MEASUREMENTS/TIME/CALANDER /MONEY

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Weight


Official Stone:

A solid metal cylinder that is kept near Sardar. Four times a year on a set day during the fairs cities have the chance to test it against the standard stone.



Stone:

A unit of measurement equal to four earth pounds. There is an official stone, a solid metal cylinder which is kept near the Sardar. During fairs, cities, on a given day can test their stone against the 'standard' stone



Weight:
a unit of measurement equal to 10 Stone or 40 Earth pounds.
Measurement Of Volume On Gor

On Earth, we all know that a gallon of water is the same volume as a gallon of milk or gas. This is the same as on Gor, it has it's own methods of determining volume. Below is a list of the method used to determine volume on Gor.

Tef:

a measurement of five handfuls with fingers closed.



Tefa:

a measurement consisting of six tef, which constitutes a tiny basket.



Huda:

A measurement equaling 5 tefa; a tefa equals six tef and a tef equals a handful with five fingers closed.



Talu:

a measure equaling 2 gallons.


On Earth we know that 1 inch is one twelfth of a foot, one foot is one third of a yard, and it takes 1760 yards to make up one mile. On Gor, the measurements of distance are similarly arranged, but they are different. Converting between Earth standard measurement and Gorean Measurement can be difficult, but not impossible.

Hort:

A measure of distance equal to 1- 1/4 inches.



Foot, Gorean:

Slightly longer than the Earth foot based on supposition that each of its 10 horts is roughly 1 1/4 inches long (12 1/2 inches Earth measure); it's standard is a metal rod kept at the Sardar. It is also called the Merchant's Foot.



Ah-il:

A unit of measure the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, approximately 18 inches, analogous to the Earth cubit. 10 ah-il equal one ah-ral



Ah-ral:

A unit of measure equaling 10 ah-il or approx. 180 inches.



Hand (as height):

A measurement of height, primarily of Kaiila. Both the Wagon People's Kaiila and the sand Kaiila of the Tahari stand about twenty to twenty-two hands at the shoulder.



Pasang:

A measure of distance equaling 7 miles.

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Ihn:


The Gorean second of which there are 80 in an ehn (minute).



Ehn:

The Gorean minute of which there are 40 in an ahn (hour); it consists of 80 ihn (seconds).



Ahn:

The Gorean hour of which there are 20 in a Gorean day, numbered consecutively. The tenth Ahn is noon and the twentieth is midnight. Each Ahn consists of forty Ehn or minutes, and each Ehn of eighty Ihn or seconds.



Below is a kind of Gorean Clock. It shows how a day is broken down.



Gorean Ahn: Equivalent Earth Hour

1st Ahn

12:01 am - 1:12 am
2nd Ahn

1:13 am - 2:24 am
3rd Ahn

2:25 am - 3:36 am
4th Ahn

3:37 am - 4:48 am
5th Ahn

4:49 am - 6:00 am

6th Ahn

6:01 am - 7:12 am
7th Ahn

7:13 am - 8:24 am
8th Ahn

8:25 am - 9:36 am
9th Ahn

9:37 am - 10:48 am
10th Ahn

10:49 am-12:00 pm

11th Ahn

12:01 pm - 1:12 pm
12th Ahn

1:13 pm - 2:24 pm
13th Ahn

2:25 pm - 3:36 pm
14th Ahn

3:37 pm - 4:48 pm
15th Ahn

4:49 pm - 6:00 pm

16th Ahn

6:01 PM - 7:12 pm
17th Ahn

7:13 pm - 8:24 pm
18th Ahn

8:25 pm - 9:36 pm
19th Ahn

9:37 pm -10:48 pm
20th Ahn

10:49 pm -12:00 am






Noon, Gorean: The 10th ahn is the Gorean noon.



Midnight, Gorean: The twentieth ahn.



The Gorean Calendar


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"The Gorean week consists of five days. Each month consists of five such weeks. Following each month, of which there are twelve, separating them, is a five-day Passage Hand. The twelfth Passage Hand is followed by the Waiting Hand, a five-day period prior to the vernal equinox, which marks the Gorean New Year." Tribesman of Gor, chapter 1, page 26



THE GOREAN WEEK

The Gorean Week consists of 5 days as follows.
En......1st day of week
ba-ta...2nd day of week
Ka......3rd day of week
Lo-i....4th day of week
eta.....5th day of week


THE GOREAN MONTH
The Gorean Month consists of 5 weeks total. There are 25 days in each month.


PASSAGE HANDS
After each month is a 5 day period known as the passage hand.


THE GOREAN YEAR
The Gorean Year consists of 12 months total. There are 300 days in the Gorean Year plus 60 days in passage hands plus 5 days for the Waiting Hand totaling 365 days, beginning with En'Kara and ending with Kavars.

Therefore when comparing the Gorean Calendar to the Calendar of Earth, Y/you must understand that an Earth day will not fall on the same day as on Gor. (ex ..May 2nd may fall on 15th of En'Var this year and on a different day next year).


Waiting Hand the 5-day period between the 12th Passage Hand and the beginning of the New Year which begins on the Vernal Equinox



THE OMEN YEAR
Every 10 years the Gorean Leaders invited the haruspexes to divine at each camp. The future of the tribes, its Members and slaves, the Camp Enemies, even the safety of the bosk is foretold. It is a time of great joy for some, great sadness for others.

I was going to put up a Gorean Calendar to show the 2006 calendar year, but I don't want to update it every year. So instead, you can view the Gorean Calendar and a Gorean Clock by clicking here.



Now, just like on Earth, the Gorean Calendar includes many holidays. There are, actually, quite a few Gorean Holidays and Festivals to be observed. Gorean's seem to find reasons to be joyous and gather in the company of those they care about. It is a great responsibility to the kajira to prepare the feasts and entertain the guests, but they are also a lot of fun. So relax and enjoy them many good times to be had in Gor.

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Gorean New Year:

On the day of the Vernal equinox many northern Gorean cities, including Ar, celebrate the Gorean New Year. Typically upon this day a celebration takes place, doors are painted green, and a city-wide festival is held, lasting for two full Gorean hands (ten days). Every fourth year the New Year is celebrated on the extra day which occurs between the Waiting Hand and the day of the equinox.

Sardar Fairs:

The Gorean equivalent of the World's Fair on Earth, these are four huge trade fairs which are held quarterly in the shadow of the Sardar Mountain Range. Each young person of Gor is expected to make a pilgrimage to the foot of the Sardar Mountains before he or she reaches their 25th birthday. They typically last ten full days (plus at least that long for set up and break down) and are scheduled to coincide with the solstices and equinoxes. Therefore, the four annual Fairs are:

The Fair of En'Kara (approximately March 21st-March 30th)
The Fair of En`Var (approximately June 19th-June 28th)
The Fair of Se`Kara (approximately September 22nd-October 1st)
The Fair of Se`Var (approximately December 21st-December 30th)

The Planting Feast of Sa-Tarna:

A complex feast celebrated by most Gorean cities early during the growing season, and believed by many to ensure a plentiful harvest for the year ahead. Numerous rituals are performed during the three days of the feast by members of the caste of Initiates, and members of each of the five high castes perform their own part of the ceremony during that three-day period. Most of these rituals consist of sacrifices or prayers to the Priest Kings conducted in the presence of the city Home Stone. On the final eve of the feast, the Home Stone is placed beneath the sky, typically atop the tallest cylinder in the city, and sprinkled with sa-tarna grain and ka-la-na wine by a dignitary of the city, often the Administrator, Ubar, or a member of the ruling family.


The Return to Turia:

The last day of the Second Hand of En'Kara is traditionally the day which marks the beginning of The Season of Little Grass for the Wagon Peoples, and shortly thereafter they begin the long trek from their winter pastures back to Turia.

Games of Love War:

The Wagon Peoples compete against the Warriors of Turia on the Plain of Stakes during the Second Passage Hand in mid-spring, participating in various challenges and ceremonial-combats in order to exchange freewoman for slaves.

Taking for the Omens:

Every tenth year, dating from 10,119 CA (1969 AD), is considered by the Wagon Peoples to be an "Omen Year." Therefore, in 10,129 CA (1979 AD) and in 10,139 CA (1989 AD), the Wagon Peoples halted their annual trek past Turia and various Omens were divined by their haruspexes regarding the future of the tribes and the safety of the bosk. This ceremony typically occurs in late spring, sometime during the month of Camerius. The last such Omen Year occurred in 10,149 CA (1999 AD).

Turian New Year:

The peoples of Turia and certain other southern regions officially celebrate their own new year on the day of the Summer Solstice. A ten day period of revelry follows, similar to the New Year celebrations in northern cities.


Kajuralia: "The Festival of Slaves",

it is held in most Gorean cities (except Port Kar, where it is not celebrated at all) on the last day of the Twelfth Passage Hand. In Ar, it is celebrated on the last day of the fifth month, the day which precedes the Love Feast. Upon this day, slaves may take liberties which are otherwise not permitted them during the year, including the drinking of wine and liquor, the freedom to roam at will (provided of course they do not attempt to escape from their owners permanently), the freedom to choose their own sexual partners and to couch with slaves of the opposite sex whom they find attractive, temporary suspension of all work and duties, and even the opportunity to play (minor) tricks and practical jokes upon freepersons. After the twentieth ahn, however, they are expected to be back in their respective kennels and slave quarters to resume the services required by their imbonded status; slaves who "go renegade" during Kajuralia are typically punished severely if recaptured, and are often executed for such an offense.



Love Feast:

Five day celebration within Ar, held during the Fifth Passage Hand. It is a time wherein many slaves are sold; the fourth day of the Love Feast is typically considered the climax of the festival in regard to the sale of slaves. The fifth day is normally reserved for great contests and spectacles in the Stadium of Blades, grand races in the Stadium of Tarns, great Kaissa championships and general celebratory feasting.



The Passing of Turia:

The herds of the Wagon peoples traditionally pass closest to the city of Turia on or around the Second Hand of Se`Kara. Festival of the 25th of Se`Kara: An annual Festival held in Port Kar to celebrate their great naval victory over the combined fleets of Cos and Tyros.



The Thing:

An annual celebration held in Torvaldsland, during which all of the shield men of the various Great Jarls travel to the Hall of their particular leader, submit their weaponry for inspection, and formally repledge their oaths of loyalty. The Thing usually occupies a span of from three to five days, and occurs sometime during the middle of the ninth Gorean month, varying according to such factors as weather and the current political situation.



The Wintering:

The nomadic herds of the Wagon peoples typically occupy their winter pastures during the period from the middle of the ninth Gorean month through the Second Hand of En'Kara.



New Year: Wagon Peoples:

The day of the Winter Solstice is celebrated by the Wagon Peoples as the first day of the new year, and marks the beginning of The Season of Snows. In addition, the women of the Wagon Peoples keep a calendar of their own, based upon the phases of the largest of the three Gorean moons. It consists of fifteen separate divisions, each named after one of the fifteen different kinds of bosk, for instance: "The Moon of the Brown Bosk", "The Moon of the Spotted Bosk", etc.



Carnivals:

Held in many southern cities, notably Port Kar, during the five days of the Twelfth Passage Hand. During this celebration it is often customary to garb oneself in outlandish costumes or masks and attend various masquerade fetes and feasts.



The Waiting Hand:

This is a five day period during which doors are painted white, little food is eaten, little is drunk and there is no singing or public rejoicing in the city. Walls and doors are adorned with sprigs and branches from the brak bush to ward off ill-luck in the coming year. On the day of the Vernal equinox, the Ubar or Administrator of the city performs a ritual "greeting of the sun," after which doors are repainted and the brak foliage is removed, beginning a ten day period of general revelry.



Feast of Fools:

is a Festival celebrated in some Gorean cities on the last day of the Third Hand of the eighth Gorean month. It is similar in many respects to the southern Festival known as Carnival, except it lasts only for the period of one night. Also known as the "Festival of the Cities of Dust," in homage to the spirits of the deceased who died during the last year..

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MONEY


There is little standardization in currency exchange rates throughout Gor. These ratios vary from city to city. Certain coins though as respected and accepted throughout the civilized cities. These include such coins as the gold tarn disks of Ar, Ko-ro-ba and Port Kar, and the silver tarsk of Tharna. On Gor, the basic unit of currency is the tarsk coin, made of copper or silver. Each city then decides on the ratio between such coins. A tarsk bit is the smallest unit of currency.

From four to twenty tarsk bits equals one copper tarsk.

From forty to one-hundred copper tarsks equals one silver tarsk.

Ten silver tarsks equal one gold tarn disk.

Gold tarn disks are also made in double weight.



Some coins may be split into pieces to make change.



A coin is about 1.5" in diameter and 3/8" thick. There is no paper currency on Gor. To most Goreans, a silver tarsk is a coin of considerable value. A gold tarn disk is more than many common laborers earn in a year. Five pieces of gold is a fortune and one can live in many cities for years on such resources. Business is often conducted by notes and letters of credit. Most cities have their own mints. Coins are struck, one at a time, by a hammer pounding on the flat cap of a die. Coins are not made to be easily stacked. In some cities, coins are drilled so that they might be stringed.



Golden Tarn Disk:

The gold tarn disk of Ar is considered to be the standard by which other cities, such as

Ko-Ro-Ba and Port Kar. set the value of their own coinage. It is worth, generally, 10 silver tarsks, but standardization is slight due to the shaving or splitting of the coin as well as faulty scales that contribute to the debasing of the coinage. It is also made in double- weight.



Tarsk Bit:

A large coin worth from 1/10 to 1/4 of a copper tarsk depending on the city which mints the coin.



Copper Tarsk:

A copper coin



Silver Tarsk: A coin considered to be of much value by most Goreans. It is worth 100 copper tarks in most cities. Ten silver tarks is the equivalent of one gold piece of one of the high cities. Many gold pieces are standardized against the golden tarn disk of Ar.



Copper Tarn Disk:

A unit of currency.



Quotes "Five pieces of gold, in it's way, incidentally, is also a fortune on Gor. One could live, for example, in many cities, though not in contemporary Ar, with it's press on housing and shortages of food, for years on such resources." © 1985 by John Norman Book 25: Magician of Gor, page 468



"Although it is not my policy to include Cabot's marginal notes, jottings, etc., which are often informal, and apparently written at different times, in the text of his accounts, I think it would not be amiss to hypothesize certain approximate equivalencies here. To be sure, much seems to depend on the city and the particular weighs involved. For example, a 'double tarn' is twice the weight of a 'tarn.' It seems there are usually eight tarsk bits in a copper tarsk and that these are the result of cutting a circular coin in half, and then the halves in half, and then each of these halves in half. An analogy would be the practice of cutting the round, flat Gorean loaves of sa-tarna bread into eight pieces. There are apparently something like one hundred copper tarks in a silver tarsk in many cities. Similarly, something like ten silver tarks would apparently be equivalent, depending on weights, etc., to old gold piece, say, a single 'tarn.' Accordingly, on certain cities, would be eight tarsk bits to a copper tarks; one hundred copper tarks to a silver tarsk; and ten silver tarks to a gold piece, a single tarn. On this approach there would be, literally, 8,000 tark bits in a single gold piece." © 1985 by John Norman Book 25: Magician of Gor, page 468 (footnote)