Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Name of the Day

At the end of the year I always purchase a new planner. This year I bought The Old Farmer's Almanac Planner as I mentioned in a previous post. It has so many interesting and cute little tidbits on every page. Today is a day of the full moon, or as the Almanac tells me, Full Wolf Moon. I just had to look that up.

Research told me how Native Americans gave the full moon each month a different name, tracking the year and seasons by those names. In January, in the midst of winter, when the wolves roamed hungry through the wilderness, their howls would fill the night skies. Therefore, it was the Wolf Moon during those lean times. The link to the Farmer's Almanac gives the names of the other full moon names.

Full Wolf Moon sounds more fun than January which is named after the Roman god of the doorway, Janus. Maybe these things like how names come about catch my interest because I write fantasy and science fiction. World building is a big part of my preliminary planning for each series. Part of world building is all that naming and even deciding if there is a moon or more than one. And what are the moon cycles? Does it appear every night? How long are days? I'm getting ready to dive into my last Recon Marine novel, the second draft, and a lot of these questions came into play. To have a moon and moonlight or not?

Also from my planner this week. Did you know cats have 32 muscles in each ear? Or that coconut oil is good for chapped lips?

Do you ever think about where the names of the months came from? If you world-build do you make you days and other time frames similar to our world? Are you going to check out the Wolf Moon tonight?

15 comments:

mooderino said...

The way stuff is named in books always seems believable to me, but the stuff I make up for my stories seems completely fake. Ho hum.

mood
Moody Writing

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Just so long as I don't turn into a wolf.
I guess I tend to make day and night cycles the same in my stories.
And that would've been a great question for my cat trivia on Monday.

Frankie Miller said...

Perhaps the wolf howls more during the winter. The moon is fascinating. I think modern people could learn a lot from our ancestors. We've lost the knowledge of herbal remedies etc.
I like the idea of coconut lips - nice and sweet to kiss!

Liz Blocker said...

Ok, Susan, I clearly need to buy myself a Farmer's Almanac Planner, because these little tidbits of information are AWESOME. No, I did not know a cat has 32 muscles in its ear! And I really love the imagery of the Wolf Moon, and how it came about. I hope you keep sharing these - I love them!

Unknown said...

Every year I buy the same cheap, $7, planner from WalMart-- nothing interesting in it. Very functional. This year, my daughter bought me such a pretty planner filled with lovely and inspirational art. So fun! I love using it. Maybe next year I'll get one filled with little facts too. :) Fun.

The Happy Whisk said...

I did know that coconut oil helps with dried skin and lips. But I didn't know the cat trivia. Big fan of wolves though, and enjoyed reading about that.

Cheers and Happy Wednesday.

Pat Hatt said...

Knew cats had 32 in the ear. Never knew about the wolf moon though and the names of the month they had. Coconut oil is great for sensitive teeth and cleaning them too, stick it in your mouth for 20 minutes then spit, never swallow it.

Karen Jones Gowen said...

Oooo there's nothing like a new planner to get my heart racing!

Robin said...

Coconut oil is good for the skin period. It is also one of the most healthy oils with which to cook. I am hooked on it.

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

I know the months come the Romans and that April means "to open", and I only remember that one because it's my birth month. I think January means "beginnings."

I will check out the Wolf Moon tonight. Down here it's in a different position than I'm used to, so I'll have to go searching.

LD Masterson said...

I used to know the origins of the names of the months. Guess I've lost those brain cells.

I don't write much fantasy but I wrote a sci fi novel once. Creating the planet, including the seasons, native life forms, and day/night cycles was the most fun.

Ava Quinn said...

You didn't have to tell me it was a full moon. My three year olds at preschool were crazed wolves this week!

Lynn Proctor said...

very cool info, susan---that is the second thing i have heard about coconut oil today--other one was it is good for dogs with flaky skin :)

Shannon Lawrence said...

Coconut oil seems to be good for a variety of things. Sort of a magical potion, that one.

I love the concept of multiple moons, what that would like like from a planet's surface. I don't know why, but it's a detail that has captured my imagination.

The Warrior Muse

Cate Masters said...

I can get lost in research, lol. Love finding the meaning behind names!