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Gorean Life

Keeping Time

The meaning of history lies not in the future but in the moment. It is never anywhere but within our grasp. And if the history of man, terminated, should turn out to have been but a brief flicker in the midst of unnoticing oblivions let it at least have been worthy of the moment in which it burned.

But perhaps it would prove to be a spark which would, in time, illuminate a universe.
---Explorers of Gor, p 230

Time

The clock 

the ihn... the Gorean second. (1.35 earth seconds)
the ehn... the Gorean minute, it consists of 80 ihn. (1.8 earth minutes or 1 minute, 48 seconds)
the ahn... the Gorean hour, it consists of 40 ehn. (1.2 earth hours or 1 hour, 12 minutes) the Gorean day consists of 20 ahn
the tenth ahn... the Gorean equivalent of noon or midday.
the twentieth ahn... the Gorean equivalent of midnight.

It was past the fourteenth Gorean Ahn, or hour, the Gorean Day is divided into twenty Ahn, which are numbered consecutively, the tenth Ahn is noon, the twentieth, midnight. Each Ahn consists of 40 Ehn, or minutes, and each Ehn of eighty Ihn, or seconds
---Outlaw of Gor, p 26

The calendar

the hand... the Gorean week, five days
the Gorean month... it consists of 5 hands
each 5 week month is followed by a 5 day period called the "passage hand", this hand is not included in the month ending nor the month beginning.
The Gorean year... 12 months 
At the end of the twelvth month, the usual passage hand of five days passes and is then followed by another hand called the "waiting hand" which seperates the years.   So in effect then, the Gorean year consists of 73 hands: twelve 5 hand months, 12 passage hands and one waiting hand.

There are twelve twenty-five day Gorean months, incidentally, in most of the calendars of the various cities. Each month, containing five five-day weeks is separated by a five-day period, called the Passage Hand, from every other month, there being one exception to this, which is that the last month of the year is separated from the first month of the year, which begins with the Vernal Equinox, not only by a Passage Hand, but by another five day period called the Waiting Hand.
---Assassin of Gor, p 78

It was now the month of the vernal equinox on Gor, called En'Kara, or The First Kara. The full expression is En'Kara-Lar-Torvis, which means, rather literally, The First Turning of the Central Fire. Lar-Torvis is a Gorean expression for the sun. More commonly, though never in the context of time, the sun is referred to as Tor-Tu-Gor, or Light Upon the Home Stone. The month of the autumnal equinox is called fully Se'Kara-Lar-Torvis, but usually simply, Se'Kara, The Second Kara, or The Second Turning. As might be expected, there are related expressions for the months of the solstices, En'Var- Lar-Torvis and Se'Var-Lar-Torvis, or, again rather literally, the First Resting and the Second Resting of the Central Fire. These, however, like the other expressions, usually occur in speech only as En'Var and Se'Var, or The First Resting and The Second Resting.
---Outlaw of Gor, p 178

...during the ninth passage hand, that preceding the winter solstice.
---Assassin of Gor, p 192

Chronology, incidentally, is the despair of scholars on Gor, for each city keeps track of time by virtue of its own Administrator Lists...sometimes cities are willing to add, in their records, beside their own dating, the dating of Ar, which is Gor's greatest city...Time is reckoned "Contasta Ar", or from the "founding of Ar."
---Outlaw of Gor, pp 178-179

He did so late in the spring, on the sixteenth day of the third month, that month which in Ar is called Camerius, in Ko-ro-ba Selnar.
---Assassin of Gor, pp 234-235

...for the Wagon Peoples calculate the year from the Season of Snows to the Season of Snows; Turians, incidentally, figure the year from summer solstice to summer solstice; Goreans generally, on the other hand, figure the year from vernal equinox to vernal equinox.
---Nomads of Gor, p 11

Gor to Earth date comparisons

En'Kara (the first turning)

1st Hand Mar 21 22 23 24 25
2nd Hand 26 27 28 29 30
3rd Hand 31 Apr 1st 2 3 4
4th Hand 5 6 7 8 9
5th Hand 10 11 12 13 14
1st passage 15 16 17 18 19

Second month

1st Hand Apr 20 21 22 23 24
2nd Hand 25 26 27 28 29
3rd Hand 30 May 1st 2 3 4
4th Hand 5 6 7 8 9
5th Hand 10 11 12 13 14
2nd passage 15 16 17 18 19

Third Month (Camerius in Ar, Selnar in Ko-ro-ba)

1st Hand May 20 21 22 23 24
2nHand 25 26 27 28 29
3rd Hand 30 31 Jun 1st 2 3
4th Hand 4 5 6 7 8
5th Hand 9 10 11 12 13
3rd passage 14 15 16 17 18

Month of En'Var (The First Resting)

1st Hand Jun 19 20 21 22 23
2nHand 24 25 26 27 28
3rd Hand 29 30 Jul 1st 2 3
4th Hand 4 5 6 7 8
5th Hand 9 10 11 12 13
4th passage 14 15 16 17 18

Fifth Month

1st Hand Jul 19 20 21 22 23
2nHand 24 25 26 27 28
3rd Hand 29 30 31 Aug 1st 2
4th Hand 3 4 5 6 7
5th Hand 8 9 10 11 12
5th passage 13 14 15 16 17

(In Ar, and certain other cities, Kajuralia is celebrated on August 12,
the Love Feast then beginning the next day for five days)

Sixth Month

1st Hand Aug 18 19 20 21 22
2nHand 23 24 25 26 27
3rd Hand 28 29 30 31 Sept 1st
4th Hand 2 3 4 5 6
5th Hand 7 8 9 10 11
6th passage 12 13 14 15 16

Month of Se'Kara (The Second Turning)

1st Hand Sep 17 18 19 20 21
2nHand 22 23 24 25 26
3rd Hand 27 28 29 30 Oct 1st
4th Hand 2 3 4 5 6
5th Hand 7 8 9 10 11
7th passage 12 13 14 15 16

Eighth Month

1st Hand Oct 17 18 19 20 21
2nHand 22 23 24 25 26
3rd Hand 27 28 29 30 31
4th Hand Nov 1st 2 3 4 5
5th Hand 6 7 8 9 10
8th passage 11 12 13 14 15

Ninth Month

1st Hand Nov 16 17 18 19 20
2nHand 221 22 23 24 25
3rd Hand 26 27 28 29 30
4th Hand Dec 1st 2 3 4 5
5th Hand 6 7 8 9 10
9th passage 11 12 13 14 15

Month of Se'Var (The Second Resting)

1st Hand Dec 16 17 18 19 20
2nHand 21 22 23 24 25
3rd Hand 26 27 28 29 30
4th Hand 31 Jan 1st 2 3 4
5th Hand 5 6 7 8 9
10th passage 10 11 12 13 14

Eleventh Month

1st Hand Jan 15 16 17 18 19
2nHand 20 21 22 23 24
3rd Hand 25 26 27 28 29
4th Hand 30 31 Feb 1st 2 3
5th Hand 4 5 6 7 8
11th passage 9 10 11 12 13

Twelfth Month

1st Hand Feb 14 15 16 17 18
2nHand 19 20 21 22 23
3rd Hand 24 25 26 27 28
4th Hand Mar 1st 2 3 4 5
5th Hand 6 7 8 9 10
12th passage 11 12 13 14 15

(Some cities celebrate Kajuralia on March 15)

Waiting Hand Mar 16 17 18 19 20

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research and commentary Nicole Gonzalez
editing Michele C. Clark
for worldofgor.com.