Hourglasses, also known as sandglasses[1] or sand-clocks,[2] were a type of tool used for tracking the passage of time.[3][4] They typically tracked the passage of one or more hours, hence their name, though some known as minuteglasses were designed to track specific minute timeframes.[3]
Description[]
A wizard ponders his hourglass.
An hourglass consisted of two bulbous, glass globes connected by a narrow passage. These globes were held together by a frame, typically made of wood, that itself was held together by twine and screws. The glass globes were filled with sand that traveled from the topmost bulb to the lower one, passing through the narrow passage that connected them.[4]
Variants[]
- Egg timer: A type of small sandglass[6] that was used to keep track of time while cooking.[6][7]
- Scornubrian sandglass: A type of minuteglass that was produced in the city of Scornubel.[8]
History[]
Hourglasses dated as far back as the time of Netheril, where they first became available in 2108 NY (−1751 DR).[9]
Throughout the 14th century DR, Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue offered one and two hour sandglasses, as well as minuteglasses that counted intervals of ten minutes, five minutes, one minute, and a half-minute. All of these timepieces within the catalogue were both casted and given an ornate paintjob in the land of Calimshan, then filled with precise measurements of sand in Waterdeep.[3]
Notable Users of Hourglasses[]
Classes[]
- Mages sometimes had hourglasses among their belongings.[10]
- A proper wizard's laboratory in the Realms typically contained sandglasses that counted intervals of a half-minute, minute, five minute, and hour. They were considered to be crucial for tracking the success of chemical research.[3]
Magic[]
- An hourglass constructed of gold and silver was used to house aquamarines of spell extending.[11]
Religions[]
Trivia[]
A rather fancy hourglass.
- The Temple Beyond Time was in the shape of an elongated hourglass.[13]
- Within the center of Winterspace was a cluster of stars that many observers described as resembling an hourglass.[14]
Appendix[]
Appearances[]
Adventures
Novels & Short Stories
Gamebooks
Video Games
Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
External Links[]
Hourglass article at the Baldur's Gate Wiki, a wiki for the Baldur's Gate games.
Hourglass article at Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide. Edited by Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 42. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Victor Milán (October 1995). War in Tethyr. (TSR, Inc), p. 124. ISBN 0-7869-0184-5.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Jeff Grubb, Julia Martin, Steven E. Schend et al (1992). Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue. (TSR, Inc), p. 43. ISBN 0-5607-6327-2.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Dale Henson (February 1993). The Magic Encyclopedia, Volume Two. (TSR, Inc), p. 82. ISBN ISBN 978-156076563.
- ↑ Monte Cook, Jonathan Tweet, Skip Williams (July 2003). Dungeon Master's Guide v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 56. ISBN 0-7869-2889-1.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Roger Rhodes (November 1999). In the Hall of the Mountain Mage. Living City (RPGA), p. 9.
- ↑ Dave Schnur (March 1995). How Long Can You Tread Water?. Living City (RPGA), pp. 12, 25.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (March 2013). “Eye on the Realms: Abyssal Trade Goods: Not a Bad Thing”. In Christopher Perkins ed. Dragon #421 (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 26–37.
- ↑ slade, Jim Butler (October 1996). “The Winds of Netheril”. In Jim Butler ed. Netheril: Empire of Magic (TSR, Inc.), p. 31. ISBN 0-7869-0437-2.
- ↑ Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins, James Wyatt (2014). Dungeon Master's Guide 5th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 300. ISBN 978-0786965622.
- ↑ Richard Baker, James Wyatt (March 2004). Player's Guide to Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 123. ISBN 0-7869-3134-5.
- ↑ John Terra (November 1997). Four from Cormyr. Edited by Kim Mohan. (TSR, Inc.), p. 79. ISBN 0-7869-0646-4.
- ↑ Eric L. Boyd (November 1998). Demihuman Deities. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 119. ISBN 0-7869-1239-1.
- ↑ Elaine Cunningham (November 1992). The Radiant Dragon. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 153–156. ISBN 1-56076-346-9.