For the popular month-names of the European peoples I have made use of the well-known extensive collections of Grimm, Weinhold, Miklosisch, etc. In this chapter my object has not been to make contributions to our knowledge of the popular months, but only to bring out, by means of numerous examples, the parallel between the popular names of the Julian months and the names of the lunar months among the primitive peoples. More isolated and disputed names are therefore omitted, and the names are given chiefly in translation. I have made only one exception, namely in the case of the Swedish lunar months, which really hardly belong to my subject since they are a popular development from the ecclesiastical calendar of the Middle Ages. I hope however to be excused for this, in the first place on patriotic grounds, and secondly because little attention has hitherto been paid to the matter. In another place I have dealt fully with the Swedish names of months, which are in the majority of cases not of popular origin.
I have made out a list of authorities so that in the foot-notes reference may be made simply to the name of the author; where an author is represented by two or more works, the work in question is denoted by an abbreviation. This list is to be regarded not as an exhaustive bibliography, but merely as an aid to the quotations. Where so many quotations have been made it has been thought advisable not to use inverted commas, except in a few special cases. The fact that the quotations are nevertheless given as far as possible in the author’s own words must be held to excuse a certain apparent inconsistency in the use of tenses.
Since I was obliged to include in my work the preliminary stages of the time-reckoning of the culture peoples, I had to deal with languages with which I was altogether unfamiliar, or only imperfectly acquainted. I have therefore often availed myself of the expert advice which has been readily given me by friends and colleagues. For help in the complicated questions belonging to the domains of the Semitic languages and Anglo-Saxon respectively I am especially indebted to my colleagues Professors A. Moberg and E. Ekwall. For occasional advice and information I have to thank Docent Joh. Pedersen of Copenhagen (for the Semitic languages), Prof. Emil Olson of Lund, and Prof. H. Lindroth of Gothenburg (for the Scandinavian), and Docent S. Agrell of Lund (for the Slavonic).
The English translation is the work of Mr. F. J. Fielden, English Lector in the University of Lund, who has also read the proof-sheets. I am greatly obliged to him for his conscientious performance of a lengthy and by no means easy task.
Lund, May 1920.
Martin P. Nilsson.
CONTENTS.
| PAGE | |
| Preface | [V] |
| Introduction | [1] |
| Foundation of the inquiry—Units of time-reckoning—Risings andsettings of the stars—Phases of climate, of plant and animal life—Modes of time-reckoning. | |
| Chapter I.—The Day | [11] |
| The day of 24 hours not primitive—Counting of days or nights—Parspro toto reckoning—Indications of the sun’s position—Indicationsby means of marks etc.—Names for the parts of theday—Names derived from occupations—Lists of names—Homericexpressions—Greek and Latin expressions—Parts of thenight—Night measured by the stars—Measures of time. | |
| Chapter II.—The Seasons | [45] |
| Seasonal points—Small seasons—Winter and summer—Dry andrainy seasons—Wind-seasons—Four or five seasons—Sub-divisionof seasons—Greater seasons—Cycles of seasons—Agriculturalcycles of seasons—Artificially regulated cycles ofseasons—Indo-European seasons—Seasons of the Germanicpeoples—The division of the Germanic year—The Scandinaviandivision of the year—The old Scandinavian week-year—Smallerwind-seasons. | |
| Chapter III.—The Year | [86] |
| Half-years—Shorter years—The empirical year—Pars pro totoreckoning—The period of the vegetation and the year—Ignoranceof age—Relative age—Designation of years after events—Seriesof years designated after events—Designation of yearsin Babylonia and Egypt. | |
| Chapter IV.—The Stars | [109] |
| Inaccuracy of time-reckoning—The stars in Homer—Observationof the stars by the Greeks and Romans—Star-lore: N. America—S.America—Africa—India—Australia—Oceania—Indicationof time from the stars—Observation of the stars: Bushmen—Australia—N.America—S. America—Africa—EastIndian Archipelago—Torres Straits—Melanesia—Polynesia—Thestars as causes and omens of the weather. | |
| Chapter V.—The Month | [147] |
| The moon—Counting of months and their days—Indications ofthe position of the moon—Salutations to the new moon—Celebrationof the full moon—Other phases—The greater phasesof the moon—Further phases—Days named after the phasesof the moon—Groups of days named after the phases of themoon—Days counted from the greater phases—Decades—Africansystems—The quarters of the moon. | |
| Chapter VI.—The Months | [173] |
| Series of months: N. Asia—Siberia—Eskimos—N. America—S.America—Africa—East Indian Archipelago—Torres Straits—Oceania. | |
| Chapter VII.—Conclusions | [217] |
| Imperfect counting of the moons—Connexion between moons andseasons—Multiplicity and absence of names of months—Pairsof months. | |
| Chapter VIII.—Old Semitic Months | [226] |
| 1. Babylonia. Sumerian months—Akkadian months—Babylonianetc. months—2. The Israelites. Canaanitish months—Israelitishmonths—New moon and months—3. The pre-MohammedanArabs. Arabian months. | |
| Chapter IX.—Calendar Regulation. 1. The Intercalation | [240] |
| Incomplete series of months—Uncertainty as to the month—Difficultiesin reckoning months—Empirical intercalation—TheJews—Correction of the months by the stars—Correction ofthe Batak year—The pre-Mohammedan intercalation—The Babylonianmonths and the stars.—The Babylonian intercalationempirical—Correction of the year by the solstices and the stars. | |
| Chapter X.—Calendar Regulation. 2. Beginning of the Year | [267] |
| Uncertainty as to the beginning of the year—New Year feasts—Beginningof the year—The Israelitish New Year—The Pleiadesyear—. Appendix: The Egyptian year. | |
| Chapter XI.—Popular Months of the European Peoples | [282] |
| Month-names: Albanian—Basque—Lithuanian—Lettish—Slavonic—German—Anglo-Saxonmonths—The Anglo-Saxonlunisolar year—Scandinavian month-names—Old Scandinavianlunar months—Later Swedish moon-months—Finnish moon-months—Lappmonths. | |
| Chapter XII.—Solstices and Equinoxes. Aids to the Determination of Time | [311] |
| Observation of the solstices and equinoxes—Observation of theequinoxes by the Scandinavians—Seed-time determined by theobservation of the sun—Devices for counting days, etc. | |
| Chapter XIII.—Artificial Periods of Time. Feasts | [324] |
| The market-week in Africa—Greater periods in Africa—The market-weekin Asia—America—Rome—Shabattu and sabbath—Originof the sabbath—The sabbath a market-day—Festivalsand seasons—Cycles of festivals—Regulation of the festivalsby the moon—Full moon the time of festivals—Festivalsdetermined by the course of the sun—Months named after festivals. | |
| Chapter XIV.—The Calendar-Makers | [347] |
| Calendrical observations by certain gifted persons—The priests ascalendar-makers—Sacral and profane calendar-regulation. | |
| Chapter XV.—Conclusion | [355] |
| 1. Summary of results. The concrete nature of time-indications—Discontinuousand ‘aoristic’ time-indications—The pars pro totocounting of the periods—The continuous time-reckoning—Empiricalintercalation of months—2. The Greek time-reckoning.Early Greek time-reckoning—The Oktaeteris and the months—Sacralcharacter of the Greek calendar—Influence of Apolloand Delphi—Babylonian origin of the Greek calendar-regulation. | |
| Addendum to P. 78 Note 2 | [370] |
| List of Authorities Quoted | [371] |
| Index | [382] |