Both Iceland and the Færoes have preserved the classical and Oriental system of dividing into watches (Icel. Dagsmark, plur. Dagsmörk, “day’s marks”[108]), corresponding with the “Pahar” still used throughout Hindostan. They ignored the hour, which would have been too troublesome and minute. Wanting timepieces, they used sundials (Sólskifa) and sand-glasses. The rudest form was the peak or cairn, whose shadow noted the time: the same system still prevails amongst the Bedawin. By the sun also they learned to calculate the periods of ebb and flow, and the southern altitude of the luminary denoted the meridian. In winter evenings time was marked by the position of the Pleiades, called, par excellence, the Stjarna (star). The other constellations found useful at night were Örvindals-tá (toe of Orwendel, = Rigel Orionis?); Thjaza augu (the eyes of Thiassi, = Castor and Pollux?); Reið Rögnis (Charles’ Wain, the Wain of Rögn or Odin; whence also Ragna-rök, the twilight of the gods and doom of the world); and Loka-brenna (Sirius, Loki’s fire, also referring to the final Odinic conflagration).
The Færoese divide the day into eight öktur (Icel. eyktir) and sixteen half-öktur, the word Okt being shortened from octava.[109] The Icelanders reckon nine like our seamen, the additional one being a “dog-watch,” formed by dividing the 180 minutes into two. Their names are:
1. Nátt-mál, or night-meal to 9 P.M.
2. Miðnætti, to midnight.
3. Ótta, from midnight to 3 A.M.: “hana-ótta” is cock-crow.
4. Miður-morgun, also called Hirðis-rismál, “the rising time of the shepherd,” to 6 A.M.
5. Dagmál, day-meal to 9 A.M. (hora tertia.)
6. Hádegi, or Hiðr-dagr, “high-day” till noon.
7. Mið-mundi, first dog-watch from noon to 1.30 P.M.
8. Nón, in olden times also Eykt, second dog-watch from 1.30 P.M. to “nona,” or 3 P.M.