Daily life in Aporue and Melza: Measures and units of measurement

After the recent article on calendars, here comes another insight into the elements of daily life on the continent of Aporue.

The title is self-explanatory, I will clarify at least the most commonly occuring units of measurement on the continent.

As in many other fictional settings, the cultures of this world have developed a large number of various measurement units. All of them are different from ours and many of them can seem outright exotic in terms of their concept. However, the great majority of them is, in general, rather similar to some historical measurement units known from the real world, both in context and in overall spirit. 

Calendars in Aporue have already undergone a certain degree of standardization, but measurement units have seen standardization to only a very limited extent. Despite the ever greater expansion of sciences, learnedness and industry, for the time being, the continent has not seen any equivalent of the metric system. The era of relative international peace of the last few decades, and the current absence of a state that would desire to dominate the continent and enforce its standards in other countries, have significantly limited the opportunities for the rise of a, let's say, "more scientific" system. That's simply how it is in Aporue. Koniec-koncov, the continent's history is not identical with our history, it only has very broad and indefinite parallels. ;-)

Since we are primarily and mainly focusing on the cultures of Aporue, in the following sections of the article, I offer a list of some of the commonly seen Aporuean units of measurement. I showcase the units with conversions to metric and imperial units from the real world, in order for you to form a certain idea about the fictional units' sizes and nature. The metric units are noted first, the imperial units are noted in brackets. (The same is also true about other real world SI units and real world traditional measures and measurement units.)

Length and size units 

trunk: 1 trunk = ca 26 meters (85.3018373 feet, 28.4339458 yards)

bough: 1 bough = ca  4.28 meters (14.0419948 feet, 4.68066492 yards)

limb: 1 limb = ca 72 centimeters (2.36220472 feet)

wrist-length: 1 wrist-length = depending on the region, ca 21 to 25 centimeters (0.688976378 to 0.820209974 feet)

Land distance and speed units
ride: 1 ride = ca 3.55 kilometers (2.20587 miles)
jaunt: 1 jaunt = ca 392 meters (1 286.08924 stôp, 428.696413 yards)
bowen: 1 bowen = ca 160 to 170 meters (524.93 to 557.74 feet, 174.97 to 185.91 yards) (1)
strut: 1 strut = ca 2.80 meters (9.18635171 feet, 3.06211724 yards)
pace: 1 pace = ca 64 centimeters (2.09974 feet)

Nautical distance and speed units  
horizon: 1 horizon = ca 4.25 kilometers (2.29482 nautical miles)
mast-length: 1 mast-length = ca 44 meters (144.357 feet, 48.1189851 yards)
oarstroke: 1 oarstroke = ca 1.5 knots (2.778 kph, 1.726169 mph)
fullsail: 1 fullsail = ca 10 knots (18.520 kph, 11.50779 mph)

Time measurement units
thanker: 1 thanker = roughly 37 seconds (2)
blesser: 1 blesser = roughly 53 seconds (2)
rinclang: 1 rinclang = roughly 48 minutes (3)
most: 1 most = roughly 16 hours or 16 and a quarter hours (4)
least: 1 least = roughly 8 hours or 8 and a quarter hours (4)
shibell: 1 shibell = roughly half an hour, i.e. 30 minutes (5) 
deckvig: 1 deckvig = 4 shibells (5)
shorvig: 1 shorvig = 2 shibells (5)

Notes: 

(1) - folk measurement of length/distance. The distance traveled by an arrow shot from a bow by an adult man (or any adult person). Roughly 160 metres to 170 metres, and their multiples. Bowing is the activity of delineating properties, their boundaries, bournes, boundary stones, boundary markers and similar signs, an activity historically used in the real world Kingdom of Hungary, and its fictional equivalents used in the countries of central Aporue in this fictional setting. The measurement unit derived from this traditional measurement/metrology, is known in this fictional world by the fictional term bowen. 
(2) - folk measurements. The names are derived from thankmaker and blessedbe, which are folk abbreviations of the commonest prayers of the Aporuean churches, Thank the Maker and Blessed Be Thine Craft and Thine Children. The “thanker” and “blesser” roughly denotes the average length of time one needs to say the entire prayer at a steady, regular pace. The folk idioms "half-a-prayer" and "quarter-prayer" are synonymous with someone or something being quick or lightning-fast, in a nod to the even shorter amount of time implied by these expressions.

(3) - Melzan folk measurement. Its length is closely related to the length of time between the opening and closing traditional bell ringings on Bellday (Friday) evenings. These are sounded roughly 48 minutes of each other, hence the popularity of this measurement among Cittans/Melzans and other locals.

(4) - "the "most" and the "least" are popular units in many countries of central Aporue, including Melza and the neighbouring polities. The names and lengths of the units are based on the rough lengths of daylight during the summer and winter solstice. A most's length of roughly 16 hours reflects the rough day length on the summer solstice, while a least's length of roughly 8 hours reflects the rough day length on the winter solstice. The plurals of "most” and "least" are "mosts" and "leasts" (e.g. 2 leasts, 7 mosts, etc.). 

(5) - nautical timekeeping units, generally similar to "ship bells" of our world, averaging at a length of around half an hour (often measured by half-hour lasting hourglasses). As in the real world, watches aboard a ship's deck - known here as vigils - are composed of "bells". In this case, the term is shibell, a jargon corruption of “ship's bell”. Four Aporuean shibells constitute a vigil on deck, i.e. a "deckvig" in the same abrreviated sailor parlance. Two shibells denote a shorter watch, a shorter vigil, hence a "shorvig". (The "-g" at the end is pronounced like "j", just like in the real world "vigil".)  

Other measurement units

Temperature
snow-range: roughly -2 to 4 °C (not so much a unit, as a folk measurement)
melt-range: roughly anything above 5 °C (again, more of a folk measurement)
waterboil: 1 waterboil = roughly 100 °C (212 °F, 373.15 °K, 60 °Rø, 80 °Ré, 0 °D, 33 °N)
leadboil: 1 leadboil = roughly 1749 °C (3180 °F, 2022.15 °K, 925.725 °Rø, 1399.2 °Ré, -2473.5 °D, 577.17 °N)

Surface area
field: 1 field = 1 square trunk (see Length and size units)
field-bough: 1 field-bough = 1 square bough (see Length and size units)
field-limb: 1 field-limb = 1 square limb (see Length and size units)

Volume
pond: 1 pond = 1 cubic trunk (see Length and size units)
pond-bough: 1 pond-bough = 1 cubic bough (see Length and size units)
pond-limb: 1 pond-limb = 1 cubic limb (see Length and size units)

Weight
beedheft: 1 beedheft = roughly 2,5 grams (0.08818491 ounces)
bagheft:  1 bagheft = roughly 0,7 kilograms (1 pound 8.691775 ounces)
sack: 1 sack = roughly 62 kilograms (136 pounds 10.98582 ounces)
boulder: 1 boulder = roughly 854 kilograms (1882 pounds 11.96594 ounces)