3. February could once have been the tail month of the year because it alone among the months has 28 days. There is (normally) no night 29 beyond the last day of February, there is no rejuvenation of Moon, and therefore the year must be ending. Old Sun is no more in action. 472 (= 16 * 29.5) - 28 = 444 happens to be a number which is 300 less than 93 * 8 (= 24 * 31) at mama in Wednesday:
In other words, maybe we can interpret 93 * 8 = 744 = 300 (Sun-is-present) + 444 (Sun-is-absent), and then make a final addition with a 'tail-month' having 28 days only. 300 + 444 + 28 = 772. Thursday arrives immediately beyond Hb9-38 and the last 28-day long month ('February') should belong to Jupiter (the 'old calabash' high up 'in the tree'). Friday and Saturday are periods beyond the 5 of 'fire'. In the text of G we can find confirmation - the last month on the back side of the tablet indeed seems to have only 28 days:
Jupiter in Gb8-2 (where 8 * 2 = 16) represents day number 444 counted from the beginning of the text. This glyph is a Sign, because the combination of kiore with henua, which we can observe, is out of place - it should be located in spring. We can compare with for instance the glyph at day number 120 (also a Thursday):
Instead of '5 feathers growing' (at right in Ga5-9) there are 4 'feathers' in front and attached to a henua (earth) in obviously poor shape. These 4 'feathers' are arranged in 2 pairs, and in the following Venus hua there are 5 + 5 'feathers'. 4 + (5 + 5) = 14. Possibly the arrangement in 2 pairs (in Gb8-2) is meant to indicate how 2 months of 'winter' are arriving before the front side and a further 2 months of 'winter' will follow at the beginning of the front side. Twice 5 months for 'summer' and twice 2 months for 'winter' results in a 'greater fortnight', and 14 * 26 = 364. The pair of heads looking at each other (in Gb8-1) is also found in Thursday (Hb9-42):
The interpretation could involve the idea of 'Janus', but the faces are oriented towards each other instead of one face looking back and the other looking forwards. Possibly, therefore, we should instead think of the kava ceremony, where the king must 'die' in order to live on. The 'old fire' must be stamped out before a 'new fire' can be ignited. In Hb9-40 (where we will count 9 * 40 = 360) there is a reversed kai person and his hand has the Y-sign of 'straw'. He is 'dead'. Then comes a fresh one looking forward and with fingers spread out (a sign meaning procreation, spreading out). A summary could be the following tagata with double faces looking at each other. I have named this glyph type ariga erua, 'two faces'. The Old Year is fully grown (tagata) but his face is reflected in the next generation: ... This, my head, has nothing on it - just bone, nothing of meat. It's just the same with the head of a great lord: it's just the flesh that makes his face look good. And when he dies, people get frightened by his bones. After that, his son is like his saliva, his spittle, in his being, whether it be the son of a lord or the son of a craftsman, an orator. The father does not disappear, but goes on being fulfilled. Neither dimmed nor destroyed is the face of a lord, a warrior, craftsman, an orator ... |
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