[Alternate Calendars] Names for eleven weekdays

[vicky_molokh]

Greetings, all!

In an embarassing oversight, while everything in Æthereal Sun's calendar adds up nicely, the months and weekdays are left unnamed. This isn't an issue for the 12-month and 7-weekday calendars. The 8-month calendar is kinda accepted without issue too. However, the players seem a bit uncomfortable with calling weekdays (of the 11-day week) by numbers without names. While I once had a rather flavourful names for all 28 days of the month in the rather theological/mythical Skyfallen Chronicles, I'm finding myself out of ideas for the techno-fantasy of Æthereal Sun.

Any inspiration / advice / ideas / etc.?

Thanks in advance!

[jeff_wilson]

If you can give us some particular associations with days of the week, it would help. Is there a weekend? A sabbath day?

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by jeff_wilson

If you can give us some particular associations with days of the week, it would help. Is there a weekend? A sabbath day?

The 11-day week can be split two ways:

Method A: 8 workdays, then 3 days off work as a weekend.
Method B: 4 workdays, 1 day off, 4 workdays, 2 days off.

The first method is much more prevalent, and is considered more 'serious'/'responsible'/'stable', while the second method is primarily associated with freelancers, people in dangerous professions etc., even though this isn't always so. Some city-states actually live by Method B overall, but they're a minority.

[Hans Rancke-Madsen]

Sunday
Moonday
Starday
Airday
Waterday
Earthday
Fireday
Seaday
Landday
Skyday
Godsday


Hans

[Mister Ed]

Originally Posted by Hans Rancke-Madsen

Sunday
Moonday
Starday
Airday
Waterday
Earthday
Fireday
Seaday
Landday
Seaday
Godsday


Hans

Wouldn't it be confusing having two "Seaday"s?

[Hans Rancke-Madsen]

Originally Posted by Mister Ed

Wouldn't it be confusing having two "Seaday"s?

Sorry. Yes, one of them should have been Skyday. I'll edit.


Hans

[malloyd]

Do the planets already have names? The names used in most languages ultimately come from the planet names, or the gods or elements associated with the planets in the same order. The only major exception is probably Modern Chinese, which simply numbers them. Which is a perfectly usable solution. The ancient Egyptian calender had 10 day "weeks" and (rarely) names the days numerically.

The other Terran tradition of a named cycle of days, the Long Count, is more ecclectic but favors animals and plants - the sequence is typically rendered Crocodile (or Waterlily), Wind, Night (or temple), Corn (or dragon), Snake, Death, Deer, Rabbit, Rain, Dog, Monkey, Eb (meaning disputed, grass? broom? lizard?, skull?), Reed, Jaguar, Eagle, Cib (a type bird, exactly which varies), Earth, Flint (or knife), Storm (or lightning), Lord (or Flower or Lotus)

[vicky_molokh]

No, the planets do not have names yet, except for two, and I actually need to get back to designing the solar system. The inhabited planet's two moons are called Proxima and Dista.

Though now that you mentioned planets, I wonder if I can repurpose alchemical names for weekdays. This should give a blend of the technological (alchemy is a true science in the setting, even though it is mostly unlike terran alchemical traditions) and the fantastical.

Something like:

1. Magnesium
2. Phosphorus
3. Sulphur
4. Cuprum
5. Hydrargyrum
6. Plumbum
7. Stannum
8. Ferum
9. Argentum
10. Aurum
11. Platinum

I'm thinking of giving #5 and #9 double names, since they may be either workdays or days off depending on local custom and profession.

[ak_aramis]

Not a few terran calendars simply number days and/or months.

The ancient Egyptian Calendar numbered months within named seasons, for example: 4th month of winter, 1st Month of Spring, 2nd month of spring, etc.. It also later acquired specific month names, which persist into the Coptic Calendar.

Japan uses ordinal months as well, and ordinals for the day within the month. The weekday names are 5 elements plus Yin and Yang, followed by a suffix for day. Alternate month names using the Chinese Zodiac are also known to have been used.

[Frost]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

Greetings, all!

In an embarassing oversight, while everything in Æthereal Sun's calendar adds up nicely, the months and weekdays are left unnamed. This isn't an issue for the 12-month and 7-weekday calendars. The 8-month calendar is kinda accepted without issue too. However, the players seem a bit uncomfortable with calling weekdays (of the 11-day week) by numbers without names.

One quick and dirty way to fix this would be to stick with the numbers but translate them into some suitible placeholder for an aincent or scholarly language. For example at least one of my campaigns has had a five day week with days named for the latin for first to fifth.

Alternatively you might try contractions or distortions as an example se'nday in stead of seventh day.