The heliacal stars could not
be observed directly, but instead the face of
the Full Moon (Hotu) could have been
observed against the background of the fixed
stars - the nakshatra method of determining
time:
|
Hotu
Ta.: hotu, to produce fruit,
Sa.: fotu, id. Mgv.:
akahotu, the September season.
Churchill.
H.: Hoku,
Night of the full moon. When this
moon set before daylight it was
called Hoku Palemo, Hoku that
slips away. When it set after
daylight it was called Hoku Ili,
grounded Hoku. Ka mahina o Hoku,
the full moon of the night Hoku. Cf.
hōkū, star. Hō
kū, star. (PPN fetu'u).
Wehewehe.
... When this tremendous task had
been accomplished Atea took a
third husband, Fa'a-hotu,
Make Fruitful. Then occurred a
curious event. Whether Atea
had wearied of bringing forth
offspring we are not told, but
certain it is that Atea and
her husband Fa'a-hotu
exchanged sexes. Then the [male]
eyes of Atea glanced down at
those of his wife Hotu and
they begat Ru. It was this
Ru who explored the whole earth
and divided it into north, south,
east, and west ... |
In Hindu legend there was a mother goddess called Aditi, who had seven offspring. She is called 'Mother of the Gods'. Aditi, whose name means 'free, unbounded, infinity' was assigned in the ancient lists of constellations as the regent of the asterism Punarvasu. Punarvasu is dual in form and means 'The Doublegood Pair'. The singular form of this noun is used to refer to the star Pollux. It is not difficult to surmise that the other member of the Doublegood Pair was Castor.
Then the constellation Punarvasu is quite equivalent to our Gemini, the Twins. In far antiquity (5800 B.C.) the spring equinoctial point was predicted by the heliacal rising of the Twins (see fig. 6.6). By 4700 B.C. the equinox lay squarely in Gemini (fig. 6.7).
Punarvasu is one of the twenty-seven (or twenty-eight) zodiacal constellations in the Indian system of Nakshatras. In each of the Nakshatras there is a 'yoga', a key star that marks a station taken by the moon in its monthly (twenty-seven- or twenty-eight-day course) through the stars ...
|
I have described how the G text
was correlated with the heliacal
stars. But these could not be observed
directly and therefore it would have been
convenient if the creator of the text had
supplied the reader with the relevant
nakshatra stars. And, indeed, this was
probably done by way of for instance Sirrah and Bharani:
|
JULY 15 |
16 |
17 (*118 = *57 + 61) |
18 (199) |
37 |
|
"MAY 15 (500) |
16 (136) |
17 (*57 = *182 - 125) |
18 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Ga5-6 |
Ga5-7 |
Ga5-8 (118) |
Ga5-9 |
|
no star listed (180) |
π Virginis
(181.0), θ Crucis (181.5) |
12h (182.6)
ο Virginis
(182.1), η Crucis (182.5) |
ALCHITA
= α Corvi, MA WEI (Tail of the
Horse) = δ Centauri
(183.1),
MINKAR = ε Corvi
(183.7), ρ Centauri (183.9) |
|
September 17 (260) |
18
(*181) |
19 |
20 |
|
°September 13 |
14 (*177) |
15 |
16 |
|
'August 21 |
22 |
23 |
24 (236) |
|
"August 7 |
8 |
9 |
10 (222) |
|
NAKSHATRA DATES: |
|
JANUARY 14 |
15 (*300) |
16 (381) |
17 |
|
"NOVEMBER 14 |
15 |
16 (320) |
17 |
|
η
Tucanae (363.0), ψ Pegasi (363.1),
32 Piscium
(363.2),
π Phoenicis
(363.4), ε Tucanae (363.6),
τ Phoenicis
(363.9) |
θ Oct.
(364.4) |
Al
Fargh al Thāni-25
0h (365.25)
CAPH = β Cassiopeiae,
SIRRAH
= α Andromedae
(0.5), ε
Phoenicis, γ³ Oct. (0.8) |
Uttara Bhādrapadā-27
/
Wall-14
ο
Oct. (1.3),
ALGENIB PEGASI
= γ Pegasi
(1.8) |
|
March 19 (78) |
20 |
0h |
22 (*366) |
|
°March 15 |
16 (*360) |
17 |
18 (77) |
|
'February 20 (*336) |
21 |
22 (53) |
TERMINALIA |
|
"February 6 |
7 (403) |
8 (*324) |
9 (40) |
|
AUGUST 25 (237) |
26 |
27 |
28 (*160) |
|
"JUNE 25 |
26 |
27 (178) |
28 (*99) |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Ga6-17 |
Ga6-18 |
Ga6-19 (159) |
Ga6-20 |
|
ρ Lupi (221.0),
TOLIMAN
= α Centauri
(221.2), π Bootis (221.8), ζ
Bootis (221.9) |
31 Bootis
(222.0),
YANG MUN = α Lupi
(222.1),
RIJL AL AWWA = μ Virginis
(222.5), ο Bootis (222.9) |
IZAR = ε Bootis
(223.0),
109 Virginis,
α Apodis (223.3), μ Librae
(223.8) |
Al Zubānā-14a /
Visakha-16 /
Root-3
ZUBEN ELGENUBI
= α Librae
(224.2), ξ Bootis, ο Lupi
(224.5) |
|
October 28 (301) |
29 (*222) |
30 |
31 |
|
°October 24 |
25 |
26 (299) |
27 (*220) |
|
'October 1 |
2 |
3 (*196) |
4
(277) |
|
"September 17 (260) |
18 |
19 |
20 (*183) |
|
NAKSHATRA DATES: |
|
FEBRUARY 24 |
25 |
26 (*342) |
27 (58) |
|
"DECEMBER 24 |
25 |
26 (*281) |
27 (362) |
|
μ
Arietis (39.4),
HEAD OF THE FLY = 35 Arietis(39.6),
KAFFALJIDHMA = γ Ceti,
θ Persei (39.8) |
π
Ceti, ο Arietis (40.0),
ANGETENAR = τ¹
Eridani, μ Ceti
(40.2),
RIGHT WING = 39
Arietis
(40.9) |
Bharani-2 /
Stomach-17
π
Arietis (41.2),
MIRAM = η Persei
(41.3),
BHARANI
= 41 Arietis
(41.4), τ² Eridani, σ Arietis
(41.7) |
TA LING (Great Mound) = τ Persei
(42.4) |
|
April 29 |
30 |
May 1 (121) |
2 (*407) |
|
°April 25 |
26 (*36) |
27 |
28 (*403) |
|
'April 2 (92) |
3 (*378) |
4
(*14) |
5 (460) |
|
"March 19 (78) |
20 (*364) |
0h |
22 |
Without doubt the pair of
silent and fat birds in Ga5-8 and Ga6-19
represented nakshatra Sirrah respectively
nakshatra Bharani.
|
JANUARY 16 (*301) |
40 |
FEBRUARY 26 (*342) |
|
"NOVEMBER 16 (*240) |
"DECEMBER 26 (*281) |
|
|
|
|
Ga5-8 (118) |
Ga6-19 (159) |
|
α Andromedae |
41 Arietis |
|
March 21 (0h) |
"March 21 (0h) |
These nakshatra stars were together
defining the precessional depth of 41 nights
down from Sirrah to Bharani.
The heliacal vaha mea
pair defining the precessional depth down
from Sheratan to Aldebaran was similarly
defined as 41 days:
|
FEBRUARY 12 (43 = 107 - 64) |
40 |
MARCH 25
(84 = 148 - 64) |
|
"DECEMBER 13 (347 = 43 - 61) |
"JANUARY 23 (107 - 84) |
 |
 |
|
Gb7-25 |
Ga1-4 |
|
SHERATAN |
ALDEBARAN |
|
April 17 (107) |
May 28 (148) |
|
'March 21 (0h) |
'May 1 (121) |
|
"March 7 (66) |
"April 17 (107) |
... Obviously this time of the year once
must have been a kind of 'candlemas'.
Precession makes the dates of celebration
move earlier and earlier, and according to
the Julian calendar December 13 was [at the
relevant precessional time] the
darkest day in the year.
Thus the day of Lucia (who has a crown of
candles in her hair) is expressing the same
idea as Candlemas. No wonder people in the
street here in Sweden had no explanation for
Kyndelsmäss - in Sweden the candles
are instead kindled 12 days before
Christmas Day
...
... The Julian calendar is still used by the
Berber people of North Africa and on Mount
Athos, and is the basis for the Ethiopian
calendar, which is the national standard
(not used only by the Orthodox Church) ...
... The system of Nakshatras, then,
is quite distinct from systems that use the
appearance of heliacally rising or setting
stars as the equinoctial marker.
Furthermore, the Indian system is all but
unique in that two calendar systems competed
with each other - a civil system, in which
the year's beginning was at the winter
solstice, and a sacrificial year, which
begins at the spring equinox. The beginning
of the former was determined by the
Nakshatra method, observing the winter
full moon's apparition near the point of the
summer solstice in the sky
...
In 'June was the end of
Jupiter and half a year later, in 'December,
was the end of his 'other' (ké) half:
|
MAY 3 (*408) |
4
(*44) |
5 (125) |
6 |
7 |
|
"MARCH 3 |
4
(*348) |
5 (64 = 125 - 61) |
6 |
7 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Ga2-13 |
Ga2-14 |
Ga2-15 (45) |
Ga2-16 |
Ga2-17 |
|
WEZEN (Weight)
= δ Canis Majoris
(107.1), τ Gemini (107.7), δ
Monocerotis (107.9) |
no star listed (108) |
λ Gemini (109.4),
WASAT
(Middle)
= δ Gemini
(109.8) |
no star listed (110) |
ALUDRA (Virgin, singular)
= η Canis Majoris
(111.1),
PROPUS = ι Gemini
(111.4),
GOMEISA = β Canis Minoris
(111.6) |
|
July 6 (*107) |
7 (188) |
8 |
9 |
10 |
|
°July 2 |
3 (184) |
4 |
5 |
ºJuly 6 (*107) |
|
'June 9 |
10 (161) |
11 |
12 |
13 (*84) |
|
"May 26 |
27 |
28 (148) |
29 |
30 (*70) |
|
MAY
25 (290 / 2) |
26 (*66) |
27 |
28 |
|
"MARCH 25 (84) |
26 (*5 = *66 - 61) |
27 |
28 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Ga3-6 |
Ga3-7 |
Ga3-8 |
Ga3-9 (68) |
|
Āshleshā-9 /
Willow-24
π¹ Ursa Majoris,
δ Hydrae (129.6),
AL MINHAR AL SHUJĀ
= σ
Hydrae, MUSEIDA
= π² Ursae Majoris
(129.9)
RAS
ALHAGUE (α Ophiuchi)
|
Al Nathrah-6
BEEHIVE
= ε Cancri,
η
Pyxidis
(130.4),
XESTUS
= ο Velorum
(130.5),
ζ
Pyxidis
(130.7),
ASCELLUS BOREALIS
= γ Cancri,
β
Pyxidis
(130.9) |
Extended Net-26a /
Arkū-sha-nangaru-sha-shūtu-12
(Southeast Star in the Crab)
η Hydrae
(131.0),
ASCELLUS
AUSTRALIS = δ
Cancri
(131.4),
KOO SHE (Bow and Arrow) = δ Velorum
(131.6),
α
Pyxidis
(131.8),
ε
Hydrae
(131.9) |
ι Cancri (132.0),
ρ
Hydrae
(132.4) |
|
July 28 |
29 (*130) |
30 |
31 (212) |
|
°July 24 |
25 |
26 (*127) |
27 (208) |
|
'July 1 |
2 |
3 (*104) |
4 (185) |
|
"June 17 |
18 |
19 (*90) |
20 (171) |
|
MAY 29 |
30 |
31
(151) |
JUNE 1 |
2 (*73) |
3 |
4 |
|
"MARCH 29 |
30 |
31
(90) |
"APRIL 1 |
2 (*12) |
3 |
4 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Ga3-10 |
Ga3-11 |
Ga3-12 |
Ga3-13 (72) |
Ga3-14 |
Ga3-15 |
Ga3-16 |
|
γ
Pyxidis
(133.6) |
ζ Hydrae (134.1), ρ Cancri (134.2),
ζ Oct. (134.3), ο Cancri (134.6),
δ
Pyxidis
(134.9) |
ACUBENS
= α Cancri, TALITHA
BOREALIS = ι Ursae Majoris
(135.0), σ Cancri (135.2), ρ Ursa
Majoris (135.6) |
ν Cancri (136.0),
TALITHA AUSTRALIS
= κ Ursae Majoris
(136.1), ω Hydrae (136.8) |
9h (137.0)
σ¹ Ursa Majoris (137.0), κ Cancri
(137.3), τ Cancri (137.4),
ALSUHAIL = λ Velorum
(137.5), σ² Ursa Majoris (137.6), τ
Ursa Majoris (137.7),
ξ
Cancri
(137.8) |
κ
Pyxidis
(138.0),
ε
Pyxidis
(138.5) |
π Cancri (139.2),
MIAPLACIDUS = β Carinae
(139.3),
TUREIS = ι Carinae
(139.8) |
|
August 1 |
2 (214) |
3 (*500) |
4 (216) |
5 |
6 |
7 |
|
°July 28 |
29 (*130) |
30 |
31 |
°August 1 |
2 (214) |
3 |
|
'July 5 |
6 (*107) |
7 |
8 |
9 (190) |
10 |
11 |
|
SOLSTICE |
"June 22 (*93) |
23 |
ST JOHN'S DAY |
Maro 25 |
26 (177) |
27 |
|
65 |
AUGUST 9 |
10 (222) |
11 |
12 |
13 (*145) |
155 |
|
"JUNE 9 (*80) |
10 (222 - 61 = 161) |
11 |
12 |
13 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Ga6-1 |
Ga6-2 |
Ga6-3 |
Ga6-4 (144) |
Ga6-5 (290 / 2) |
|
HEZE = ζ Virginis
(205.0), Southern Pinwheel
Galaxy = M83 Hydrae (205.7) |
ε Centauri (206.3), κ Oct.
(206.4) |
no star listed (207) |
τ Bootis
(208.2),
BENETNASH
= η Ursae Majoris
(208.5), ν Centauri (208.7), μ
Centauri, υ Bootis (208.8) |
no star listed (209) |
|
October 12 (285) |
13 |
14 |
15 (*208) |
16 |
|
°October 8 |
9 |
10 |
11 (*204) |
12 (285) |
|
'September 15 |
16 |
17 (260) |
18 |
19 (*182) |
|
Hora Nui 1 (244) |
Hora Nui 2 |
"September 3 |
4 |
5 (*168) |
|
NAKSHATRA DATES: |
|
FEBRUARY 8 (*324) |
9 (40) |
10 |
11 |
12 (408) |
|
"DECEMBER 8 |
9 |
10 |
11 (*266) |
12 (346) |
|
ACHERNAR
= α Eridani
(23.3), χ Andromedae (23.6), τ
Andromedae (23.9) |
ALSEIPH (Scimitar)
= φ Persei
(24.5), τ Ceti (24.7) |
no star listed (25) |
ANA-NIA-10
(Pillar-to-fish by)
χ
Ceti (26.1),
POLARIS
= α Ursae Minoris, BATEN KAITOS
= ζ Ceti
(26.6),
METALLAH = α Trianguli
(26.9) |
Al Sharatain-1 /
Ashvini-1 /
Bond-16 /
Mahrū-sha-rishu-ku-1
(Front of the Head of Ku)
SEGIN = ε Cassiopeia, MESARTHIM
= γ Arietis, ψ Phoenicis
(27.2),
SHERATAN
= β Arietis, φ Phoenicis
(27.4) |
|
April 13 (468) |
4-14 (104) |
15 |
16 (471) |
17 (107) |
|
°April 9 |
10 (100) |
11 |
12 |
13 (*23) |
|
'March 17 |
18 (77) |
19 |
20 (*364) |
0h |
|
"March 3 |
4
(*348) |
5 (64) |
6 |
7 |
|
NOVEMBER 14 |
15 |
16 (320) |
17 |
18 (*242) |
58 |
|
"SEPTEMBER 14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 (*181) |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Gb1-9 |
Gb1-10 |
Gb1-11 (240) |
Gb1-12 |
Gb1-13 |
|
ε Pavonis, θ Sagittarii (302.3),
γ Sagittae (302.5), μ Pavonis
(302.7 |
τ Aquilae
(303.8) |
20h (304.4)
η Sagittae (304.2), δ Pavonis
(304.4) |
SHANG WEI (Higher Guard) = κ
Cephei
(305.2), θ Sagittae (305.4),
TSEEN FOO (Heavenly
Raft) = θ Aquilae (Ant.)
(305.6), ξ Capricorni (305.8) |
TSO KE (Left Flag) = ρ Aquilae
(306.3) |
|
January 17 |
18 (383) |
19 (*304) |
20 |
21 |
|
°January 13 |
14 |
15 (*300) |
16 |
17 (382) |
|
SOLSTICE |
'December 22 |
23 (*277) |
CHRISTMAS EVE |
25 (359) |
|
"December 7 |
8 |
9 (*263) |
10 |
11 (345) |
|
NAKSHATRA DATES: |
|
MAY 15 |
16 (136) |
17 |
18 |
19 |
|
"MARCH 15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
19 (78) |
|
DRUS = χ Carinae
(119.9) |
ω CANCRI
(120.2) |
8h (121.7)
χ
Gemini (121.0),
NAOS = ζ Puppis
(121.3) |
ρ
Puppis (122.0),
HEAP OF FUEL = μ Cancri
(122.1), ζ Monocerotis (122.3),
ψ Cancri (122.6),
REGOR = γ Velorum
(122.7) |
TEGMINE = ζ
Cancri
(123.3) |
|
July 18 |
19 (200) |
20 |
21 (*122) |
22 / 7 |
|
°July 14 |
15 |
16 |
17 (*118) |
18 (199) |
|
SOLSTICE |
'June 22 |
23 (174) |
ST JOHN'S DAY |
25 (*96) |
|
"June 7 |
8 |
9 (*80) |
Maro 10 |
11 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Ga2-25 |
Ga2-26 |
Ga2-27 (57) |
Ga2-28 |
Ga2-29 |
|
JANUARY 16 (*301) |
17 |
18 |
19 (384) |
20 |
21 |
|
"NOVEMBER 16 |
17 |
18
(*242) |
19 |
20 |
21 (325) |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Gb3-11 |
Gb3-12 (73) |
Gb3-13 |
Gb3-14 (304) |
Gb3-15 |
Gb3-16 |
|
Al
Fargh al Thāni-25
0h (365.25)
CAPH = β Cassiopeiae,
SIRRAH = α Andromedae
(0.5), ε Phoenicis, γ³ Oct.
(0.8) |
Uttara Bhādrapadā-27
/
Wall-14
ο Oct. (1.3),
ALGENIB
PEGASI
=
γ Pegasi
(1.8) |
χ Pegasi (2.1),
θ Andromedae
(2.7) |
σ Andromedae
(3.0), ι Ceti (3.3), ζ Tucanae
(3.5),
ρ Andromedae,
π Tucanae (3.7) |
no star listed (4) |
ANKAA = α Phoenicis,
κ Phoenicis
(5.0)
ALPHARD (α Hydrae)
|
|
March 21 (0h) |
22 |
23 |
24 |
3-25 (84) |
26 (450) |
|
°March 17 (*361) |
18 |
19 |
20 |
0h |
22 (81) |
|
'February 22 |
Terminalia |
24 |
25 (*341) |
26 (422) |
27 (58) |
|
"February 8 |
9 (*325) |
10 (41) |
11 |
12 (408) |
13 |
|
NAKSHATRA DATES: |
|
JULY 17 (*118) |
18 |
19 (200) |
20 |
21 |
22-7 |
|
"MAY 17 |
18 |
19 |
20 (*60) |
21 (121) |
22 |
|
12h (182.6)
ο Virginis
(182.1), η Crucis (182.5) |
ALCHITA = α Corvi,
MA WEI (Tail of the Horse) = δ
Centauri
(183.7), ρ Centauri (183.9) |
PÁLIDA = δ Crucis
(184.6),
MEGREZ = δ Ursae Majoris
(184.9) |
Hasta-13 /
Chariot-28
GIENAH
= γ Corvi(185.1),
ε Muscae
(185.2), ζ Crucis (185.4),
ZANIAH = η Virginis
(185.9) |
CHANG SHA (Long Sand-bank) = ζ
Corvi
(186.3) |
INTROMETIDA = ε Crucis
(187.4),
ACRUX = α Crucis
(187.5) |
|
September 19 |
20 |
21 |
EQUINOX |
23 (266) |
24 (*187) |
|
°September 15 |
16 |
17 |
18 (261) |
19 |
20 (*183) |
|
'August 23 |
24 (236) |
25 |
26 |
27 |
28 (*160) |
|
"August 9 |
10 (222) |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 (*146) |
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Ga5-8 (118) |
Ga5-9 |
Ga5-10 |
Ga5-11 (*41) |
Ga5-12 |
Ga5-13 |
|
