Days & Dates of Middle-earth and Numenor

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An encyclopedia of Middle-earth and Numenor

Days & Dates

Dawnless Day

March 10, 3019, during the War of the Ring. A Darkness began flowing out of Mordor on the night of March 9-10. There was no dawn on the morning of March 10. A great cloud covered the sky over Gondor and Rohan and the day remained dark and gloomy. The Darkness emanated from the smoke and fumes of Mount Doom. It was sent by Sauron to cause fear and uncertainty among his adversaries and to aid his army of Orcs, who preferred darkness, and the Nazgul, whose powers where enhanced in the dark.

On the Dawnless Day, King Theoden led the Muster of Rohan in Dunharrow and Gandalf rescued Faramir and his men from Winged Nazgul outside Minas Tirith. The Darkness hung heavily over Ithilien as Frodo Baggins came to the Crossroads, but at sunset he saw a beam of sunlight from the West touch the fallen head of a great statue of a King. That night Frodo saw the Lord of the Nazgul lead the Morgul-host from Minas Morgul.

The Darkness lasted for several days as the forces of Mordor laid siege to Minas Tirith. Dawn finally came on March 15 as the Rohirrim charged onto the Pelennor Fields and Aragorn sailed up the Anduin toward the City. In Mordor, Frodo and Sam caught a glimpse of the dawn over the Mountains of Shadow.

Sources:
The Two Towers: "Journey to the Cross-roads," p. 308-11
The Return of the King: "Minas Tirith," p. 45; "The Muster of Rohan," p. 74; "The Siege of Gondor," p. 79-81, 89, 91; "The Ride of the Rohirrim," p. 110-13; "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields," p. 114; "The Tower of Cirith Ungol," p. 174-76; "The Land of Shadow," p. 196

Days of the Week

The Hobbits' names for the days of the week originated in the period when they lived in the Vales of the Anduin. The names were adapted from the language of Men who lived in that region and were similar to the weekday names used by the Rohirrim who also came from around there. The older forms of the Hobbits' weekday names were used in the Yearbook of Tuckborough which was begun around the year 2000. By the end of the Third Age the names had been shortened. Outside the Shire, people who spoke the Common Speech used the Quenya names for the days of the week.

Sterday

Saturday in the Shire. Sterday was the first day of the week. The first day of the year - which was part of Yule - always fell on a Sterday.

The archaic form of Sterday in the Hobbits' language was Sterrendei. The name meant "Star Day." It was a translation of the Quenya name Elenya from elen meaning "star." The Sindarin name for this day was Orgilion from aur meaning "day" and gil meaning "star."

Sunday

Sunday in the Shire. Sunday was the second day of the week, and it was not a holiday.

The archaic form of Sunday was Sunnendei. This day was named for the Sun. The Quenya name was Anarya where anar means "Sun." The Sindarin name was Oranor where aur means "day" and anor means "Sun."

Monday

Monday in the Shire. Monday was the third day of the week.

The archaic form of Monday was Monendei. It meant "Moon Day." In Quenya it was Isilya from isil meaning "moon." The Sindarin name was Orithil from aur meaning "day" and ithil meaning "moon."

Trewsday

Tuesday in the Shire. Trewsday was the fourth day of the week.

The archaic form of Trewsday was Trewesdei. The Quenya name was Aldúya from aldu meaning "Two Trees" in reference to the Two Trees of Valinor. The Sindarin name was Orgaladhad from aur meaning "day" and galadhad - apparently a dual form of galadh meaning "tree." The Numenoreans altered these names to Aldëa and Orgaladh in order to specifically honor the White Tree because a sapling of it grew in Numenor which later gave rise to the White Tree of Gondor.

Hevensday

Wednesday in the Shire. Hevensday was the fifth day of the week.

The name Hevensday was sometimes shortened to Hensday. The archaic form was Hevenesdei. This name meant "Heavens' Day." In Quenya it was called Menelya from menel meaning "heavens." The Sindarin form was Ormenel.

Mersday

Thursday in the Shire. Mersday was the sixth day of the week.

The archaic form of Mersday was Meresdei. This day did not exist on the calendar of the Elves, who had a six day week. It was the Numenoreans who created the seven day week, and they added this day which they named after the Sea. In Quenya it was called Eärenya from Eär meaning "Great Sea." In Sindarin it was Oraearon from aur meaning "day" and aearon meaning "Great Sea."

Highday

Friday in the Shire. Highday was the seventh and last day of the week. Starting at noon on Highday was a holiday in the Shire and there were feasts held in the evening.

The archaic form of Highday was Highdei. In Quenya it was Valanya in honor of the Valar. It was also called Tárion in Quenya from tára meaning "lofty." The Sindarin names were Orbelain or Rodyn where Belain and Rodyn both mean "Valar."

Sources:
Appendix D of The Lord of the Rings: "The Calendars," p. 384, 388-89
Appendix F of The Lord of the Rings: "The Languages and Peoples of the Third Age," p. 408
The Quenya Corpus Wordlist
Hiswelókë's Sindarin Dictionary

Durin's Day

Holiday of the Dwarves. Durin's Day occurred only when the Moon and the Sun were in the sky together on the Dwarves' New Year's Day - which was the first day of the last Moon of autumn. By the end of the Third Age, the Dwarves no longer had the ability to calculate when such a phenomenon would occur.

The map of the Lonely Mountain given to Gandalf by Thorin's father Thrain contained a secret message written in Moon-letters:

Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks, and the setting sun with the last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the key-hole.
The Hobbit: "A Short Rest," p. 63

When Thorin & Company reached the Lonely Mountain, they tried unsuccessfully to find the secret door. At last, on the first day of the last week of autumn, Bilbo Baggins heard a thrush knocking and he saw a new Moon in the sky with the setting Sun. It was Durin's Day, and the light of the setting sun revealed the key-hole to the secret door leading into the Lonely Mountain.

Names & Etymology:
Durin's Day was named in honor of Durin, who was the eldest of the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves.

The phrase Durin's Day was also used as a general description of the era in which Durin I reigned.

Sources:
The Hobbit: "A Short Rest," p. 63-64; "On the Doorstep," p. 221-23

Lithe

Midsummer holiday in the Shire. Lithe fell between Forelithe, the sixth month of the year, and Afterlithe, the seventh month. In most years there were three Lithedays: 1 Lithe, Midyear's Day, and 2 Lithe. In Leap-years there was a fourth Litheday called Overlithe between Midyear's Day and 2 Lithe. Midyear's Day and Overlithe were not assigned any weekday, while 1 Lithe always fell on a Friday and 2 Lithe was a Saturday.

Lithe and the Midwinter holiday called Yule were the two major holidays in the Shire. Lithe was a time of great feasting and merriment. During Lithe, the Free Fair was held on the White Downs, where Hobbits gathered to celebrate and to buy and sell goods. Every seven years at the Free Fair during Lithe, an election was held for the office of Mayor of Michel Delving.

In the years that Overlithe occurred, it was a day of special celebration. Overlithe fell during the Great Year of Plenty in 3020 after the War of the Ring, and it was the merriest holiday in the history of the Shire.

Names & Etymology:
The word lithe is from the Old English líða. This may have been the name for Midsummer, while ærra Líða and æftera Líða were used for the months June and July. The word lithe means "mild, balmy" in relation to the weather.

Also called Lithedays and Summerdays.

Sources:
The Fellowship of the Ring: "Prologue - Of the Ordering of the Shire," p. 19
Appendix D of The Lord of the Rings: "The Calendars," p. 387 and Shire Calendar
"Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings," entry for Lithe

Ringday

Holiday commemorating the Ring-bearer. Ringday was celebrated on Frodo's birthday of September 22 - which corresponded to the 30th of Yavannie on the calendar of the New Reckoning. In leap years, the extra day of the year was added to this holiday.

Names & Etymology:
Also called Cormare in Quenya. Cormarë means "Ringday." The word corma means "ring," derived from kor meaning "round." The word ré means "day."

Sources:
Appendix D of The Lord of the Rings: "The Calendars," p. 385, 390
The History of Middle-earth, vol. V, The Lost Road and Other Writings: "The Etymologies," entry for KOR

Tuilérë

Spring holiday. Tuilere was a day between the months of March and April. It did not belong to either month. Tuilere and the autumn holiday Yaviere were added to the Revised Calendar of the Stewards' Reckoning created by Mardil in 2060. The Stewards' Reckoning was used in Gondor and other places where the Common Speech was spoken, but not in the Shire.

Names & Etymology:
The name Tuilérë means "spring day" in Quenya from tuilë meaning "spring" and ré meaning "day."

Source:
Appendix D of The Lord of the Rings: "The Calendars," p. 386-87

Yule

Midwinter holiday in the Shire. Yule consisted of two days called 1 Yule and 2 Yule. The last day of the year was 1 Yule and the first day of the next year was 2 Yule. The Yuledays fell between the months called Foreyule and Afteryule and were not part of either month. 1 Yule was always on a Friday and 2 Yule fell on Saturday.

Yule was one of the two chief holidays in the Shire - the other being the midsummer holiday called Lithe. The Yule celebrations lasted six days in total, including two days before and two days after the Yuledays. This six-day period was called Yuletide. It was a time of feasting and merriment.

After the War of the Ring, it was feared that the Yule feasts would be rather meager due to shortages of provisions in the Shire. But large stores of food and beer were found in the tunnels of Michel Delving and in the quarries at Scary and in other places, so the Yuledays were a time of great cheer.

The Elves did not have a celebration at midwinter. It appears that the Rohirrim maintained the custom of celebrating the midwinter holiday as their ancestors the Northmen had done. The name of the holiday in Rohan is not known but it was most likely similar to "Yule."

Names & Etymology:
The word Yule is currently used to refer to Christmas, but it was originally a midwinter holiday around the time of the solstice that marked the beginning of a new year. Like the Shire Calendar, the Old English calendar had months called Ærra Geola - meaning "before Yule" - and Æfterra Geola - or "after Yule." The precise meaing of geola is uncertain, but it may be related to the word "wheel," implying the turning of the year.

Sources:
The Return of the King: "The Grey Havens," p. 302
Appendix A of The Lord of the Rings: "The House of Eorl," p. 347
Appendix D of The Lord of the Rings: "The Calendars," p. 384, 387, 388
"Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings," entry for Yule