Today, February 29, is a Leap Day. These happen every four years, so that means we can finally acknowledge the existence of certain people who were born on this seldom occurring day.
My brother, Sean, was born on February 28 at 11:08 pm, so he was almost a Leap Year baby. If he had been born a mere 53 minutes later, he would only be 6 years old. Maybe then he could have stayed on our parent’s insurance! Oh well.
Another birthday we can celebrate today is that of Tim Powers. Yes, Powers was born on a Leap Year, which is very fitting given his unique stories. I think this proves that God does indeed have a sense of humor.
I wanted to write a quick post about how Powers incorporates Leap Years into his award-winning time travel classic, The Anubis Gates. On the Feast of Candlemass, February 2, 1802, two evil Egyptain sorcerers attempt to open the gates of the underworld, Tuat, that have been held shut by the power of Christianity. The socercers hope that, because of the deteriorating effects of the Enlightenment, Christianity has been weakened enough to summon Anubis, the god of the dead, in order to destory the hated British Empire and usher in an Egyptian one. The scene is replete with symbolism that signals this event is an “Anti-Candlemass”.
This plan did not go the way the sorcerers wanted and instead of summoning a vengeful, powerful god, the summoner gets possessed and turns into a degenerate serial killer. The secondary effect of the botched ritual was the opening of various gates in time spread out both before and after 1802 in a parallel pattern spanning 612 years.
The beginning and ending dates of the “Anubis Gates” were 1504 and 2116. Leap Years need to be divisible by four, so both of these years are Leap Years. These gates are used by the characters to travel through time, literalizing the “leap” in Leap Year. Even 612 is divisble by four. I am sure that there are more Leap Year references in The Anubis Gates. It wouldn’t surprise me at all.
Anyway, happy 26th birthday to Sean and 18th birthday to Tim, who may or may not be a time traveler himself.