Kolmeseitsemän

Kolmeseitsemän is a fictional calendrical cycle used in Finnish-language fantasy literature and role-playing games. It describes a 37-day period that unites three thematic seasons with seven ritual weeks, forming a compact alternative to a conventional solar year in an imagined culture.

Etymology and concept: The name combines the Finnish numbers kolme (three) and seitsemän (seven), signaling a unity of three life phases and seven recurring rites embedded in a single cycle. In-world explanations tie the cycle to agrarian rituals, communal memory, and seasonal tasks.

Structure: The kolmeseitsemän year is divided into three seasons—growth, maintenance, and rest—with lengths approximately 12, 12, and 13 days, totaling 37 days. Within the cycle are seven ritual weeks, each carrying a thematic focus (for example harvest, preparation, festival, remembrance, planting, cleansing, and renewal). The order of weeks is fixed and culturally meaningful, influencing daily routines and communal events.

Usage and significance: In the fictional setting, kolmeseitsemän guides agricultural planning, religious observances, storytelling cycles, and schooling within villages that observe the calendar. It functions as a key element of cultural identity, shaping how time, work, and celebration are experienced and narrated.

Reception and role in media: As a narrative device, kolmeseitsemän provides a compact, rhythmic tempo for worldbuilding. In novels, games, and supplements, it is typically presented with its rules and local lore by in-world scholars, serving as a distinctive calendar framework for campaigns and speculative fiction.