So some months ago as I was beginning the long spiral downward as an Elder Scrolls junkie I had been reading a lot of stuff about TES astronomy, lunar stuff, estimated sizes of Nirn, blah blah blah, and it occurred to me that now would be a good time to spend some time reading up on the Cyrodiilic calendar system.

Now, based on the assumption that Nirn is less massive than Earth and the fact that it has two moons that are very different from our own Luna, I figured that it would have a complex and unique calendar system with, for example, 20-day months that enlarge or shrink depending upon the current phases of the moons above.

But what I found was highly disappointing. The Cyrodiilic calendar is (as of Oblivion) essentially identical to the Gregorian calendar. The only thing that has changed is the names, so instead of February we have "Sun's Dawn" and instead of September we have "Hearthfire." This makes absolutely no sense at all.

So I have a few questions for my fellow forumites.

Firstly: do you agree that the current calendar system is lame, or do you think I am overreacting to a very minor issue?

Secondly: if you agree with me, what sort of calendar do you think should be the standard of Tamriel?

It's easiest to program, the Gregorian is.

We could always use Mayan Short Count, but it woulf'nt work out weel.

Er, what? Why?

365 days 52 weeks 12 months, and a distortion every 4 years.

Simplicity itself.

Simplified even more, since TES months are only 20 months, no distortion every 4 years.

The Khajiit probably have something crazy, based on lunar phases.

The reason I asked is because no calendar system is so difficult that you'd opt to use one over the other because it's "easier to program." I'd know.

Seriously, programming a calendar is one of the simplest things in the world.

The calendar has been with us since Arena, when ES was a homebrew D&D campaign. I'm not even sure Nirn had two moons in Arena.

I am disappoint. I came in here thinking that someone designed some TES calendars and was now selling them to all the lore junkies.

But yeah, current calendar is lame.

The current calendar is relatable. I might not be easier to program, but it is easier to understand. If I say that today is the 20th of Rain's Hand, you can convert that out to April by looking at a simple table and coordinate it with what you know of whether in April. Or you can even memorize the new names. If I say that today is 12 baktun 19 katun 19 tun 5 winal 6 men 18 pop, you need a converter to have the faintest idea of the date I mean.

Yea, I think changing the names is pretty boring. But I don't have a big problem with it.

I don't mind it, 'cause the names are actually pretty catchy.

Sundas, Mondas, Ersatzdas, etc., on the other hand, is just atrocious.

Well, they could've at least thrown out the seven day week and replaced it with, say, a span of ten days or something. Sundas, Morndas, Tirdas ... Eldras(?), Nondas(?), Decadas(?).

They don't have to be so unique with their calendar that it's no longer remotely comparable to ours, but a smidge of creativity beyond the find/replace work they did would've been nice.

What.....are you suggesting? The rotational speed of Nirn is what affects the length of days, and apparently the rotational speed is much slower if Nirn is half the circumference. If you are assuming the rotational speed is the same as earth's or different from everything I just said completely, then you would need a different calendar. Though I admit, a different calendar could be kind of cool. Perhaps you should make one?

A eight days week, with a hidden 9th now and then, eight weeks a month, eight months a year, and so on?

I agree with Haute.

In my own opinion, their days should be renamed. After gods probably.

That's a really good idea. A nine day week, with each day named after one of the nine divines. I don't know what the Thalmor would call Talosday, though...

Of course the Thalmor would have Talosday. It would be like the Christian Sunday, except instead of worshiping Talos at church you burn effigies of him. So it would be something like "antiTalosday" i guess.

Well, Talos is *rather* new, as far as gods are concerned.

I'd make a bet that the calendar system that the Empire uses is based on an old Elven one used by the Ayleids and others. So you probably had originally an Elven calendar, which was then possibly revised by Alessia once she got her pantheon rollin', and possibly revised again by the Alessian Order, and probably re-revised after the aforementioned order's downfall... I'd hazard to guess that most of the races have their own traditional calendar systems, which are now only largely used in religious observance in favor of the Empire's. That is, except for the Thalmor controlled regions. The Thalmor are the kind of ideological type that would make their own calendar to replace the Imperialized one.

EDIT: In sum, if there is a Talodas, it probably replaced a Shezzadas which probably replaced an earlier, obscure elven deity (I'd doubt they'd have a day to Lorkhan).

Or, and even better, perhaps, is that the names for days were never revised at all, and that the old elven names are still there. This would be like our own western system, where deities whose worship has long since past remain in the names of our days: Thors Day, Saturn's Day, Sun's Day. Etc.

Akadas

Maradas

Juliadas

Kynadas

Stendas

Zenidas

Dibelidas

Shezadas

Last two are the weekend.

What about Magndus? Or should it be Sundas?

Normally eight days a week

Nords/Cyrods: Shezadas/Shodas, Kynadas, Zenidas, Dibedas, Juliadas, Stendas, Maradas, Akadas (Aldudas in old Nordic, no longer used nowadays). Arkay is the god of weekly circle, so a week is actually called an Arkayan. Shezarr creates a new week and Akatosh ends it, which is called the circle of life and death.

Altmer/Bosmer: Magnadas, Kynadas, Trinidas, Dibedas(?), Juliadas(?), Stendas, Maradas, Auridas. Auridas is normally the day of rest. Lorkhan has no day, and the creation is contributed to Magnus. (The day of Julianos or Dibella is called Yffradas in Bosmeri).

Breton: The same as the Nordic ver except Shodas is Magnadas

Dunmer: Sithidas, Azudas, Boethidas, Mephadas, Vehkdas, Almadas, Sehtdas, Judas/Jondas/Ghartokdas