The Zodiac of Dendara Egypt

By Wade Coleman

September 2020 edition

Copyright Wade Coleman

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The Zodiac of Dendara Egypt: A Picture Book
Copyright © 2019 by Wade Coleman. All rights reserved.

The author has asserted his moral rights.

No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any
information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and
reviews.

ISBN: 978-0-578-49994-9

Dedication

This book is dedicated to Hathor. For a temple known for music and dance,
your priestess and priest know their Astrology.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to my friend John Watkins for translating the French in Cauville’s

Dendara XV into English.

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 Introduction

The Dendarah Zodiac

The Dendara Zodiac is in a temple consecrated to Hathor, the goddess of

music, dance, joy, love, sexuality and maternal care. By the Ptolemaic times
Hathor was merged with Isis. That because in Taurus, the Moon (Isis) is in
Exaltation and Venus (Hathor) is in Rulership.

The rectangular Zodiac of Dendara is still in Egypt. It’s on the East and West
walls of the pronaos hall of Hathor’s temple. As a student of astrology, the
symbols intrigued me. However, last drawing was done by one of Napoleon’s
officer in the mid-1800s and leaves out a lot of detail.

I decided it was time for an update and took screenshots of photos posted
online. I printed them out, taped them together and hung the pictures on the
wall. Each picture was taken at a different angle and lighting, and so the
composite image was not art.

Using AutoCAD, I set a scale and then traced in the figures. The first
generation was a line drawing. It was good enough for astrological research and
so I began taking notes.

The amount of information was overwhelming and difficult to explain without

significant amount of astrology. A friend of mine, a fancy sophisticated
metropolitan New York artist suggested, "Why don’t you use color to organize
the information.”

As an engineer, I could have lived a 1,000 years and never had that thought.
But her suggestion made me look at the original art from the perspective of
color.

That when I noticed that Cancer the crab sits in a pool of green Water and all
the Fire signs have red pigments. Earth signs are browns and blacks. The Air
signs are more weathered, but the color seems to be a light blue.

The original art is degraded and details like faces is lost. I studied the classic
poses of gods and goddess and updated the bodies. But having better looking
bodies only made their feet look even worse. I replaced the feet and then hands
were ugly. Every improvement made the flaws even more glaring. However, I
persisted and finally have a drawing that’s almost art.

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 The Oldest Astrological Text

The Zodiac of Dendarah is the oldest and most complete surviving astrological
text. Embedded in the drawing are several astrological concepts.

1. The Twelve Classical astrological signs

2. The Old Kingdom Zodiac – Dodecahoros
3. Day and Night astrological signs
4. Straight and Crooked astrological signs
5. North and South Nodes
6. The Four Elements: Fire, Water, Air and Earth
7. The Three Modalities: Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable.
8. The Five Essential Dignities and two Disabilities.
9. The Fixed Stars.
10. Decan Stars.

Astrological Constellations vs. Astrological Signs

To tell time, the Ancient Egyptians divided an astrological sign into three
decans. The rising and setting of these decans were used to tell time.

The astrological signs do not tell time; they tell stories. These stories tell truths
concerning the human condition. The planets are actors and the roles they play
is astrological sign they inhabit. Whether it’s a starring role or villain is
determined by their Essential Dignities and Debilities.

Zodiac of Dendarah Age

Using Sylvie Cauville Dendara IV and XV, I was able to translate the
Hieroglyphs above and below the gods and goddess. To better understand her
translation, I look up each hieroglyph in Bill Petty’s Hieroglyphic Sign List.
However, a dozen or so hieroglyphs I couldn’t find. Mr. Petty said these
hieroglyphs were from the Ptolemaic period, so I obtained a copy of Dieter
Kurth’s, A Ptolemaic Sign-List. In this book, I found the remaining symbols.

Therefore, the Zodiac of Dendarah was probably painted between 323 – 30 BC.

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 The 5 Essential Dignities in Astrology

The five essential dignities in astrology are:

1. Rulership
2. Exaltation
3. Triplicity
4. Term
5. Face

The first two, Rulership and Exaltation, are explicitly shown in the Dendarah
Zodiac. The figures wearing crowns are Planets in Rulership. The planets or
birds in the West Section, are shown raised are in Exaltation. Exalt means
literally, to raise.

The last three dignities, Triplicity, Term and Face, are implied by the three gods
with stars above their heads in the East Section.

To understand the Dendarah zodiac requires a crash course in astrology. In

this book, I can take you step by tedious step through all the astrology you
need.

If you skip the astrology and look at the pictures, I won’t be offended.

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 CHAPTER 1

Overview of the Zodiac of Dendara

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Above is a simplified drawing of the Zodiac of Dendara ceiling.

Nut, the goddess of the sky encloses the whole figure. In the East Section, the
left side, Nut gives birth to the Sun. Notice the crab tucked in Nut’s legs is
astrological sign of Cancer.

At the top of the left drawing, Nut’s eyes are open. That means Day.

Therefore, from Cancer to Aquarius are Day signs.

On the top right, Nut’s eyes are closed.

From Capricorn to Leo are Night signs.

Towards the top of the drawing are two figures with horns. I enlarged their size
to add emphasis.

On the Day or left side, the horned figure is humanoid (Horus the Bull –
Saturn). On the night side, it’s a bird.

Generally speaking, on the Day or East Section of the Dendarah Zodiac,

planets in Rulership are humanoid figures with crowns. On the Night or West
Section planets in Rulership are birds with crowns.

At the bottom of the drawing are two figures. The left is a crab, the astrological
symbol of Cancer. To the right is a scarab beetle, which is the Ancient Egyptian
Old Kingdom symbol of the sign Cancer.

Notice how the two-horned figures link the top halves of the East and West
Section. The Crab and Scarab connects the bottom of the East and West
sections.

This arrangement of astrological signs I first saw in a Philosophers of Nature

lesson. It was called, “The Alchemical Sky.”

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 The Alchemical Sky

Cancer to Aquarius – Day Capricorn to Leo – Night

Saturn rules Aquarius and Capricorn. Aquarius is end of the Day signs.
Capricorn is the beginning of the Night signs.

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 Colors

The paint used on the Dendara Zodiac is 2,000 years old and most of it is
missing. However, not all of it. From what is left of the paints used in the
Zodiac of Dendara, I’ve noticed a color scheme.

Element Color(s)
Fire Red, reddish brown
Water Green
The Moon Light green
Air 2 shades of blue
Earth - Saturn Brown & black

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Chapter 2 - The Scarab Beetle

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 Where to Begin

I started in the West or Night section. It may seem odd to begin in the
Dendarah Zodiac in the Night.

However, in the first Chapter of Genesis 4-5:

And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day,
and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was
morning, the first day.

And so starting the day in the evening is not so uncommon.

The Scarab Beetle

The Scarab Beetle is L1 in the Hieroglyphic Sign List. It means, come into
existence, become, happen, make. When the hieroglyphic is used as a plural, it
means, form, shape, upbringing, stages of growth.

“The Egyptian god Khepri, Ra as the rising sun, was often depicted as a
scarab beetle or as a scarab beetle-headed man. The ancient Egyptians
believed that Khepri renewed the sun every day before rolling it above the
horizon, then carried it through the other world after sunset, only to
renew it, again, the next day.” – Wikipedia

The North Angle Hieroglyphs

1. Horus of Edfu, the great god master of heaven, plunges into the western
horizon.

2. He takes possession of Hathor’s temple1, his favorite place. He places

himself in the country of life; he joins his city.

3. (It/Horus is), the primordial God, fashioned by Atum.

4. The place of his daughter the Mighty on the soil of Geb. He (Horus) spends
the night there until dawn. He is transformed into its form of Khepri. He
(Horus) shows himself to the east. He illuminates the sky and the earth with its
beneficent rays.

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 Mnit Collar1

Inside the rectangle (which means house) is the hieroglyph (S18) for the mnit
collar or beaded necklace.

This file was donated to Wikimedia Commons as part of a project by the

Metropolitan Museum of Art. See the Image and Data Resources Open Access
Policy, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57859196

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This image on a menit collar can be found in Hathor’s Temple.

By Olaf Tausch - Own work, CC BY 3.0,

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15674661

From an astrological perspective, the four columns with Hathor’s head as

capitals are the four fixed signs of the zodiac - Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and
Aquarius.

The day signs, Leo and Aquarius, are to the right and the two columns rest
upon the solar barge.

Upon Hathor’s head is hieroglyph O21, front of the shrine. It means the divine
booth or house of a god or goddess. It is their home or residence.

In astrology another name for the essential dignity of Rulership is Domicile.

The Sun rules Leo, or you can say that Leo is the Sun’s Domicile.

Therefore the 4 shrines on Hathor’s head represent the four elements, Fire, Air,
Earth, and Water.

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The Houses of Fire – Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius.
The Houses of Air – Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius.
The Houses of Earth – Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn.
The Houses of Water – Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces.

The seven beaded arcs that support the columns are the seven planets.

Also, Arron’s or the priestly breastplate in Exodus has twelve stones which
represent the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve astrological signs.

And so the symbol below that I translated as Hathor’s Temple means so much
more.

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15
 Chapter 3

Leo, The Lion

The dotted line denotes the damaged section in the Dendara Zodiac. From the
Round Zodiac of Dendara in the Louvre Museum, I reconstructed the images in
Leo.

Also, using Wallis Budge, Gods of Ancient Egypt, I was able to reconstruct the
3rd Decan God.

Hours of the Night

12th Hour: The One sees the perfection of her master.

11th Hour: the One who rejects the demons.

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 Leo the Lion and Hydra

In the original art, almost all the color is lost, but there are traces of red.

Leo stands on the Hydra. The Hydra is the largest and longest of all the
constellations.

The Raven Constellation

The Raven sits on the Hydra. The constellation is below Virgo in the ecliptic
and near the Hydra Constellation. In the original art, only the head remains
and that of poor quality. I put together an image. Since I have no idea what the
original image looked like; I left the Raven as a line drawing.

Frond of Erua – Babylonian Constellation

The women with a whip stands on the Hydra. She holds the lion’s tail.

Gavin White has this to say:

“A late Babylonian text describes here a goddess holding a frond of a date

palm in her right hand, but a Neo-Assyrian text describes her holding a
whip which ‘points towards the Lion’s tail.’”

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 Ninmah – Babylonian Constellation

“…in the first decan there arises a goddess seated upon a throne and holding a
child, whom some say is the goddess Isis in the atrium nursing Horus.” - The
12 Signs from Teucer of Babylon, Virgo chapter.

Ninmah means great queen in Sumerian. It is one of the many names of

Ninhursag or Damgalnuna, a Sumerian mother and fertility goddess of the
mountains. She is one of the 7 great deities of Sumer. Below is a cylinder seal
with her image.

By Anonymous (Mesopotamia) - Walters Art Museum: Homepage Info about

artwork, Public Domain,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18804095

Ninmah in the image above holds grain. The lady in the Dendara Zodiac is
seated and holds a child. Both are symbols of fertility.

Based on the description above and this cylinder seal, I reason the seated
woman in the Dendara is the Babylonian Ninmah.

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 The Serpent of Eternity

The next figure is a rearing hooded cobra. A cobra is the symbol of a goddess.
In the Old Kingdom, the Sun is a goddess and not a god.

Notice the figure 8 pattern of the body is similar to V28, twisted flax. The same
intertwining pattern can be seen in the Northern Stars section of Dendarah
Zodiac. The twisted flax ties the Pole Star to Bootes Constellation.

I looked up words that started with hieroglyph V28, twisted flax, in the
Egyptian Glyphary, one word stood out. This word meaning, eternity, forever.
Two twisted flax between the astrological symbol of the Sun.

This section is Leo, Ruled by the Sun. I find it interesting that the rearing cobra
with the twisted body combines the ideas of Goddess – Sun – Eternity, or
Eternal Goddess.

OBTW.

The Leo section takes up a full third of the West Dendara Zodiac. The serpent
inside the rectangle is the second largest figure in the Zodiac. The largest is the
red lion to the right. The color is gone from the original art; the red and blue
cobra is my idea.

Decan Gods

Wallis Budge in Gods of the Egyptians, Chapter 19, Miscellaneous Gods, p. 304
– 308 has an illustrations of the decan gods. With few exceptions, the arm
positions, scepters, crowns and star patterns are identical to the Dendarah
Zodiac. For more information, see the Appendixes.

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 Chapter 4

Virgo

Hours of the Night

11th Hour: the One who rejects the demons.

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10th Hour: The One who protects her master.

9th Hour: Mistress of Fear.

The Goddess Virgo

The goddess holding a staff of wheat is Virgo.

The staff of wheat is filled with seeds, a symbol of fertility and children. In
astrology, Mercury is the child of the zodiac.

In astrology, Mercury is Exalted in Virgo. And exalted means, to raise. Notice

how the staff is higher than Virgo’s head.

The Harrow Constellation

The bull-headed man with horns has brown arms and legs. The harrow or plow
he holds is the hieroglyph (U6). It means, cultivate, hack up, excavate.

Plowing is hard work, so humans domestication of cattle. This figure is an

expression of the melding the man and beast.

Gavin White in Babylonian Star-Lore, call this figure “The Harrow.” And since
this figure is drawn in Dendarah Zodiac, it has to be a constellation.

Where is the Babylonian Harrow Constellation located in the night sky?

I drew a sky map and spent a lot of time trying to reconstruct the old
constellations. What I found it is you can connect the dots any way you want
and create whatever figure you want.

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However, there is one exception: I confident that the Serpent Holder
Constellation is the Harrow Constellation of the Babylonians.

The Northern Crown Constellation looks like bullhorns. The Bull in the Harrow
Constellation is holding the plow at his waist, just like the Serpent Holder.

The Serpent Holder is called Ophiuchus, notice how his foot dips into the
ecliptic or celestial equator. Technically, Serpent Bearer is the 13th astrological
constellation. Therefore it is logical that the Egyptian astrologers included this
constellation in the Dendarah Zodiac.

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 Falcon with Dog-headed Baboon Face – Mercury in Virgo

The falcon has a dog-headed baboon face. By the hieroglyphs, the name is
Sabgu or Sabu. It means “The Inert.” Cauville says this is Mercury.

The dog-headed baboon, cynocephalus, is Thoth. According to Budge (The

Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 p. 403), Thoth as the dog-faced baboon is A'an,
the god of equilibrium. A’an judges the dead with Osiris in the Hall of Truth.

“Thoth was the deification of the moon, which was believed to be the eye
of Horus. It was darker than the sun, the other eye of Horus because it
was partially blinded in a fight against Set. From this role, in time he
grew to be considered a separate god, receiving the name Thoth. The
name is Egyptian for ibis, the bird he is associated with. This connection
was made because a crescent moon resembles the beak of an ibis. He
later became associated with the baboon as well because they were an
intelligent, nocturnal animal.” – www.kingtutone.com/gods/thoth

Notice the color of the baboon face is lite green or Moon green. This indicates
that Thoth is a Moon god. In the Old Kingdom, men are Moon gods.

Additionally, the baboon-headed falcon is the biggest falcon in the Zodiac of

Dendarah. His size rivals that of Cygnus, the swan/goose in East Section.

In the original art, falcon’s head is up against the bottom band for the
hieroglyphs. In the original painting, the band is carefully drawn around the
baboon’s head.

In astrology, Mercury is the only planet that is both in Rulership and

Exaltation in the same sign. Therefore the Mercury in Virgo falcon is the largest
and highest bird in the West Section.

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Chapter 5

Libra

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 Hours of the Night

8th: The one whose flame hurts.

7th Hour: The Uraeus [rearing cobra] who fights for her master.

These hieroglyphs are damaged. Seville in Dendara XV reconstructed the

names.

Libra the Scales

Inside the scales is Horus the Young. He sits inside the symbol of the Sun
rising between two mountain peaks. In the Hieroglyphic Sign List (N26), this
means horizon and tomb. And in the context of this drawing, it’s a womb of
creation.

Gyula Priskin, in his paper, The Dendera zodiacs as narratives of the myth of
Osiris, Isis, and the child Horus, states:

“The Egyptians thus customized the representation of Libra to mark a

momentous cosmic even that in their mythology corresponded to the
conception of Horus by his mother, Isis. There is a clear double play
involved in this sign, because the image of the child may refer to the
morning sun and the future child. – page 174.

Horus the Younger – Mercury in Libra

The child in astrology is Mercury. In Libra, Mercury is dignified by Day. From

this image, Horus the younger is conceived in Libra.

The Crowned Falcon – Venus in Libra

The original image is severely damaged. Only traces are left. The hieroglyphs
near the falcon are unreadable. However, Sylvie Cauville was able to
reconstruct the original hieroglyphs, The Morning God.” This is the Ancient
Egyptian name of Venus.

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 Crowned Woman – Venus in Libra

The woman is Venus because she wears the crown of Rulership – Venus Rules
Libra.

OBTW.

This is the only planet in the West Section that shown as a human. All the
other planets in Rulership are falcons.

Also, Libra is the only sign in the West Section were the planet is shown twice
as a falcon and the woman. In the East Section Venus in Taurus is also in
Rulership. Venus is shown as a man and a falcon.

Venus’s Staff

Venus’ staff is badly damaged, but it appears to be a ram’s head which is a

symbol of Amun or Amun-Ra. According to the Greek historians, Amun was
identified with Zeus or Jupiter.

Notice that she holds the staff with two hands like Virgo’s staff of wheat. This
suggests Exaltation.

Saturn is Exalted in Libra.

What does a Ram-headed (Jupiter) staff have to do with Saturn?

I don’t know. I’m not even sure if it’s a Ram’s headed staff. But I was always
perplexed that the Goat of Mendes is actually the Ram of Mendes.

“The ram deity of Mendes was described by Herodotus in his History as being
represented with the head and fleece of a goat: “...whereas anyone with a
sanctuary of Mendes or who comes from the province of Mendes, will have
nothing to do with (sacrificing) goats, but uses sheep as his sacrificial
animals...” – Wikipedia

Okay, so the Ram of Mendes is represented with the head and fleece of a Goat.
That’s odd. However, it does suggest a connection between the Ram (Jupiter)
and Goat (Saturn).

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 Venus inside Full Moon

The three decan (10 degrees) or Face’s of Libra are:

1. Moon
2. Saturn
3. Jupiter

The full moon represents the 1st Face of Libra.

The staff and ram’s head represent the 2nd and 3rd Face of Libra. This blending
of symbols is also done in the Taurus Section where Venus is again in its
Rulership.

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 Chapter 6

Scorpio

Hours of the Night

6th Hour: The One whose image is splendid

The original hieroglyphs above the figures were severely damaged. Sylvie
Cauville in Dendara XV reconstructed the name.
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5th Hour: Mistress of Life.

In the original art, the hour of the night does not have a star above her head. I
don’t know if that was deliberate or if it was caused by weathering.

Crowned Hippo Goddess – Mars in Scorpio

This figure has a hippo body with lion’s feet. She is the same color green as her
Moon Crown. This creature also has a tail with seven spheres with a hook or
sickle tip.

The goddess is wearing a crown. This is Mars in Scorpio.

Also, since the Scorpion and Hippo Goddess same tails and “arm” orientation,
these could be two representations of the same constellation.

Incense Cup

In the hand of the Hippo goddess is an offering. In the book, A Ptolemaic Sign-
List (p. 200), this symbol is the hieroglyph for incense.

Babylonian Star-Lore has this to say:

“Rituals dedicated to the dead also dominated month 5, which fell in late
summer. At this time, when the veil between life and death was at its
thinnest, the Great Brazier festival was celebrated. This festival
commemorated the ancestors, who were invited back to the world of the
living for an annual feast in their descendant’s homes. The rites involved
lighting torches and braziers to guide the departed ghosts of the
ancestors back from the darkness of the underworld.”

Astrological Signs vs. Constellations

Remember, astrological signs tell stories, and astrological constellations tell

time. Therefore, the actual time and date the Great Brazier festival was
celebrated may not correspond to when the Sun is in the constellation of
Scorpio.

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 The Primeval Waters of Nun

In the Sefer Yetzirah, Scorpio is associated with the Hebrew letter Nun (‫)נ‬.

“He made the Letter Nun king over smell… And with them, He formed
Scorpio in the Universe…” – Sefer Yetzirah 5:9.

Also:

“Nun, also spelled Nu, oldest of the ancient Egyptian gods and father of
Re, the sun god. Nun's name means “primeval waters,” and he
represented the waters of chaos out of which Re-Atum began creation.”
– www.britannica.com/topic/Nun-Egyptian-god.

The ideas of death and regeneration/rebirth have long been associated with
Scorpio.

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 The Scorpion - Scorpio

The Scorpion is the astrological sign of Scorpio. The figure has a tail with seven
spheres with a hook on end. Notice the similarity with the Scorpio
Constellation.

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 Falcon with Moon Crown – Mars in Scorpio

This falcon has a bluish green Crown. It looks to be a slightly different color
than the rest. But with weathered paint, I not sure. The falcon also has blue
and green markings. The blue is symbolic of a celestial being, and the green is
element Water. Scorpio is a fixed Water sign.

Since the falcon wears a crown that means it’s a planet (falcon) in Rulership
(crown). This is Mars in Scorpio.

Wolf and Plow Constellation

Gavin White in his book, Babylonian Stare-Lore says:

“The Plough plays a central role in the cosmology of the heavens. Its
specific symbolism is derived from farming traditions where seed-plows
were suspended from the rafters of a barn when not in use. In this
analogy, the barn’s rafters present the highest reaches of the heavens,
and the ‘peg’ from which the plow was hung marked the pole of the
ecliptic, the eternal center point of the heavens, around which the
celestial north pole revolves over the course of nearly 26,000 years.

The Wolf was probably placed here to gnaw on the rope-work suspending
the plow from its peg. When he finally severs the rope, heaven and earth
will be destroyed at the end of a world-age comes to pass.”

There are no surviving documents that describe where the Wolf and Plow
constellation is located. However, there are clues.

32
The Round Zodiac of Dendarah hangs in the Louvre Museum. It has many of
the same constellations as the Pronaos Zodiac describe in this book. I imported
Round Zodiac drawing into AutoCAD and marked the center. It landed on the
plow. A four pointed star marks the spot.

This suggest the Wolf and Plow Constellation includes the North Star. Since the
Wolf and Plow is a Babylonian Constellation, the North Star is Thuban, not
Ptolemaic Kingdom Polaris. For more information on North Stars, see Appendix
7.

33
Chapter 7 – Sagittarius

34
 Hours of the Night

5th Hour: Mistress of Life

4th Hour: The One who prestige is great.
3rd Hour: The one that removes evil.

Sagittarius – Pabilsag

The centaur is reddish-brown in the original art. Sagittarius is a Fire sign, and
the fire signs (Aries and Leo) are colored red. This figure is a variation of the
Babylonian Pabilsag, meaning, Chief Ancestor.

When the Sun is in Sagittarius, winter is coming and the days are getting
shorter. Pabilsag is a guardian and guide for the souls of the dead. The
Babylonians drew Pabilsag with a dog’s head instead of a lion shown in the
image above.

Since no planet is exalted in Sagittarius, the Triplicity dignity has more

significance. Sagittarius is a Fire sign. Here, the Sun is dignified by Triplicity
by Day. And so the two-headed Centaur has a lion’s head.

The Atef Crown

Since Sagittarius is in the West Section, it’s a Night Sign. The Atef Crown
represents the underworld. It’s the Upper Crown of Egypt with two ostrich
feathers on each side.

The Cargo Boat

Below the centaur front legs is a boat. On page 51 of The Celestial River, Berio
has this to say about the cargo boat.

“The Ptolemaic-era zodiac, in the temple of Dendarah, shows a small

boat below the feet of Sagittarius. It must correspond to the time as
which Sagittarius was setting alongside the “hoof” of Bootes. Meanwhile,
the constellation of Argo Navis was in its lower culmination,
metaphorically under the feet of the horse.”

Argo is the most probable meaning of the boat under Sagittarius feet. However,
the ship could be some small constellation, perhaps the Southern Crown
Constellation.

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 Sagittarius’ Tail

South Node is Exalted in Sagittarius.

The centaur’s scorpion tail is raised and suggests the ideas of Exaltation. In
astrology, the South Node is called the “Dragon’s Tail.”

In astronomy, the south node is where the Moon passes below the ecliptic.
That is, a great circle on the celestial sphere representing the sun's path during
the year, When the Moon moves below the ecliptic, the sign and degree of the
crossing is called the South Node.

The New Boundary Stone of Nebuchadnezzar depicts Sagittarius with a

scorpion tail. This suggests that the understanding of the Moon’s nodal points
go back four thousand years.

Falcon with Crown – Jupiter in Sagittarius

Since the falcon is wearing a crown, this figure is a planet in rulership –

Jupiter in Sagittarius.

The falcon’s crown is different from all others. The original art is damaged, but
it appears that rays are coming from a disk. Based on research and the sky
map, I believe this crown is the fixed star, Vega.

36
Vega is the second-brightest star in the northern hemisphere and was the pole
star around 14,000 years ago. In Appendix 7 is a map of the north stars
through history.

The Babylonians called the fixed star Vega the Queen of Life.

Vega is the main star of the Lyre Constellation. In Ancient Egypt, this
constellation was represented as a vulture. In the East Section, both Isis and
Hathor are wearing a vulture headdress, because the Ancients believe the
vultures to be good mothers.

37
 CHAPTER 8 – The North Stars

I call this section, the Northern Stars. It divides the crooked and straight signs.
Basically, crooked signs rise faster than straight signs.

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 Aquila – The Eagle

The falcon-headed figure with a spear is, “Horus that hits his enemies.” A hawk
or falcon is the Old Kingdom Zodiac image of Sagittarius. Notice that it is above
the ecliptic and near Sagittarius.

Aquila’s fixed star Altair is the 12th brightest star in the night sky at a
magnitude of 0.77. It is one of the three stars of the asterism known as the
Summer Triangle (the other two are Deneb and Vega).

39
 The Bull-headed Foreleg – Bootes Constellation

The bull-headed figure with horns is the Bootes Constellation. It is also

hieroglyph, F23 – Foreleg, it means, strength and power.

In the original art, seven raised stars circle the head of Bootes. This is the
Northern Crown Constellation and the hieroglyph for ox horns (F13), it means,
top, beginning. In the sky map, Bootes is right next to the Northern Crown.

Taweret

40
Taweret body is green with a blue celestial headdress. She is the protective
Egyptian goddess of childbirth and fertility and worshiped as a household
goddess. The crocodile headdress goes down her back is Ursa Major, or Greater
Bear constellation. In Ancient Egypt, the Great Bear Constellation was a
crocodile with a feather on its head.

Notice how her hand grasps a twisted cord similar to the cobra in the Leo
Section. This is similar to V28 – Twisted Flax. The art suggests that Boots and
the Great Bear are connected. From the Fixed Star perspective, this is Arcturus
– Alkaid.

I read somewhere that the Ancients used the position of Boots to the North
Stars to tell time (season). [I can’t site the publication because I’ve done so
much research I don’t remember the source.]

Taweret has her hand on a hieroglyph, F34. The symbol is a heart and is
considered the seat of intelligence.

The heart sits on a W11 - Jar Stand. It means seat or throne. This picture
suggests that the Jar Stand is the fixed point. From an astrological and
astronomical perspective; this is the North Star.

The Hieroglyphs

This section is filled with Hieroglyphs. To summarize:

Sign List Symbol Meaning Comments

F23 Foreleg Strength, power Bootes

F13 Ox horns Top, beginning Northern Crown
V28 Twisted Flax ? Connects Bootes
to F34
F34 Heart Seat of
Intelligence
W11 Jar Stand Seat, throne

OBTW.

By the Ptolemaic times, Polaris was the pole star, not Thuban. For more
information about the North Stars through the ages, see Appendix 7.

41
 CHAPTER 9 - Capricorn

Bird-headed Saturn in Capricorn

All sources agree that bull-headed bird is Saturn in Capricorn. Enough of the
original colors are intact to know he is brown.

Since this bird is crowned with horns, we know this is Saturn is in Rulership in
Capricorn.

42
 Capricorn - Fish-goat

In the original drawing, the image for Capricorn is painted brown like the other
Earth signs (Taurus and Virgo).

Hour of the Night

2nd Hour: The One that raises her master.

1st Hour: Mistress of the Spheres.

Straight and Crooked Signs

Capricorn is the end of the crooked signs. Recall that crooked signs rise faster
than the straight signs.

Crooked Signs Straight

Signs
Capricorn Cancer
Aquarius Leo
Pisces Virgo
Aries Libra
Taurus Scorpio
Gemini Sagittarius

This is the only information that I can find on the subject.

43
CHAPTER 10 – Nut Sleeps

44
Nut’s eyes are closed to indicate that Leo to Capricorn is the Nightside of the
Zodiac. I believe the hair was drawn braided, above is the best I could manage
in AutoCAD.
North Angel Hieroglyphs

The venerable wing disk, it plunges into the night, it re-enters the west as
Atum.

45
CHAPTER 11 – Nut is Awake

46
 Nut’s eyes are open in the Day or East Section of the Dendarah Zodiac.

South Angel Hieroglyphs

1. Horus of Edfu, Great God, master of heavens which flies in the celestial
vault.

2. The regent of the firmament who turns into Khepri every morning.

47
 Chapter 12

Capricorn – Aquarius

48
 Hour of the Night

1st Hour: Mistress of the Spheres.

Bulled Headed Saturn

Of all the figures in this section, the bull-headed god has a name, “Horus the
Bull.” This is Saturn.

Sorry, I have to rant.

Okay ancients, why did you name the only god whose name and identity is
exceedingly obvious? There’s plenty of room above the heads of the other
figures to write something – anything. Is this your way of tormenting me from
beyond the grave?

49
 The Goose – The Winter Solstice

Rhetorius has this to say about the Goose/Cygnus Constellation.

“And in the 3rd decan [Aquarius] there arises the Big Bird which is called
Cygnus…” – p. 186

Cygnus means Swan and is associated with Zeus’s transformation. Also, it’s
connected with many myths where someone dies and get transformed into a
Swan. The Ancient Egyptians believe when you die your Ba-Soul grows wings,
and you fly back to your ancestral home.

50
The ideas of death and resurrection are part of the myths associated with the
Winter Solstice and the beginning of the sign of Capricorn, which marks the
shortest day of the year.

The figures left of the goose are in Capricorn. The images to the right of the
Goose are in Aquarius.

Falcon-headed Man on Goose – Mars in Capricorn

Notice the falcon-headed figure standing on the goose. Mars is Exalted in

Capricorn. Exaltation means, to raise up.

OBTW.

I’ve raised geese ducks. Ducks are Venusian. Geese are mean and Mars-like.
When I was seven, a gander kept chasing me around the yard until I figured
out how to grab it by the neck. So he snuck up behind me and bit me between
my legs. We kept each other sharp.

51
 Headless Daemon

Rhetorius has this to say about the 3rd decan of Capricorn:

“And in the 3rd decan there arise the other half of the Wheel, and the tail
of the Big Fish and the Censer, and the Headless Daemon holding his
own head and the back of the Ominous One of Dodecahoros.” – p. 184

In the original art, the Headless Daemon is dark reddish-brown. His kilt is
brown with a green belt and tail. Why is he headless?

“Heru-ur (Horus the Elder) was one of the oldest gods of Ancient Egypt.
He was a sky god, whose face was visualized as the face of the sun. As a
result, his name ("Heru") was sometimes translated as "face," rather than
"distant one." – Ancient Egypt Online.
www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/heruur.html

Horus the Elder is visualized as the face of the Sun. In Aquarius, the Sun is in
Detriment. And in the Aquarius section, there is a headless figure.

52
 The Ominous One – Sokar

The next figure has a beard and therefore is a god. But which one? Rhetorius
calls him the Ominous One.

One clue to his identity, the oryx is sacred to Sokar (Seker).

“He (Osiris) is Seker, never seen nor looked upon, the benevolent face of
darkness, the good death that men call upon, the end, the beginning of
truth.” -Awakening Osiris: A New Translation of the Book of the Dead.

There is plenty of room on the drawing for the Ancients to give this figure a
name. However, they didn’t, and I can only speculate to his identity.

53
Chapter 13 – Aquarius

54
 Hours of the Night

2nd Hour: The one who raises her master.

3rd Hour: The one who dives back evil.

Hapi - Aquarius

Hapi is the god of the annual flooding of the Nile. In his hands two Amphora
vases that pour forth water. Hapi has a large breast, like that of a mother with
a baby. His headdress is a water lily or lotus.

Hapi has a big belly and breast which is suggestive of Jupiter. In Air signs like
Aquarius, Jupiter is dignified by Mixed or Common Triplicity.

Below is a sky map of constellations near Aquarius.

Notice how the Aquarius and Capricorn Constellations overlap similar to the
overlap of Capricorn and Aquarius in the previous section.

55
 Chapter 14 – Pisces

Horus the Red – Mars in Pisces

The far left figure is my favorite – Mars in Pisces. He has a star above his head
and a name: “Horus the Red.” All sources agree, Horus the Red is Mars.

56
Below is a table of the Dignities of Mars in Pisces.

Planet Sign Rulership Triplicity Term 3rd Total

20 - Face
25.59º
Jupiter Pisces +5 +5
Mars Pisces +3 +2 +1 +6

In Pisces, Mars is dignified by Triplicity, Term, and Face. For the first 6
degrees of the 3rd decan of Pisces, Mars is more dignified than the Ruler of
Pisces, Jupiter.

The 5 essential dignities overlap and make patterns. These six degrees of Pisces
is the only place in the Zodiac where a planet (not in Exaltation) has more
essential dignity than the planet in Rulership.

Clearly, the Ancient Egyptian Astrologers are making a statement by including

Mars in Pisces.

Two other gods in Aries and Taurus Section have a star above their head, but
no name. In Appendix 8, The Curious Case of Planets in their Detriment and
Fall, is a detailed explanation.

Hour of the Night

4th Hour: The one whose prestige is great.

5th Hour: “Mistress of Life.”

6th Hour: Mistress whose image is splendid.

Pisces – The Fish

The Dendera drawing above, the two fish are Nile perch.

In the Old Kingdom Zodiac, the sign for Pisces was a crocodile. If you look at
the figure below, Pisces’ constellation looks more like a croc with a big mouth
and two fish tied by their tails.

57
 Square of Pegasus

The Square of Pegasus is four stars that connect the Andromeda and Pegasus
constellations. In the panel above, the wavy lines that fill the rectangle are N35
in the Hieroglyphic Sign List. It is a symbol of water. In the original art, the
lines are drawn blue which is the color of the celestial world. This suggests that
the Ancient Egyptians considered the Square of Pegasus is a celestial body of
water. I wonder, is this the mythical Sea of Knives in the Coffin Texts?

58
 Osiris Holds a Pig inside a Full Moon

The next figure is Osiris. His shirt is made of fish scales, and his skin is green.
Like Thoth, Osiris is a Moon God, and he is shown inside a full Moon. In the
Old Kingdom, the Sun deities were goddesses, and the Moon were gods.

In Astrology, stones, plants, and animals are all under the rulership of one or
more of the planets. In Abraham Ibn Ezra’s Introductions to Astrology, list
these animals under Saturn:
Of the animals, elephants, camels, and any animal that is big and ugly,
such as pigs, wolves, monkeys, black dogs, and black cats. – p. 149.
Pigs like to root around. They are earth moving machines. Like a plow, pigs
(both sows and boars) use their tusk to overturn dirt to look for something to
eat. Like a plow, pigs work the earth and are attributed to Saturn. Plowing is a
destructive (Saturn) but necessary act to prepare the ground for spring (Aries)
planting.

In the original Dendara art, the pig is brown like the oryx. This is another clue
that the pig is a Saturn symbol.

There is an Ancient Egyptian myth called, “Horus and the Black Pig.” In
Appendix 9 is an explanation of the myth from an astrological perspective.

Jupiter in Pisces – Rulership

The next figure wears an Atef crown of the neither world and carries a scepter.
Since planets in rulership wear crowns, this figure must be Jupiter. But we
don’t have to guess because above his head reads, “Horus illuminates the
Earth” which is a name of Jupiter.

Notice Jupiter wears the Atef crown. It’s a combination of the Hedjet crown of
Upper Egypt with two ostrich feathers. The Atef crown is a symbol of the
rulership of the underworld. But why a Night crown on the East or Day section
of the Denderah Zodiac? Because in astrology, there are many different types of
Days and Nights.

From one perspective, the Night Signs are the months of winter - the
astrological signs of Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. As the last winter sign,
Jupiter in Pisces wears the Atef Crown.

59
 Chapter 15 – Aries

Hour of the Night

7th Hour: The one who fights for his master.

60
 Aries – The Ram – Khnum the Ram-Headed God

The Ram turns his head back to face the rising sun. As a hieroglyph, the Ram
is E10 in the Hieroglyphic Sign List. It is a symbol for ram and the god Khnum.

Khnum was one of the earliest Egyptian deities, originally the god of the
source of the Nile River. Since the annual flooding of the Nile brought
with it silt and clay, and its water brought life to its surroundings, he
was thought to be the creator of the bodies of human children, which he
made at a potter's wheel, from clay, and placed in their mothers' wombs.
He later was described as having molded the other deities, and he had
the titles Divine Potter and Lord of created things from himself.” –
Wikipedia

In Ancient Egypt, the word for Ram is “bah.” Like the baaing of sheep.

In the Hieroglyphic Sign List, R7 is an incense bowl. It means “soul.” It’s also
pronounced “bah.” Also a stork G29 is pronounced bah (b3) and means soul.

The Ancients love their puns. That is, a joke exploiting the different possible
meanings of a word or the fact that there are words that sound alike but have
different meanings.

The ancients say, as a pun, that the fashioner of humanity (Khnum-Bah) is the
Soul (Bah).

Lion-headed God

By the dress and face, the next figure is a male lion. He holds a “was” scepter
and therefore is a planet. A lion is a symbol of the Sun; in Aries the Sun is
Exalted.

61
 Old Kingdom Zodiac – Tomcat

In the Old Kingdom Zodiac, the symbol for Aires is a Tomcat or male cat.
Therefore the male lion is a direct reference to the Old Kingdom Zodiac.

One of Three Gods with a Star

Saturn in Aries

This god holds a “was” scepter and therefore is a planet. He has no name, so
which planet?

Mars rules Aries. Since this figure is not wearing a crown, it’s not Mars. The
Sun is the figure to the left. Since it’s not a female figure, the planet is not
Venus or the Moon.

Through the process of elimination, that leaves three male planets: Mercury
(male and female), Jupiter, and Saturn.

In Pisces, the god with the star is Horus the Red or Mars. In Pisces, Mars is
dignified by Triplicity, Term and Face in the 3rd Decan.

Using this information as a clue, I looked at the Essential Dignities of Mercury,

Jupiter, and Saturn in Aries; there is one standout.

In the last five degrees of Aries, Saturn climbs out of his Fall to a +1.

Planet Sign Fall Fire Term Total

Triplicity 26 -
29.59º
Saturn Aries -4 +3 +2 +1

Therefore, I believe this figure is Saturn in Aries.

62
Chapter 16 – Taurus

63
 Baboon and Oryx

The baboon is colored green and represents the god Thoth. Thoth was
originally a Moon god who was considered the originator of science, religion,
and magic. The Greeks equated Thoth with Hermes or Mercury. During the
later Ptolemaic area, Thoth was associated with both the Moon and Mercury.

The oryx is brown with black horns which are the colors of Earth signs. In the
Hieroglyphic sign List, the oryx is E28. As a symbol, it means “greed.”

Gyula Priskin’s The Dendera zodiacs as narratives of the myth of Osiris, Isis,
and the child, Horus, says,

“While we know that the oryx’s in ancient Egypt, especially from the Late
Period onwards, [the oryx] symbolized the forces of chaos in general.”

Gyula also quotes Harapollo that describes “the oryx as an inimical creature
that does not pay proper respect to the moon.”

To an astrologer, this is a dead giveaway to the identity of the oryx. The Moon
is in its Determent in Capricorn where Saturn has rulership. Therefore, the
oryx is a Saturn symbol.

OBTW.

The Old Kingdom image for Capricorn is a baboon.

64
 Essential Dignity – The 3 Faces of Taurus

The baboon is a symbol of Mercury and the Moon.

They oryx is Saturn.

In the essential dignity system, the three faces or decans of Taurus are
Mercury, Moon, and Saturn.

This is strong circumstantial evidence the Ancient Egyptian astrologers used all
the essential dignities.

The Falcon with the Double Crown

Venus in Taurus

The falcon or hawk wears a crown. Venus Rules Taurus, therefore this bird is
Venus.

This is the only bird in Day or East Zodiac of Dendara. There are two signs
where a planet is depicted as a bird, and a human figure. They are Taurus and
Libra.

These two astrological signs are both ruled by Venus.

Two-Headed Male Venus

The Two-headed figure has a name written in hieroglyphs, “The Morning God.”
This is Venus. The original colors preserve the lite green of the Moon Crown
worn by the hawk-headed figure.

Notice the two-headed Venus figure has a man’s head, and not a woman. He
also wears a skirt, which also indicates this is a male figure.

65
 Venus and Mercury Dual Nature

Both Mercury and Venus are inferior planets. That is, they are closer to the
Sun than the Earth. As seen from Earth, Mercury is never further than 28
degrees from the Sun. Venus is within 47 degrees.

Because Mercury and Venus are so close to the sun, they can only be seen as
either morning or evening stars. Each of these planets dual attributions.

Venus’ double nature is described in the Greek myth of Persephone. When she
is in the upper world (Day), the crops grow. When Persephone enters the
underworld (Night), it’s winter.

Hours of the Night

8th: The one whose flame hurts. (One of Sekhmet’s titles is, “Mistress of
Flame.”)

9th: Mistress of Fear.

The Bull

Taurus is a Fixed Earth sign. In the original figure, the bull is black. Like all
the Earth signs (Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn) in the Dendara Zodiac, they
have traces of blacks and browns in the original art.

Moon is Exalted in Taurus

Notice the Bull’s horns and the crescent Moon upon its back.

In astrology, the Moon is Exalted. Exalted means to raise.

66
 The Bull’s Tail

Taurus as a Constellation

In the original art, the bull has a circle in the center of his tail. It means
something. Using a star map as a guide, I think it’s the Pleiades.

When it comes to constellations, there’re a lot of different ways to connect the

dots. I liked H.A. Rey’s book, The Stars because they look the most like the
astrological signs.

67
Chapter 17 – Gemini

68
 Mercury in Gemini - Rulership

In Gemini, Mercury is in Rulership and wears the double feather headdress. In

hieroglyphs is Mercury’s name, Sabgu, which means, “The Inert.”

Goat-headed Serpent Staff – The North Node

Mercury is holding a serpent staff. He is the exception to the rule that planets
hold was or Phoenix staffs.

Why?

In astrology, the North Node is exalted in Gemini. The North Node is called the
Dragon’s head. The South Node is the dragon’s tail. Exaltation means to raise
and note how Mercury holds the staff with two hands. Usually, the Phoenix
staff is held with one hand.

In astronomy, the ascending node (North Node) is the point where the Moon
crosses the ecliptic from south to north, and the descending node (South Node)
is where it passes from north to south.

This suggests the Ancient Egyptian astrologers used the North and South
Nodes.

Also, in the Old Kingdom Zodiac, the sign for Gemini is a snake or serpent. For
more information on the Old Kingdom Zodiac, see Appendix 3.

69
 Goat Star – Capella

Above Gemini constellation is Alpha Auriga or Capella. It is sixth-brightest star

in the night sky at magnitude 0.08. Its name is a reference to its mythological
Amalthea, the goat that nursed Zeus. Therefore Capella is the "Goat Star.”

Note also that Gemini’s staff has a goat’s head with a beard. He is crowned
with horns.
Lucia Bellizia in his text, The Paranatellonta in ancient Greek astrological
literature, says “the serpent Agathodaimon, crowned and bearded.”

70
 One of Three 3 Gods with a Star

Jupiter in Gemini

This god is identical to the god with a star above his head in Taurus. He holds
a “was” or Phoenix staff, so he’s a planet.

Since the god has no crown, it’s not Mercury. The god is male and therefore not
Venus and Moon. The remaining male planets are the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and
Saturn. Using the five essential dignities for Gemini, one planet stands out –
Jupiter.

Planet Sign Detriment Air Term 1st Total

Triplicity 7 - 13.59º Face
Jupiter Gemini -5 +3 +2 +1 +1

Notice for 7th to the 10th degree of Gemini, Jupiter weights in +1. Not bad for a
planet in its Detriment.

For more information, see Appendix 8, The Curious Case of Planets in their
Detriment and Fall.

Hours of the Night

10th Hour: The one who protects his master.

11th Hour: The one who repels demons.

71
 Gemini the Twins – Shu and Tefnut

The lion-headed goddess is Tefnut. She is a goddess of moisture, moist air,

dew, and rain. She is the sister and consort of the air god Shu.

Shu wears a feather in his headdress. His name means, emptiness. Like his
sister and consort Tefnut, he is one of the nine primordial gods of the Ennead.

Gemini – A Crooked Sign

Gemini is the start of the crooked signs or the end depending on your
perspective. In his summary, Rhetorius says:

And of these signs, some are straight, and some are crooked; and the
straight ones are from Cancer to Sagittarius, and the crooked ones are
from Capricorn to Gemini.

Abraham Ibn Ezra in his Book of Reasons says that straight or short signs take
longer to rise that crooked or long signs.

72
 CHAPTER 18

The Three Barges

12th Hour of the Night

The first figure to the right is the 12th hour of the night. She is looking back
towards the rising sun. Her title is, “The one who sees perfection in her
master.”

Orion – Sah – Anu

The god holding a Phoenix scepter is Orion of the Greeks, Sah of the Ancient
Egyptians and Anu of the Sumerians. He is wearing the upper crown of Egypt.
Orion and his crown are blue to symbolize that Orion is a celestial being. He
looks back at Sirius (the reclined cow) and salutes the rising Sun.

Orion has four raised stars in front and two that flank either side of his head.
There probably an astrum of stars that are near Orion, but I don’t know for

73
sure, but they may be the four stars in Orion’s upraised arm. The text near his
head reads, Orion, the venerable soul of Osiris.

Horus on the Papyrus Flower

Procyon?

In the Dendara Zodiac, between Sirius and Orion is Horus on the papyrus
flower. He is a falcon wearing the double crown of Egypt. These are the same
papyrus flowers that adorn the front and back of the decan god’s boats. Near
the flower is a 5-pointed star.

Considering that the figures in the Dendarah Zodiac are symbols of stars and
constellations, who is Horus on the papyrus flower? I looked at the star map
for clues. Please note I reversed the sky map below to match the direction of
gods.

In the star map, Orion’s upraise arm looks like the pillar. His Phoenix wand is
to the left.

Note in the Dendara Zodiac drawing, Orion looks back to Sirius (reclined cow
on a barge).

74
In the Star Map, Procyon is near Orion and Sirius. In ancient Greek, Procyon
means “before the dog” because it leads the Dog Star Sirius as it travels across
the sky. In Tahitian lore, Procyon was one of the pillars propping up the sky.

Procyon is the 8th brightest star in the night sky and is one of the three stars in
the Winter Triangle asterism. The other two stars are Sirius and Betelgeuse.

Therefore I believe to Horus on the Papyrus Flower to the fixed star Procyon.
And the papyrus flower is the upraised arm of Orion.

Reclined Cow - Sirius

The next barge is a reclined cow. This is the fixed star Sirius (Greek Sothis),
the brightest star in the night sky. Sirius is part of a southern constellation
Canis Major or “Greater Dog.” For seventy days a year, Sirius goes below the
horizon. The reappearance of Sirius on the horizon signals the annual flooding
of the Nile.

Notice the 5-pointed star between the horns. In the context of the Zodiac of
Dendarah, a 5-pointed “raised” star means the image is either a fixed star, a
god/goddess or both.

The text near Sirius reads, Sothis the great, mistress of the stars, Isis mistress
of heaven, which shines at the beginning of the year to inaugurate a happy
year. Who walks peacefully behind his brother, namely Orion, while his son
Horus is the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, eternally!

75
 Anuket and Satis.

Anuket has a green crown of ostrich feathers or reeds. She is a personification

of the Nile and is holding two jars that pour water like the God Hapi is the
Aquarius section. She is associated with Elephantine Island and the first Nome
of Upper Egypt.

In Greek, Nome means law or custom. It’s a territorial division in ancient

Egypt. Nomes were autonomous city-states but later untied during the early
dynastic period. Nomes are associated with gods and constellations.

The other figure in the barge is Satis. She is the personification of the annual
Nile flooding. One of Satis’ title is “Mistress of Elephantine.” And so Anuket and
Satis are tied so closely together they share the same barge.

76
 36th Decan – Barge with Three Figures

The two women are Isis and Hathor. On top, their heads are vulture wigs. In
Ancient Egypt, the vulture was associated with motherhood.

Hathor is wearing a crown with antler horns and a Moon disc. Antler horns are
F13 in the Hieroglyphic Sign List and mean, top, beginning. On top of the Moon
disc is an ostrich feather or reed.

The text near Hathor’s head reads, Hathor the great, mistress of Heliopolis, the
Eye of Re, mistress of heaven, sovereign of all the gods and goddesses.

Isis sits in the back of the boat, and her text reads, Isis the great, the mother of
the god, the Eye of Ra, mistress of heaven, the sovereign of gods and
goddesses.

“Horus the Young” text reads, Ihy the great, son of Hathor, the Agathodemon in
the city of T’rr (in his place).

‘Iḥy is hieroglyph A12 in A Ptolemaic Sign-List. It is a young boy with a

sistrum in one hand the mnit collar in the other.

77
Agathodemon is the hieroglyph I12a in the Ptolemaic Sign-List.

Its word value is ba or soul. Because of its shape, Cauville translates as

Agathodemon.

“An agathodaemon or agathos daemon (Greek meaning, noble spirit) was

a spirit (daemon) of the vineyards and grain fields in ancient Greek
religion. They were personal companion spirits, comparable to the
Roman genii, who ensured good luck, health, and wisdom.” – Wikipedia

The idea conveyed by the text is a “beautiful” place or city. Perhaps Horus is
the soul of the place.

Barge with Snake on Lotus Flower

Behind the barge with Horus, Isis, and Hathor, is a small barge with a snake
arising from a lotus. This is a symbol of the birth of a new day or the first day
of creation.

This is part of the 36th Decan.

The text by the figure reads, Ra-Somtus, in the place he loves, Heliopolis.

Har-somtus is Horus, the Child. Therefore Ra-Somtus is Ra as a child. From an

astrological perspective, Ra is the Sun and the morning is the child. Ra-Somtus
means sunrise.

78
79
 CHAPTER 19
Cancer – Hathor - Nut

80
 Hathor inside the Sun’s Rays

The rays of the sun envelop the head of Hathor. The colors of Hathor is a
turquoise blue-green that is only used in this figure and the Hathor’s
headdress in the barge shown above.

From the perspective of the drawing, Hathor is upside down. However, in the
Hathor Temple pronaos, she right side up. The East Section is “upside down”
because the original art was drawn from the perspective a circle of zodiacal
signs surrounding the observer. I flipped the East Section. Otherwise, the
astrological figures are upside down.

Hathor’s face sits on a shrine. In the Hieroglyphic Sign List, it is similar to O21
– front of a shrine. It means, divine booth.

Nut Gives Birth to the Sun

The original colors of the Sun are lost. I added my own. Notice that the Sun is
drawn emerging from Nut’s womb.

Cancer the Crab

Tucked between Nut’s feet (behind the Sun) is Cancer, the Crab. Notice the
crab is surrounded by green where it is inside Nut’s body. In Rhetorius The
Egyptian, green is assigned to water, and Cancer is a Fixed Water sign.

Cancer, the Crab marks the transition between straight and crooked signs.
Notice how a barges separate Cancer (straight sign) from Gemini (crooked sign).
This is similar to the Northern Constellations marks the break between straight
and crooked signs in the West Section.

Straights Signs rise slower than crooked signs. And with that little bit of
knowledge, you know as much as I do about the subject of Straight and
Crooked Signs.

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