RLG wrote: 09 Dec 2020, 16:44
Thanks Huck, this is very interesting.
It could well be that Libra was considered important enough to 'go first' in these different sequences.
That wouldn't change the fact that the Minchiate order was designed to pair up around the sign of Cancer.
In fact, it reinforces the idea that there should be pairing and Balance in the sequence.
The designer may have taken the concept of Libra and applied it more rigorously in the expanded suit of Majors.
Both lot books with Libra as first zodiac signs have the quality, that there are 13 zodiac signs. 13 zodiac signs (or months) had been used in lunisolar calendars, 235 (= 12*19 + 7) months based on moon periods (29.53 days) had approxiately the length of 19 years ( also known as Metonic cycle ....
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metonic_cycle ). 7 of the 19 years have 13 months. As 13th zodiac sign Corvus was chosen in these lot book cases, in German translated as Rabe or Krähe (in English Crow).
As the pictures shows, the star picture is close to Virgo and somehow between (or better close to) Virgo and Libra.
In the actual lunisolar Hebrew calendar (
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_calendar ) this sentence is given: "AM 5781 began at sunset on
18 September 2020 and will end at sunset on
6 September 2021." The New Year in this system is arranged to fall in September, somehow in the region, when Libra starts in the usual astrology (c.
23 September). The Hebrew system had during the long time of its existence some changes, but it looks probable, that it was already similar in 14th/15th century (when the lot books were probably arranged). So the rough estimation, that this type of lot books had Jewish influences, has its chances to be true.
(The idea of "New Year" is very complicated in the Jewish calendar, one can become easily confused ....
New year
A shofar made from a ram's horn is traditionally blown in observance of Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of the Jewish civic year.
The Jewish calendar has several distinct new years, used for different purposes. The use of multiple starting dates for a year is comparable to different starting dates for civil "calendar years", "tax or fiscal years", "academic years", and so on. The Mishnah (c. 200 CE) identifies four new-year dates:
The 1st of Nisan is the new year for kings and festivals; the 1st of Elul is the new year for the cattle tithe... the 1st of Tishri is the new year for years, of the years of release and jubilee years, for the planting and for vegetables; and the 1st of Shevat is the new year for trees—so the school of Shammai; and the school of Hillel say: On the 15th thereof.[26]
Two of these dates are especially prominent:
1 Nisan is the ecclesiastical new year, i.e. the date from which months and festivals are counted.[27] Thus Passover (which begins on 15 Nisan) is described in the Torah as falling "in the first month",[28] while Rosh Hashana (which begins on 1 Tishrei) is described as falling "in the seventh month".[29] Since Passover is required to be celebrated in the spring, it should fall around, and normally just after, the vernal (spring) equinox. If the twelfth full moon after the previous Passover is too early compared to the equinox, a 13th leap month is inserted near the end of the previous year before the new year is set to begin. According to normative Judaism, the verses in Exodus 12:1–2 require that the months be determined by a proper court with the necessary authority to sanctify the months. Hence the court, not the astronomy, has the final decision.[30]
Nowadays, the day most commonly referred to as the "New Year" is 1 Tishrei (Rosh Hashanah, lit. "head of the year"), even though Tishrei is the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year. 1 Tishrei is the civil new year, and the date on which the year number advances. Tishrei marks the end of one agricultural year and the beginning of another,[31] and thus 1 Tishrei is considered the new year for most agriculture-related commandments, including Shmita, Yovel, Maaser Rishon, Maaser Sheni, and Maaser Ani.
The version with 22 objects is in a modified way part of the order of the 32 objects version. All 22 objects are part of the 32 objects, which has 10 more objects. There exist 2 versions of the 32-work, one from Olmütz (Olomouc, 200 km East of Prague) in Bohemia, the other from Heidelberg. The version of Olomouc has insecure notes, according which it might go back to the year 1327 (so I remember). The Heidelberg version is given to the begon of 15th century. From the 22-work exist 3 rather similar versions, 2 from 15th century and a printed version from 1520.
The arrangement of the 32-work objects looks rather chaotic, the arrangement of the 22-works looks sorted in 4 groups ...
1-13 zodiac signs
14-18 birds (=planets)
19-20 moon+sun
21-22 emperor+pope
The numbers 22 and 32 appear in the Sepher Yetzirah (32 ways of wisdom, 22 Hebrew letters). This increases the suspicion, that there was an Jewish influence om the production of these lot book texts.
The substructure ...
1-13 zodiac signs
14-18 birds (=planets)
... (see above) lead to an observation of the Minchiate objects (23 + (24 till 35))
Card 23 ("Air" as an element) shows birds, which fly between stars (one has to look precisely to identify the stars), the 22-work has 5 objects (14-18), which show 5 different birds and which are meant as planets or "moving stars". 24-35 of Minchiate shows a zodiac with 12 zodiac signs, the 22-work has a zodiac with 13 signs. Without the info, that Air belongs to the 4 elements 20-23 in the Minchiate, one might think, that Minchaiate also deals with a 13-signs-zodiac.
In the general research of medieval lot book systems, there is the feature, that it momentary looks, as if there had been considerable much more German lot books than Italian lot books in 14th/15th century. The first big lot book success in Italy was Lorenzo Spirito in 1482 with a possible forerunner in 1473. Perhaps
the situation is clear, that at least some Italian lot book authors were probably inspired by German lot book editions. The 22-work, which we discussed already, had the basic structure 22x22x22x22, which means 22 Questions, 22 Kings, 22 Animals and 22 Prophets. The Lorenzo Spirito work from 1482 had a 20x20x20x20(x20) as basic structure, which were 20 Kings, 20 Prophets, and 2x20 "chaotic crazy collections" and possibly also 20 questions (which I've forgotten). The two "20 crazy collection objects" are the interesting parts. I note the first and the last signs first. It is a question of personal taste, what is Nr. 20 and what is Nr. 1.
collection 1: Nr. 20 Sole .... Nr. 1 Vergene
collection 2: Nr. 20 Sole ... Nr. 2 Virgo, Nr. 1 Libra
That's "Vergene"
That's "Virgo"
That's "Libra"
With that we have in 4 different sources the feature "Libra as first sign in strange zodiac constructions", the common Minchiate is only one of them.
20. Sole ----------------------------- 20. Sole
19. Luna ---------------------------- 19. Saturno
18. Stella --------------------------- 18. Venus
17. Scorpione (zodiac) -------- 17. Marte
16. Grifone (Grifon)------------- 16. Luna
15. Core (Heart) ----------------- 15. Mercurio
14. Alicorno (unicorn) --------- 14. Tauro (zodiac ? )
13. Diamante --------------------- 13. Gemini (zodiac)
12. Pesscie (zodiac Pisces) --- 12 Montone (zodiac ?)
11. Bove (zodiac ? Bull) -------- 11. Sagittaro (zodiac)
10. Cancer (zodiac) -------------- 10. Aquario (zodiac)
9. Serena (Sirene in water) ----- 9. Aries (zodiac)
8. Cervio (stag) ---------------------- 8. Capricorno (zodiac)
7. Dragone (Dragon) -------------- 7. Cancer (zodiac)
6. Lione (zodiac Leo) -------------- 6. Scorpione (zodiac)
5. Cavallo (horse) ------------------- 5. Apollo
4. Cane (dog) ------------------------- 4. Christallina (heaven with stars)
3. Porco (pig) ------------------------- 3. Iove
2. Gallo (cock) ------------------------
2. Virgo (zodiac)
1. Vergene (zodiac ? Virgo) ------ 1. Libra (zodiac)
*******************
Sources:
Lorenzo Spirito
The direct link to the Lorenzo Spirito work is lost. But I'd saved the older pdf. If somebody wants it, give me an email address.
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=442&hilit=spirito+lorenzo#p5691
Heidelberg edition (32-work)
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=663&start=40#p15544
https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/digli ... 001/thumbs
The 22-works are present in various editions