Hayk Constallation

of 10

1. They point out that Sirius was associated with a plethora of ancient mythological images and themes. In addition to being the star of Isis the consort of Osiris, Sirius was also identified (among other things) with a celestial bow and arrow (216). De Santillana and von Dechend show that ancient Babylonian star descriptions identified the stars that we associate with the lower legs and tail of the constellation Canis Major with a drawn bow pointing to Sirius, which became the "Arrow Star."

The constellation is shown below, with the positions of the stars that form the bow pointing to Sirius connected by bright green lines:

of 10

That this bow pointing to Sirius was very ancient is confirmed by its depiction in ancient Egyptian imagery, such as the Round Zodiac at Dendera (see detail below):

The great emperors of Ancient China were also depicted pointing the bow and arrow at a celestial dog or jackal, clearly indicative of the Dog Star Sirius, as shown in the image below (a similar image is reproduced in Hamlet's Mill between pages 216 and 217, as is the Dendera Zodiac shown above):

of 10

The authors of Hamlet's Mill explain that Sirius was also associated in some way with the depths of the sea, citing for example an ancient Babylonian New Year's ritual addressed to the "Arrow Star, who measures the depths of the sea" and the sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, the Avesta, which names the arrow Tishtriya and addresses it as "Tishtriya, by whom the waters count" (358). They also cite also numerous myths in which a goddess or a maiden who shoot an arrow from a bow into the midst of the ocean -- or to "the navel of the ocean" -- including a myth from the Northwest Indians of British Columbia (318).

of 10

2. 357 Gerenti1 . . , and geir (hasta) agrees better with or than with eyra (auris), the second interpretation may command our assent; a sight of the complete legend would explain the reason of the name. I think Orentil's father deserves attention too: Eigil is another old and obscure name. . . Can the story of Orentil's wanderings possibly be so old amongst us, that in Orentil and Eigil of Trier we are to look for that Ulysses and Laertes whom Tacitus places on our Rhine? The names show nothing in common. Scherer (p. 179) states shortly: "Earendel does not belong to ausos 'dawn,' nor to OE. éar 'ear' (Ahre), but to OE. ae, ear m. 'wave, sea,' ON. aurr 'humidity’" Gollancz, who is inclined to connect Earendel with Eastern (ushas, eos, aurora, etc.), mentions more current derivations, among which is that from aurr "moisture," and from the root signifying "to burn" in Greek, euo, Latin uro, Ves- uvius, etc. Decisive seems to us the derivation from or = arrow, suggested by Grimm, and by Uhland, who explained Orendel as the one "who operates with the arrow" (in contrast to his grandfather, Gerentil, who worked with the ger = spear), and Simrock gives the opinion that the very gloss "Earendel Jubar" designate Earendel explicitly as "beam" (or "ray"), "which still in MHG. and Italian means 'arrow.' " [n12 Handbuch der Deutschen Mythologie (1869), § 82, P.233.]. Simrock did more Taking into consideration that in the Heldenbuch Orendel is spelled Erendelle, and at some other place Ernthelle, he thinks it probable that "Ern" was dropped as epithet on ornans [n13 lbid. See also Simrock, Die Quellen des Shakespeare (1870), pp. 129f.: “Dies ward aber wohl in Tell gekurzt, weil man die erste Silbe fur jenes vor Namen stehende 'Ehren' ansah, as nach dem d. Worterb, III 52 aus 'Herr' erwachsen, bald fur ein Epitheton ornans angesehen wurde."], and he concludes from there that the story of Tell shooting the apple from the head of his son was once told of Orendel himself. That the historical (?) Tell was not the inventor of this famous shot, or even performed it, seems rather certain. As Grimm aptly stated: The legend of Tell relates no real event, yet, without fabrication or lying, as a genuine myth it has shot up anew in the bosom of Switzerland, to embellish a transaction that took hold of the nation's inmost being [n14 TM 3, p. xxxiv.].

of 10

358 Now there is no arrow to be found that could contest with Sirius in mythical significance. We know mulKAK.SI.DI, the "Arrow-Star" from Sumer, as well as "Tishtriya," the arrow from Ancient Iran—it is shot from a bow built up by stars of Argo and Canis Major (Sumerian: mulBAN). The very same bow is to be found in the Chinese sphere, but there the arrow is shorter and aims at Sirius, the celestial Jackal, whereas the same Egyptian arrow is aimed at the star on the head of the Sothis Cow, as depicted in the so-called "Round Zodiac" of Dendera—Sirius again. In India, Sirius is the archer himself (Tishiya), and his arrow is represented by the stars of Orion's Belt. And about all of them manifold legends are told. Thus, "Earendel, brightest of angels thou," might well point to the brightest among the fixed stars, Sirius. But even the derivation from the root aurr = moisture, ear = sea, would not exclude Sirius. Quite the contrary. The Babylonian New Year's ritual says: "Arrow Star, who measures the depth of the sea"; the Avesta states: "Tishtriya, by whom the waters count." And as Tishtriya, "the Arrow," watches Lake Vurukasha (see p. 215), so Teutonic Egil is the guardian of Hvergelmer, the whirlpool, and of Elivagar, south of which "the gods have an 'outgard,' a 'saeter' which is inhabited by valiant watchers—snotrir vikinger they are called in Thorsdrapa, 8—who are bound by oaths to serve the gods. Their chief is Egil, the most famous archer in the mythology. As such he is also called Orvendel (the one busy with the arrow)." [n15 V. Rydberg, Teutonic Mythology (1907), pp. 424ff., 968ff.]. We had better stop getting diffuse concerning Sirius the Arrow and his role as guardian and as "measurer of the depth of the sea"; the few hints that were given here must suffice to show the level at which to look for the father of Hamlet. Since, however, we can never resist the temptation to quote beautiful poems, we have still to confess our suspicion that the "Stella Maris" is Sirius too. Enough is known about Isis/Sirius as guardian-deity of navigators, to whom belongs the "carra navalis," and was it not "Mary or Christ" who was addressed with "Hail, Earendel"? In the same manner, the hymn "In Annunciatione Beatae Mariae" begins with the verses: Ave, maris stella Dei mater alma atque semper virgo felix caeli porta

of 10

Appendix 15

As concerns the removing of the Pole star, the most drastic version is told by the Lapps: When Arcturus (alpha Bootis, supposed to be an archer, Ursa Major being his bow) shoots down the North Nail with his arrow on the last day, the heaven will fall, crushing the earth and setting fire to everything [n1 U. Holmberg, Finno-Ugric and Siberian Mythology (1964), p. 221. See the drawing made by J. Turi in Das Buch des Lappen Turi (1912), plate XIV: Arcturus = Favtna, Polaris/North Nail = Boaje-naste, or Bohinavlle.]. Other legends prefer to deal with the fate of circumpolar stars, the result being the same. The Siberian Kirghis call the three stars of the Little Bear nearest the Pole star, which form an arch, a "rope" to which the two larger stars of the same constellation, the two horses, are fastened. One of the horses is white, the other bluish-grey. The seven stars of the Great Bear they call the seven watchmen, whose duty it is to guard the horses from the lurking wolf. When once the wolf succeeds in killing the horses the end of the world will come.

Hayk Constallation

Documents

Transcript of Hayk Constallation