The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Thirty days between Afteryule and Rethe (22 January to 20 February on a modern calendar)
Race
Culture
Pronunciation
'so'math' (the l was not usually pronounced)
Meaning
From Old English Solmónað, 'mud month'
Other names
Sometimes spelled Somath; comparable to Nénimë and Nínui in the calendars of Men

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About this entry:

  • Updated 26 November 2023
  • This entry is complete

Solmath

The second month of the Shire Calendar

Months of the year

The second month of the Shire Calendar, corresponding roughly to modern February (though astronomical changes between those ancient times and today mean that the month actually ran between 22 January and 20 February on a modern calendar). Also unlike our modern second month, Solmath had thirty days (as indeed did all the months on the Shire Calendar), and due to the construction of the calendar, it always began and ended on the same days of the week (Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively).

The name 'Solmath' was generally pronounced 'So'math' in the Shire, and hence the name was sometimes written as 'Somath'. It comes from Anglo-Saxon Solmónað, literally meaning 'month of mud', and this same idea is present in the name chosen for the second month by the Dúnedain, who called it Nénimë, 'watery month'.


See also...

Rethe, Shire Calendar, Somath

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 26 November 2023
  • This entry is complete

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