TAHUA
 

42   As to the culmination dates they all should refer to observations at 21h:

... Allen has documented all his star culminations at 21h, which could be due to an effort of keeping the culminations at their proper places according to the ancients, 24h (spring equinox) - 21h = 3h = 24h / 8 = 45º. 3h corresponds to 366 / 8 = 45.75 of my right ascension days and *366 - *46 = *320 (Dramasa, σ Octantis) ...

 

MIRA

ο Ceti

3.04

03º 02' S

'33.7

April 23

*29*

ALGOL

β Persei

2.09

40º 46' N

*45.9

May 5

*41*

(Avior)

ε Carinae

1.86

59º 31' S

*126.4

July 25

*122*

None of the culmination dates for these variable stars had been previously listed by me. However, by looking again in Allen I found this statement:

"When on the meridian Algol is almost exactly in the zenith of New York City. This is at nine o'clock in the evening of the 23rd of December."

And therefore I can put Algol at the end of my culmination table, only 8 days before Atlas:

  365 days
  (80 + RA / 24h * 365¼)   Day of culmination  
Atlas May 16 (136, *56) *229 Dec 31 (365, *285) 135
Betelgeuze June 17 (168, *88) *226 Jan 29 (394, *314) 138
CASTOR July 12 (193, *113.4 = *41.4 + *72.0) '226 Febr 23 (Terminalia) 138
MAY 9 (129 = 193 - 64) *226 DEC 21 (SOLSTICE) 138
Alkes Sept 3 (246) *229 April 20 (110) 135
Denebola Sept 15 (258) *230 May 3 (123) 134
Gienah Sept 22 (265, *185) *230 May 10 (130, *50) 134
ACRUX Sept 24 (267, *187) *231 May 13 (133. *53) 133
JULY 22 (*123 = *187 - *64) *231 MARCH 10 (*354 '290 + *64)
 
Thuban Oct 19 (292, *212) *230 June 7 (158, *78) 134
Arcturus Oct 22 (295, *215) *227 June 8 (159, *79) *136
Zuben Elgenubi Oct 31 (304, *224)   June 17 (168, *454. *88) *136
Vega Dec 27 (361, *281) *227 Aug 12 (224, *144) *137
Alphekka Meridiana Jan 5 (*290 ↔ *307 - *17) *220 Aug 13 (225, *145) '146
Gredi Jan 22 (*307 *314 - *7) *220 Sept 9 (251, *171) '146
Deneb Cygni Febr 7 (38, *323) *221 Sept 16 (259, *179) *144
Fomalhaut March 3 (62, *348) *236 Oct 25 (*584, *218)  
*
Schedir March 29 (88, *8) *233 Nov 18 (322, *242) 131
Alrisha April 19 (109, *212 - *183 = *29) *232 Dec 7 (341, *261) 132
Menkar May 4 (124, *44) *231 Dec 21 (355, *275) 133
ALGOL May 5 (125, *45) *232 Dec 23 (357, *277) *132

I have decided to use the text on the G tablet as my leader. Therefore I will here update a relevant part:

OCT 19 20 (293) 21 (*214)
Ga8-9 Ga8-10 Ga8-11 (214)
η Sagittarii (276.9) KAUS MEDIUS = δ Sagittarii, κ Lyrae (277.5), TUNG HAE (Heavenly Eastern Sea) = η Serpentis (277.7), SHAOU PIH (Minor Minister) = φ Draconis (277.8), KWEI SHE = χ Draconis (277.9)

ALGOL

φ Oct. (278.1), KAUS AUSTRALIS = ε Sagittarii (278.3), ξ Pavonis (278.4), AL  ATHFAR (The Talons of the Falling Eagle) = μ Lyrae (278.6)

*237.0 = *278.4 - *41.4

Purva Ashadha-20

Elephant tusk, fan, winnowing basket

Dec 22 23 (357) CHRISTMAS EVE
°Dec 18 (*272) 19 20 (354)
'Nov 25 (*249) 26 (330) 27
"Nov 11 (*235) 12 (316) 13
NAKSHATRA DATES:
APRIL 20 (*30) 21 (111) 22 (477)
FURUD = ζ Canis Majoris (94.9) Well-22 (Tapir) / Arkū-sha-pu-u-mash-mashu-8 (Back of the Mouth of the Twins)

δ Columbae (95.2), TEJAT POSTERIOR = μ Gemini, MIRZAM (The Roarer) = β Canis Majoris (95.4), CANOPUS (Canopy) = α Carinae (95.6), ε Monocerotis (95.7), ψ1 Aurigae (95.9)

*54.0 = *95.4 - *41.4

No star listed (96)
June 23 (*94) ST JOHN'S DAY (*460) 25 (176)
°June 19 20 (*91) SOLSTICE
'May 27 28 (*68) 29 (149)
"May 13 (133) 14 (*54) 15 (500)
Ga1-30 Ga2-1 Ga2-2

... Midsummer is the flowering season of the oak, which is the tree of endurance and triumph, and like the ash is said to 'court the lightning flash'. Its roots are believed to extend as deep underground as its branches rise in the air - Virgil mentions this - which makes it emblematic of a god whose law runs both in Heaven and in the Underworld ... The month, which takes its name from Juppiter the oak-god, begins on June 10th and ends of July 7th. Midway comes St. John's Day, June 24th, the day on which the oak-king was sacrificially burned alive. The Celtic year was divided into two halves with the second half beginning in July, apparently after a seven-day wake, or funeral feast, in the oak-king's honour ...

In a remarkable way the great steering oar of Argo Navis

... It is an interesting fact, although one little commented upon, that myths involving a canoe journey, whether they originate from the Athapaskan and north-western Salish, the Iroquois and north-eastern Algonquin, or the Amazonian tribes, are very explicit about the respective places allocated to passengers. In the case of maritime, lake-dwelling or river-dwelling tribes, the fact can be explained, in the first instance, by the importance they attach to anything connected with navigation: 'Literally and symbolically,' notes Goldman ... referring to the Cubeo of the Uaupés basin, 'the river is a binding thread for the people. It is a source of emergence and the path along which the ancestors had travelled. It contains in its place names genealogical as well as mythological references, the latter at the petroglyphs in particular.' A little further on ... the same observer adds: 'The most important position in the canoe are those of stroke and steersman. A woman travelling with men always steers, because that is the lighter work. She may even nurse her child while steering ... On a long journey the prowsman or stroke is always the strongest man, while a woman, or the weakest or oldest man is at the helm ...

would ideally be at the Full Moon in St John's Day at the time when the culmination of Algol would be half a year away!

... On the first day of their labour // He himself, smith Ilmarinen, // Stooped him down, intently gazing, // To the bottom of the furnace, // If perchance amid the fire // Something brilliant had developed.

From the flames there rose a crossbow, // Golden bow from out the furnace; // 'Twas a gold bow tipped with silver, // And the shaft shone bright with copper.

And the bow was fair to gaze on, // But of evil disposition // And a head each day demanded, // And on feast-days two demanded, // He himself, smith Ilmarinen, // Was not much delighted with it, // So he broke the bow to pieces, // Cast it back into the furnace ...

 
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