The problem when 'the sticks
bounced apart' - or when the arrows bounced
off Balder - was that there would be no
offspring, no more flowering new land:
"A Babylonian legend says
that Etana was desperate to have a child,
until one day he helped save an eagle from
starving, who then took him up into the sky
to find the plant of birth. This led to the
birth of his son, Balih.
In the detailed form of the
legend, there is a tree with the eagle's
nest at the top, and a serpent at the base.
Both the serpent and eagle have promised Utu
(the sun god) to behave well toward one
another, and ... share food with their
children.
But one day, the eagle eats
the serpent's children. The serpent comes
back and cries. Utu tells the serpent to
hide inside of the stomach of a dead bull.
The eagle goes down to eat the bull. The
serpent captures the eagle, and throws him
into a pit to die of hunger and thirst. Utu
sends a man, Etana, to help the eagle. Etana
saves the eagle, but he also asks the bird
to find the plant of birth, in order to
become father of a son. The eagle takes
Etana up to the heaven of the god Anu, but
Etana becomes afraid in the air and he goes
back to the ground. He makes another
attempt, and finds the plant of birth,
enabling him to have Balih.
So far versions in three
languages have been found. The Old
Babylonian version comes from Susa and Tell
Harmal, the Middle Assyrian version comes
from Assur, and the Standard version is from
Nineveh. (Wikipedia)
The name of Etana's son
could refer to ε Aquarii, the first star in
the constellation, which in rongorongo times
rose heliacally in January 30 (i.e. in day 295 +
100 = RA day 314 + 1):
|
19 |
Al Baldah |
City |
π Sagittarii (Al Baldah) |
290.1 |
January 5 (370) |
41 |
279 |
|
20 |
Al Sa’d al Dhabih |
Lucky One of the Slaughterers |
α Capricorni (Gredi), β (Dabih) |
308.0 |
January 23 (388) |
18 |
297 |
|
21 |
Al Sa’d al Bula' |
Good Fortune of the Swallower |
ε Aquarii (Albali),
μ, ν |
314.8 |
January 30 (395) |
7 |
304 |
|
January 23 |
24 |
25 (390) |
|
July 24 |
25 (206) |
26 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Cb12-8 |
Cb12-9 (675) |
Cb12-10 (284) |
|
tagata oho |
te hau tea
ka oho te tagata |
ka moe te
ravarava hiku haga hia |
|
Al Sa’d al Dhabih-20 /
Ox / Herd Boy-9 |
Peacock (308.7) |
Okul (309.6), Bos
(309.9), ο Capricorni
(310.2), θ Cephei (310.5) |
|
Alshat (307.9),
DABIH
(308.0), κ Sagittarii
(308.1), Sadir (308.4) |
|
Bright Fire (125.4) |
Avior (126.4) |
ο Ursa Majoris (127.4) |
Arneb (389) |
Alnilam (390) |
|
January 26 |
27 (392) |
28 |
29 |
|
July 27 |
28 |
29 (210) |
30 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Cb12-11 (677) |
Cb12-12 |
Cb12-13 |
Cb12-14 (314) |
|
tagata mau
maro |
te hoko
huki - manu rere |
te marama
- te kihikihi |
te
kihikihi - ki te henua |
|
Rotten Melon,
φ Pavonis (311.2),
η Delphini
(311.4) |
ζ Delphini, ρ Pavonis (311.7),
Rotanev,
ι Delphini
(312.3) |
θ Delphini,
τ Capricorni (312.6),
κ Delphini
(312.7),
Svalocin, υ Capricorni, υ
Pavonis (312.8), Deneb Cygni
(313.5) |
Dhanishta-24 |
|
β Pavonis (313.6),
δ DELPHINI
(313.8), Yue (314.3), Gienah
Cygni, η Cephei (314.5) |
|
θ Cancri (128.2), η Cancri
(128.5) |
no star listed |
Al Nathrah-6 /
Willow-24 |
|
|
π¹ Ursa Majoris,
δ
HYDRAE (129.6), Al
Minhar al Shujā, Museida
(129.9),
BEEHIVE (130.4),
Xestus (130.5) |
Ascellus Borealis (130.9), η
Hydrae (131.0), Ascellus
Australis (131.4) |
Betelgeuze (394) |
|
January 30 |
|
31 (396) |
|
July 31 |
August 1 (213) |
 |
 |
|
Cb12-15 |
Cb12-16 (682) |
|
tagata
kua here te maro i te
puoko |
e
ariki kua iri |
|
Al Sa’d al
Bula'-21 /
Girl-10 |
Baten Algiedi (315.8), μ
Aquarii (316.0) |
|
γ Delphini
(314.6), σ
Pavonis (314.7),
ALBALI
(314.8) |
|
Koo She (131.6), ε
Hydrae (131.9), ι Cancri
(132.0), ρ Hydrae
(132.4) |
no star listed |
I have coloured
the 9 stars of the Dolphin to
make it easier to see them.
At the ariki
glyph in January 31 there are
only 4 days remaining to Gregorian day
400. There are 15 ariki
glyphs in the text, and nearly
all of them are on side b:
 |
 |
|
Ca3-15 |
Ca9-3 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Cb1-16 |
Cb5-11 |
Cb5-20 |
Cb5-21 |
Cb8-12 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
Cb11-2 |
Cb11-11 |
Cb12-16 |
Cb12-24 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Cb13-1 |
Cb13-7 |
Cb13-12 |
Cb14-5 |
In Cb12-16 we
can count 121 *
6 = 726 = 22 *
33.
The variant of
ariki
which is looking
straight at us -
possibly a Sign
of tagata
('end station')
- I have
(following
Metoro) named
atariki.
Perhaps Sun was
ending his life
by entering into
Water at μ
Aquarii, by
giving his life
for a son. The
glyph number 682
equals 22 * 31.
|
Egyptian
water
ripples |
 |
Phoenician
mēm |
 |
Greek
mu |
Μ
(μ) |
|
Ihu
1.
Nose;
ihu
more,
snub
nose,
snub-nosed
person.
2.
Ihuihu
cape,
reef;
ihuihu
-
many
reefs,
dangerous
for
boats.
3.
Ihu
moko,
to
die
out
(a
family
of
which
remains
only
one
male
without
sons);
koro
hakamao
te
mate
o te
mahigo,
he-toe
e-tahi
tagata
nó,
ina
aana
hakaara,
koîa
te
me'e
e-kî-nei:
ku-moko-á
te
ihu
o te
mahigo,
when
the
members
of
family
have
died
and
there
remains
only
one
man
who
has
no
offspring,
we
say:
ku-moko-á
te
ihu
o te
mahigo.
To
disappear
(of
a
tradition,
a
custom),
me'e
ihu
moko
o te
tagata
o te
kaiga
nei,
he
êi,
the
êi
is a
custom
no
longer
in
use
among
the
people
of
this
island.
4.
Eldest
child;
first-born;
term
used
alone
or
in
conjunction
with
atariki.
Vanaga.
1.
Nose,
snout,
cape
T (iju
G).
Po
ihuihu,
prow
of a
canoe.
P
Pau.:
ihu,
nose.
Mgv.:
ihu,
nose;
mataihu,
cape,
promontory.
Mq.,
Ta.:
ihu,
nose,
beak,
bowsprit.
Ihupagaha,
ihupiro,
to
rap
on
the
nose,
to
snuffle.
2.
Mgv.:
One
who
dives
deep.
Ta.:
ihu,
to
dive.
Churchill.
Sa.:
isu,
nose,
snout,
bill.
Fu.,
Fakaafo,
Aniwa,
Manahiki:
isu,
the
nose.
Nuguria;
kaisu,
id.
Fotuna:
eisu,
id.
Moiki:
ishu,
id.
To.,
Niuē,
Uvea,
Ma.,
Ta.,
Ha.,
Mq.,
Mgv.,
Pau.,
Rapanui,
Tongareva,
Nukuoro:
ihu,
id.
Rarotonga:
putaiu,
id.
Vaté:
tus,
id.
Viti:
uthu,
nose.
Rotumā:
isu,
id.
...
usu
and
ngusu
...
serve
as
transition
forms,
usu
pointing
to
isu
the
nose
in
Polynesia
and
ngusu
to
ngutu
the
mouth,
which
is
very
near,
nearer
yet
when
we
bear
in
mind
that
ngutu
the
mouth
is
snout
as
well
and
that
isu
the
nose
is
snout
too
...
Churchill
2 |
|
Poki
Son,
daughter;
in
wider
sense:
nephew,
niece,
child
in
general.
Poki
atariki,
eldest
child,
first-born;
poki
hagupotu,
youngest
child;
poki
hâgai,
adopted
child.
Vanaga.
Child,
infant,
nephew,
grandchild,
posterity,
progeny,
race;
topa
te
poki,
to
lie
in;
poki
aana,
legitimate;
poki
gaapu,
abortion;
poki
itiiti,
child;
poki
puepue,
abortion;
poki
tamaahine,
girl;
poki
tamaroa,
boy;
poki
titika,
legitimate;
poki
tuahuri;
abortion.
Churchill. |
In my chapter
The Arm of Sun
I discussed the
meaning of the
word atariki:
... The enigma of number 8 (more mystic than 7) - exemplified by the change from 24 to 16 signs in the futhark alphabet - is above illuminated:
With 24 signs the planets (the 7 days of the week) will jump ahead 3 positions if we count to 8 for each group, e.g. from Mars to Jupiter. With 16 signs the jump ahead will be 2 positions ...
|
Accordingly the
position of
atariki in
line Cb12 could
be imagined as a
Sign of Sun (who
had 2 'sons', 2
half-years like
the shells of a
bivalve).
... Atariki is not far from ariki, and possibly the word is a contraction of ata-ariki ('the king of shadows':
 |
 |
| ariki |
atariki |
| Ariki
1. King, ruler, member of the nobility, Ariki henua, king; members of the royal family, descending from Hotu Matu'a; noble, nobility, chief. 2. Divine being, superior being. Ariki Paka, certain collateral descendents of Hotu Matu'a, who exercised religious functions. Vanaga.
Chief, king, lord, headman in general. Hakaariki, to make one a king.The Marquesan use both aiki and hakaiki in the same sense; the latter forms with Mangarevan akariki a subordinate couple in Southeast Polynesia. Since akariki is the only form in Mangareva and the Marquesas have both we may regard this as indicative of the influence of Mangareva upon the Marquesas. In Tonga we find only eiki; the vowel change is quite in the Tongan manner, the dropping of the liquid is most unusual; the eiki form appears once more in Mangarevan ataeiki (also a language in which it is unusual to drop the liquid) in the sense 'to do nothing and to dress richly in a luxurious way'. Churchill. |
| Ata
Ata 1. Dawn, first light before sunrise; ku-hamu-á te ata , dawn has broken; ku-tehe-á te ata, it's already dawn (lit.: the lights have flown). 2. Particle inserted between the imperative prefix ka and the verb to signify 'well, carefully, intelligently': ka-ata-hakarivariva, prepare it well. Between the prefix e and kahara it expresses 'to make sure that, to take good care that...' : e-ata-kahara koe o oona, be careful not to get dirty; e-ata-kahara koe o kori te moa o te tahi pa, be sure not to steal chickens of another property. 3. More: iti, small; ata iti, smaller; he-ata-ata iti-iti ró, the smallest of all. Vanaga.
Âta 1. Shadow: he-veveri te poki, ana tikea toona âta, the child is frightened at seeing his shadow; person's reflection (in mirror, in water): he âta oou-á, it's your own reflection. 2. To be frightened by a shadow: he-âta te îka, the fish are frightened (and they flee) by people's shadows. Vanaga.
1. Image, picture, portrait, design; to draw, to paint (shadow sense). P Mgv: ata, image, likeness, portrait, shadow of a human being, form, shape, appearance, imprint, impression. Mq.: ata, image, statue, portrait, shadow, surface; to design, to mark. Ta.: ata, shade, shadow appearance, form, representation of an object, cloud, cloudy. 2. Transparency, end of day, sunset (bright sense); e ata, red clouds; ku ata, transparent; ata mea, ata tea, ata tehe, dawn, daybreak, sunrise; ataata, end of day, sunset. P Mgv.: ata, morning or evening twilight, daybreak, dawn; ata haihai, evening twilight, a beautiful sunset; ataiai, twilight, clouds red with the sunset; atakurakura, a beautiful sunrise or sunset; atareureu, dawn, the first peep of day, morning twilight. Mq.: ata, to appear, to rise, to shine (of stars); ata uá, morning twilight; ataata, diaphanous, transparent. Ta.: ata, twilight. 3. A designation of space; ata hakahohonu, abyss; ata hakaneke mai, nearby, close at hand; ata tapa, lateral, marginal. 4 ? Ata kimikimi, to inquire; ata puo, to hill a plant; ata ui, to examine, to taste. Churchill.
Atahenua (ata 3 - henua 1), landscape, countryside. Atakai: 1. Generous, hospitable, beneficent, indulgent, liberal, obliging; prodigality, indulgence; rima atakai, benevolent, generous, open-handed; gift, liberality. 2. Calm, unperturbed, grateful. Churchill.
Ata-ta T, evening (? ataata). Atatehe (ata 2 - tehe 1), dawn; popohaga atatehe, morning, early in the morning. Churchill. |
The 'landscape' (ata-henua) is rising (ata) from the 'sea', i.e. the 'fishes' are frightened by the shadows which once again appear together with the first light, ata.
Maybe atariki is also a word playing of Matariki ('the small eyes', the Pleidades). This constellation was announcing the beginning of a new year:
... In Hawaii, the rising of the Pleiades was the signal for the beginning of the Makahiki major harvest festival which centered upon Lono (Rongo). For Rapa Nui, as for the Maori, the Mangarevans and the rest of the people of the Southern Hemisphere, the rising of the Pleiades is almost simultaneous with the Austral June solstice ...
|
| atariki |
| en face person emerging from a cross |
| Sun at winter solstice (?) |
|
|