TRANSLATIONS

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I happened to notice a possible correlation between the end glyphs in the periods at the beginning of the K calendar and those at autumn equinox:

2 3
Ka4-3 Ka4-7
17 18
Kb1-104 Kb2-102

In Ka4-3 the foot is not in contact with henua - quite similar to the situation in Kb1-104. During the battle between summer and winter, around the equinoxes, it is hardly surprising if you loose your foothold. We must now move on and look at next page in the dictionary:

Why are there not 32 periods in G too? Answer, periods 16-18 in G correspond to only 1 period (16) in K. Moreover, there is a possibility that the designer of the G calender wished to reach 35 periods with 130 + 6 = 136 glyphs:

G calendar
period no. number of glyphs

1, 2, 3

8 + 4 + 7 = 19

35

19

4, 5, 6

3 + 2 + 3 = 8

27

7, 8, 9

4 + 2 + 2 = 8

35

10, 11, 12

2 + 3 + 2 = 7

35

42

13, 14, 15

4 + 3 + 5 = 12

54

16, 17, 18

3 + 6 + 7 = 16

70
19, 20, 21 5 + 8 + 5 = 18 30 88
22, 23, 24 4 + 3 + 5 = 12 100
25, 26, 27 2 + 2 + 3 = 7 30 107
28, 29, 30 3 + 3 + 4 = 10 117
31, 32, 33 6 + 4 + 3 = 13 130
34, 0 3 + 3 = 6 6 136

Although G and K mostly run in parallel, the structure of the calendars are different. Whereas in K the black season ends with period 23 (corresponding to period 25 in G), there does not appear to be any major calendrical break between periods 25 and 26:

25 26
Ga6-17 Ga6-18 Ga6-19 Ga6-20
102 103 104 105
23 24
Kb3-7 Kb3-8 Kb3-9 Kb3-10
*84 *85 *86 *87

Between periods 24 and 25 in G, however, numbers indicate a break (a group with 30 glyphs is complete and the accumulated glyph number has reached 100):

24
Ga6-12 Ga6-13 Ga6-14 Ga6-15 Ga6-16
96 97 98 99 100

We move on:

The end of the G and K calendars:
32 33
Ga7-11 Ga7-12 Ga7-13 Ga7-14 Ga7-15 Ga7-16 Ga7-17
30 31 ...
Kb4-15 Kb4-16 Kb4-17 Kb4-18 Kb4-19 Kb5-101 Kb5-102
Beyond we have 3 + 3 extracalendarical glyphs:
34 0
Ga7-18 Ga7-19 Ga7-20 Ga2-24 Ga2-25 Ga2-26
32 0
Kb5-103 Kb5-104 Kb5-105 Ka3-12 Ka3-13 Ka3-14
*Kb5-4 *Kb5-5 *Kb5-6
*Kb5-4 etc are reconstructed glyph ordinal numbers.

The 3 glyphs in period 'zero', before the regular calendar parts in G and K, correspond to glyphs located in the last (24th) period of the calendar in E:

0 1 etc
Ga2-24 Ga2-25 Ga2-26 Ga2-27 Ga2-28
0 1
Ka3-12 Ka3-13 Ka3-14 Ka3-15 Ka3-16
24 24
Eb6-1 Eb6-2 Eb6-3 Eb6-4 Eb6-5
The first 6 periods in E refer to the 1st quarter of the year (between midwinter and spring). 7
Eb3-20 Eb3-21

The excursion into the calendar of K ends here. We return to the main line of the investigation. Via the hyperlink 'return' we come back to the origin of the excursion:

The 1st period in the G calendar (and in the parallel K calendar) confirms how niu should stand at the beginning of the 2nd quarter:
1
Ga2-27 Ga2-28 Ga2-29 Ga3-1 Ga3-2 Ga3-3 Ga3-4 Ga3-5
1
Ka3-15 Ka3-16 Ka3-17 Ka3-18 Ka3-19 Ka3-20 Ka3-21
7
Eb3-20 Eb3-21 Eb3-22 Eb3-23 Eb3-24 Eb3-25

The number of glyphs and the details vary to a rather great extent between the texts, but that should not worry us - it is typical of parallel rongorongo texts. The writers allowed themselves liberty not only as regards how the glyphs were designed but also in what messages to deliver.

Redmarked are significant similarities, which - together with earlier findings regarding the calendrical identity of period 1 in G with period 7 in E - makes the parallel between the cited sequences of glyphs definite.

The ordinal numbers of the three niu examples (29, 16, 21) are also in a way 'parallel'. 29 indicates the fallow time between the last moonlit night (28) and the first (1 as in Ga3-1) moonlit light of next month, while 16 and 21 indicate other cardinal points (in the cycles of moon respectively sun).

Another hyperlink '29, 16, 21' leads to this page:

The numbers are important indicators of the subject matter of a rongorongo text. The cycles of moon and sun are similar: darkness, new light, waxing light, maximum light, turning around, waning light, last light, darkness.

Therefore the glyphs easily distinguish between these phases. But whether the subject matter is moon, sun or something else (the life cycle of some other 'person') is harder to determine. Counting saves the situation. We have earlier seen how the system works:

moon
Ca8-27 Ca8-28 Ca8-29 Ca9-1 Ca9-2
Ga2-27 Ga2-28 Ga2-29 Ga3-1
Ka3-15 Ka3-16 Ka3-17
sun
Ca5-17 Ca5-18 Ca5-19 Ca5-20
Eb3-20 Eb3-21 Eb3-22 Eb3-23 Eb3-24

28 is the number of moonlit nights in a month, 15 is the night when moon is full. 18 is the number of decades (10) in a 'year'.

G and K tell about the moon in the 1st period of the calendrical year - 29 and 16 point at the dark new moon phase respectively the end of waxing moon - while in E the parallel glyphs do not 'mention' the moon. But in E we see the 7th period, not the 1st period of the calendar. Probably moon is important in the 1st period of a calendar.

Similarities in form between the glyphs tell about similarities in meaning. In Ga3-1 the top middle part is similar to the top middle part in Ca5-20. Both glyphs presumably tell about a new light.

Ka3-17 (which, we can conclude, informs about the new moon light) is designed similar to Eb7-6, which we know means the moon.

Via the link 'Eb7-6' yet another page is reachable:

Sun Mercury Jupiter
Eb7-3 Eb7-4 Eb7-9 Eb7-10 Eb7-11 Eb7-12
Moon Moon is 2nd after sun, but Mercury is in the center. Venus
Eb7-5 Eb7-6 Eb7-13 Eb7-14
Mars Saturn
Eb7-7 Eb7-8 Eb7-15 Eb7-16

 

What has Wednesday to do with the beginning of the 2nd quarter of the year (or with new year)?
Sunday Wednesday Thursday
Eb7-3 Eb7-4 Eb7-9 Eb7-10 Eb7-11 Eb7-12
Monday The days of the week and the planets are inseparable. Friday
Eb7-5 Eb7-6 Eb7-13 Eb7-14
Tuesday Saturday
Eb7-7 Eb7-8 Eb7-15 Eb7-16

What has Mercury to do with the beginning of the 2nd quarter of the year (or with new year)?