A Seafarer's Decoding of the Irish Symbols

by Donald McMahon

  •forty-degree angle, based on the vertex of Altair;

  •sixty-degree angle, with Deneb as the vertex; and

  •eighty-degree angle, with the vertex at Vega.

  These angles do change during the year because they come from different constellations that have different periodicities. Tracing of Deneb and the navigation triangle throughout the year is found in Figure C-6 in Appendix C.

  It is important to understand these three constellations—Deneb (Swan), Vega (Harp), and Altair (Eagle)—because their shapes are built into the Irish megalithic sites.

  One of the most notable books on celestial navigation is the American Practical Navigator by Nathanial Bowditch. This book mentions the triangle formed by Vega, Deneb, and Altair. Also, these three stars were included as navigation stars in navy instructions for naval aviators. The Polynesians also used the navigation triangle to sail the Pacific Ocean.

  How the navigation triangle was used for navigation needs to be developed. But there is sufficient evidence that the navigation triangle was built into the Ireland mound designs (Chapter 9). The three major pyramid mounds at Aztalan, Wisconsin, form the navigation triangle (Chapter 10). So the seafarers knew about the navigation triangle in 3200 BCE.

  Libra, la Balance

  Libra is the only non-animal-related constellation in the zodiac. Its name is Latin for “weighing scales,” and its symbol is omega with an underlying line, Libra was known in Babylonian astronomy as the “scales” or “balance,” or alternatively, as the claws of the scorpion. The scales were held sacred to the sun god, who was also the patron of truth and justice. It was also seen as the scorpion’s claws in ancient Greece. Libra has been associated with law, fairness, and civility.

  It has also been suggested that the scales are an allusion to the fact that when the sun entered Libra at the autumnal equinox, the days and nights were equal. Libra’s status as the location of the equinox earned the name “First Point of Libra,” though its position ended in 730 CE because of the precession of the equinoxes.

  Figure 7-11 shows Libra (Reference 61).

  Figure 7-11: Libra, la Balance, with the thirty-/forty-degree triangle

  The top three stars have forty- and thirty-degree angles, which were replicated in the various mound configurations in Ireland and Brittany.

  Southern Cross

  The Southern Cross (Figure 7-12) is included for completeness and to note that the Southern Cross points to the south celestial pole, Canopus.

  Figure 7-12: The Southern Cross pointing to the south polestar (Reference 61)

  It is of interest that the Southern Cross is seen in a number of country flags, most significantly, the Brazilean flag where the Southern Cross is aligned with a north/south meridian.

  Orion

  The Orion constellation is quite familiar to us by looking in the sky each night. The configuration of Orion was built into the mound configurations from the Nile River to Ireland and even in North America. Figure 7-13 shows Orion and may be used later in the mounds of Carrowkeel, in northwest Ireland.

  Figure 7-13: The constellation Orion, where the belt was used for pyramid and mound configurations, http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/1995/45/image/b

  Pleiades

  Pleiades, seen in Figure 7-14, was prominent in ancient astronomy and is known as the seven sisters.

  Figure 7-14: Pleiades related to Taurus the bull: the seven sisters (Reference 61)

  Pleiades usually culminates in disgrace, ruin, or violent death. It can be associated with military captains, commanders, colonels of horses, and emperors. Taurus the bull is composed of two main groups of stars, the Pleiades and Hyades. The bull is prominently used by the ancient explorers.

  Traditionally, six of the stars are visible to the naked eye; another star is “lost” or “invisible,” giving rise to many stories and legends. The Pleiades are among the most noted star objects in the history, poetry, and mythology of the heavens. Myths exist that the Pleiades cause bereavement, mourning, sorrows, and tragedies. These emotions are surely related to the seafarers.

  The Northern Cross and the navigation triangle with Polaris and Cassiopeia were key navigation aids in 3200 BCE. See Figure 6-7. The five stars of Cassiopeia could have been used to represent the pyramid positions at Saqqara and the mound configurations in Ireland.

  The star configurations were identified, named, and then used by the navigators.

  Zodiac

  Connecting the dots (stars) resulted in named configurations, which collectively became known as the zodiac.

  The zodiac spun around a fixed point and was critical to helping determine a location. The Nile River dynasties built the zodiac, or star configurations, into their ceiling structures, both in blank forms and illustrated forms.

  Conclusions

  The seafarers needed to know the position of the boat and the location of the harbors to and from which they sailed. This meant latitude and longitude must be estimated. The above-mentioned celestial bodies gave the seafarers many stars to determine the seafarers’ location, or the “fix.”

  The sun, moon, and Venus determined latitude and longitude. Thuban and Canopus were used for the north and south polestars. The Northern Cross and the Summer (navigation) Triangle were used for navigation. Libra was used for various mound configurations where balance and weighting may have occurred. The symbols representing the above celestial bodies were built into the Irish stones and mounds.

  J.D. Bernal states in his book, The Extension of Man, “It was by developing astronomy, first for the calendar and secondly for navigation, that the idea of measurement was incorporated into science.”

  The seafarers connected the dots and understood how to navigate the oceans using the celestial bodies described in this chapter. Then they carved that knowledge into the kerbstones and mounds of Ireland. The maps (grid systems) were generated, such that what is above is below. They used this information to connect the suppliers with the customers from the Nile River dynasties. These dynasties had many of the above-mentioned celestial bodies built into the pyramids. Since they were the customers of that time, influencing the seafarers of that time, one would and should expect that the celestial orientations would be built into the suppliers in the “Nile River dynasties of the North,” Carnac, Brittany; Ireland; and North America.

  Section 2 described the basic Irish symbols, the navigation tools, and the celestial bodies used by the seafarers in 3200 BCE. They were carved and built into the stones, mounds, and passageways of the locations on the gold and copper routes. Section 3 will decode the Irish symbols from a seafarer’s perspective.

  • • •

  Chapter 8:

  Irish Kerbstones Decoded

  To decode the stones and mounds of Ireland, the decoder must know how to count and measure angles and be familiar with the celestial bodies. The decoder must understand how the sun, moon, and Venus interact. The basic Irish symbols, the tools that the seafarers used to count and measure angles, and the relevant celestial bodies, which, for the purposes of this book, were identified in Section 2, will enable the decoding of the Irish kerbstones from a seafarer’s perspective.

  Kerbstone K67, above, is probably one of the most displayed kerbstones in Ireland. K67 contains detailed navigation information and is found in the northeast side of the Newgrange Mound. K67 will be decoded from a seafarer’s perspective later in Chapter 8.

  Ask the question: What is the angle? The kerbstones and the mounds will never be decoded if the angles have not been measured. The shadows knew, and the roses were read. The decoding can begin.

  Chapter 8 will separate the decoding into the Irish kerbstones representing one-location kerbstones, two-location kerbstones, three-location kerbstones, and finally, multilocation kerbstones. The key seafaring aspects to the decoding are location, location, and location. The kerbstones will be identified based on the commonly accepted numbering schema and the Irish mound locations. Also, keep in mind the basic seaf
arer’s concerns:

  Where am I? Ireland

  Where am I going? Customer’s location

  Why am I going? Metal traders find value in Ireland

  How will I get there? Boat, island sailing

  How long will it take? Clocks of interest

  Will I, or someone, return? Yes, the invaders keep coming and going.

  It is a fact that the invaders to Ireland from 4000 BCE until the advent of the airplane got to Ireland by boat. They came into a harbor from a harbor and then went back to a harbor. Because these seafarers always featured islands to have safe living and security for their trading, they also needed information about the location of the island’s safe harbors to which they would go, come, or return.

  One-Location Kerbstones

  One-location Kerbstones contain specific celestial information related to calendar events relevant to that location. The basis for a location is centered on the stone circle containing information on the sun, moon and Venus. This in turn determines latitude and longitude for that location.

  Where am I? A land-based location must be a significant location for information to be etched with great effort into stones. These locations, as part of the trading routes, represent a supplier, a customer, a harbor, or a storage location. The only needed information to be coded into the stones is latitude and longitude of each location. Each location needs to establish a calendar to determine the seasons of the year. For this, a stone circle needs to be constructed. In so doing, latitudes can be determined.

  Since the seafarers came from another location, they would want to code into the stones the location information from the starting location. By comparing the angular differences of the shadows and angles between the two locations, longitudes and latitudes can be determined. The seafarer could share the information orally but probably used a logbook to do the recording on stones and pottery.

  Kerbstones SE4 and K53 at Knowth

  SE4, Figure 8-1, is a calendar stone found around the southeast position relative to the entrance passageway of the Knowth Mound.

  Figure 8-1: Knowth Kerbstone SE4, showing sun calendar for a spiral location (Reference 6)

  Figure 8-2: Knowth Kerbstone K53, showing moon cycles and eclipse (Reference 7)

  The location is identified by the main spiral and is probably the stone circle constructed in the Boyne Valley at Knowth. Some of the symbols on SE4 are as follows:

  •A spiral, having seven rings.

  •The sundial spokes are at about ten-degree increments.

  •Two positioning dots in the center represent the standing stone, which generates the sun shadows, the radial lines

  •The two dots, cup marks, usually represent the north-south axis;

  •A second five-ring spiral (harbor) is seen to the right, with the water zigzag symbols;

  •There is a diamond on the far right for the sun-shadow latitude (angle) of between forty and forty-five degrees.

  •Eleven circles, with one having a triangle indicator.

  Kerbstone SE4 represents a sun clock with moon symbols. Similar sundials are found on Kerbstone NE4 at Knowth and Kerbstone X1 at Loughcrew.

  For the purposes of this book, it is sufficient to conclude that calendars for a specific key location were generated in 3200 BCE and etched onto the kerbstones at each key location. Detailed measurements and analysis of SE4 have been done by others and will not be done in this book. SE4 represents a calendar of the sun shadows.

  Kerbstone K53 at Knowth

  K53, seen in Figure 8-2, illustrates various aspects of the moon and its eclipses with the sun. For this seven-ring spiral location, the tracking of the moon is presented as follows:

  •Thirty counts of wavy lines with a reversal at the left end, which could indicate the thirty-day month with the sun reversal of its shadow.

  •Seventeen left-opened crescents in a line with two more above it on the right, which may represent the nineteen-year Metonic moon cycle (Appendix D).

  •Seven circles, with five concentric circles, indicates a lunar eclipse by the sun.

  •Two crescents opening in opposite directions in the center represents the moon on either side of the eclipse.

  •One rose petal crescent on the right side.

  •One angled crescent on the left indicates a possible relationship with Venus. There are about nineteen moon cycles for one Venus year of 584 sun days.

  Kerbstone K53 represents a moon calendar with a lunar eclipse. The location for K53 at Knowth is consistent with the general understanding that the Knowth Mound is dedicated to the moon.

  Kerbstones NW4 and NW3 at Knowth

  NW4, Figure 8-3, is located in the northwest corner of the Knowth Mound.

  Figure 8-3: Knowth Kerbstone NW4 and NW3 showing moon, Venus, and sun concentric circles and crescents (Reference 7)

  In Figure 8-3, NW4 has many wavy lines surrounding a central location The location has a circle and two open-ended circles, or crescents. From a seafarer’s perspective, the following is hypothesized: usually, a solid circle represents the sun; the moon is represented by a crescent, as is Venus. It is possible that all three are represented in this schematic for this key location. Astronomically, this does happen. At the Newgrange Mound, Venus and the sun, together, shine down the Newgrange Mound passageway on the winter solstice every eight years. The last time was in December 21, 2012. In fact, every 152 years, the moon joins the sun and Venus, and all three shine down the passageway on December 21. (Note: 152 equals one times eight times nineteen.) Thus, the sun is surrounded by the crescents of the moon and Venus.

  NW3 has many symbols representing the sun, moon, and Venus.

  Stone 3 and Stone 14 at Loughcrew

  In Figure 8-4, the dotted circles show the rose of Venus on Stone 14 Mound T and Stone 3 Mound L at Loughcrew. Stone 3 reinforces the concept that Venus played an important role to the scribes in Ireland.

  Figure 8-4: Loughcrew Mound L Stones 14 and 3, shown having the Venus rose (Reference 7)

  Kerbstones NE6 and SW6 at Knowth

  NE6 is found in the northeast corner of the Knowth Mound. In Figure 8-5, the crescents represent the moon surrounding the spiral representing the sun.

  Figure 8-5: Knowth NE6, showing crescent moon, spiral sun, and Horn of Venus

  Figure 8-6: Knowth SW6, showing the concentric shapes of the moon, Venus, and sun (Reference 7)

  NE6 shows a spiral surrounded by two crescents. A set of six circles (six moon months) extends across the right half of NE6.

  The two crescents each have a centering oval-type axis, or lines. The right crescent has the center oval at a slightly different angle. Because there are five arcs on the right crescent, the right crescent may indicate Venus. The angular offset is about nine degrees from the left crescent axis. The Venus interpretation is reinforced by the rose petal on the bottom of NE6.

  Figure 8-6, SW6, shows the sun circle on the right surrounded by the Venus crescent and then the moon crescent. Note the different angles of the crescent openings. Drawing lines from the circle center to the dark cup marks indicates angles that are difficult to measure for interpretive purposes. Two of the dots could indicate the north-south axis. The sun is also represented in Figure 8-6, on the left, by the eight radial rays surrounded by the moon crescents. The other crescents in SW6 may represent the directionality of the other Venus petals over the various Venus year cycles.

  The Knowth Mound has the various phases of the sun, moon, and Venus built into the mound design. This will be explained in Chapter 9.

  Two-Location Kerbstones

  The seafarer is always interested in where he is and where he is going. We have seen that a key (one) location is marked with a dot and surrounded by either a circle or a spiral. The greater the location’s significance, the more rings or concentric circles are etched. Two locations are represented by two dots, two diamonds, two spirals, or two circles.

  Two locations imply an orientation relative to, usually, a north-south axis. All
ancient maps have east as up. We are conditioned to having north as up. So a rotation of ninety degrees clockwise is needed to help in the decoding process. Many kerbstones have a two-dot, cup mark carving. Here, we interpret the two positioning dots to be the north-south axis. This is a major decoding observation.

  Kerbstone in Cairn G at Carrowkeel

  A kerbstone with two spirals was found in Cairn G at Carrowkeel by archaeologists Robert Hensey and Guilluame Robert.

  Figure 8-7: Carrowkeel Cairn G Stone, showing two-location spirals and zigzag lines (Reference 61)

  This is the first piece of Neolithic art to be discovered at Carrowkeel. These engravings deal with astronomical themes. The Cairn G kerbstone has two spirals and a zigzag with a four-angle count. The seafarer’s interpretation is that this kerbstone has two harbors with a four-day sail to reach the other harbor. All maps at that time had east as up. So rotating Figure 8-7 ninety degrees clockwise so that north is up is needed. Both spirals have their ends on the left, or west, direction. This is also the side having the multiple zigzags symbolizing water. This makes sense because Carrowkeel is in the northwest of Ireland, where the Carrowkeel outlet harbor would be on Donegal Bay, which enters into the Atlantic to the west. The other harbor would be either north or south of Donegal Bay and would require a four-day sail.

  The actual ancient gold and copper trade route for the west coast of Ireland was the route indicated by the Cairn G kerbstone.

  Kerbstone K52 at Newgrange

  Kerbstone K52 is located in the northwest corner of the Newgrange Mound and has two sides separated by a vertical line, as seen in Figure 8-8 (Reference 41). This discussion addresses the left side. The right side will be discussed in the three-location section of this chapter.

  Figure 8-8: Newgrange K52 left side, showing two main spiral locations and two positioning dots and a diamond grid, northwest side of mound (Reference 41)