six-and-thirty moons

The six-and-thirty moons represent the length of the war between the two great empires of Lilliput and Blefuscu, a conflict that has raged for exactly three years by the time Gulliver arrives. This period of continuous hostility frames the political situation that Reldresal, the principal secretary for private affairs, describes to Gulliver shortly after he obtains his liberty. The war, as Reldresal explains, has been "a most obstinate war for six-and-thirty moons past," and it has its origins in a seemingly trivial religious dispute over the correct method of breaking eggs before eating them.

Origins and Causes of the War

The war began because the grandfather of the current Emperor of Lilliput, while still a boy, cut his finger when breaking an egg according to the ancient practice of breaking it at the larger end. In response, the emperor's father published an edict commanding all subjects, under great penalties, to break the smaller end of their eggs instead. This law provoked such resentment that six rebellions were raised on that account, during which one emperor lost his life and another his crown. The monarchs of Blefuscu constantly fomented these civil commotions, and when the rebellions were quelled, the exiles—the Big-endians—always fled for refuge to Blefuscu. The dispute was also framed as a religious schism, with the Emperors of Blefuscu accusing the Lilliputians of offending against a fundamental doctrine of their great prophet Lustrog, who had written that "all true believers break their eggs at the convenient end." The Big-endian exiles found so much credit and encouragement at the court of Blefuscu that the war between the two empires has been carried on for six-and-thirty moons with various success.

Consequences of the War

During these six-and-thirty moons of war, the Lilliputians have lost forty capital ships and a much greater number of smaller vessels, together with thirty thousand of their best seamen and soldiers. The damage received by the enemy is reckoned to be somewhat greater. By the time Gulliver arrives, the Blefuscudians have equipped a numerous fleet and are just preparing to make a descent upon Lilliput. This imminent invasion is what prompts the emperor to place great confidence in Gulliver's valor and strength, leading to Gulliver's extraordinary stratagem of seizing the entire Blefuscu fleet. The war also provides the pretext for the conspiracy against Gulliver, as his refusal to reduce Blefuscu to a province and destroy the Big-endian exiles is cited in the articles of impeachment against him. The admiral Skyrris Bolgolam, who is a mortal enemy of Gulliver, accuses him of being a Big-endian in his heart, and the treasurer Flimnap argues that the same strength which enabled Gulliver to bring over the enemy's fleet might serve, upon the first discontent, to carry it back. The war thus not only defines the political landscape of Lilliput but also directly shapes Gulliver's fate, from his initial service to his eventual escape.

Thematic Significance

The six-and-thirty moons of war serve as a satirical device through which Swift exposes the absurdity of human conflict over trivial differences. The entire war, with its massive loss of life and resources, is fought over the proper end of an egg to break, a dispute that is itself a parody of the religious and political conflicts of Swift's own time, particularly the schisms within Christianity and the wars between Catholic and Protestant nations. The duration of the war—precisely six-and-thirty moons—underscores the pointlessness and longevity of such conflicts, which persist not because of any real stakes but because of entrenched factionalism and the manipulation of religious doctrine for political ends. The war also illustrates the theme of perspective and scale: what seems monumental to the Lilliputians is, to Gulliver and the reader, a ridiculous quarrel over a matter of inches. This contrast between the enormous consequences (thousands dead, empires at war) and the trivial cause (how to break an egg) is one of the central satirical mechanisms of the Lilliput voyage.