The following is a small scroll newly placed upon the Shelves of the Scholar's Stair. The Author you may not have heard of as anyone staying in Bree-town at this time, though the name is clearly Elvish. The hand-writing is neat with a quill-pen on parchment.
On the Calendar of the Elves
~ And ~
What Might be Considered to Improve It
By Finnasar
~ Overview ~
The Calendar of Imladris, or in the Westron it is known as Rivendell, is based around the concept not of months but of seasons, and of the number 12, which as all should know is considered sacred to the Elves as it was the length of hours of the light cycle of the Two Trees of Valinor. Wherein this treatise aaa it shall be explained the precise formulation of this Calendar and afterwards an argument for an improvement to it, replete with justification. It is hoped this Treatise will serve not only to educate but to provide a consideration to an alternate and highly appropriate and accurate Calendar.
~ The Calendar of Imladris as It is ~
Beginning with terms understandable to most Beings of Middle-earth, the year of the Elves is segmented into Seasons, rather than Months, as is the want of other Calendars. It should be noted immediately that the word 'year' to an Elf has a very different meaning, for the closest translation to 'year' in the Elven-tongue is 'yén', but this should not be confused with one seasonal cycle, what in the Westron is called a 'year'. This cycle, rather, in Quenya is 'coranar', or sun-round, or loa, 'growth'. In the case of 'yén', this unit is equal to 144 years, or 144 coranari / loar. The proper terms shall be used and their alternatives notified whenever possible and reasonable.
That being said. The Calendar of Imladris has one year, or one coranar / loa, segmented into six seasons, which are the following:
Spring, which in the Old Tongue is called tuilë, and in the New Tongue is called ethuil.
Summer, which in the Old Tongue is called lairë, and in the New Tongue is called laer.
Autumn, which in the Old Tongue is called yávië, and in the New Tongue is called iavas.
Fading, which in the Old Tongue is called quellë, and in the New Tongue is called firith.
Winter, which in the Old Tongue is called hrívë, and in the New Tongue is called rhîw.
Stirring, which in the Old Tongue is called coirë, and in the New Tongue is called echuir.
Spring, autumn, fading, and stirring last for 54 days, or rér (singular ré), whilst summer and winter last each 72 days. Note that, by this system, every half-year contains a number of days divisible by 12. Note also that the sum total of these days does not equal the standard year of 365 days. This is accounted for by adding five extra days; yestarë which comes before spring, mettarë which comes after stirring, and enderi, three (or six) days between autumn and fading, yielding a year of 365 days. However, as our astronomers have carefully measured, this in and of itself is inaccurate, for the proper year as it relates to the stars is 365.256363004 days, and the proper year as it relates to the sun is 365.2421897 days. This means, every year that passes the Calendar would be out of sync by approximately one quarter of one day. This is accounted for by the following alterations:
Every 12th year, the three days of enderi are lengthened to six days.
Every 432nd year, or third yén, the three days of enderi are not lengthened.
These alterations yield a year-length of 365.243056 days on average.
Further information on this topic includes the week, which in the Númenórean Calendar (and its derivatives) is seven days, but in the Calendar of Imladris is six, and is called an enquië (plural enquier).
The Calendar of Imladris beings on the northward, or spring, equinox.
~ The Calendar of Imladris - A Consideration ~
Consider the following: the Calendar of the Elves is based upon the cycle of seasons, which as our astronomers have demonstrated, consists of precisely 365.2421897 days, and that the difference between the Calendar of Imladris as it is and this interval is approximately 75 seconds.
Thus, for every year that passes, the Calendar becomes out of sync by 75 seconds. This means that after 1,152 years, the Calendar will be one day out of sync.
Many Elves have lived longer than this, and so, it is worth determining a solution. Consider the following:
Every 3456th year, or 24th yén the enderi are skipped entirely, for a year-length of 362 days.
This subtle alteration produces a year-length of 365.2421875 days, which is out of sync of the cycle of seasons by 0.19008 seconds. This single alteration would so closely align the Calendar of Imladris with the Cycle of the Seasons that after 454,545.4545... years, they will only be off by a single day.
~ Conclusions ~
The Calendar of Imladris has existed for a long count of years, and is unlikely to be altered at any time, particularly since the beginning of the abandonment of Arda by the Eldar. However, as this is yet a highly accurate Calendar as it relates to the Seasons, far more so than any other Calendar, it is worth consideration as being utilized by all Races of Middle-earth.
