TRANSLATIONS

vero 1

TRANSLATIONS

Metoro's vero tahi means the first vero, I guess. In E we learnt there were two. Is there another vero in the Tahua text?

At first I (mistakenly) thought there were one vero glyph at each equinox (in E). However, clearly the 1st vero is located at summer solstice, because the distance from spring equinox is a quarter:

The discovery felt good, because the form of the vero glyph type became more understandable. In Wikipedia, looking for information about the length of the year south of the equator, I found this picture illustrating the concept of equinox:

The arrow (like the symbol of a vector) points at the stars and when earth circles around the sun the stars seem to move in the other direction. At two points in this cycle the red outer circle (marking the ecliptic plane) cuts the white circle (marking the plane created by the rotation of the earth).

The arrow in the picture is drawn as if leaning 45º and if we regard midsummer as the place where sun is standing straight up above (90º ), then the equinoxes understandably are located at 45º (and winter solstice at 0º ).

I was at first worried about having to change the earlier written text about vero in the dictionary, but I think it can remain as it is:

... Eb4-2 (in period 11) follows upon henua ora (period 10) and Eb5-10 (in period 19) follows upon the autumn equinox (17-18). (Metoro did not have the opportunity to read tablet G for Bishop Jaussen.)

Vero has three meanings: 1) a spear or dart, 2) to turn upside down, 3) name of a lunar month (the 10th on Marquesas, about April on Hawaii).

To turn upside down symbolizes death (... Ulu fell on his face and died ...). Spears lead by way of association to the obsidian spear heads (matá) on Easter Island, an instrument for killing in the tribal wars. The 10th month on Marquesas (veo) suggests that rongorongo writers may have used this glyph type to indicate the 'death' of a season.

In the 10th period of E the same story is told by henua ora - the sun canoe has been drawn up on the beach and does not move. It is still, i.e. 'dead'. After autumn equinox the canoe is turned upside down (vero).

As to 'kua tu te Ao' at Eb5-10 we need not worry too much about that for the moment, but ao means, among other things, 'nightfall'. It is strange how 'fall' (in nightfall) and in the season fall = autumn is English picture language quite similar to that used in the expression: Ulu fell on his face - i.e. the 'black cloth' covered his head (as when a black cloth is put over a bird-cage to silence the bird).

The little moon sickle (like a reaping-hook) at the bottom of Eb5-10 indicates darkness - the time of the moon. Presumably the moon sickle has been added to intensify the idea of 'darkness'. Autumn equinox means not only the 'death' of sun's canoe but also that the dark season has arrived and moon now rules.

At midsummer '... the sun canoe has been drawn up on the beach and does not move. It is still, i.e. 'dead'. After autumn equinox the canoe is turned upside down (vero) ...'

In the 10th period it is henua ora which I have interpreted as the beach (the harbour), not vero (which comes in the 11th period).

At summer solstice (11th period) sun is still, standing (close to) zenith.

Tini

To be at the zenith: ku-tini-á te raá; middle of a journey, of a period of time; te tini o te raá, the middle of the day. Vanaga.

1. A great number, innumerable, infinite, indefinite. Tinitini, million, billion. T Pau.: tinitini, innumerable. Mgv.: tini, a countless number, infinite. Mq.: tini, id. Ta.: tini, numerous. 2. Raa tini, noon; tini po, midnight; te tini te raa, zenith; topa tini, abortion. Churchill.

It is the time of the Flounder:


Aa4-58	Aa4-59	Aa4-60
ki te ragi	ko te manu kua agau - ki te ihe	e pare tuu ki te ragi

Maybe Aa4-58 and -60 have outlines somewhat like the shape of vero?

The flounder pushes mud upwards and Maui draws the islands up from the deep. A fish on land cannot swim anymore.

Why is there a 2nd vero in E? Is it located at winter solstice? Logically it could be understood as the consequence of my thoughts documented above. The 'arrow' is standing straight up, however. It must be in 'Hiva' that sun is standing in zenith (on Easter Island it is winter).

But vero no. 2 arrives too early for that, immediately after autumn equinox.

Maybe it is to mark a time when the moon is in 'zenith'? I have suggested, in the glyph dictionary, that there may be tertials in E:

The 3 henua ora glyphs in E, if they are used as markers, suggest a division of the year into three parts with 8 * ½ = 4 months in each (tertials):


1	2	3	4	5	6

7	8	9	10	11	12

13	14	15	16	17	18

19	20	21	22	23	24

The signs in periods 1 and 10 tell me that the single henua ora in period 1 connects to the preceding season (marked black by me), while the double henua ora in period 10 connect to the end of the second season (green). The third season (red) - also with 8 double-months - is without any henua ora glyph.

The center of the black tertial lies between the 20th and 21st periods, and 19 is too early for that kind of 'black zenith'.

But if we regard the 2nd 'year' (i.e. the 3rd and 4th quarters) as a separate unit, governed by the moon, then the 19th period is at the correct location for its 'zenith'. As a consequence, we should not be surprised to find a vero located immediately after spring equinox too.

I guess the form of vero ('arrow' straight up) will not necessarily be changed if applied to an equinox. A symbol is a picture which has frozen in form.

The GD system in the glyph catalogue classifies the vero type of glyph as GD22 (ragi). I do not intend to change the structure in the glyph catalogue, only in the glyph dictionary will vero be a separate item.

Let us list all GD22 glyphs in Tahua:


Aa1-3	Aa1-4	Aa1-47	Aa2-4	Aa2-6	Aa2-31

Aa2-41	Aa3-37	Aa3-44	Aa4-27	Aa4-30	Aa4-64

Aa5-22	Aa5-80	Aa6-29	Aa6-51	Aa7-4	Aa7-14

Aa7-20	Aa7-28	Aa7-42	Aa7-43	Aa7-53	Aa7-63

Aa7-70	Aa7-85	Aa8-1	Aa8-2	Aa8-7	Aa8-10

Aa8-15	Aa8-27	Aa8-34	Aa8-38	Aa8-55	Aa8-67

Aa8-78	Ab1-11	Ab1-20	Ab1-21	Ab1-27	Ab1-36

Ab1-41	Ab1-51	Ab1-63	Ab1-78	Ab2-2	Ab2-8

Ab2-9	Ab2-19	Ab2-40	Ab2-64	Ab2-83	Ab3-33

Ab3-70	Ab3-71	Ab3-73	Ab4-22	Ab4-24	Ab5-2

Ab5-18	Ab5-79	Ab6-1	Ab6-3	Ab6-35	Ab6-81

Ab7-6	Ab7-11	Ab7-43	Ab7-60	Ab7-66	Ab7-74

Ab7-78	Ab8-2	Ab8-21	Ab8-23	Ab8-36	Ab8-49

If we eliminate all glyphs with two 'horns' (moon sickles) there will remain only 16 of the total 78 glyphs:


Aa2-4	Aa2-6	Aa2-31	Aa2-41	Aa5-80	Aa6-29

Aa6-51	Aa7-20	Aa8-27	Ab2-9	Ab2-64	Ab5-2
				16 where one or both 'horns' are missing.
Ab7-6	Ab7-66	Ab8-2	Ab8-21	16 where one or both 'horns' are missing.

On second thought I decided to save these 6 glyphs as a separate group:


Aa3-37	Aa8-78	Ab3-33	Ab4-24	Ab7-43	Ab7-74

Although thay have two 'horns' the bottom part reminds me about the vero glyph type.

There are consequently 16 + 6 = 22 glyphs to ponder over. Does anyone of these glyphs mark an equinox or a solstice?

Before taking on the work necessary to answer we should think about G. Why is there only one vero in that calendar?

Maybe there is one more! Because there is standing person with what looks like a vero head:

3
3	Ga3-10	Ga3-11	Ga3-12	Ga3-13	Ga3-14	Ga3-15	Ga3-16

The hau tea at right in Ga3-10 has two ears/eyes which presumably means 'noon' (as we learnt from studying the calendar of the day). In Ga3-11 a moon sickle is placed straight up (in zenith). Early I concluded that the first three periods in the calendar where outside the main part of the calendar. Of the 31 periods (as I saw it then) 5 should be excluded from a solar calendar covering the time from one winter solstice to the next.

Only lately have I come to the conclusion that the beginning of the calendar should be at spring equinox.

One more thing: In the very first part of the parallel text in K, we have a vero glyph with one 'horn':

		-	-
Ga1-1	Ga1-2	-	-	Ga1-3	Ga1-4	Ga1-5	Ga1-6
-	-				-
-	-	Ka1-1	Ka1-2	Ka1-3	-	Ka1-4	Ka1-5	Ka1-6