(07-08-2026, 03:24 PM)eggyk Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.I came across this (wonderfully) illuminated page from You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view., depicting the announcement to the shephards.
We can see even in this context, amongst a flock of sheep, a certain little bearded fellow climbing a rockface in the background:
Those at least all look correct!
(07-08-2026, 03:24 PM)eggyk Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.We can see even in this context, amongst a flock of sheep, a certain little bearded fellow climbing a rockface in the background
Steinbocks gonna Steinbock
A passage in You are not allowed to view links.
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Firstly, the months stated are the same as the annotations on the VMS zodiacs, and are effectively a representation of the "Sol in XYZ" that you see halfway down table calendars. But more relevant to this thread is this passage at the end of the April section on You are not allowed to view links.
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"In dem mond ist die sune in dem zeichen des steinbock oder wider"
"In this month the sun is in the sign of Capricorn or Aries"
The entry at the end of January has no such confusion, simply calling it Capricorn:
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For the rest of the months, the only time "oder" is used in this way is to include another name for scorpio:
"Scorppion oder tharant"
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So this conflation of the two signs has now not only appeared in visual depictions of the two, but actually also in text. This scribe had no issue with crossing out mistakes everywhere, but did not do so here. This probably still was a mistake, but it certainly shows that the two signs were indeed conflated in some way during the 15th century.
That is interesting indeed. Maybe it makes some sense that these confusions can arise in areas where the sea-goat is no longer in vogue, making both animals known for their horns more similar conceptually.
Also makes you wonder to what extent copyists were actually mentally processing everything they copied.
(24-08-2026, 04:41 PM)Koen G Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.Also makes you wonder to what extent copyists were actually mentally processing everything they copied.
Mistakes happen...
Chartres cathedral zodiac (13th century) : You are not allowed to view links.
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MAIUS before APRILIS
Switched JUNIUS-JULIUS labels
2 x "DECENBER"
If it was just "Steinbock" instead of "wider", that can be seen as a small mistake where the wrong name was inserted. As you say, that stuff happens quite a lot.
But writing the wrong name or messing up an order is a different level of mistake compared to writing "steinbock oder wider". If he realised steinbock was wrong, surely he would have crossed it out like the rest of his mistakes instead of writing "oder wider"?
Like, where is the "oder" part coming from in this case? It feels like the type of thing you have to choose to write - its a qualifying statement that is not present in the rest of the chapters other than scorpio, where it was used clearly to present two possible names.