2. Allen: "ε, 3.4, was Al Bali, the brightest one of the 21st manzil, Al Sa'd al Bula', the Good Fortune of the Swallower, which included μ and ν; these last also known as Al Buläān in the dual. Kazwini said that this strange title came from the fact that the two outside stars were more open than α and β of Capricorn, so that they seemed to swallow, or absorb, the light of the other!" To absorb the light of the Goat is the same as to 'kill' her and if her eyes are swallowed it probably is just a more concrete explanation of how the old winter year is pushed away to make place for the newborn summer year: ... Whereas, over the next two days, Lono plays the part of the sacrifice. The Makahiki effigy is dismantled and hidden away in a rite watched over by the king's 'living god', Kahoali'i or 'The-Companion-of-the-King', the one who is also known as 'Death-is-Near' (Koke-na-make). Close kinsman of the king as his ceremonial double, Kahoali'i swallows the eye of the victim in ceremonies of human sacrifice ...
Kazwini's remark is important for us because it secures a continuation of the parallel between the right ascension values of the stars on one hand and the sequence of glyphs in the G text on the other. Thus this parallel must exist at least up to 21h. Of course it depends on how to interpret the glyphs Gb1-26 and Gb2-1. Glyph line b1 is the 9th (counted from line a1) and 256 = 8 * 32, whereas *320 is possible to read not only as 10 * 32 but also as simply 32 (the zero sign implying 'unknown', like our X). The new year is not yet known, but the signs are good: ... Just so, the succeeding Makahiki ceremony, following upon the putting away of the god, is called 'the net of Maoloha', and represents the gains in fertility accruing to the people from the victory over Lono. A large, loose-mesh net, filled with all kinds of food, is shaken at a priest's command. Fallen to earth, and to man's lot, the food is the augury of the coming year. The fertility of nature thus taken by humanity, a tribute-canoe of offerings to Lono is set adrift for Kahiki, homeland of the gods ... In ancient Babylonia they saw 'Chambers of Hazard' at the solstices (see at The World Below): ... Before the beginning of a new 'year' (halfyear) it is not yet determined what will come. According to the Babylonian view there was a chamber of hazard where the sky roof meets earth:
I wrote: where the sky roof meets earth. There probably was an idea of a 'swallowing' event at the horizon in the west (see at Hiro): ... The horizon in the west is where Sun disappears in late afternoon. In the morning when Sun reappears in the east he is like a newborn baby, at noon he is standing tall, and in the afternoon he shrinks - he is growing old. His disappearance in the west was called 'the biting of the sun' (Chikin) by the Maya:
The name Dorsum (for θ Capricorni) is from the Latin language and it means 'the Back (of Capricorn)' and its position in the G text corresponds to where the 'eye' - the 'fist' of the reversed solar arm at left in Gb1-26 (see at The Arm of Sun) - disappears into henua (earth). The name Armus (for η Capricorni) is still an unknown for me. However, Wikipedia redirected me from Armus to Skin of Evil, an episode in Star Trek. Which proves the ancient names and ideas are still alive. The hairy skin of the Capricorn Goat represents winter (the old 'year') in contrast to the newborn summer, which will be beneficient and good. At the end of the old cycle it becomes evil and must be brushed away (see at The Week): ... When it was evident that the years lay ready to burst into life, everyone took hold of them, so that once more would start forth - once again - another (period of) fifty-two years. Then (the two cycles) might proceed to reach one hundred and four years. It was called 'One Age' when twice they had made the round, when twice the times of binding the years had come together. Behold what was done when the years were bound - when was reached the time when they were to draw the new fire, when now its count was accomplished. First they put out fires everywhere in the country round. And the statues, hewn in either wood or stone, kept in each man's home and regarded as gods, were all cast into the water. Also (were) these (cast away) - the pestles and the (three) hearth stones (upon which the cooking pots rested); and everywhere there was much sweeping - there was sweeping very clear. Rubbish was thrown out; none lay in any of the houses ... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
