Discordian Online Library of the M.M.M.

Official Discordian Document Numbering System Explained

ODD# I(c)/3,i; 71Dsc3178

First I want to say a big thank you to Telarus for working on this issue at the Principia Discordia Forum... http://www.principiadiscordia.com/forum/index.php/topic,27926.msg988915.html#msg988915

As is shown at the above link, the Discordian Document Numbering System isn't

numbering the pages of books with 5 digits like "page 00023" for example. Nothing is wrong with that, but that is just a Discordian way of numbering pages. Set that aside.

What my goal is, is to simply and succinctly lay out exactly WHAT the Discordian Document Numbering Sysytem is, at least in relation to the 4th edition of the Principia Discordia... AND provide PROOF. Some of the earliest editions have I believe three different numbering styles in use but I think they are all related. However I believe the examples used in the 4th edition are pretty much recognized as the norm. So this document will cover that version. If you need a copy of the 4th ed., you can find it on this site among the list of books. I suggest the Loompanics edition.

If you look at the PD 4th edition and go to PDF page 50, you will find the POEE Disorganizational Matrix. At the top of the page is a Document Number we will try to decipher. It shows:

ODD# III(b)/4,i;18Aft3135

Now I should HOPE that everyone here can figure out the 18Aft3135. But for all the poor shcmucks that cant, it is a reference to the date the document was written according to the Discordian Calendar on PDF page 64. This is "18th Day of Aftermath, 3135 or November 6th, 1969. Pretty simple stuff.

By the way if you see in the 4th edition a numbering style that has VVM as part of the date, the VVM stands for "Patron St. Van Van Mojo" which represents the month (season?) of Discord. I have seen people trying to decipher that one and thought I would just throw that in here. Sorry.

Now from the beginning of the ODD# we see, III(b). If we look at the Disorganization Matrix on page 50, look at category III:
"III) THE HOUSE OF THE RISING HODGE"
Let's assume this is what the III is referencing. Now for the (b). Let us figure it is referencing the second category in the House of the Rising Hodge which is:
"B. The Bureau of The POEE Epistolary, and The Division of Dogmas"

So for now, let us take this as our working solution for the first part. Now what of the "/4,i"? Well the / is just a divider so just ignore it. As for the "4,i" let us refer back to the Disorganizational Matrix. Category IV (4), we have:
"IV) THE HOUSE OF THE RISING PODGE"
Again, let's just go with this as what the "4" is leading to. Now the "i"... well "i" is just a lower case "I" which is the roman numeral for 1. So let us look at the first category under the House of the Rising Podge which leads us to:
"A. Office of My High Reverence, The Polyfather"
Which as we know can only mean Malaclypse the Younger.

So "assuming" we have figured this out, this document says it is from The Polyfather who is part of the House of the Rising Podge and for the The Bureau of The POEE Epistolary, and The Division of Dogmas which is part of the House of the Rising Hodge on November 6th 1969.

All well and good but can this be verified or is it just a wild theory? Oh... I can prove it (as well as you can prove anything in this religion). The proof is ALSO on page 50 if you look at the stamp at the bottom of the page... it says:

OFFICIAL - POEE
Head Temple, San Francisco
HOUSE OF THE RISING PODGE
The Bureau of The POEE Epistolary

Notice those last two lines? It seems to match up with my conclusions above and we can (I believe) safely assume this was written by the Polyfather and the calendar aspect is a no-brainer. So in conclusion, this is how we figure/decipher the Discordian Documnent Numbering System.

Hope this all was clear and can be of use to people. I give credit to helping me understand this to Telarus and those at the link posted above.

Rev. Judas IMOK K.S.C.

Updated and Published: Prickle-Prickle, 52 Confusion, Year of Our Lady of Discord (YOLD) 3181

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