Life in Dûrion
Of Dûrians, the Dûrai, and a sky called Malane
Dûrion is just one nation under the sky. The sky—known as Malane—covers many nations and peoples (who live under Malane: no one lives on or in the sky). Dûrians are
of a people-kindred called the Dûrai.
(Please note: the country is Dûrion; someone from there, and the language they speak,
is Dûrian.)
At the time of the events described in these books, the Dûrai had risen to prominence under a small patch of Malane. There for several centuries Dûrion and its sister Dûrai nations—Selmion to the east, Thrinar, Marûvin, Pandiar and the city-state of Calardane to the south—had prospered in relative freedom after the overthrow of their Gnarthrog oppressors by the Dûrian Founders. Until, that is, an evil cancer developed that threatened to destroy them from within: a cancer called mindbending.
The eradication of that cancer is described in these books. The notes here provide further information, especially about Dûrion and the Dûrians, that I hope will enhance readers’ understanding and enjoyment.
Barây board — Dûrian chess
The Ambon of Sûrilane
Telling the time in Dûrian
During their weeks at Carreck Manor, the four foreigners from Earth learnt a little about how time is reckoned in Dûrion and the Dûrai nations. Gelmion eventually made a record of what they had worked out, which may be summarised as follows:
There are 358 days in a Malanian year, and each day is about 6 minutes shorter than a terrestrial day. The Dûrai divide their year into 12 months, and their day into 20 hours. (The Dûrians also have a seven-day week: see below.)
Dûrians number their years from the Foundation of their nation. The year in which the events described in The Mindruler and The Restorers took place was 363 NF: 363 years ne Fistanar, ‘after the Founders’. (Years prior to the Foundation are tagged ‘LF’—lô Fistanar, ‘before the Founders’.)
The main daily unit of time is the kion (‘KEE-yon’), which is translated ‘hour’. The Restorers did not find it easy at first to match the Dûrian 20-hour system with their terrestrial 24-hour one, especially as the Dûrians begin numbering the hours at dawn, not at midnight. Thus ‘the first hour of the day’ refers not to one o’clock in the morning, but to the hour from approximately 6 to 7 a.m.
However they soon realised that their primary reference point had to be midday: this was ‘the fifth hour of the day’, while midnight was ‘the fifth hour of the night’. Once that was established, ‘the first hour of the day’ was seen as a year-round theoretical ‘dawn’-time—though of course the actual moment when the sun rose varied with the seasons. The same applied to sunset, the tenth hour of the day, which corresponded roughly to the terrestrial hour from 5 to 6 p.m.
(There are informal smaller units of time than the kion, but these will not be considered here.)
Since its Foundation, the nation of Dûrion has followed a seven-day week like that of Earth:
Sunday: Anderil
Monday: Marneril
Tuesday: Dûrneril
Wednesday: Vanderil
Thursday: Tharderil
Friday: Freyneril
Saturday: Stenderil.
These names are believed by some to have originated with the Founders, being adapt-ations of the weekday names in their language, Inglish. Whether or not this is true, each name ends with the Dûrian word deril (‘day’); but only the first day, Anderil, has an overall meaning, i.e. ‘the One’s day’ (Am-deril). These weekday names are only used in Dûrion.
The names of the twelve months of the year, however, are used with minor variations in all the Dûrai nations, and their origin can be traced to an ancient lunar calendar based on the phases of the larger moon:
1. Tûland (January) — 29 days
2. Gammerand (February) — 30 days
3. Emmerand (March) — 30 days
4. Bardiand (April) — 30 days
5. Sîmand (May) — 30 days
6. Hammorand (June) — 30 days
7. Mallerand (July) — 30 days
8. Rônand (August) — 30 days
9. Jerenand (September) — 30 days
10. Nargand (October) — 30 days
11. Dormeland (November) — 30 days
12. Larmand (December) — 29 days
Year — 358 days
(The month names all end with -and, a reduced form of the Dûrai root word yand, meaning ‘month’.)
The identification of the Dûrai months with their terrestrial counterparts is based simply on seasonal similarity to Earth’s northern hemisphere.
The six Dûrian seasons are: Sunblaze—roughly 6 weeks spanning late Hammorand (June), all of Mallerand (July) and early Rônand (August); Raingold—Rônand (August) to late Jerenand (September); Goldshine—late Jerenand to late Larmand (December); Winter (late Larmand to late Emmerand (March); Flowering—late Emmerand to late Sîmand (May); and Flowerchill (late Sîmand to late Hammorand). Sunblaze and Raingold together correspond to the notion of ‘Summer’, while Flowering and Flowerchill correspond to ‘Spring’. Goldshine is the Dûrian equivalent of ‘Autumn’, without the rain and mists (which occur in the preceding season): it’s a season of bright, cold weather when the deciduous leaves enter their full glory of colour.
Note that the solstices and equinoxes occur about two weeks into each season: Thus Sunblaze is considered to start before the end of Hammorand (June); but the summer solstice occurs on 4th Mallerand (July). Likewise the autumn equinox occurs on 4th Nargand, though the season of Goldshine generally begins before the end of the preceding month, Jerenand.
Distances and Currency
Distances: The main Dûrian unit of distance is the aldor (plural: aldoret). It is equivalent to about 1.25 kilometers or 0.776 of a mile.
A smaller unit of distance is the gani (‘stride’ or ‘pace’, plural: ganiet), equivalent to approximately 78 cm or 30 inches. There are 1,600 ganiet to the aldor.
Currency: Each Dûrai nation has its own currency, deriving from a common origin in ancient times. In Dûrion the primary unit is called the demeril (plural: demeret), and most of the other Dûrai nations use a similar term. Its value is approximately one tenth of a labourer’s daily wage.
However because of the enormous influence of the Gnarthrog Empire, Gnarthrog zhôrek are also widely used, especially in international trade. At the time of the events described in these books (363–364 NF), one zhôrek was worth approximately 5.75 Dûrian demeret.
The standard demeril is a debased silver alloy coin. Bronze coins of smaller denominations (half-demeril, quarter-demeril and the cumil, or twelfth-demeril coin) are also in wide circulation. However, almost as a separate currency, the gold demeril is the medium of exchange used by the seriously wealthy. Made of solid gold, these coins are worth over 300 standard demeret each. It was gold demeret that Jomel offered the Gadeshite adherents to betray Gelmion; and that Fira gave to the ship’s captain from Mindbender Dhelgor’s chest.
