Eleventh Moon: the Gracemoon

 

I haue a gentil cock,
Crowyt me day.
He doth me rysyn erly,
My matyins for to say.

The eleventh moon, the Gracemoon, has 31 dawns. It is named for the grace shown by Our Lord Carneius in bringing us safely through another winter. 

This is a moon of gentle warmth that awakens passions. Leaves sprout and flowers blossom. The air is filled with birdsong, especially that of the nightingale.

When the nightingale sings,
The trees grow green,
Leaf and grass and blossom springs!

The hunting season resumes with this moon: especially for our nobles, who return to their falconry during this moon.

 

The Feast of the Nativity

The 24th and 25th dawns of this moon see another of the great quarter days of the year: the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord Carneius and Saint Orthia (or, the Feast of the Nativity, for short). 

The festivities begin with the first Sunday before the 24th dawn, known as Fig Sunday, which marks the first return to farming the land. The first-fruits of the earth are blessed in a token of thankfulness to Carneius for His grace in providing for our sustenance (hence, grace-moon). And prayers are offered to Him for the bestowal of His grace for a successful farming summer to come. The clerics bless fig branches for the common folk, who then hang them from the doors of their homes to ensure a fertile summer to come.

It is also the time for paying of the tithes to Mother Church, making it the most important moon for the Church's coffers.

Servile work is traditionally forbidden during the Nativity. Instead, the common folk throughout Hellot often hold Fig Fairs, with much ale, and dancing, and musical contests in celebration of Carneius. Some such fairs can turn riotous with excessive drink and many vagabonds.

A Fig Fair!

While the law courts do not sit during Fig-tide, there is an ancient custom adhered to in many parts of Hellot whereby those condemned since the last Nativity of treason, heresy, sorcery and crimes against nature (such as sodomy or bestiality) are taken out to a Fig Fair to be burned or to be thrown from heights to their deaths. On their procession to their place of execution, an old custom is for spectators to beat the condemned with fig branches.

Burning criminals at Fig-tide!

It is not unheard of for kin of the condemned to attempt unlawful rescues, or to hire mercenaries to effect the same, often emboldened by ale.

 

 

Seventh Moon: the Kyngsmoon

 

The seventh moon of the year is a midwinter moon of 31 dawns. It is named in honour of King Theseus.

It is a cold, melancholy and frosty moon. Many folk spend their time baking bread during this moon; collecting firewood in the bare forests; and slaughtering their swine. The wealthy often hunt boar in the thick and misty woods.

The Feast of the Translation

One of the four great quarter days occurs during this moon: the Feast of the Translation of the Relics of Theseus (or, the Feast of the Translation, for short). It is celebrated over 12 dawns, beginning on the longest night of the whole year: usually after the third dawn of Kyngsmoon. The feast has been observed since 735 A.T. and marks to return of the relics of Theseus to the Parthenion in that year.

The Parthenine general Coalemus received a prophecy from Lord Carneius that the bones of King Theseus were interred on the Island of Dolopon. Theseus had sailed to his estates on this island after being deposed from his throne in the Parthenion in 21 R.T. But the local king, Lycurgus - fearing that the charismatic Theseus might usurp him - had Theseus thrown from a cliff to his death.

Some seven centuries later, Coalemus took an expedition to that island, conquered the local inhabitants, and then scoured the island for Theseus' remains. He found a tomb containing the bones of a gigantic man and a mighty bronze sword. These he translated back to the Parthenion, and interred them in a magnificent tomb in the heart of the city: the Theseium. This tomb thereon served as a sanctuary for the defenseless and the oppressed of the world. The relics are closely guarded, not only for their holy significance, but also for the sacred and mighty properties of the sword of Aegeus.

The Theseium

Even to this day, an important part of the Feast of the Translation is donations of bread and meat to the poor, which thus is for them a feast at which they feel no want and might fancy themselves equal to the wealthiest citizens. Folks of all stations stop work, decorate their homes, and feast merrily. 

Merry Translation!

The Reckoning of Hellot

 

Much of Hellot uses the Ancient reckoning of the passage of time.

This begins with the reign of King Theseus, and his unification of the Ancient lands of Cecropia under Parthenine rule. The counting of summers in this period is abbreviated, R. T, for Reign of Theseus. His reign lasted 29 summers.

 

King Theseus

 

After his deposition, the reckoning is noted as After Theseus (A.T). Thus...

• the War of Ilion raged from 11 to 21 A.T. 

• Acmon founded the Agrinium in 22 A.T. and Chionopolis in 55 A.T. 

• The Emperor Crinos was born 1105 A.T, and the famed Ancient architect, Neson, circa 1270 A.T.

• the Road of Crinos was built between 1166 and 1169 A.T.
  

• Neson completed the Bridge of Homados in 1309 A.T.
  

• Sir Jade the Bronzfoot was born 2496 A.T.

• the Battle at the Pass of the Batelbrygg (Homados) was fought in 2559 A.T.
  

• the prolonged war between Rûna and Zarya began in 2762 A.T.
  

Summers before the Reign of Theseus are recorded as Before Unification (B.U). Thus...

• the mighty Ilion began as a mere village around 1700 B.U.

• Cecrops, the first king of the Parthenion, reigned from 322 to 272 B.U. 

• Acmon, hero of the war of Ilion, was born in 9 B.U. 

A new summer begins when the Sun is at his highest point in the sky...

Battle of the Paps of Deana

The Seven Paps of Deana

In the summer of 2558 A.T, a deed of arms occurred in the region of Uberia, near one of the rude memorials of the aboriginal inhabitants of Chalace. It was a circle of Druidical stones vulgarly called, The Seven Paps of Deana. Some clergy claim this Deana is our Saint Orthia, and hold the site to be a holy one.

Olek Onisimov, a courageous man-at-arms, was captain of a company of the renowned horsemen known as Rygar's Riders. He commanded around a score of lances who went marauding through Zarya and Chalace and advanced as far west as the Wreck of Erbourg. They held merchants passing through these lands in the grip of such fear that none dared to venture out except with great stealth. This angered the knights and squires of Erewhon and they resolved to find a solution to the best of their ability or else be killed or captured by their enemies in the fields. They gathered and assembled around two hundred lance in the Harpyian Heath, since it was the region Onisimov and his troop most often harassed. From Erewhon there were Sir Laur von Folsberg, the fierce sergeant Fridl Fraidenberger, and many others who were eager to meet their enemies. Through their spies these captains knew that Onisimov was riding towards Erewhon on the hunt for loot.

Accordingly they got themselves ready as well they were able and set out along the road of Crinos, all well armed and mounted. Upon one dawn, Onisimov and his company arrived near a great stretch of bog and marshland through which ran a stream called Dianbec. Above the bog, on a rise of grassland, stood the Stones of Deana. From the road nearby the Erewhonais appeared and advanced on their wing with more than two hundred lance; Onisimov's troop were taken completely unawares. The Erewhonais charged at their enemies with all speed, lances raised, and the first assault brought many of them to the ground. It was a fierce encounter and a hard battle which went on for a long time, for they were fighting hand to hand and violently thrusting their lances wherever they touched, until they were out of breath. Many great deeds of arms were performed there. Finally, the Erewhonais gained ground; Onisimov's troop were defeated and all killed or routed, and Olek withdrew alone into a bog.

There the enemy fell on him, shouting, Death to him! When he heard those words, Olek waded back through the Dianbec to his enemy, and he drew the fine, long sword of his grandfather, called Donarsdin, or Thunder Clap, forged of a fallen star. Olek glared at his foes furiously, shouting, Wild flash split abroad the thunder-crash! Then there was thunder most horrible, and Olek began to skirmish and open up a space around him.

It was a great spectacle to behold and none dared approach him. Some of them advanced, but with each blow he rained down on them he cut off a foot or a head, an arm or a leg. There were none so brave as to be unafraid of him, and there in the water Olek Onisimov performed so many marvelous feats of arms, but there were over two hundred of those scoundrels. They threw and launched objects at him and he was completely disarmed. Yet he had killed twelve of them outright, not counting those whom he maimed and wounded. Finally Olek was brought to the ground; his legs and arms were cut off and they dismembered him a piece at a time. That was the end of Olek Onisimov, which was a great pity, and all the host of Rygar were deeply enraged when they heard the news.

Olek's head had been struck off in the fray, and Sir Laur had it carried to Zarya and sheathed in molten gold, and presented to Olek's son, Velibor. But the other pieces of Olek's body Sir Laur had laid to rest in the centre of the Seven Paps, and his great sword, the Donarsdin, was interred with him. Then obsequies were performed there with as much reverence and honour as if Olek had been von Folsberg's own son.

Donarsdin