(17-09-2018, 09:47 PM)Searcher Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view....
I was very interested in finding of earlier sources and I finally found one of them, it is dated by 2nd half of the XV century. Not perfect date, but it is something. ...

Quote:Gemini. 
1. One female figure is depicted standing in a pool, the next two figures (dressed male) are depicted standing on the horizontal tubes, after them – the dressed woman and man. It is notable that there is no inscription after this male figure, and it is the only place in the Zodiac section where the figure is not accompanied with notes. 
How it goes (only supposition):
II stage (Gemini): something (one [female?] element) is placed into a «pool», and something else (second [male?] element[s]) is above «tubes». In tote, this diagram has a spirit of marriage, I would say. 

(18-09-2018, 08:59 PM)Koen Gh. Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.Searcher: at the moment I'd prefer an option (3) which is that the person who had to draw in Zodiac signs did not have a full Zodiac as a model and sourced his images from other books. One of those books must have been one with a theme of courtly love. In my opinion, the alchemical examples are certainly related but sit on a different branch.

Quote:De Mulieribus Claris: Scene, Tertia Aemilia arranging Marriage of two Servants -- Tertia Aemilia, wearing hennin, stands flanked by man, wearing cap and woman wearing headdress. With her right hand Tertia Aemilia grasps right wrist of the man and right wrist of the woman with her left hand, holding their hands in front of her body.

Quote:The Binding (or Handfasting) Cord

The Binding, or Handfasting, Cord is an ancient tradition used in many cultures. In ancient Egypt, the cord was tied around the groom's waist and one end was loosed to tie to the ring of the bride. Through the ages, variants of tying the groom's sash to the bride existed in many Eastern, Near Eastern and Middle Eastern cultures.
The Celtic and British traditions called the practice Handfasting; to make fast the hands together to symbolize the wedding union. This evolved from the handshake - two opposite hands clasped in agreement - into the joining of all four, crossed in the center. The crossed hands create the figure eight, a sign of infinity to represent the everlasting bond of marriage. From these practices comes our concepts of "asking for" and "taking one's" hand in marriage. They also contributed, along with Roman customs, to the concept of "tying the knot", an echo of tying the cord to the couple.
Among the common people, a handfasting in front of the community to witness it was all that was needed to recognize a marriage. This practice ended in England in the 18th century, but continued to be used in Scotland until the late 1930's. Over the past 4 to 5 decades, it has been slowly revived in many less-traditional ceremonies, and especially as a gesture to recall elements of Celtic and British heritage. In the past 20 years, it has become a more main-stream practice, adding a spiritual aspect to the ceremonies outside of specific religious traditions.
Because of the ties to Egyptian and Celtic tradition, we have chosen to incorporate this lovely and deeply spiritual practice into our ceremony. We believe the symbolism of binding the hands together to represent the bonds of matrimony and an unbreakable commitment to your loved one is an elegant and loving statement of our dedication.
Our Binding Cord was made in our chosen colours and embroidered with the personal symbology you see echoed throughout the wedding; the lotus flower, the fleur de lis, the ankh and the claddagh. The Cord is a personal reminder and keepsake of our wedding and the knots tied during the ceremony will remain tied so long as we remain tied to each other