The Path of Anu (Jāņu Path, Path of Jānis) - LexiLine Journal 485

Lines are given in sequence according to
Cuneiform Tablet Nr. 86378, British Museum.

MUL.APIN
The 23 Stars on the Path of Anu
(Column I, Lines 40 through 44,
Column II, Lines 1 through 18)

40. The Great Square (ASH).IKU [Pegasus]. Domicile of d.Ea, which leads the stars of d.Anu.

41. The star at the Great Square: The Swan (shi-nu-nu-tum).
AK: This is actually the star SCHEAT = shi-nu-nu-tim in Pegasus.

42. The star behind the Great Square: Anunitum
AK: This is the constellation Andromeda (Latvian Andru-meita,
daughter of Andru, Anu-nitum = i.e. Latvian Janu-meita or Janu-meitene viz. *Anu-meita viz. *Anu-meitene (daughter of Anu). Scholars have incorrectly reversed meiten into nitum.

43. The star behind it: the agrarian worker
(LU).CHUN.GA), d.Dumuzi
AK: This is Perseus whose feet run to Aries. As Papke notes, Sumerian Dumuzi (Tammuz), Akkadian Enkidu, in the most ancient scripts was the lover and husband of Inana "queen of heaven", Sumerian E.AN.NA, and here he is found together with her in the heavens in the path of Anu.
Philon of Byblos reporting the 14th century BC works of the Phoenician writer Sanchuniathon states that Tammuz-Adon in Byblos was also Hebrew Adon sade "King of the Fields"
Sumerian CHUN.GA = Latvian KUNGA (dative) "sir, Mr." KUNDZE "lady, Mrs."

44. The star cluster (MUL.MUL), the seven-fold deity, the great gods
AK: Papke states that these are the Pleiades.

Column II
1. The heavenly steer (GU4.AN.NA), the god of the (wooden)-tablet (GISH)Le, the Crown of Anu.
AK: According to Papke, this is Taurus, the steer.
Sumerian GU4.AN.NA "steer" = Latvian GUOV-INA dim. "steer, cow".
Sumerian GISH.LE "wooden" is Latvian KOKLE or KOCELE ("wooden, of wood") which are the stars around alpha-Tauri, i.e.Aldebaran and the Hyades.
Sumerian GU4 (one of at least four GU- symbols in Sumerian) is differentiated in Sumerian from other GU- symbols, since a correct transcription is GOUV-.

2. The Loyal Shepherd of Heaven (SIPA.ZI.AN.NA), d.Papsukkal, the messenger of d.Anu and d.Ishtar
AK: Papke states that this is the constellation Orion. According to Papke,
SIPA.ZI.AN.NA = GilgaMESH, where d.MASH is a name of Gilgamesh-Mercury, also as a name for Ninurta - thus showing clearly that
MASH in MASH.TAB.BA.GAL.GAl and MASH.TAB.BA.TUR.TUR does NOT mean "twin", rather the Sumerian MASH = Latvian MAS, MEDZ- meaning "relative, born of, originating from" and hence GILGAMESH means "born of GILGA".

3./4. The Twins (MASH.TAB.BA) who are near the loyal shepherd of heaven: d.LU.LAL [Pollux] and d.LaTARAK [Al Dhira'an]
AK: This is Gemini, the twins, i.e. TAB.BA , Latvian DIVA "DOUBle, twins"

5. The star behind him: the rooster (DAR.LUGAL) [DAR = Arabic al SHIRA, Euphratean Paldara]
AK: This is Procyon in Canis Minor.

6. The Lance (KAK.SI.SA), the spear of the great hero Ninurta
AK: According to Papke, this is Procyon, and most scholars say Sirius,
but according to the MUL.APIN table of heliacal risings, this can only be Alphard to Monoceros as the lance, Alphard being the spot at which it strikes Hydra.

7. The Bow (BAN), the elamite d.Ishtar, the daughter of d.Enlil
AK: Sumerian BAN "bow". As Richard Hinckley Allen writes in Star Names, under Hydra, p. 248, the ninth sieu of Hydra was a bow in ancient days.

8. The Snake (MUSH), d.NIN.GISH.ZI.DA, lord of the underworld
AK: Papke states that this is Hydra.

9. The Raven UGA.(MUSHEN), the star of d.Adad
AK: Papke' states that this is the constellation of Corvus.

10. The Seed-Furrow (AB.SIN), d.Shala (with the) sheaf of grain
AK: SHU.PA is Arcturus and AB.SIN is Spica. According to the MUL.APIN table of heliacal risings, AB.SIN rises 10 days after SHU.PA and SHU.PA rises 60
days after KAK.SI.SA. This can only mean that the lance Monoceros ran to Alphard, at which point it hits and kills the snake.

11. The Scales (ZI.BA.AN.NA), the "horn" of the scorpion
AK: This is Libra. The Akkadian term is zibanitum, described as MUL d.Shamash d.UD "constellation of the sun" and applied to the star alpha-Librae in Libra,
which in Arabic is Uz Zubana viz. Zubenelgenubi. The term Sumerian ZI.BA.AN.NA could be Latvian SPAINI "pails", i.e. the two contra-weights of the scale, and similar to how water was carried in ancient days on a crossbar with two pails on one's back, but it might also mean "sharp" as the Latvian term ZIBENA "like lightning, lightning, sharp" but also "prong, claw" in view of Latvian ZHUBURA "prong, fork," - which might also be related to Nr. 12 below, i.e. the "clawed" bird.)

12. d.ZA.BA4.BA4, the Eagle TI8.(MUSHEN) and the Corpse (LU).USH
AK: The eagle is Aquila and the corpse is Ophiuchus, associated with the corpse of Aesculapius.
Sumerian LU.USH "corpse, dead body" = Latvian LIKIS "corpse, dead body". [That has brought us back to Enif.]

13. Venus (DIL.BAD), changes its location continuously and crosses the heaven
Sumerian DIL.BAD = Latvian DILBAT "quick, fast moving", perhaps from *DIL-BAT, where BAT is now Latvian VED- "move, carry, escort", so that DIL- must at some time have meant "quick" but perhaps DZIL- "inner". We find the same term in principle as a determinative for Mars (LUgal.BAnDa), and for Saturn and Mercury as LU.BAD,
where LU might be Latvian ARU i.e. ARU.VADis i.e. "slow moving star" but more likely "outer moving star".

14. Mars (salbatanu), changes its location continuously and crosses the heaven
AK: salbatanu is the Akkadian name for Mars, allegedly meaning "fiery one"
(but see DILBAT above, i.e. salbat- < dilbat ?) and this has its "fiery"
Sumerian comparable as MUL.DIR = Latvian DZIRk- "burn, spout fire, spark"

15. Saturn (LU.BAD).SAG.USH, changes location continuously and crosses heaven
AK: The actual Sumerian name of Saturn is only d.SAG.USH d.UD and is also found as KUSCH, according to Papke also as Meskiag-Kasch(er) - which is nearly the transcription which results from the last hieroglyph on Column I of the Turin Canon/Papyrus = Saturn. Similarly, Jupiter is the "father" (Papke says "son" of Saturn) of the heavenly family of planets, in Sumerian EN.MER.KAR or SAG.ME.GAR (this is the second to last line of
Column I of the Turin Papyrus).

16./17. Mercury (LU.BAD).GU4.UD, called d.MASH is visible before or after sunrise within any month and disappears within any month
AK: The determinative DIL.BAD viz. LU.BAD (transcription??) means "moving star", so that the actual Sumerian name of Mercury is d.GU4.d.UD i.e."steer of the sun", perhaps in the sense of "child of the sun" since as in Latvian GUOV = DZIV "life". This is line 2 of Column I of the Turin Canon (Turin Papyrus).
Sumerian MASH = Latvian MAZ "small" as in the Dainas "last born of the planets".

18. (Those are) the 23 Stars of d. Anu.