| Book Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Source: | Substack | ||
| Writer(s): | Douglas Goodall | ||
| Publication Date: | 27 November 2023 | ||
| Up | Six Views of the Egg of Time | ||
| Prev. | V. I | Next | V. III |
Astronomical Interpretation of Dwemer Letters
The short text, grid spacing, and lack of pattern show The Egg of Time is not letters or numbers. Zanir-jo's shocking discovery is The Egg of Time may be positions for a Dwemer orrery.
Khajiit say the Tenmar Bark Hopper cannot see the branches for the leaves. Maybe the eyes of the Tenmar Bark Hopper are only decorative spots, but this is a good saying for The Egg of Time. Scholars assume the symbols consist of letters or numbers even when the letters make no sense. What is known of Dwemer letters does not match all the symbols in the book, and the letters do not form words. Dwemer numerals are also difficult. Dwemer books on mathematics show how adding one and one can be any number but two, how to contain or stop division, and many other falsehoods. But the letters in The Egg of Time do not have the scent of Dwemer mathematics. What scholars cannot smell is the obvious non-alphabetic key for the symbols in The Egg of Time.
Dwemer orreries contain etched plates showing the constellations. On these plates, each constellation is shown as a single Dwemer letter. Pressing these letters sometimes causes the orrery to move into alignment. Zanir-jo would give much to enter the first letters of The Egg of Time into a working orrery and measure the aetheric flux.
When Zanir-jo applies this simple astronomical key to The Egg of Time, much is made clear. Zanir-jo does not have a translation. Zanir-jo cannot guess at the meaning of every symbol. More time and funds are needed. But Zanir-jo's theory shows many paths for future research.
The Egg of Time has symbols that, to Zanir-jo's humble knowledge, are not used in any Dwemer orrery. Maybe this makes Zanir-jo's theory false, but maybe they are a period of time, a measurement to be taken, a tone to make, or a ritual to perform.
Based on similarities with ancient Khajiti carvings of lunar cycles (in what Imperials refer to as the "Pellitine Mane Palaces" north of Torval), Zanir-jo believes some letters refer to phases of the moon. For instance, the very first symbol in The Egg of Time that many insist is the letter P (as it bears a passing resemblance to the Cyrodilic P) may show where Masser is full and Secunda is new. To a Khajiit it is natural to place Masser above Secunda. To the Dwemer who lived underground and thought many things backwards, perhaps they placed Secunda on top.
Zanir-jo reminds the reader of Elona Verelaine's theory that the first alphabet that became the Dwemeris, Aldmeris, Cyrodilic, and eventually all alphabets came from observations of the heavens. The early Khajiti moon carvings are much the same. So the same meaning for Dwemer orreries and Khajiti carvings is maybe not so unlikely. Many similarities between the Tamrielic alphabets and the Daedric alphabet suggest common rules or sources for all. Perhaps the Daedric alphabet is our same moons and constellations seen from Oblivion. But Zanir-jo must return to The Egg of Time.
By Zanir-jo's tentative key, the first "word" in The Egg of Time may reads as follows:
Masser Full, Secunda New
Unknown - perhaps a ritual or tone
Masser Waning Gibbous, Secunda Waning Quarter
Masser Waxing Quarter, Secunda Waning Crescent
Unknown - perhaps a ritual or tone
It is also possible that the Dwemer orrery is only the first step. Maybe when the orrery is aligned, the meaning of the text can be read from the stars. It is said that the Dwemer read the stars and perhaps they wrote in the stars also. Zanir-jo does not insist on this theory, but Zanir-jo says those who refuse to consider it have the thick, armored skull of the Tenmar Bark-Hopper.
Zanir-jo requests access to a Dwemer orrery to pursue many scents of research.