Time and OL

[Bjorn_Steinthorsson]

I have some questions regarding time and the Oera Linda. Some context first:

Law 4 of the burg laws:

Oera linda:

THJU MODER TO TEX.LAND MÉI ÉN ÀND TVINTICH FÁMNA ÀND SJVGUN SPILLE MAN'GÉRTA HÀVA. TILTHJU THÉR ÀMMER SJVGUN BY THÉRE FODDIK MÜGE WÁKJA DÉILIKES ÀND THES NACHTIS. BY THA FÁMNA [20] THÉR VPPA ÔRA BURGUM AS MODER THJANJA AL SA FÉLO.

Ott translation:

The Folksmother at Texland may have twenty-one maidens and seven spindle girls, so that there might always be seven to attend the Lamp day and night. The maids who serve as mothers at the other burgs shall have just as many.

See also a little further:

Oera Linda:

THJU MODER ÀND ALREK BURCH.FÁM SKIL MÀN TO FOGJANDE ÉN ÀND TWINTICH BURCH.HÉRAN [30] SJVGUN ALDA WISA. SJVGUN ALDA KÀMPAR ÀND SJVGUN ALDA SÉ.KÀMPAR

Ott translation:

To the Folksmother and each burgmaid, twenty-one burg lords shall be assigned: seven old sages, seven old warriors, and seven old sea campaigners.

So, upon first reading I thought there are 3 times 7 maidens, that have to take care of the lamp, with a total of 21.

Alternatively there could be 21 maidens and 7 spindle girls to make for a total of 28.

But, given the part about the burgh lords being a total of 21 the first option seems more likely to me.

And I am very confused right now, because why do you need 21 maidens to watch the lamp in groups of 7, when 14 would be enough? 7 by day and 7 by night.

Did they divide the day in 3 parts? The text only talks about a day and night division.

Another possibility would be to exclude the 7 spindle girls from the total of 21. This would work because you are left with 7 day and 7 night maidens.

This to me seems the most reasonable, but then why the 7 extra maidens? For spinning?

Also an option is 7 girls watch during the day, while 7 from the night are sleeping, and 7 others are doing the other work around the burg.

But then about the Liudgarda burg we read the following:

Oera Linda:

BY VS VPPER BURCH IS.T ALSA DÉLAD. SJVGUN JONGA FÁMNA WÁKATH BI THÉRE FODDIK. ÀJDER WÁK THRJA STUNDA. IN **[10]** THA ÔRE TID MOTON HJA HUSWÀRK DVA. LÉRA ÀND SLÉPA.

Ott translation:

Among us at our burg, it is divided thus: seven young maidens attend to the Lamp, in watches of three hours each. In the remaining time, they must do housework, study, and sleep. After seven years of watching, they are free

So, here it says 7 maidens attend in watches of 3 hours each. Which is different from the burg laws. Or it could mean the 7 spindle girls are the only ones that are supposed to watch the lamp, and the other 14 or 21 maidens are just not mentioned here.

Notice also 7x3 doesn’t equal 24 hours.

I did consider the day being divided into 21 hours, but when the text is talking about the ring dyke it says there are 2 times 12 solar stands in a day.

Oera Linda:

THJU HRING.DIK THÉRA IS EN STONDE GRÁT. NÉN STJÛRAR. MEN SVNNA.STONDA HWÉRFON TWIJA TWILIF VPP.EN ETMELDE KVMA.

Ott translation:

The ring dyke is one ‘stand’ across — not a steersman’s, but a solar stand — of which there are twice twelve in a day.

(Also, I looked at the etymology of “etmaal” and it claims the word is derived from a rare Germanic prefix and the word “maal”, meaning meal. Which is an interesting way of referring to the period of time, unless they ate once a day haha.)

Anyway, you might have noticed it doesn’ t make any sense to me.

And shortly about the Jol: Frya’s wheel has 6 spokes.

How would one divide a year in 6 parts? And does anyone know about a calendar that divided the year in 6 parts?

Jan Ott pointed out somewhere it is easier to draw a 6 spoke wheel then a 4 spoke wheel, but for dividing a year, just cutting it up in halves makes more sense. So 2/4/8/16.

12 or 13 parts would make sense when also taking the moon into account.

Could it be the wheel is supposed to only represent half of the year? With 6 parts rolling from winter to summer solstice, and 6 parts rolling back from summer to winter solstice?

Or maybe the year is divided into 12 parts, but there is 6 celebrations and they didn’ t care for the equinoxes? Winter solstice, two months after, two months before summer solstice, summer solstice, two months after and two months before winter solstice.

Besides the feast for the Jol, are there other celebrations or specific days mentioned?

[ott]

I think they simply meant that there would be (more than) enough maidens to watch the Lamp, seven being the ideal number and (usually) no longer than 3 hours in a row. Some maidens may be ill or have a special task (outside of the burg), so it's possible that maidens have a shift during the day and another at night.

"Day and night" does not have to imply a division, it may just be an expression meaing 'always'; without interruption.

It's not clear if the 6-spoke Yule/Wheel was also used to represent the (months of the) year.

Other celebrations mentioned are Fryas Day (at least yearly, perhaps also weekly). Chapter 13c. Death of Adela also describes a celebration in Friendship month, or Winnemonth (May). It's likely that there were also spring equinox, midsummer and harvest (autumn equinox?) feasts.