TRANSLATIONS

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When a rongorongo tablet is turned around and upside down from side a to side b it signifies a radical change. It is like when we move from the side of the face in front of us to the side of the back side of our head. Or as if we change x into y. Let us see what happens when 'x is running out' on side a of H:

The first glyph in the last line on side a is significantly number 628 (= 314 * 200%):

Ha12-1 (628) Ha12-2 Ha12-3
630 / 3 = 210

Line Ha12 ought to describe the end of the cycle of the front side and 628 probably signifies the measure for its whole 'circumference'. Dividing the number of glyphs by 3 results in a probable day number of 210 (= 7 * 30). The week has 7 days and this fundamental pattern ought to repeat itself on a larger scale. The complex total structure should be 'self-similar'.

The pair of ragi glyphs are drawn as 'eating', i.e. the new (2nd) cycle is already 'living' ('growing').

Day 214 has (significantly) Ha12-14 ('honui ariga erua') in its center:

Ha12-10 Ha12-11 Ha12-12
213
Ha12-13 Ha12-14 Ha12-15 (642)
642 / 3 = 214

12 * 14 = 168 and 12 * 15 = 180. The disappearing 'sun' at the end of calendar day 214 maybe refers (or alludes) to day 180 (half 360). At the very last glyph on side a we can count 12 * 21 = 252 = 7 * 36. And 216 = 6 * 36. 'Sun-day' in *Ha12-19 is totally gone:

... *18
Ha12-16 Ha12-17 Ha12-18 *Ha12-19 *Ha12-20 *Ha12-21 (648)
215 216 *6

In the charred area at the end of the line where 'fire' has worked havoc there is room for an imagined ca 18 glyphs. 648 + 18 = 666, the number of the beast. 6 + 6 + 6 =18.

 

 

The last Sun-day glyph (Ha12-12) shows him empty-handed and seemingly running away. Or rather it should be his 'manu rere' who is leaving quickly, the central glyph in the triplet:

Ha12-10 Ha12-11 Ha12-12 Ha12-13 Ha12-14 Ha12-15 (642)
213 642 / 3 = 214
... *18
Ha12-16 Ha12-17 Ha12-18 *Ha12-19 *Ha12-20 *Ha12-21 (648)
215 216 *6

We can try to integrate the above with what we have found out earlier:

side b side a
53 299
Hb11-50 Ha6-25 (300)
1 354

354 glyphs should presumably be understood as 354 / 3 = 118 = 4 * 29.5 days. From the beginning of next (Sun) season we have measured out 314 * 50 % or 157 glyphs to a 'hura poporo':

side b side a
53 299 155
Hb11-50 Ha6-25 (300) Ha6-26 Ha9-8 (457)
1 354 157 = 314 * 50%

But Ha9-8 must be the first glyph of next season because 457 / 3 = 152⅓:

188 ...
Ha9-5 Ha9-6 Ha9-7 Ha9-8 *Ha12-19 *Ha12-20 *Ha12-21 (648)
456 / 3 = 152 (648 - 456) / 3 = 192 / 3 = 64

648 - 300 = 348 = 12 * 29, or expressed in days: (216 - 100) = 116 = 4 * 29. In other words, the 'front side' of H apparently covers 8 months, the first 4 of which are measured as 29.5 nights in each month and the second 4 of which are measured as 29 days in a month.

 
 

Things are complicated, though, because unmarked manu rere glyphs appear already in line Ha7:

Ha2-2 Ha2-52 Ha4-46 Ha7-126 Ha8-107 Ha8-109 Ha8-110 Ha9-111
long feet short feet unmarked
Ha11-103 Ha12-11 Hb1-221 Hb2-1 Hb2-3 Hb2-12 Hb4-4 Hb5-7
unmarked
Hb8-116 Hb8-139 Hb9-20 Hb9-47 Hb9-58 Hb10-12 Hb12-36
unmarked long feet unmarked

19 out of 23 manu rere are unmarked (blue above), and Ha12-11 is the 7th of them. 12 arrive beyond manu rere in Ha12-11.

Maybe the 'spirit of Sun' leaves him in line Ha7, which is in order because the 7th day in the week is black. Manu rere in Ha12-11 is then repeating the message - number 7 is without light.

19 is a number beyond the 18 periods of Sun (if we count 18 * 20 = 360). It should therefore be understood as 7 + 12.

12 manu rere glyphs beyond Ha12-11 (a Saturday) possibly has to do with the 'underworld' travel of Sun from his descent in the west to his arrival at the horizon in the east where he will be reborn.

 

 

Possibly the 'night' ('winter') months are to be counted in lunar months and the following months as 29 nights long. 52 + 64 = 116 = 4 * 29:

150
Ha6-26 Ha6-27 Ha6-28 Ha9-5 Ha9-6 Ha9-7 (456)
(456 - 300) / 3 = 52
188 ...
Ha9-8   *Ha12-19 *Ha12-20 *Ha12-21 (648)
(648 - 456) / 3 = 192 / 3 = 64

If we add 18 imagined glyphs beyond *Ha12-21 they could belong at the beginning of the back side of the calendar. 21 is the mirror image of 12. Or they could belong at the end of side a. Saturn has the last of these imagined glyphs:

... 16 ...
*Ha12-22 *Ha12-39 (666)
18 / 3 = 6

648, the ordinal number of *Ha12-21, seems to form a 'number yoke' with *Ha12-39, because 12 * 39 = 468 where 46 is the mirror image of 64:

468 46 * 8 = 368 512 - 368 = 12 * 12 4 * 68 = 272 288 - 272 = 4 * 4
648 64 * 8 = 512 6 * 48 = 288

The situation is ambivalent because we do not know if we should add these 18 imagined glyphs or not. But at least we can colour after planets:

Hb1-1 Hb1-2 Hb1-3 Hb1-4 Hb1-5 Hb1-6
649 650 651 652 653 654
667 668 669 670 671 672

Unfortunately the 'visibility' is ebbing out and from Mars at Hb1-7 it is not certain how many glyphs are missing. Below I have guessed 4 + 6 = 10 glyphs are missing among 22 at the beginning of the line:

... ... ... ...
Hb1-7 Hb1-8 *Hb1-9 *Hb1-10 *Hb1-11 *Hb1-12 *Hb1-13
655 656 657 658 659 660 661
673 674 675 676 677 678 679
... ... ... ...
*Hb1-14 *Hb1-15 *Hb1-16 *Hb1-17 *Hb1-18 *Hb1-19 *Hb1-20
662 663 664 665 666 667 668
680 681 682 683 684 685 686
... ...
*Hb1-21 *Hb1-22
669 670
687 688

In the parallel P and Q texts there are 15 respectively 17 glyphs corresponding to those 16 which I suggest for H in the table above. Ordinal number 16 in a sequence should be the last one, we know, which suggests the first 6 glyphs in the line ought to constitute a separate group:

Hb1-1 Hb1-2 Hb1-3 Hb1-4 Hb1-5 Hb1-6
649 650 651 652 653 654
667 668 669 670 671 672
217 (or 223) 218 (or 224)

21 * 8 = 168 and 22 * 4 = 88, strong number signals both of them, and if we read them as 16-8 respectively 8-8 they seem to be related by a 'yoke'. 65 * 4 = 260 says Sun (26) has completed his 10 months. 67 * 2 = 134 can then be understood, because presumably it says Sun (13) has completed his 4 quarters. 6 * 72 = 12 * 36 = 18 * 24. 6 * 54 = 324 = 18 * 18. 'Eating Sun' (in Hb1-5) is fading away. The parallel texts indicate Hb1-6 should be read as a puo glyph:

   
Hb1-5 Hb1-6 Pb3-7 Pb3-8 *Qb3-42 *Qb3-43

In P and Q it is Mars instead of Sun who is 'hilled up' (covered as by 'a black cloth').

The glyphs which are missing are not, it seems, destroyed by fire. It is the space for the glyph line which is so narrow as to enable showing only the top parts of the glyphs (at least this is the conclusion I have drawn from Barthel's picture of the tablet). But I believe the creator of the text has used this physical restraint to his advantage by 'hiding' 10 glyphs among those 16. The 'front side' (Sun) is gradually disappearing. From *Hb1-23 the 'back side' seems to be depicted as gradually appearing.

The day number for the last glyph *Ha1-22 indicates it is the beginning of next day:

... ... ... ... ...
*Hb1-16 *Hb1-17 *Hb1-18 *Hb1-19 *Hb1-20 *Hb1-21
664 665 666 667 668 669
682 683 684 685 686 687
222 (228) 223 (229)
...
*Hb1-22 *Hb1-23 *Hb1-24 *Hb1-25 *Hb1-26 *Hb1-27 *Hb1-28
670 671 672 673 674 675
688 689 690 691 692 693
224 (230) 225 (231)

Hanga rave in *Hb1-28 evidently marks the 'harbour' where the canoe of Mars is coming to rest. Counting with 18 imaginary glyphs at the end of line Ha12 will give Moon-day (which marks the limit of Sun) ordinal number 693 and day number 231, which is where the G tablet has been turned around:

Ga8-26 (230) Gb1-1 (231)

If we do not count with 18 imaginary glyphs the parallel day in G will instead be Mars at maitaki in Ga8-21:

Ga8-16 Ga8-17 Ga8-18 Ga8-19 Ga8-20
Ga8-21 (225) Ga8-22 Ga8-23 Ga8-24 Ga8-25 (229)

Manu rere in Ga8-20 will correspond to *Hb1-27 and indeed when we look at the parallel glyphs in P and Q we find it to be a manu rere:

Ga8-20 *Hb1-27 Pb3-28 Qb4-14

 

 

From *Hb1-23 the glyphs of the 'back side' are gradually appearing:

...
*Hb1-22 *Hb1-23 *Hb1-24 *Hb1-25 *Hb1-26 *Hb1-27
670 671 672 673 674 675
688 689 690 691 692 693
224 (230) 225 (231)

The first fully visible glyph is a strong sign, and it coincides with the beginning of a new day and also with the beginning of a new week if we think Mars ought to bring the new light also in the week:

*Hb1-28 *Hb1-29 *Hb1-30 *Hb1-31 *Hb1-32 *Hb1-33 *Hb1-34
676 677 678 679 680 681 682
694 695 696 697 698 699 700
*Hb1-35 *Hb1-36 *Hb1-37 *Hb1-38 *Hb1-39 *Hb1-40 *Hb1-41
683 684 685 686 687 688 689
701 702 703 704 705 706 707
*Hb1-42 *Hb1-43 *Hb1-44 *Hb1-45 *Hb1-46 *Hb1-47 *Hb1-48
690 691 692 693 694 695 696
708 709 710 711 712 713 714
*Hb1-49 *Hb1-50 *Hb1-51 Hb2-1
697 698 699
715 716 717

The sequence of weeks is broken at the end of the line. And 7 is not a multiple of 3, which means the division by 3 in order to reach day numbers is following another logic.

The last glyph in line Hb1 can either be regarded as ending day number 699 / 3 = 233 or as ending day number 717 / 3 = 239. In the latter case the important reversal between day number 236 and 237 is described thus:

*Hb1-40 *Hb1-41 *Hb1-42 *Hb1-43 *Hb1-44 *Hb1-45
688 689 690 691 692 693
706 707 708 709 710 711
230 (236) 231 (237)