Enderion: Measurement System

Andrew Amnon Mimetes · **Joined:** May 14th, 2010, 4:43 am **Posts:** 4458

Hey everyone,
I was just wondering what your thoughts were on developing custom measurement systems for your worlds. I mean, it may make the country more realistic (that they don't use feet, etc) but doesn't it make the book harder to understand. Here's the measurement system I've come up with for my world Enderion.

The world of Enderion based their measurement systems on base fifty or five...obviously, as there are five fingers on a hand. Therefore, all length measurements, for example, stemmed from the marachen, which was nearly equal to the mile in length. From there, the lengths were base fifty. For all practical intents and purposes, though they slightly differ, the mile and marachen are nearly equal in length. Therefore, in the following table, most measurements are taken from the 1:1 ratio rather than the 1:0.9957 ratio.

Quote:

LENGTH

Searon (Closest Imperial Measurement – Miles)
1 marachen = .2 searon
1 searon = 5 marachens
1 searon = 5.021593 miles
(Note: The searon, as obvious by the sea in it’s name, was used mainly by mariners, whose ships could go further faster than a land traveler could. Therefore, a longer measurement seemed appropriate then the marachen to simplify marine recording. Outside of mariners, no one used the searon.)

Marachens (Closest Imperial Measurement – Miles)
1 marachen = 1.0043186 miles
1 mile = 0.9957 marachen

Lengths (CIM –Yards)
50 lengths = 1 marachen
1 length = 105.6 yards
1 yard = 0.0094697 length

Steps (CIM – Feet)
1,250 steps = 1 marachen
25 steps = 1 length
1 step = 4.224 feet
1 foot = .2367424 steps

Bars (CIM – Inches)
6,250 bars = 1 marachen
125 bars = 1 length
5 bars = 1 step
1 bar = 0.8448 inches
1 inch = 1.1837121 bars

Nejit (CIM – NA)
156,250 nejits = 1 marachen
3,125 nejits = 1 length
125 nejits = 1 step
25 nejits = 1 bar
(Note: The nejit was mainly used by scientists and naturalists. The common person did not have very good usage of nejits nor did they use them often as they were so short.)

WEIGHT
Jegan (CIM - Pounds)
1 jegan = 1.0045 pounds
1 pound = 0.9955202 jegan

Liftef (CIM - Ounces) (Liftef did not pluralize as liftefs, but liftern)
25 liftern = 1 jegan
1 liftef = .64 ounces
1 ounce = 1.5625 liftef

Jurlda (CIM – NA)
125 jurldas = 1 jegan
5 jurldas = 1 liftef

Srugro (Nerelt in some parts of the world) (CIM – NA)
3,125 srugros = 1 jegan
125 srugros = 1 liftef
25 srugros= 1 jurlda
(Note: The srugro was formerly called the nerelt but was not used very much as it weighed so little. Srugroz popularized the term Srugoz and his merchants sold special small candy bags called “Double-srugros’ that cost very little, and held very little. Countries not directly under Srugoz’s influence did not use srugro but more the nerelt)

So it's pretty complete, but how far do I go explaining all of this stuff to the reader? I mean, at some point it may be necessary to mention marachen or maybe a few other measurements...but is it really worth the time to develop an entire measurement system?

eruheran

UPDATE: I have a bad habit of making things and then asking whether or not I should have made them...so even though I asked whether or not I should use this measurement system...I've decided to use it for world-building purposes. There may even be another one coming soon!

Neil of Erk · **Posted:** June 17th, 2010, 6:01 pm

Use the terms, don't feel compelled to explain. But if you like, you can have a character explain to another character, on the pretext of explaining a difference in sea-measures to land-measures.

Seer of Endor · **Joined:** February 16th, 2010, 10:36 pm **Posts:** 2603

I agree somewhat with Neil. You should be able to use the terms without explaining the entire system. However, I think you do need to take precautions to ensure that your readers don't get completely lost. My advice would be to use whatever terms you are most likely to need in the book (you could probably get by with just distance measurements) in ways that their meaning is made apparent. For instance, "The nearest fortress is 25 marachens away, it'd take the better part of a day to travel that far! There's no way they'd get here in time." Or, "It was a much lighter weapon than Halibut had expected. It couldn't have weighed more than a couple of jegans." Make sense? The reader would still be wondering how far a marachen is and how much a jegan weighs, but they'd get the idea that one is a basic distance measurement, and one is a basic weight measurement. That's my suggestion at least.

Neil of Erk · **Posted:** June 20th, 2010, 7:03 pm

Seer wrote:

"The nearest fortress is 25 marachens away, it'd take the better part of a day to travel that far! There's no way they'd get here in time."

That's kind of what I was thinking of. Just follow the "show, don't tell" rule, and it comes out alright.

Of course, "Halibut" should be careful to mention measurements at appropriate times. It's a little odd if a character, "Salmon", for instance, says "Halibut! My sword is too heavy, and I don't think I can fight this fisherman much longer!" and then Halibut replies, "That's because you sword weighs three jegans! Take mine, it only weighs two!"

Of course, if you characters aren't fish, you probably won't have that problem.

Lady Eruwaedhiel · **Posted:** June 21st, 2010, 1:58 pm

LOL you two! *shakes her head* Fish.

I agree. As a reader, I would be interested in the measurement systems of the world, but not so much as to have it explained in excruciating detail. :P

Andrew Amnon Mimetes · **Joined:** May 14th, 2010, 4:43 am **Posts:** 4458

I like the 'show don't tell' thing...unfortunately that's one of the things I'm really bad at in writing...but I'll try.

I do plan on maybe having an index with these measurements in the back though...just for the geeks that read it (like, the people on this forum :P)

eruheran

Ana Mimetes · **Posted:** June 27th, 2010, 11:43 am

You know you can always put the chart on the last page of the book. That way the reader can read it if they want to. Anyways,that what I do with most of my charts.
Elisabeth Aka Ana

Andrew Amnon Mimetes · **Joined:** May 14th, 2010, 4:43 am **Posts:** 4458

That's true, Ana...I could have kind of like an appendix of tables and measurements and stuff, kind of like in the Bible. I am going to keep the system around just for world-building purposes, and if I ever get around to it I'll figure out what all of my countries actually measure and stuff in their own system. I might even make three or four for the different regions of the world.

eruheran

Elanhil · **Posted:** July 9th, 2010, 11:24 pm

Another thing that you could do is use cubits, spans, breadths, etc. Those work well for medieval stories, because that is a measurement that the character will most likely know of, and if not can research. I prefer to use these, but they can be a hassle for long distances. One wouldn't say, 'the nearest fortress is 20,000 cubits away!' I think there is a measurement used for measuring long distances with this system, but I'm not sure what it's called or how long it is.

Andrew Amnon Mimetes · **Joined:** May 14th, 2010, 4:43 am **Posts:** 4458

Yes, Merashath, but now you're stepping on a line that's just between fantasy and plain old medieval fiction. And there is a difference. Logically, if there really were a world of Enderion, they wouldn't use units that were developed in our world. I mean, there will be some things in the world that will be similar to ours (after all, we have only been to our world; so there are certain unspoken conventions that will slip into our world-building) but to make the world believable it's good to keep them as low as possible.

Actually, for the purposes of world-building, I might actually create another entire measurement system, used by some of the countries in Enderion; just for world-building purposes...sort of like the Imperial and Metric systems. The idea would be that Sannahet and the Enclave (which are both formed by largely refugees of Nerandia) would naturally have adopted the Nerandian system of measurement, and Culvinis, Tarbiyaan, Véhonas, and Qaluros (the first three being influenced by the latter) would use another.

eruheran

Elanhil · **Posted:** July 10th, 2010, 12:12 am

But the thing with the cubit system is that everyone is carrying around a ruler wherever they go. A cubit wouldn't be unique to our world, because all people 'have' a cubit, if you know what I mean. So alternately, what you could do is have it be the same measurement, but have a different name. For example: A son overhears his father put in an order for a table. The father says he wants the table to be 4 _____'s tall, so later on the (very young) boy asks his father what a _____ is. Then the reader knows that a _____ is a cubit, so later on, whenever he hears that word, he knows what you are talking about, and it's a system that people here on earth are somewhat familiar with.

Are there flaws with the above? I'm starting to like the idea, and want to include it in a story of mine, but I definitely don't want to if there are definite flaws.

Andrew Amnon Mimetes · **Joined:** May 14th, 2010, 4:43 am **Posts:** 4458

Well, yeah, there is just one flaw. You didn't actually tell us how we were carrying cubits around? I thought a cubit was a measurement about the same as a yard? And the real reason that type of measurement (based on body parts) was abandoned is that everyone's is different. One person's 'cubit' (handspan) might be bigger than a child's 'cubit' I think that's actually how the imperial measurement system got it's name...it was the 'official' hand-length, finger-width, etc.

eruheran

Elanhil · **Posted:** July 10th, 2010, 12:26 am

A cubit is the length from one's fist to their elbow, and like in this world, the system would naturally have flaws, and has not yet been abandoned. If you wrote a sequel, you could have the system be standardized, but some people may think that is way to similar to American/British culture.

Andrew Amnon Mimetes · **Joined:** May 14th, 2010, 4:43 am **Posts:** 4458

Well, the fact of the matter is that once a culture is developed it will naturally subscribe to a more exact measurement system because it is needed for scientific pursuits and learning. In my world it is understood that they have already dropped the inexact measurements because of a necessity for a better system.

Actually, if you want the low-down on Enderion...Sannahet and the Enclave use the 'Imperial System' so to speak...because it comes from Nerandia. Tarbiyaan and Culvinis use a modification of the Qaluran system, or the 'Metric System' and Véhonas, because of outside influences, will use either one but primarily uses an inexact one similar to the system that you described, Merashath.

eruheran

Elanhil · **Posted:** July 10th, 2010, 12:52 am

Well that's your world. Humph.

I'm Just kidding. My world is still relatively primitive.

Enderion: Measurement System

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