Feb.4] PROCEEDINGS. [1890.Nowthe Tablet of the Thirty Starshassomespecialconnexion
with three particular months, Kisleu,Tebet (December-January),
and Sebat* We may, therefore, identifythe Star of the King
withthe upper partof Orion, Betelgeux(a Ononis) and Bellatrix
(7 Orionis), andthe stars adjoining. Of these, X and </> form the
5th Arabian moon-station,and the warrior Merodaxwellcorresponds
with the mighty giant hunter.f Merodax, as a sun-god, " was
identifiedwiththe ancient [Akkadian]Gudibir("the-Bull-of-light"),
and astrology taughtthathe was one and the same witheachof the
twelvezodiacalsigns."J ThisEuphrateandoctrineappears in full
developmentin late classical times.§
Line9, Star No. VII.
«B ^ ju tit? 1 Hf-EAty -mi r
Kakkab I - ik ai | D.P.Gibil nun-lal
The-Star the-River qf-waters.! The-Fire-god, the prince.
TheAkkadiani-ik ai, = Assyrian ikn mie. Ik = Assyrian naru
' river,'and" the River " in question willbe the famous Eridanus,
which nowbegins at Rigel (" the Foot" of Orion, p Orionis), and
whichperhapsbegunat the Ee/t-stars in this scheme.|]
The regent-divinity of the River is the Fire-god, oftenidentified
with the Sun-god, and the connexion between the latter and
Eridanus, I have fully illustrated elsewhere. The name of the
Akkadian Fire-god Kibir.the Sumerian Gibil,according to Lenor-
mant,reappearsin the name of the Emperor E\a.-ga6a/-us; and, as
has been remarkedby Prof. Lacouperie,is found in the Mongolian
ghtl,and otherTuranianwordsfor ' fire.' In an " Incantation to
Fire,"Gi-bilor Bil-gi is addressed as " The Fire-god,the prince who
(is) in the lofty country." 1' Vide PartIII, line 54.
+ For a full consideration andanalysisof the mythological and non-Hellenic
Orion,videR. B., Jr., The Great DionysiakMyth,II, p. 270 ct seq. ; Eridanus,
p. 9-10 ; The Myth of Kirki, p. 146 et seq.
X Sayce, Rel.Anct.Babylonians,p. 107.
§ Vide Macrobius,Saturnalia,I, 21, where the connexion betweenthe Sun
and the Signs is set forth at length. " Nee solusLeosed signa quoqueuniversa
lodiaciad naturam solisiure referuntur."
II Vide R. B., Jr., Eridanus, Riverand Constellation.
t W.A.I. IV, 14, Rev., line 3, ap. Budge.
189 p 2