The Sorcerer's Conspectus:
A comprehensive view of Andre Norton's Witch World
by Lotsawatts
Timelines of Witch World ~ Ciara's Song
As has been mentioned on the page for Ciara's Song the timeline seems out of whack compared to other timelines. This is intended as a direct comparison to show where these inconsistencies lie.
~ Having asked Lyn McConchie why the timeline discrepancies exist, her reply was: "This is down in a way to the publisher who decided they didn't need the 'intermission' that I wrote between books one and two. This was a dozen or so pages skimming over the intervening generation, and with it gone and nothing altered in book two, it left that time problem. I suggested that I rewrite, but they didn't want to wait and as I'd long since signed the contract they simply brought the book out." ~ (December 04, 2019)
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Ciara's Age |
Event(s) |
Other |
Horning |
Triplets1 |
|
9 |
Thrice Horning2 |
Witch World places it in the winter of this year.3 |
0 |
|
|
10 |
Midsummer of the this year brings news of Yvian’s death.4 She turns ten sometime later.5 |
The events of Web of the Witch World take place some six months after those of Witch World. It's stated that Web starts in midsummer. This would mean a message would have to travel very quickly to reach them by the same midsummer. |
1 |
|
|
11 |
There is news of Alizon fighting overseas6 |
In many books, this is the Year of the Fire Troll.7 |
2 |
|
|
12 |
3 |
|||
|
13 |
Kyllan is born at the last day of this year. In Three Against the Witch World it is mentioned that after her last child is born Jaelithe passes into a form of trance which lasts several months. "By the end of our birth year Pagar was strong enough to risk battle against a confederation of rivals. And four months later he was proclaimed Duke, even along the border. " |
4 |
||
|
14 |
Kemoc and Kaththea are born on the first day of this year. "It was heading into another year when the Lady Jaelithe at last aroused…when the Seneschal Koris and his lady wife, the Lady Loyse, came to South Keep at the waning of the year to make merry, since the almost ceaseless war had been brought to an uneasy truce and for the first time in years there was no flame nor fast riding along either border…but that was only a short breathing space."8 |
5 |
0 |
|
|
15 |
6 |
1 |
||
|
16 |
7 |
2 |
||
|
17 |
8 |
3 |
||
|
18 |
This is said to be the Year of the Pronghorn11 In Silver May Tarnish the year of the Pronghorn is some thirteen years before the Year of the Fire Troll.12 |
9 |
4 |
|
|
19 |
10 |
5 |
||
|
20 |
11 |
6 |
||
|
21 |
Ciara gives birth to Kirin.13 |
12 |
7 |
|
|
22 |
13 |
8 |
||
|
23 |
14 |
9 |
||
|
24 |
15 |
10 |
||
|
25 |
Ciara gives birth to a daughter.14 Around this time Pagar of Geen begins his rise. |
Triplets are 11. Pagar began his rise the same year Kemoc and Kaththea are born. If her timeline matched that of Three Against the Witch World she'd only be 13. |
16 |
11 |
|
26 |
17 |
1215 |
||
|
27 |
18 |
13 |
||
|
28 |
19 |
1416 |
||
|
29 |
20 |
15 |
||
|
30 |
Pagar is crowned duke of Kars.17 Pagar is 33 when he launches a campaign to reclaim Verlaine and he also starts raiding the border of Estcarp18 |
In Three Against the Witch World "For it was four months into the new year when the threat of Pagar came into being… By the end of our birth year Pagar was strong enough to risk battle against a confederation of rivals. And four months later he was proclaimed Duke, even along the border." It is in this same year he begins border raiding against Estcarp. In retaliation Hostovrul of the Sulcar leads twenty ships to attack Karsten, even attacking the city of Kars. This attack leaves Pagar’s hold on Karsten weakened so that shortly after Pagar’s half-brother challenges his rule.19 |
21 |
16 |
|
31 |
22 |
1720 |
||
|
32 |
23 |
18 |
||
|
33 |
23 |
1921 |
||
|
34 |
24 |
20 |
||
|
35 |
Ciara's daughter would be 10.22 |
The Turning |
2523 |
21 |
|
36 |
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|
37 |
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38 |
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39 |
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|
40 |
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|
41 |
Ciara's daughter marries (age 16)24 |
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|
42 |
Kirin probably marries Aisha.25 |
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43 |
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44 |
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|
45 |
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|
46 |
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|
47 |
Trader Tanrae and Ciara’s daughter die, the latter under suspicious circumstance and the former in a raid that was more than it seemed.26 It is not indicated how many years exactly have passed since Ciara's daughter was married. |
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|
48 |
Sersgarth has been abandoned27 a month later a new family moves in28 Later that year they buy Elmsgarth and Kirion is born29 |
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|
49 |
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50 |
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|
51 |
Keelan is born. |
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52 |
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53 |
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54 |
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55 |
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56 |
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|
57 |
It has been ten years since Ciara's daughter died and she finds out Kirion wants to ride to war with Pagar.30 Aisling is born31 The Turning happens this year.32 |
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58 |
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59 |
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60 |
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61 |
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62 |
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63 |
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64 |
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65 |
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|
66 |
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|
67 |
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|
68 |
In the year Aisling turns 11, Kirion starts taking an interest in Power.33 Keelan goes to Aiskeep34 |
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|
69 |
Keelan's 18th birthday comes in early spring of this year. It is also when Kirion attempts to gain entry to Aiskeep to further his research but he is rebuffed. Keelan formally asks to stay at Aiskeep. |
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|
70 |
Kirion raises Shandro to be duke and tries to stir up hatred against those with Old Race blood in order to extract revenge against his own family. He changes course when he realizes this will make himself a target. |
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|
71 |
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|
72 |
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|
73 |
Kirion attempts to force Aisling (now 16) into a marriage she doesn't want to Ruart. It is in this year that Shosho (during the summer) gets pregnant at age 4 and later gives birth to Wind Dancer. Aisling is kidnapped after her refusal and held by Ruart and Kirion. She manages to escape. |
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|
74 |
Kirion and Ruart resume their efforts to get Aisling for their own purposes. In winter of this year Aiskeep is under siege and Elanor dies. Aisling decides to leave for Estcarp but Ciara tells her about her dream of Escore. She first goes to Geavon then to Temon where Ruart catches her, but he and Temon die. Aisling passes through some kind of gate and meets Neevor in Escore. |
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|
75 |
||||
|
76 |
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|
77 |
Aisling returns to Karsten under a geas to remove Shandro and Kirion from power. In summer, Franzo leads a siege due to many deaths in the Coast Clan thanks to Shandro and Kirion. This is also when the events of The Gate of the Cat are mentioned (page 128 of the hard cover).35 |
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|
78 |
In spring of this year, Franzo makes a second siege of Kars. Shandro and Kirion die and Aisling and Hadrann are formally betroth.35 |
Footnotes:
1. Most of the continuity errors are in relation to events of Three Against the Witch World, so this column and the previous will keep track of the years since the Horning (which occurs in winter) and the ages of the Triplets - using Kemoc's and Kaththea's at the beginning of the year.
2. p. 6
3. p. 146
4. p. 45
5. p. 58
6. p. 60
7. The Year of the Fire Troll seems to be four years after the events of Witch World based on the text of Three Against the Witch World that places the Turning nearly 25 years after the Horning (and the triplets are 21) and a reference in The Crystal Gryphon to some "grievous defeat" that happened to the Sulcar two years prior to the Year of the Moss Wife (the year before the Fire Troll).
8. This is very confusing since the crowning of Pagar happens at the end of their birth year and it is stated that four months into the new raiding starts, yet this indicates that a whole year passes without any border raids or other issues.
9. p. 102
10. p. 106
11. Since the same author wrote this book and Silver May Tarnish it may be reasonably assumed that the reference here (which is the only reference to a Dales year) is to deliberately tie the two. However, it would more likely be the Year of the Unicorn, which takes place eight years after the Year of the Fire Troll. The Year of the Fire Troll would almost have to take place when Ciara is 12 due to the way the timeline for the war in the Dales works out.
12. In Year of the Unicorn, it is mentioned initially that the fighting in High Hallack had a handful of years of peace possibly in an attempt to make it similar to World War I and World War II, though there was 21 years between those two wars. It could more easily refer to the years of the Falcon, Raven, and Night Hound - sometime after the small victories in Leopard and before the wereriders joined in full in Gryphon in Glory when the Hounds could have been stymied.
13. p. 110
14. p. 110
15. Kemoc and Kyllan go on first foray against Pagar at age 12.
16. Simon disappears and some months later Jaelithe followed.
17. p. 111
18. pgs. 111-112
19. There is absolutely no way to reconcile this.
20. Pagar suffers a major defeat but Kaththea is taken by the Witches.
21. Kemoc is wounded and goes to Lormt
22. Interestingly Aisling is almost 11 when Kirion visits. If her unnamed daughter had been the one to adventure instead of Aisling, things could have worked out for the timeline much better. Then again, if her daughter had been born in the year of the Turning, Ciara would have to have been born about a year after the Horning.
23. Since Three Against the Witch World has the Turning take place in late summer, and it is four years since Kaththea was taken at age 17, Kyllan must have turned 21 at the end of the previous year while Kemoc and Kaththea turned 21 at the beginning of this one. It is also "nearly" 25 years since the Horning - exactly 25 would be at the beginning of winter this year.
24. p. 114
25. p. 114
26. p. 115
27. p. 118
28. p. 119
29. p. 120, p. 127, p. 143
30. p. 120
31. p. 143
32. p. 135
33. p. 153
34. p. 153
35. The Duke's Ballad
Formatted and Edited by Jay Watts ~ May, 2022
Copyright ~ Andre-Norton.com
Duplication of this collection (in whole or in part) for profit of any kind NOT permitted.
