TRANSLATIONS

next page previous page up home

Next page with underpages:

 

The rongorongo texts are possible to read in several different ways. If side a of G is its 'front side', then it ought to correspond to (or at least incorporate a list of) the waxing phase of Sun. It is possible to count 5 times 36 in order to reach 180, a number which can be motivated by the idea of Sun having only 1 'limb' (the other one he spends with his winter maid far in the north):

34 35 34
Gb8-30 (472) Gb8-30 (1) Ga2-5 (36) Ga3-12 (72)
35 35
Ga4-23 (107) Ga4-24 (108) Ga6-3 (144) Ga7-20 (180)

My arrangment in the table above shows how the pair of mama glyphs appear to correspond to the pair of puo (one real and one imagined) at the beginning of the front side. Although puo in Gb8-30 evidently is 2 (and also has been counted twice) it is equally clear that it is a single unit. It is the last glyph of side b but it has also been counted as the first glyph of side a. Otherwise it is not possible to reach 8 * 59 = 472.

There are 106 (= 2 * 53, cfr for instance at kava) glyphs between puo as last glyph on side b and mama in Ga4-23 (or 106 glyphs between puo as the first glyph of the front side and mama in Ga4-24). Therefore it is not necessary to interpret the mama pair in Ga4-23--24 as a sign of the beginning of a waning phase. They could rather be regarded as marking the final of a waning phase, or at least located at the end of a season (cfr the location of mama in Wednesday).

The double shape in puo at Gb8-30 seems to explain why there is a pair of mama in Ga4-23--24. The pair is possibly alluding to what happens when we turn the tablet from one side to the other - the side we just looked at is now invisible. 9 * 12 = 108.

Considering puo as a sign of 'down in the earth' (like a kumara hilled up), we can imagine a development upwards to a final in Ga7-20, where a fist is held high like a fruit. The halfway point of this upwards movement occurs with the mama pair (Ga4-23--24), and 4 * 24 = 96 is equal to 192 / 2.

Although my solution seems reasonable, we need to look at a few other aspects of our problem.

 
 

The suggestion of a final connected with the mama pair seems to be supported from the open henua in Ga5-3 (as in 53), which sign - I guess - means 'its life has fled':

15
Ga4-23 Ga4-24 Ga4-25 Ga4-26 Ga4-27
16
Ga5-1 Ga5-2 Ga5-3 (114)

In Ga4-27 the top of henua is tapering off, maybe to indicate 'its life' in front is short.

Henua in Ga4-25 (where we can count 4 * 25 = 100) is of the same sort as henua in Ga5-2 (where 5 * 2 = 10). Yet, the change from glyph line a4 to line a5 ought to be significant, and the distribution of this type of henua is noteworthy, there are 10 of them on the front side of the tablet and Ga4-25 is number 3 of them:

Ga4-3 Ga4-12 Ga4-25 Ga5-2 Ga5-18 Ga5-20
Ga5-23 Ga5-26 Ga6-7 Ga6-13

Our suspicion of a connection with the 10 months of Sun is confirmed by 2 (or 3 if we count also the giant henua in Gb7-6). 10 + 3 = 13:

 
Gb2-3 Gb2-5 Gb7-6

A closer examination reveals that none of these 3 conforms to the standard on side a. Henua in Gb2-3 and Gb2-5 are shorter, and henua in Gb2-5 has a flat bottom end. Even if we can count to 12 (or 13 months) in a year, only 10 months should be the correct measure.

Consequently there ought to be a Sun calendar on side a, and the pair of mama is probably connected with the 3rd such Sun month. Furthermore, this Sun calendar apparently is beginning in line Ga4 and ending in line Ga6:

7
Ga4-1 Ga4-2 Ga4-3 Ga4-4
24
Ga6-12 Ga6-13 Ga6-14 Ga6-15 Ga6-16

The calendar covers 18 (= 24 - 6) of the 31 periods. The rest is 6 + 7 = 13 periods, which suggests they 'belong to Moon' (the dark 'half' of the year). This 'winter' should be divided in 2 parts by the new year (cfr at niu how Marduk, Morning Sun, divided Tiamat into 'sky' and 'earth').

In the excursion at haga rave was discussed the possibility of Ga4-1--2 corresponding to Hanga Takaure, the end station of 'winter'. Later, at henua, a more sophisticated study was done, resulting in for instance this suggested distribution of the season of Takaure:

67

111

82
Gb3-1

Gb5-6

 Gb8-30 Ga1-1 Ga4-1 Ga4-2
180 84
265 = 5 * 53

(Puo in Gb8-30 is here counted only once.)

 
 

Looking in the other direction, the 14th period is quite interesting too:

14
Ga4-20 (104) Ga4-21 Ga4-22
15
Ga4-23 Ga4-24 Ga4-25 Ga4-26 Ga4-27

The rare glyph type in Ga4-20 appears only in one other place, viz. at Ga7-18 (12 weeks later):

Ga7-15 Ga7-16 Ga7-17 Ga7-18 (188) Ga7-19
Ga7-20 Ga7-21 Ga7-22 (192)

Whereas Ga7-18 is located at a day of Saturn Ga4-20 is ruled by Moon. She stands at the end of one of her seasons and then comes manu kake, probably to measure out a division of time to vaha kai in Gb5-10:

104 76
Ga4-21 (105) Ga7-12 (182)
8 * 13 6 * 13
89 89
Ga7-13 Gb2-17 (273) Gb2-18 (274) Gb5-10 (364)
2 * 7 * 13

7 * 13 (as in Ga7-13) = 91, and manu kake in Ga4-21 by its position gives 'Spring Sun' only 6 * 13 = 78 days instead of a full quarter. He must be cut short in order to give Moon 8 periods from new year. From the fat fish in Ga4-21 a 'sky bird' is growing which describes a long left part and a short part in front.