TRANSLATIONS
We now move on to the season of fall-winter
(as described at niu in the glyph
dictionary at the moment of writing this):
We have not yet used the number
of glyphs in G (nor in K of
course) to search for a
structure beyond autumn equinox:
G calendar |
period no. |
number of glyphs |
19, 20, 21 |
5 + 8 + 5 = 18 |
30 |
18 |
88 |
22, 23, 24 |
4 + 3 + 5 = 12 |
30 |
100 |
25, 26, 27 |
2 + 2 + 3 = 7 |
30 |
37 |
107 |
28, 29, 30 |
3 + 3 + 4 = 10 |
47 |
117 |
31, 32, 33* |
6 + 4 + 3 = 13 |
60 |
130 |
|
130 =
35
+
35
+ 30 +
30.
70 glyphs for the 18 first
periods and 60 for the following
15. |
The colours must be changed, perhaps
into:
130 =
35
+
35
+ 30
+ 30.
70
glyphs for the
18
first periods and
60
for the following
15.
Furthermore, also the blue period numbers
should be black-marked, as well as the
red-marked numbers at right in the table.
There is no explanation why suddenly here
appears a 33rd period. Earlier the 32rd
period was assumed to be the last one. We
had better recollect what was written about
it in the henua ora 'chapter':
The glyphs in the 24th (and last) period in
E - if we follow them and search for the
parallel glyphs in G and K - tell us that
we must jump back to the text immediately
before the calendars begin. The calendrical
cycle seems to reconnect with its beginning
beyond the 32nd period in G respectively
30th period in K.
If we instead rely on the numbers, we
evidently have to go forward beyond the 32nd
period and add the so-called '33' period to
reach the wished for 60 black glyphs.
Neither 57 (disregarding the
'33rd' period) nor 53 (disregarding also the
32nd period) are satisfactory solutions.
Judging from how the parallel period in K
(number '31') was understood when henua
ora was explained, the '31st' (K) and
the '33rd' (G) periods ought to belong to
the next year.
The glyph numbers seem to tell about how
time goes forward in spite of the calendar
being cyclical.
I will now change in the glyph dictionary
page, and the new page will be:
We have not yet used the number
of glyphs in G (nor in K of
course) to search for a
structure beyond autumn equinox:
G calendar |
period no. |
number of glyphs |
19, 20, 21 |
5 + 8 + 5 = 18 |
30 |
18 |
88 |
22, 23, 24 |
4 + 3 + 5 = 12 |
30 |
100 |
25, 26, 27 |
2 + 2 + 3 = 7 |
30 |
37 |
107 |
28, 29, 30 |
3 + 3 + 4 = 10 |
47 |
117 |
31, 32, '33'* |
6 + 4 + 3 = 13 |
60 |
130 |
|
130 =
35
+
35
+
30
+
30.
70
glyphs for the
18
first periods and
60
for the following
15.
The numbers suggest how time
goes on into the next year even
though the calendrical cycle is
finished with the 32nd period.
We should remember the inverted
henua ora in Kb4-19,
which probably means 'life
returns':
30 |
|
|
|
|
'31' |
|
... |
|
|
Kb4-15 |
Kb4-16 |
Kb4-17 |
Kb4-18 |
Kb4-19 |
Kb5-101 |
Kb5-102 |
32 |
|
|
|
|
'33' |
|
|
|
Ga7-11 |
Ga7-12 |
Ga7-13 |
Ga7-14 |
Ga7-15 |
Ga7-16 |
Ga7-17 |
|
Next page in the glyph dictionary
expands the perspective further forward
and backward:
On the other hand, the text
can also be read to have a
'34th' (and now probably
definitely last) period with
yet 3 more glyphs:
'34' |
|
|
|
Ga7-18 |
Ga7-19 |
Ga7-20 |
The structure for the number
of glyphs does not, however,
support integrating also
these 3 glyphs. Unless, we
add glyphs before the 1st
period:
The number of glyphs then
becomes 73 + 63 =
136, which can be read as
the conjunction of 13 (as in
13 * 28 = 364) and 6 (as in
180 / 30).
Considering the calendar to
be a yearly cycle 'cut up'
in parts like a 'serpent' -
a string of glyphs
representing 366 days - it
is obvious that the 3 extra
glyphs at the end
(Ga7-18--20) will join to
the 3 extra glyphs at the
beginning (Ga2-24--26). |
73 (= 365 / 5) is a truly
interesting number. It is
connected with the pentagram
and the planet Venus:
"The Mayan Venus
calendar is best
known from a
table in the
Dresden Codex
(Thompson
1972:62-71), but
the presence of
Venus reckoning
in the
Guatemalan
highlands is
attested by the
PV and by a
Quiché almanac
dating from 1722
(Berendt n.d.).
A given Venus
synodic period
(lasting 584
days) is divided
into four
stages, with
Venus appearing
as the morning
star at the
beginning of the
first stage and
remaining
visible
throughout it
(236 days or 8
synodic moons).
During the
second stage (90
days), Venus
goes through its
last 27 days
(one sidereal
moon) as the
morning star,
disappears for
50 days, and
runs through its
first 13 days as
the evening
star. It remains
visible as the
evening star
thoughout the
third period
(250 days) and
stays out of
sight throughout
the fourth
period (8 days),
after which it
returns to the
first stage.
During a given
584-day period
the 20 day names
repeat 29 times,
giving 580 days
with a remainder
of 4; this means
that a Venus
cycle will
always begin 4
days later in
the sequence of
20 day names
than the
previous cycle.
And since 20 is
evenly divisible
by 4 (20 / 4 =
5), only 5 of
the day names
can ever begin a
Venus cycle. In
the Dresden
Codex the chosen
days (here given
their Quiché
names) were
Junajpu,
K'at,
Q'anil, E,
and Ajmak,
followed by
Junajpu
again.
Starting from
1 Junajpu
(as the Dresden
Codex does) and
running through
five complete
periods so as to
show all of the
possible day
names, the
beginning dates
for the four
stages within
each Venus
period work out
as follows:
DATES
FOR
FIVE
SUCCESSIVE
VENUS
PERIODS |
|
First |
Second |
Third |
Fourth |
Fifth |
Appearing
as
morning
star: |
1
Junajpu |
13
K'at |
12
Q'anil |
11 E |
10
Ajmak |
Becomes
invisible: |
3
Ajmak |
2
Junajpu |
1
K'at |
13
Q'anil |
12 E |
Appears
as
evening
star: |
2
Kame |
1
Tz'i' |
13
Ix |
12
Tijax |
11
Iq' |
Becomes
invisible: |
5
Ajmak |
4
Junajpu |
3
K'at |
2
Q'anil |
1 E |
After five
complete
cycles
totaling
2,920 days,
the movement
of Venus
fill eight
idealized
years of 365
days each
and come
within hours
of spanning
99
lunations.
At this
point Venus
begins
repeating
the same
series of
period-beginning
day names
but with
different
numbers,
while at the
same time
coming very
close to
repeating
its
relationship
to the fixed
stars and
the seasons
of the solar
year. To get
back to a
morning star
appearance
on 1
Junajpu,
Venus must
repeat the
full set of
five periods
a total of
thirteen
times."
(Popol Vuh)
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