TRANSLATIONS

TRANSLATIONS

The link 'a separate page' leads to:

In Hamlet's Mill focus is single-mindedly on the precession of the equinoxes. I have always felt this view to be halting. A more reasonable explanation for the battle between the forces of light and darkness is simply to look outside at mother nature. The tug of war is basically that between summer and winter:

The two-horned 'beasts' at right rule spring and they have two arms each. The front part of the 5-headed (rima, fire) serpent belongs to them and together they have 6 'arms' (meaning months) as the measure for the length of spring.

The tail of the 'feathered serpent' is held by the cultured people at left, those who are representing humanity and gods. They also number 3, but their arms are 2 + 2 + 4 = 8.

The pair at left with only 2 arms resemble the 3 beasts at right. Presumably 3 + 2 = 5 refers to the 5 double-months dominated by the sun. The woman at left could represent Venus and her husband would then be the following Saturn.

He has a crown with 3 'counters'. If Venus counts as a double-month, being close to the beasts in position and also in character, then she will have the perfect number 8. For Saturn we can then count 3, and 8 + 3 = 11, a number which could mean 'one more' (i.e. together with Venus he generates a new sun, son).

The curious triple-headed god which follows Saturn ought to refer to Janus as he stands at the threshold to the new calendar year, and beyond Saturn comes Sun. In a central position at the top of the 'mountain' rules the Moon, therefore Sun should be at the other end (at center bottom).

The Moon is ruling over time and therefore she is at the top and the sun turtle will be at the bottom. Top and bottom are interconnected. When the cosmic tree turns at the top (of the 'mill') then also the bottom is turning. On the turtle the friction will then generate a new fire:

Turtles are curiously able to withstand fire for a long time without beeing cooked. The 3 stones probably represent the 3 double-months of spring (and also the 3 counters in the crown of Saturn).

Counting all the arms (months) we must add the 4 of Moon to 6 + 8, which gives 18, a measure which can be explained as 360 / 20. A month is measured as 20 days.

Tangaroa Uri is the month October, corresponding to April north of the equator. April 1 is the date when we must be aware lest somebody fools us. Only by trickery can summer win over winter. As a little child there is no other way to succeed.

The fishing taboo is over and it is now OK to lift the fishes up (reva) from the sea, haul them onto land. In French they have a saying 'donner une poisson' (give a fish [as a present to somebody]) which is said on April 1.

The winter season is the season of Tagaroa and when he has been defeated by the summer season there is no longer any danger connected with handling fishes. The taboo is over. Thank you for that! Hakakio should mean make (haka) summer (kio).

The 'land' has won, has returned, and Te Kioe Uri is another expression of this. The Black Rat symbolizes the land rising above the sea. It is 'ebb' again and the 'tidal flats' can be scavenged to fill the stomachs. Also small fishes can be caught in the tidal pools.

The rat was the only mammal land creature on Easter Island, therefore it became a symbol for 'land' (summer).

The fish was its opposite. If there was a taboo on fishing during winter, then there ought to have been a taboo on eating rats in summer.

The rest of the ancient world should also associate winter (according to the stars) with water and with fishes. Therefore, when in Tangaroa Uri (October, the '8th month') the thanksgiving festival Hakakio defined the end of the season of fishing taboo, it is not surprising to find Pisces at spring equinox (north of the equator).

In Sweden we have a children's rhyme, which we repeat when we have managed to fool someone on April 1:

April, April, din dumma sill! // Jag kan lura dig vart jag vill! (April, April, you stupid herring! // I can make fun of you at any time!)

Eggs we still count in twenties (scores), presumably in deference to ancient tradition.

On the Gilbert Islands 20 was the base of counting time, perhaps because time was seen as cycles (mata). Round things of every kind could be counted together, but not together with for instance oblong objects.

The calendar with 18 * 20 = 360 days to be read about from the arms in the picture from India above, indicates that 20 is equal to 10 + 10 (with an elbow between).

Also the Mayan calendar I have been using as a reference has 18 months with 20 days in each:


5 Tzek	6 *Xul*	7 Yaxkin	8 Mol

9 Ch'en	10 Yax	11 Sac	12 Ceh
		200
13 Mac	14 Kankin	200	15 Moan

16 Pax	17 Kayab	18 Cumhu	19 Vayeb

1 Pop	2 Uo	3 Zip	4 Zotz

With India and the Gilbert Islands in the west and with Maya-land in the east it would be strange if this system was not found on Easter Island. We can guess there are 20 days per glyph at the beginning of side a of Tahua:


Aa1-1 (20)	Aa1-2	Aa1-3	Aa1-4

Aa1-5 (100)	Aa1-6	Aa1-7	Aa1-8

Aa1-9	Aa1-10 (200)	Aa1-11	Aa1-12

Aa1-13 (260)	Aa1-14	Aa1-15 (300)	Aa1-16

Aa1-17	Aa1-18	Aa1-19	Aa1-20 (400)

Aa1-21	Aa1-22	Aa1-23	Aa1-28 (480)

Aa1-24	Aa1-25	Aa1-26	Aa1-27

Aa1-29	Aa1-30 (600)	Aa1-31	Aa1-32

Aa1-33	Aa1-34	Aa1-35	Aa1-36 (720)

Beyond day 300 the sun sign (hetuu) has a cycle (mata) at its center. From there we should be thinking in terms of 'eggs' and count anew. 720 at Aa1-36 can therefore be recounted as 720 - 300 = 420, which is a number for the Moon. She has scores of nights.