most of the original tribes that settled the Reik Basin had no formal traditions for keeping time. Those that did usually relied upon the passage of celestial bodies across the sky to keep time for them.

Although planets and stars were sometimes used for this, most early tribesmen observed the regular orbit of the moon Mannslieb and the eternal cycle of spring, summer, autumn and winter. This eventually led some communities to understand time as four seasons of 4 lunar cycles, but few used a system even that complex.

As there was no central authority in those early times, each tribal community formed its own traditions for understanding time, often drawing inspiration from their neighbours, conquerors, and the ruins of the Elder Races.

By the time of Sigmar, many conflicting and often inaccurate methods of recording time existed. So many and so different were these, that misunderstandings between early Humans were common, and sometimes a source of conflict. Sigmarite holy texts claim that Sigmar decided to end this problem.

Creation

Sigmar is said to have understood the importance of a centrally-organised calendar. However, Sigmar’s people were primitive, and though they could observe the seasons and the passing of various celestial bodies, they little understood how to accurately record the passage of time.

Those few societies that did mark time rarely celebrated anything beyond the great equinoxes of the seasons, and often relied upon obscure rituals and the alignments of ancient standing stones to do even this. Unsurprisingly, most Humans did not even know how old they were.

Sigmar aimed to resolve this. As he was unable to draw upon established Human calendars and knowledgeable scholars, he turned to his strongest allies, the wise and ancient Dwarfs, and asked for their counsel.

The calendar reputedly created by Sigmar and his advisers drew almost all of its inspiration from the millennia-old Dwarfen calendar. The six Dwarfen festivals—which were already celebrated in most corners of the new Empire under different names—were kept unchanged, and the months were simply renamed, where necessary, to be more applicable to Human life.

Not only was this seen as a simple and convenient solution to the problem of dating, but it also ensured that Imperial Dwarf and Imperial Human would forever be bound together in a mutual understanding of the passage of time, strengthening their growing relationship into the future.

However, just because a calendar was centrally created, this did not mean that everyone immediately used it. Indeed, in those early times very few did. Instead, they continued practising their local, and oftentimes inaccurate, traditions.

To this day, over 2,500 years later, it is still common to find isolated communities that use only variations of the official Imperial calendar, or even ignore it completely.

The Making of a Week

The Dwarfs had no smaller division of their months, barring each day. They referred to each day by its number (from the 1st to the 33rd), and that was that. However, most Human tribes grouped days together in short clumps to help organise their short, busy lives, most commonly to plan their frequent market days.

Further, many could not count as high as 33. Sigmar realised he would have to go further than the Dwarfen calendar alone.

Sigmar had the cults and noble bloodlines of the tribes report to him the methods used by their peoples to record the short passage of days. He was overwhelmed by the diversity of the responses. The most common grouping for days was the «week»: a number of days, typically from 3 to 12, between one local market day and the next.

However, there were many other groupings. These included the «Fünftage» (a five-day period generated from the solar cycle i.e. five weeks of five days in one full passage of Mannslieb), the «Vierzehnnacht» (a 14-day period supposedly based upon the time the Endals believed they could withstand a siege), and the «Sennight» (a seven-day period with each day assigned to a different God, although the Gods whose names were used would vary), and many more.

So, rather than embroil himself with months of debate and pointless conflict about how to best split the months, Sigmar fell back on his own traditions. Sigmar’s tribe, the Unberogens, used the term «week» and had a unique grouping of four weeks called the «sextday» (a 16-day period of obscure origin).

However, knowing that the warlike Teutogens might easily take offence at a blanket enforcement of Unberogen cultural terms, Sigmar also drew upon the Teutogen «Woche,» a period of eight days reputedly ordered by Ulric himself.

As Sigmar was himself a devout follower of Ulric, it seemed obvious to him to marry all of this for his new Imperial Calendar. And from these foundations, the eight-day Imperial Week was created.

Each day was given a unique name, chosen from the great selection of day names used across the new Empire. These names bore little relevance to the actual use of the day in practise, for any day could be a work day, or a bake day, but they provided comforting continuity for folk that used those terms.

Of course, even though the Empire recorded all official documents using the Imperial Week, most of the tribes continued using their older terms for the days and their groupings.

Indeed, over 2,500 years later, some distant parts of the Empire still use archaic methods for counting the passing days, weeks, months and seasons.

Tilean Variation

Northern Tileans use the Imperial Calendar or one of its many variants as well as the Verenean Calendar. This is especially the case in the city states of Miragliano and Trantio, for they more frequently deal with Bretonnians and Imperial folk.^[1b] The calendar remains unchanged even though the names of the days and months are replaced with those of the softer-sounding Tilean language.

Days

• Wellentag (VELL’n-taag): Lavordì^[3a]
• Aubentag (OW-ben-taag): Gabeldì^[3a]
• Marktag (MARK-taag): Mercadì^[3a]
• Backertag (BAKKER-taag): Fornodì^[3a]
• Bezahltag (b’TZAAL-taag): Tassadì^[3a]
• Konistag (KO-nis-taag): Regiodì^[3a]
• Angestag (AN-ges-taag): Iniziabato^[3a]
• Festag (FESS-taag): Santodì^[3a]

Months

• Nachhexen (Nach-HEX’n): Postregato^[3a]
• Jahrdrung (YAAR-drung): Nuovannaio^[3a]
• Pflugzeit (pFLOOG-tsight): Araggio^[3a]
• Sigmarzeit (ZIGG-mar-tsight): Sigmarile^[3a]
• Sommerzeit (ZOMMER-tsight): Soluglio^[3a]
• Vorgeheim (FORR-g’hime): Priamisterio^[3a]
• Nachgeheim (NACH-g’hime): Oltremisterio^[3a]
• Erntezeit (ERN-tsight): Messembre^[3a]
• Brauzeit (BRAOW-tsight): Birrembre^[3a]
• Kaldezeit (KAL-tsight): Freddembre^[3a]
• Ulriczeit (UL-rik-tsight): Ulricheo^[3a]
• Vorhexen (FORR-hex’n): Priastregatio^[3a]

Trivia

• As seen in The Fall of Miragliano article, one of the months is named Brumoso, this could be a variation of month’s name in Miragliano’s calendar.

See Also

• Timeline of the Warhammer World
• Imperial Timeline
• Tilean Timeline

Sources

• 1: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 2nd Edition — Tome of Salvation
  • 1a: pg. 137-140
  • 1b: pg. 141

• 2: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 3rd Editon — Signs of Faith
  • 2a: pg. 29
  • 2b: pg. 48

• 3: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4th Edition) — Italian Version
  • 3a: pg. 149

The Imperial Calendar is the official calendar of the Empire and the most commonly-used system of dating among the Human cultures of the Old World continent on the Warhammer World.

The Imperial Calendar is dated from the year of Sigmar’s coronation as the first emperor, which serves as the year 1 Imperial Calendar (I.C.).

Overview

The Imperial Calendar is of great importance and influence in the Empire. It allows the common folk to count the passing days and prepare for the festivals. It allows for historical events to be recorded and contextualised in time.

It allows men who have never met to agree on reliable dates that they both understand. In short, it is the cog around which the machinery of the Empire revolves. Without standardised, measured time, everything would soon collapse into confusion.

Most people believe that divine Sigmar, first emperor of the united tribes of Man, formed the Imperial Calendar. The dating system splits the 400-day year into twelve months of 32 or 33 days, and includes six important festival days, each of which lie between the months.

The months are further divided by eight-day weeks, which bridge the months uninterrupted, even if a week is broken by one of the intercalary festivals.

However, although Sigmar was involved with its creation, the truth of the calendar’s genesis is more complex, and far older than the Empire’s patron.

Days of the Week

The eight days of the week are: Wellentag (Workday), Aubentag (Levyday), Marktag (Marketday), Backertag (Bakeday), Bezahltag (Taxday), Konistag (Kingday), Angestag (Startweek), and Festag (Holiday).^[2a]

The reasons for these names are long-forgotten and probably originated in pre-Empire times. Nowadays, market day occurs on any day of the week depending on which part of the Empire you are in, and festivals and holidays take place according to the traditions of each cult. There is no weekly religious holiday, but everyone seizes the chance to celebrate at festival times.^[2a]

• Wellentag (VELL’n-taag): «Workday»^[2a][2b]
• Aubentag (OW-ben-taag): «Levy Day»^[2a][2b]
• Marktag (MARK-taag): «Market Day»^[2a][2b]
• Backertag (BAKKER-taag): «Baking Day»^[2a][2b]
• Bezahltag (b’TZAAL-taag): «Tax Day»^[2a][2b]
• Konistag (KO-nis-taag): «King Day»^[2a][2b]
• Angestag (AN-ges-taag): «Start Day»^[2a][2b]
• Festag (FESS-taag): «Holiday»^[2a][2b]

Months in Order

The twelve months of the year are: Nachexen (After-Witching), Jahrdrung (Year-Turn), Pflugzeit (Ploughtide), Sigmarzeit (Sigmartide), Sommerzeit (Summertide), Vorgeheim (Fore-Mystery), Nachgeheim (After-Mystery), Erntezeit (Harvest-tide), Brauzeit (Brew month), Kaldezeit (Chill month), Ulriczeit (Ulric-tide), and Vorhexen (Fore-Witching).^[2a]

The six extra days are: Hexenstag (Witching Day – New Year’s Day), Mitterfruhl (Start Growth – Spring Equinox), Sonnstill (Sun Still – Summer Solstice), Geheimnistag (Day of Mystery), Mittherbst (Less Growth – Autumn Equinox), and Mondstille (World Still – Winter Solstice).^[2a]

Three of the months mark the agricultural activities that occur at those times – ploughing, harvesting, and brewing. The equinoxes and solstices mark the peak of each season – spring, summer, autumn, and winter.^[2a]

Sigmar and Ulric each have one month apiece dedicated to them. Sigmar’s month dominates the onset of summer while Ulric’s month falls in midwinter. This clearly demonstrates their opposing natures. Nobody knows what Sigmarzeit was called in pre-Empire times, though some scholars surmise it was named after Taal.^[2a]

• Nachhexen (Nach-HEX’n): ‘After-Witching’^[3a]
• Jahrdrung (YAAR-drung): ‘Year-Turn’^[3a]
• Pflugzeit (pFLOOG-tsight): ‘Plough-Tide’^[3a]
• Sigmarzeit (ZIGG-mar-tsight): ‘Sigmar-Tide’^[3a]
• Sommerzeit (ZOMMER-tsight): ‘Summer-Time’^[3a]
• Vorgeheim (FORR-g’hime): ‘Before Mystery’^[3a]
• Nachgeheim (NACH-g’hime): ‘After Mystery’^[3a]
• Erntezeit (ERN-t’sight): ‘Harvest Time’^[3a]
• Brauzeit (BRAOW-tsight): ‘Brewing Time’^[3a]
• Kaldezeit (KAL-tsight): ‘Cold Time’^[3a]
• Ulriczeit (UL-rik-tsight): ‘Ulric-Tide’^[3a]
• Vorhexen (FORR-hex’n): ‘Before Witching’^[3a]

Before Time was Recorded

Most of the original tribes that settled the Reik Basin had no formal traditions for keeping time. Those that did usually relied upon the passage of celestial bodies across the sky to keep time for them.

Although planets and stars were sometimes used for this, most early tribesmen observed the regular orbit of the moon Mannslieb and the eternal cycle of spring, summer, autumn and winter. This eventually led some communities to understand time as four seasons of 4 lunar cycles, but few used a system even that complex.

As there was no central authority in those early times, each tribal community formed its own traditions for understanding time, often drawing inspiration from their neighbours, conquerors, and the ruins of the Elder Races.

By the time of Sigmar, many conflicting and often inaccurate methods of recording time existed. So many and so different were these, that misunderstandings between early Humans were common, and sometimes a source of conflict. Sigmarite holy texts claim that Sigmar decided to end this problem.

Creation

Sigmar is said to have understood the importance of a centrally-organised calendar. However, Sigmar’s people were primitive, and though they could observe the seasons and the passing of various celestial bodies, they little understood how to accurately record the passage of time.

Those few societies that did mark time rarely celebrated anything beyond the great equinoxes of the seasons, and often relied upon obscure rituals and the alignments of ancient standing stones to do even this. Unsurprisingly, most Humans did not even know how old they were.

Sigmar aimed to resolve this. As he was unable to draw upon established Human calendars and knowledgeable scholars, he turned to his strongest allies, the wise and ancient Dwarfs, and asked for their counsel.

The calendar reputedly created by Sigmar and his advisers drew almost all of its inspiration from the millennia-old Dwarfen calendar. The six Dwarfen festivals—which were already celebrated in most corners of the new Empire under different names—were kept unchanged, and the months were simply renamed, where necessary, to be more applicable to Human life.

Not only was this seen as a simple and convenient solution to the problem of dating, but it also ensured that Imperial Dwarf and Imperial Human would forever be bound together in a mutual understanding of the passage of time, strengthening their growing relationship into the future.

However, just because a calendar was centrally created, this did not mean that everyone immediately used it. Indeed, in those early times very few did. Instead, they continued practising their local, and oftentimes inaccurate, traditions.

To this day, over 2,500 years later, it is still common to find isolated communities that use only variations of the official Imperial calendar, or even ignore it completely.

The Making of a Week

The Dwarfs had no smaller division of their months, barring each day. They referred to each day by its number (from the 1st to the 33rd), and that was that. However, most Human tribes grouped days together in short clumps to help organise their short, busy lives, most commonly to plan their frequent market days.

Further, many could not count as high as 33. Sigmar realised he would have to go further than the Dwarfen calendar alone.

Sigmar had the cults and noble bloodlines of the tribes report to him the methods used by their peoples to record the short passage of days. He was overwhelmed by the diversity of the responses. The most common grouping for days was the «week»: a number of days, typically from 3 to 12, between one local market day and the next.

However, there were many other groupings. These included the «Fünftage» (a five-day period generated from the solar cycle i.e. five weeks of five days in one full passage of Mannslieb), the «Vierzehnnacht» (a 14-day period supposedly based upon the time the Endals believed they could withstand a siege), and the «Sennight» (a seven-day period with each day assigned to a different God, although the Gods whose names were used would vary), and many more.

So, rather than embroil himself with months of debate and pointless conflict about how to best split the months, Sigmar fell back on his own traditions. Sigmar’s tribe, the Unberogens, used the term «week» and had a unique grouping of four weeks called the «sextday» (a 16-day period of obscure origin).

However, knowing that the warlike Teutogens might easily take offence at a blanket enforcement of Unberogen cultural terms, Sigmar also drew upon the Teutogen «Woche,» a period of eight days reputedly ordered by Ulric himself.

As Sigmar was himself a devout follower of Ulric, it seemed obvious to him to marry all of this for his new Imperial Calendar. And from these foundations, the eight-day Imperial Week was created.

Each day was given a unique name, chosen from the great selection of day names used across the new Empire. These names bore little relevance to the actual use of the day in practise, for any day could be a work day, or a bake day, but they provided comforting continuity for folk that used those terms.

Of course, even though the Empire recorded all official documents using the Imperial Week, most of the tribes continued using their older terms for the days and their groupings.

Indeed, over 2,500 years later, some distant parts of the Empire still use archaic methods for counting the passing days, weeks, months and seasons.

Tilean Variation

Northern Tileans use the Imperial Calendar or one of its many variants as well as the Verenean Calendar. This is especially the case in the city states of Miragliano and Trantio, for they more frequently deal with Bretonnians and Imperial folk.^[1b] The calendar remains unchanged even though the names of the days and months are replaced with those of the softer-sounding Tilean language.

Days

• Wellentag (VELL’n-taag): Lavordì^[3a]
• Aubentag (OW-ben-taag): Gabeldì^[3a]
• Marktag (MARK-taag): Mercadì^[3a]
• Backertag (BAKKER-taag): Fornodì^[3a]
• Bezahltag (b’TZAAL-taag): Tassadì^[3a]
• Konistag (KO-nis-taag): Regiodì^[3a]
• Angestag (AN-ges-taag): Iniziabato^[3a]
• Festag (FESS-taag): Santodì^[3a]

Months

• Nachhexen (Nach-HEX’n): Postregato^[3a]
• Jahrdrung (YAAR-drung): Nuovannaio^[3a]
• Pflugzeit (pFLOOG-tsight): Araggio^[3a]
• Sigmarzeit (ZIGG-mar-tsight): Sigmarile^[3a]
• Sommerzeit (ZOMMER-tsight): Soluglio^[3a]
• Vorgeheim (FORR-g’hime): Priamisterio^[3a]
• Nachgeheim (NACH-g’hime): Oltremisterio^[3a]
• Erntezeit (ERN-tsight): Messembre^[3a]
• Brauzeit (BRAOW-tsight): Birrembre^[3a]
• Kaldezeit (KAL-tsight): Freddembre^[3a]
• Ulriczeit (UL-rik-tsight): Ulricheo^[3a]
• Vorhexen (FORR-hex’n): Priastregatio^[3a]

Trivia

• As seen in The Fall of Miragliano article, one of the months is named Brumoso, this could be a variation of month’s name in Miragliano’s calendar.

See Also

• Timeline of the Warhammer World
• Imperial Timeline
• Tilean Timeline

Sources

• 1: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 2nd Edition — Tome of Salvation
  • 1a: pg. 137-140
  • 1b: pg. 141

• 2: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 3rd Editon — Signs of Faith
  • 2a: pg. 29
  • 2b: pg. 48

• 3: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4th Edition) — Italian Version
  • 3a: pg. 149