A Seafarer's Decoding of the Irish Symbols

by Donald McMahon

  A diamond is formed from the sun’s shadow, isolating the winter and summer solstices, using two dots, or standing stones, located at the ends of the east-west axis. In essence, a diamond is formed from two Xs. A straight line representing the east-west axis is formed from the sun’s shadows at the spring and autumn equinoxes.

  The crossover days are the days located halfway between the shadows for the equinoxes and the solstices. This configuration generates a center dot with eight radial rays (see Figure 7-3). These eight rays, plus the E/W/N/S, would have a center dot with twelve radial rays.

  A one-hour movement of the sun for fifteen degrees from east to west measures fifteen degrees of longitude. Therefore, twenty-four hours reflects a 360-degree rotation. In 3200 BCE, the rotation was thought to be around the earth instead of the earth’s daily rotation of 360 degrees around the sun.

  In the Irish symbols, the sun is represented by a simple circle with a center dot: a center dot with eight rays or a center dot with twelve rays. Instead of radial rays, the sun can be symbolized as a dot with eight or twelve concentric circles or semicircles. Figure 7-4a is a summary of sun symbols. Figure 7-4b is generated by tracing the sun’s shadow at noon each day for the 365-day year. A line from the sun at the top of its daily path, noon, to the horizon points to south.

  Figure 7-4a: A summary of sun symbols (Reference 61)

  Figure 7-4b: The sun’s pattern from noon shadows for one year (Reference 7)

  In summary, the sun’s shadow knows latitude. The symbols for the sun were carved frequently onto the Irish kerbstones and were used in the stone circle design and the mound designs.

  Moon

  The moon is represented by the crescent and has always been a wonderful body to witness the varying shapes and sizes (see Figure 7-5a). The moon was an excellent counting device for determining the timing of many events in the life of the seafarer. The moon also has shadows reflecting the moon’s extreme positions relative to a stone circle. Figure 7-5b shows this, which adds four more stones to the stone circle and extends the two side arcs.

  Figure 7-5a: A summary of moon shapes, (Reference 7) www.innertraditions.com

  Figure 7-5b: A circle with the moon shadows and the sun shadows in the extremes (Reference 14)

  The phases of the moon are caused by the relative positions of the earth, sun, and moon. The moon goes around the earth in 27.3 days, or twenty-seven days, seven hours, forty-three minutes, on average. This measurement is relative to the stars and is called the sidereal period or orbital period. However, because of the earth’s motion around the sun, a complete moon cycle (new moon to new moon) appears to earthbound observers to take a couple of days longer: 29.5 days. This number is called the synodic period and is relative to the sun.

  The moon counting of cycles and the sun counting of cycles was well understood in 3200 BCE. When the two cycles did not mesh, a festival was held until the cycles were reconciled.

  The cyclical nature of the moon was a clock. Sailing would probably occur around the first new moon after the spring equinox. Sailing would usually end close to the autumn equinox. The trip days were then counted from one harbor to the next harbor on the trade routes.

  A lunar eclipse occurs at night, and a solar eclipse occurs during the day. There are only certain times when either of them can occur. A lunar eclipse can only occur when the moon is directly opposite the sun in the sky: a full moon. Even though there is a full moon each month, obviously a lunar eclipse does not occur on a monthly basis because the sun isn’t exactly in line with the earth and the moon. The moon’s orbit is actually tilted five degrees more than that of the earth; otherwise, we would see a lunar eclipse each month.

  The moon’s Metonic cycle is a period of very close to nineteen sun years. That is remarkable for being nearly a common multiple of the solar year and the synodic (lunar) month. The Metonic cycle can be used to predict eclipses, and it forms the basis of the Greek and Hebrew calendars and is used to compute the date of Easter for each year.

  An interesting navigational feature of the crescent moon is that if a line connects the ends of the crescent and projects it to the level horizon, the intersection of the line and the horizon is south. So when sailing above the 36° N latitude, a south and north pole axis could be determined at sea or anywhere. Below the 36° N latitude, the south pole star, Canopus, was used.

  The various moon cycles and the Metonic cycles were well understood in 3200 BCE, and the moon symbols were carved into the kerbstones in Ireland.

  Venus

  The Venus and the ankh symbols are built into the kerbstones and mounds in Ireland. The Irish symbols cannot be decoded if Venus is ignored! Venus is truly a significant navigation aid. Scholars simply do not address the role Venus played in ancient times.

  Venus forms a perfect pentagram: a rose with five petals. The star shape is the shape of the Venus pentagram and is used everywhere. Venus was called “the rose.”

  Figure 7-6a: Venus with its actual eight sun-year pattern, forming a pentagram (rose) (Reference 61)

  Figure 7-6b: Venus close to the moon (Reference 61)

  Figure 7-6a shows the exact Venus path taking five Venus years, where each rose petal is one Venus year of 584 sun days. Five Venus years is eight sun years. The five- and eight-count data are built into the kerbstones and mound designs in 3200 BCE.

  Figure 7-6b shows Venus relative to the moon for two different locations. The relative location of Venus and the moon is also built into the kerbstones and Irish mound designs (Chapters 8 and 9). Many countries today have flags showing the crescent moon and the pentagram Venus centrally positioned on their flags.

  For each point of the star in Figure 7-6a, add five more stones to the stone circle. The stone circle now has many stones, representing the sun, moon, and Venus. The stone circles with sun, moon, and Venus stone clocks start to look like a chronometer with three circular dials.

  Venus is associated with longitude. Venus plays a pivotal role in longitude determinations, a fact of which the ancient seafarers were well aware. Venus with moon eclipses helps to determine longitude. The following Venus facts are summarized to show the critical role Venus played to the ancient seafarers:

  •Venus forms a perfect pentagram with a seventy-two-degree angle for each petal. Every time you see a five pointed star, it is Venus.

  •One Venus year is 584 sun days.

  •Five Venus years equals eight sun years.

  •Five Venus cycles, forty years, has Venus returning to its original position within seconds. This Venus clock was used up to the early 1950s to set clock time.

  •Morning Star: The rise and fall of Venus as a morning star is 263 days, and then it disappears for fifty days.

  •Evening star: The rise and fall of Venus as an evening star is 263 days, and then it disappears below the horizon for eight days.

  •The line connecting the positions of the morning and evening stars is critical for longitude determinations.

  •Eastern star: When Venus appears just before daybreak, it appears in the east.

  •Venus is known as the rose because the shape of each of the five petals is a rose petal. The shape is also a heart. The rose-petal shape is seen in many of the Irish mounds, including Newgrange.

  •Horns of Venus: Figure 7-7a shows the Venus pattern, called the horns of Venus: one horn as a morning star and one horn as an evening star. The Horn of Venus is one rose petal. The horns of Venus were built into the crowns of the pharaohs. The ancients had no problem revering Venus.

  Figure 7-7b shows how Venus rotates around a fixed point on the earth. Figure 7-7c also shows the cross section of an apple showing a pentagram. Rotate the apple to see how the Venus pentagram changes shape at different longitudes on the east-west axis.

  Figure 7-7: The horns of Venus (References 13 and 2)

  Venus rose symbolism evolved in the seafarers’ navigation concepts as

  •the compass rose, to determine magnetic variations to true north;r />
  •the wind rose, to determine the prevalent wind directions;

  •and the Rose Line, which is the longitude meridian line passing through the apex of the pentagram. These meridians occur every seventy-two degrees of longitude.

  All of the above Venus rose applications involve a rotation around a center, zero, position.

  Venus and the crescent moon appear together in many kerbstones and in many national flags. This is important for decoding purposes. Venus and the crescent moon appear in the flags of the Knights Templar and the Micmac Indian tribe of North America. The Venus pentagram is used in village designs from Languedoc, France, to Bornholm Island, Denmark. Most importantly, the Venus pentagram is built into most Irish mounds and significant mounds throughout the world.

  The symbol for Venus (and copper) is:

  Substituting the circle with a rose petal in the symbol for Venus results in the ankh:. The ankh is the Egyptian symbol for life. Reversing the Venus symbol 180 degrees is the symbol for women. So the symbols for Venus, copper, women, and life are intertwined and are the same.

  In summary, Venus played a dominant role for the seafarers of 3200 BCE and was designed into the stones and mounds in Ireland and all other locations that were associated with the gold and copper routes during the Copper and Bronze Ages.

  Simply stated: The roses need to be read!

  North Polestar

  At 3200 BCE, the north polestar was Thuban in the constellation Draconis (Figure 7-8). Today, the north polestar is Polaris. The changing North Stars are the result of the precession, the wobble, of the earth.

  Figure 7-8: The north poles: was Thuban, now Polaris (Reference 61)

  Thuban is historically significant as having been the north polestar in ancient times until about 1800 BCE. Thuban is relatively easy to spot in the night sky, due to its location in relation to the Big Dipper of Ursa Major. The two outer stars of the “dipper” point to the modern-day polestar Polaris, and the two inner stars point to Thuban.

  With Thuban as the North Star, the constellation of Draconis, the serpent, would spin around Thuban. This resulted in many cultures using the serpent, the snake, as a symbol spinning around a pole.

  Thuban is an Arabic word for snake. This legendary creature was said to be able to poison with a glance. Poison and death are two ancient metaphors for transformation and rebirth. The star of Thuban may have been linked to the Egyptian belief in immortality, for as the ancient polestar, it was always central in the night sky. The great pyramid builders had stars of Orion and Thuban in the construction of the central “king’s chamber” (Figure 7-9a). The Greek name Thuban connotes life, light, and wisdom. The Great Serpent Mound in Ohio is based on the constellation Draconis. The snake plays an important role in the Garden of Eden. Today, the serpent is spinning around the staff as a symbol for the medical profession and pharmacies.

  From a seafarer’s perspective, the serpent was carved into the bow of many of the ancient ships. When measuring the angles for determining the line of position, the serpent bow would be pointed toward the North Star, Thuban. The dragon, then, became part of navigation lore and may be represented as the “wavy” zigzags in the basic Irish symbols.

  South Polestar

  Canopus, in the constellation Argo, is the second brightest star to Sirius and can only be seen south of thirty-six degrees north latitude (see Figure 7-9b). Canopus was the south polestar of great significance. This lasted until magnetic compasses became common. In modern times, Canopus serves another navigational use. Canopus’s brightness and location well off the ecliptic make it popular for space navigation. Many spacecraft carry a special camera known as a “Canopus Star Tracker,” plus a sun sensor for altitude determination.

  Figure 7-9a: Pyramid as a solar observatory featuring Thuban and Sirius (Reference 61)

  Figure 7-9b: The two brightest stars: Sirius and Canopus, the south polestar (Reference 61)

  In the Southern Hemisphere, Canopus and Sirius are both visible high in the sky simultaneously. Canopus played the dominate role, as indicated by the following names and myths for Canopus:

  •Harbor on the Nile Delta, called Canopus. This harbor was at the north end of the Nile meridian, which was set at zero degrees longitude. All ships headed back to the Nile dynasties set their sights on Canopus. Most ships from the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea docked at Canopus.

  •Eye of the dog, means facing south—the dog star being Sirius.

  •Ship of the desert is the “god to the sailors,” god of the waters, ship of the sky.

  •Coptic name, kahi nub, means “golden earth.” Gold is the color of Canopus. The luster of the star was golden.

  •Egyptian temples, per ankhs, were aligned to Canopus at Editi and Philae.

  •It was the southern port for the Nile seafarers.

  •Canopus gets the sailing fleet safely back to Nile River waters.

  •A Canopic jar, with a human head–shaped stopper, was used for mummification.

  Many myth stories were generated with Canopus as a key figure: He was featured in Jason and the Argonauts, searching for the golden fleece. Canopus was a Greek sailor, a helmsman called the “rudder.” He was the chief pilot of the fleet of Menelaus, the Spartan king and husband of Helen of Troy, who married Paris. Canopus died by a serpent bite. He is associated with the exploration of the Duat, in the “extreme west,” and the Argo ship of the dead with Osiris.

  Today, the Voyager spacecraft used the sun and Canopus. The two marks for orientation of spacecraft are fixed, and the antenna is pointed to the earth.

  The sunrise of the autumn equinox marked the end of the sailing season and the start of the flood season. The position of Canopus as the southern polestar aided the sailing times. Canopus played an important navigation role, the southern polestar, for the seafarers of 3200 BCE as they were returning to the customer locations on the Nile.

  Sirius

  Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky and means “glowing” or “scorcher” (Figure 7-9). It is also known as the “dog star.” About forty days each year, in July and August, Sirius and the sun rise over the eastern horizon at about the same time and are associated with the heat of the summer—the “dog days.” The heliacal rising of Sirius marked the flooding of the Nile in ancient Egypt, which, in turn, set the seasonal timing for the gold mining. Sirius relates to astronomical alignments signaling the beginning of the flood season on the Nile. Sirius was extremely important to the navigators in 3200 BCE because the customers of gold and copper were located at the headwaters of the Nile.

  The Dogon people in Mali, West Africa, had, traditionally, astronomical knowledge about Sirius that would normally be considered impossible without the use of telescopes. Polynesians used Sirius to mark winter, and it was an important star for navigation around the Pacific Ocean.

  Northern Cross

  The Northern Cross, Figure 7-10, is part of the constellation Cygnus the Swan.

  Figure 7-10: The Northern Cross with Deneb at cross top and the Summer (navigation) Triangle with Deneb, Vega, and Altair (Reference 61, author’s annotations)

  The Northern Cross serves to point out the Milky Way. The Northern Cross in the winter becomes a key design feature in the passageways of the Irish mounds (Chapter 9). The left-side crossbar is about fourteen degrees counterclockwise from the right-side crossbar. The top part of the cross is about eight degrees clockwise from the base part of the cross. About a thirty-degree angle exists from the cross bottom to the ends of each crossbar. About a forty-degree angle exists from the top of the cross to the right crossbar.

  Deneb marks the top of the Northern Cross. Deneb is also one the three stars of the Summer (navigation) Triangle, along with the even brighter stars Vega and Altair. The three stars of the navigation triangle help to locate the Northern Cross.

  The shape of the Northern Cross is built into the Irish passageways. The left side arm is shorter than the right side arm of the cross, which is also built into the Ir
ish passageways, shaped as the Northern Cross. The upper part of the cross is slightly rotated to the right, which is also observed in the megalithic passageways.

  The Northern Cross is an indicator (marker) of the annual seasons. On summer nights, the Northern Cross shines in the east at nightfall, sweeps high overhead after midnight, and swings to the west by daybreak. By the time autumn arrives, the Northern Cross is still out from nightfall till midnight, but it appears high overhead at evening and sets in the northwest after midnight. On winter evenings, the Northern Cross stands upright over the northwest horizon. The rotation is another “clock” and acts as a calendar to Ireland and the northern cultures.

  The Northern Cross is used as a key design for the Irish mound passageways.

  Summer (Navigation) Triangle

  The navigation triangle, Figure 7-10, is an astronomical asterism involving an imaginary triangle drawn on the Northern Hemisphere’s celestial sphere with the stars Deneb, Vega, and Altair. They are the brightest stars in the three constellations of Cygnus (Deneb), Lyra (Vega), and Aquila (Altair). The navigation triangle is also known as the autumn and winter stars.

  Near midnight, the Summer (navigation) Triangle lies virtually overhead at midnorthern latitudes during the summer months, but it can also be seen during spring in the early morning, to the east. In the autumn, the Summer Triangle is visible in the evening, to the west, well until November. From the Southern Hemisphere, this navigation triangle appears upside down and low in the sky during the winter months.

  The navigation triangle is formed by the stars, Deneb (Swan), Vega (Harp), and Altair (Eagle). The angles of the navigation triangle (as seen in Figure 7-10) are