S.V.

Rjabchikov

THE SAVED ARCHIVES:

PART 1

Krasnodar
2018
POLYNESIA NEWSLETTER
No 18, July 2018
Polynesia Newsletter [Editor-in-Chief Sergei V. Rjabchikov]. – July 2018. – Number 18. The
address of the Editor-in-Chief and editorial office is as follows: 1/39 Krasnoarmejskaja Street,
350063 Krasnodar, Russia.

The journal Polynesia Newsletter was established by the Sergei Rjabchikov Foundation, Krasnodar,
Russia.

Rjabchikov, Sergei V., 2018. The Saved Archives: Part 1. Krasnodar: The Sergei
Rjabchikov Foundation – Research Centre for Studies of Ancient Civilisations and
Cultures.

CONTENTS

Chapter 1. Did the Etruscans Come from Lydia in Fact? 3

Chapter 2. Скифо-сарматская богиня света: новые данные

(The Scytho-Sarmatian Goddess of the Light: the New Data; in Russian) 8

Chapter 3. Some Remarks on the Rongorongo Script from My Diaries (Part 4) 13

Copyright © 2018 by Sergei V. Rjabchikov. All rights reserved.

2
 CHAPTER 1

DID THE ETRUSCANS COME FROM LYDIA IN FACT?

According to the “History” (I: 94) by Herodotus, the early Etruscan persons were originally from Lydia.
Let us compare some Etruscan and Lydian words (see table 1). The reliable translations of the Etrus-
can words are taken from Pallottino 1963 and 1976.
The Lydian vocabulary is very brief, so we must offer the words of the relative languages. I suggest
that the Lydian language is a late descendant of the Hittite and Luwian languages. Moreover, some Indo-
European words of the former inhabitants of the Trojan and Minoan settlements of Asia Minor could be pre-
served in the Lydian language. The translations of Proto-Indo-European forms are taken from Pokorny 1949
and 1959.

Table 1

Etruscan words Lydian words

Lauc-,luc-, luχum- (luχ-um-) „king‟ Qalmlus „king‟ < *kalma- luh- „high (= great)
king,‟ cf. Hittite Sumerogram LUGAL „KING‟
Camθi „a certain title‟ Qalmlus „king‟
Elu- „to sacrifice; to pray‟ Alus‟ „priest‟
Car- „to build‟ Kardal „to construct; to make,‟ cf. also Old Indian
kŗ „to make‟
Tin „the name of a god,‟ tin- „day‟ Div „god,‟ cf. the Proto-Indo-European form
*deiwos „ditto‟ and Old Indian dina „day‟
-c „and‟ -k „and‟
Ta „this‟ Ti „this‟
Cver, cvil „offering‟ Kaveś „priest,‟ cf. also Minoan kuro used to sum up
different offerings and gifts
Tur- „to give‟ Da „to give,‟ cf. Minoan tir-, dir- „ditto‟
Spur- „town‟ Cf. Greek Σιπσλος „a town in Lydia‟ < *Si pul-; so,
Lydian *pul- means „town;‟ cf. also Old Indian pur
„town;‟ hence the Lydian place name Sipul- means
„Strong = impregnable town,‟ cf. the Proto-Indo-
European form *sei- „strength, power‟
Zil, zilac- „chief of a town‟ *si „strong, powerful‟

The Etruscan words and their Indo-European parallels are collected in table 2.

Table 2

Etruscan words Indo-European words

Apa, aφa „father‟ The Proto-Indo-European form *appa „father;‟ the
more archaic form was *a-pa
Ati „mother‟ Russian tyotya „aunt,‟ German Tante „ditto‟ (as a
parallel, cf. Russian dyadya „uncle‟ and English
daddy); cf. also Tocharian ati „grass;‟ its possible
first meaning might be „growing‟ (< *a-ti); cf. also
Old Indian ādi „beginning‟
Clan „son‟ (Celtic klann?)
Ais „deity‟ Old Indian āyus „long life; strength‟ (the same prin-
ciple was used to create Russian bog „god‟ from
Old Indian bhagas „happiness,‟ see Vasmer 1986:
181-182); cf. also Hittite ay- „to be hot‟
Melθlum „territory; country; people‟ Old Indian mela „meeting, union,‟ mil „to gather‟
and mālava „countries and tribes‟
Meχ, meχl „union‟ See the previous item

3
 Table 2 (continued)

Etruscan words Indo-European words

Cletram „litter for offerings,‟ cleva „offering‟ Old Indian tar „to lead across‟ (so, cleva < cvil
„offering‟ (the metathesis)
Hus-, huś- „son; boy‟ Hittite hus „to live‟ (cf. English husband)
Hiuls „owl‟ German Eule „owl‟
Murs „sarcophagus; urn;‟ Hittite mar-, mer- „to perish,‟ Old Indian mar
mutana „sarcophagus‟ „dead‟
Hinθial „soul‟ < *In ti- (di-) „near the god; together with the god
(*ti, *di-, *div-)‟
Al „to give‟ Greek ελκω „to pull, to draw‟
Ten- „to fulfil‟ Russian delat‟ „to do,‟ English do
Penθna, penθuna „stone; funeral monument‟ < *pe(n)-t-un-a (?), cf. Greek πεηρος „stone.‟ The
name of the Proto-Indo-European thunderstorm god
*Perunos means „rock‟ (Ivanov and Toporov 1991).
The Palaeolithic forms *pe- and *pi-/*pu- mean „to
beat, to strike.‟ A number of lexical parallels with
the glossary of the language of the Palaeolithic
people as well as the analysis of their sign system
are presented in earlier works of the author (Rjab-
chikov 2006; 2007a; 2007b). But cf. Greek πενθημα
„mourning.‟
Θez- „to accomplish, to do‟ Old Indian taš- „to create‟
Tuθi-, tuti- „community; state‟ Hittite tuzzi „army‟
Tular „boundary‟ Greek ηελεσηη „end‟
Ziχ „book‟ Greek ζινδων „thin cloth‟
Hec-, heχ- „to put‟ Ukrainian khovati „to hide‟
Zusle „animal for a sacrifice‟ Greek ζσγον „yoke,‟ Old Indian yuga „ditto‟
Tev- „to see‟ Ukrainian divitisya „to see,‟ Russian divnyj „beuti-
ful‟
Sren „drawing, figure‟ Greek ταραγμα – “sign, mark,” Russian zret‟ „to
see; to gaze‟
Sval „to live‟ Old Indian vala „hiding,‟ cf. Russian val „mound‟
and English wall
Nes-, neś „dead‟ Greek νεκας „many corpses‟
Flere „deity,‟ fler „sacrifice‟ Hittite parku „high,‟ Old Indian para „highest‟
Lautn „family; kin‟ The Proto-Indo-European form *ǝrdh- „to grow;
high,‟ cf. also Russian rod „kin‟

I think that some Etruscan words were sources of Latin ones. Several examples are put into table 3.

Table 3

Etruscan words Latin words

Trin, trut (the words associated with the religious Tus, turus „incense‟
cult)
Tanasa „participant of a rite‟ Tenere „to possess; to have‟
Sec, seχ „daughter‟ Saginare „to nurture a child;‟ cf. also Old Indian
snuşā „daughter-in-law‟
Murs „sarcophagus; urn;‟ Mors „death‟
mutana „sarcophagus‟
Mul- „to devote; to sacrifice‟ Molestare „to worry; to burden‟
Lupu, lein „to die‟ Luctuosus „sorrowful; sad,‟ cf. Old Indian lū „to
cut‟
Tmia „temple; sacred place‟ Templum „temple, sanctuary‟

4
 Table 3 (continued)

Etruscan words Latin words

Cepen , cepta „title of a priest‟ Capis „cup for sacrifices,‟ cf. Old Indian kapi
„incense‟
Cape „a certain vessel‟ Capis „cup for sacrifices‟
Papa „father‟ Pater „father,‟ cf. the Proto-Indo-European form
*papa „father‟ < *pa-pa
Pui „wife,‟ cf. the Proto-Indo-European form *bhu Puella „young woman‟
„to grow‟
Flere „deity,‟ fler „sacrifice‟ Flare „to proclaim;‟ flamen „priest‟
Θaur- „grave‟ < *θa (= ta) ur- (< var?) „this grave,‟ cf. Latin
urna „urn‟
Teś- „to care‟ Tegere „to preserve‟
Usil „the sun‟ Sol „the sun‟
Matam „above‟ Mons, montis „mountain,‟ cf. also the Proto-Indo-
European form *men- „to elevate‟

In table 4 several glosses of ancient writers are decoded.

Table 4

Etruscan words Indo-European words

*Ars- „to take away‟ Hittite arha „away‟
*Verse „fire‟ Old Indian svar „the sun,‟ Russian varit‟ „to boil,‟
English warm
*Antar- [andar-] „eagle‟ Greek Ανηαιος „the name of a giant,‟ Minoan Atai
(Jatai) „the name of the god of the wind‟
*Troun- [droun-] „authority‟ Hittite tarh „to win; to be strong‟
*Arim- „monkey‟ < *ar-im? Luwian arazza „male‟
*Cap- „falcon‟ Greek γεπος „kite‟
*Falanθ [fala(n)do] „sky,‟ cf. flere „deity,‟ fler Hittite parku „high,‟ Old Indian para „highest‟
„sacrifice‟

Three gold tablets of ca. 500 B.C. with records, two Etruscan (CIE 6314, 6315) and one Punic (CIE
6316), were excavated in an Etruscan shrine at the port of Pyrgi (Santa Severa) of the town of Caere
(Cerveteri). The first Etruscan specimen and the Punic one encompass quasi-bilingual texts.
All the inscriptions are devoted to the goddess Uni-Astre or Uni (Latin Iuno, Greek Hera; Juno;
Phoenician „štrt; Astarte). In conformity with the “Natural History” (II: 37) by Pliny the Elder, the planet
Venus was the star of Juno in the Roman beliefs. In all three texts the sanctuary of the goddess is associated
with stars.

The quasi-bilingual Etruscan text is here:

Ita tmia icac heramaśva vatieχe unialastres θemiasa meχ θuta θefariei velianas sal cluvenias turuce munistas θuvas
tameresca ilacve tulerase nac ci avil χurvar teśiameitale ilacve alśase nac atranes zilacal seleitala acnaśvers itanim
heramve avil eniaca pulumχva.

My translation of the text is here:

It is the temple and it is the sacred place which are built for the priestess [= goddess] Juno-Astarte. The (certain) ruler
Tefariei Velianas, having given the offering sal [= the libation (?)], presented one libation (?) [gift (?)] to (this) (great)
place from the official services, as the queen [= the goddess] accomplished in this manner. In (the month) Hurvar three
years (passed) (on the day) of the burial of a (certain) deity, as she had took (her) dependent man as a ruler. Let the
years of the location of (this) statue at (this) sacred place be (eternal) (as) the stars [associated with the goddess].

5
 In table 5 several words from the Etruscan quasi-bilingual text from Pyrgi are investigated.

Table 5

Etruscan words Some Parallels

Tmia „temple; sacred place‟
Heram- „sacred place; temple‟
Vatieχ- „priestess‟ („goddess‟)
Θemia- „to build; to erect‟ < tmia?
Sal- „libation‟ (?)
Cluv- „to give an offering‟
Munist- „place‟ or „great place‟ < *munis-t-
Θuvas „one libation‟ (?) < *θu vas- < *θu vac-
Ilacv- < *i lacv- „as a queen‟
Tuler- „to accomplish; to fulfil‟
Teśiameit- < *teśia meit- „burial of a certain deity‟
(a specific rite to preserve an idol?)
Alś- „to take‟
Atran „dependent man‟ meaning „without
authority‟ literally < *a tran-; the prefix *a-
means „without‟
Seleit- „statue‟ < sele-i-t-?
Acnaś- „to do; to offer,‟ acnaśv- „object(s) in a
tomb‟
Itanim „and; also‟
Eniaca „these (?); such (?)‟
Pulum- „star‟ < pul-um
Greek δομος „house‟
Hittite karimn „temple,‟ Lycian qla „fenced place‟
Lycian utā/en- „priest‟
Cf. Etruscan tmia „temple; sacred place‟
Old Indian sar „to flow,‟ Minoan sara (sala)
„libation‟
Cf. Etruscan cleva „offering‟
Cf. Etruscan mun-, muni- „place‟
Cf. Etruscan θu „one‟ and vacl- „sacred act‟
(libation?)
Cf. Etruscan iχ, ic „as‟ and lauc-, luc- „king‟
Greek ηελειοω „to accomplish; to fulfil‟
Cf. Etruscan *teś- „to care,‟ Latin tegere „to
preserve;‟ the term *meit- is comparable with Old
Indian (and Mitannian) Mitra „the name of a god‟
Greek λαζομαι „to take‟
Greek α „without;‟ cf. Etruscan *troun- „authority‟
(see table 4).
Cf. Etruscan sren „drawing; figure‟
Cf. Etruscan acas „to do; to offer,‟ acazr „objects
in a tomb,‟ cf. also Latin causa „act‟
Cf. Etruscan etnam „and; also‟
Cf. Etruscan an, anc, ananc, ancn (certain
pronouns)
Greek πσρ „fire‟

These Etruscan inscriptions of the 5th century B.C. are written on two specimens of ceramics. They
were exhibited at the Museo Nazionale Etrusco, the Villa Giulia, Rome. (I visited the museum on May 16,
2015.)
1) Unia. A round with a dot in its centre is depicted. A vertical line is attached to the upper part of the
circle. It is the depiction of the celestial body (star, planet, the sun) which hangs linked to the sky.
2) Unl As. A similar round with a dot in its centre is depicted. The drawing has the same meaning.
The first record contains the name of the goddess Juno. It is possible that the second record contains the
shortenings of the words Unial Astres „for (the goddess) Juno-Astarte.‟ It is common knowledge that the
Roman goddess Juno had the epithet Lucina „Bright.‟
The understanding of the nature of some Etruscan numerals is a great problem.
Etruscan θu, θun „one‟ could be derived from the word θ- (= *θa, ta „this‟) and the word -n (< *-in?)
„one,‟ cf. Greek εις, German ein and Russian odin „one‟ < *o-d-in with the same structure of the word-
building.
Etruscan zal „two‟ came in my opinion from the prefix *za- and the root *al (cf. Etruscan al „to give‟).
The form *za means „enough,‟ cf. the Proto-Indo-European form *sa „ditto‟ (cf. Hittite ass „to be good,‟ Mi-
noan asa „ditto‟). The Russian verbal prefix za- creates the similar structures: cf. Russian zapolnit‟ „to fill,‟
polnyj „full‟ as well as idti „to go‟ and zayti „to come in.‟ Cf. also Greek prefix ζα- „very.‟ Russian vtoroy
„second‟ literally means „repeated‟ (povtoryonnyj). One can presume that Etruscan zal „two; second (?)‟ lit-
erally meaning „made again‟ was constructed in the same manner.
The enigmatic numeral ci „three‟ could correlate with the word *c-i (*k-i) „several = three‟ (i is a suf-
fix of the Plural form here) of the Indo-European sources (post-Mitannian?) from Asia Minor, cf. Old Indian
eka „one‟ < *e-ka.
As has been shown earlier (Rjabchikov 2010: 88; 2013: 42), the sound q corresponds to the sounds k,
h and p in the Minoan records. Mycenaean Greek qetor- „four‟ could sound *hetor- in Minoan, cf. in this

6
connection Etruscan huθ „four‟ (it is my own interpretation, so I exclude the second possible meaning „six‟)
< *hot-/*het- < *qetor- „four.‟
Etruscan maχ „five‟ could signify „big; strong‟ initially as the description of the five fingers of the fist,
cf. Hittite meikki „many,‟ Greek μεγας „great; big‟ and Old Indian mahā „ditto.‟
Etruscan alχ- „ten‟ can be compared with Greek λοτος „company (several warriors).‟
Did the “first” Etruscans arrive from Lydia? I think that they did. They came from Lydia and from
neighbouring areas. We also see that one of the sources of the Latin language (first of all, in the religious
sphere) was the Etruscan language.

References

Ivanov, V.V. and V.N. Toporov, 1991. Indoevropeyskaya mifologiya. In: S.A. Tokarev (ed.) Mify narodov mira. Vol. 1.
Moscow: Sovetskaya entsiklopediya, pp. 527-533.
Pallottino, M., 1963. Etruscologia. The 5th edition. Milan: Hoepli.
Pallottino, M., 1976. Problema etrusskogo yazyka. In: I.M. Diakonoff (ed.) Tayny drevnikh pis‟men: Problemy deshif-
rovki. Moscow: Progress, pp. 349-380.
Pokorny, J., 1949. Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Bd. I. Bern.
Pokorny, J., 1959. Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Bd. II. Bern.
Rjabchikov, S.V., 2006. O yazyke i znakovoy sisteme lyudey paleolita. Visnik Mizhnarodnogo doslidnogo tsentru
“Lyudina: mova, kul‟tura, piznannya”, 10(3), pp. 34-51.
Rjabchikov, S.V., 2007a. Materialy po etnografii lyudey paleolita. Visnik Mizhnarodnogo doslidnogo tsentru “Lyudina:
mova, kul‟tura, piznannya”, 12(2), pp. 193-219.
Rjabchikov, S.V., 2007b. Pervobytnoe obshchestvo na puti k tsivilizatsii. Visnik Mizhnarodnogo doslidnogo tsentru
“Lyudina: mova, kul‟tura, piznannya”, 14(4), pp. 127-166.
Rjabchikov, S.V., 2010. Indoevropeyskaya osnova *kon-. Visnik Mizhnarodnogo doslidnogo tsentru “Lyudina: mova,
kul‟tura, piznannya”, 27(4), pp. 88-92.
Rjabchikov, S.V., 2013. O minoyskom texte na drevneegipetskom papiruse. Visnik Mizhnarodnogo doslidnogo tsentru
“Lyudina: mova, kul‟tura, piznannya”, 33(2), pp. 37-45.
Vasmer, M., 1986. Etimologichesky slovar‟ russkogo yazyka. Vol. 1. Moscow: Progress.

7
 CHAPTER 2

СКИФО-САРМАТСКАЯ БОГИНЯ СВЕТА: НОВЫЕ ДАННЫЕ

На Керченской плите из античного Пантикапея (Крым), столицы Боспорского царства, выгра-

вированы многочисленные скифо-сарматские знаки (Драчук 1975: табл. XXXV). Здесь представлены
гимны, посвященные основным скифо-сарматским (синдским, меотским, таврским) божествам. Уда-
лось установить верхнюю часть надписи, где описано полуденное, жаркое Солнца и встреча бога-
громовежца с солярной богиней. В нижней части надписи представлены божества моря и хтониче-
ского мира (Рябчиков 2018). Продолжим изучение нижней части надписи, см. рис. 1.

Рис. 1

Читаем текст следующим образом: 76 77-76 80 33 “два коня” 77 “линия” 12 40 “линия” “конь”
16 01 “линия” 12-33, т.е.: Ра гара Ма. Ра ду кона-та ко, сад- Сави; сад- ви хада, сад- Сора. – “Солнце
горит – (богиня) Ма. (Это) – два солнечных коня (Ашвинов как) быки, (это) – Савитар поблизости;
конь, связанный с ними, приходит, (это) – связанная с ним богиня Сор- (Сол-; Заря, Солнце).”.1
Отметим, что в мире скифов, сарматов и меотов (а также синдов и тавров) верховной богиней
огня и Солнца была Табити, которая почиталась под разными именами (Рада или Рата, Ма, Ага [Яга]
и т.д.). Эта богиня ялялась женской ипостасью бога огня Агни, и, в соответствии с древними верова-
ниями, могда находиться и действовать одновременно в трех частях Вселенной.
Имя богини Сол- сохранилось в боспорской древнегреческой надписи (Трубачев 1981: 14). Индоа-
рийский бог Савитар – прообраз индоарийского бога Тары (Таргитая) – бога-громовержца, который
находится на границе ночи и дня, зимы и лета. В соответствии с индоарийскими гимнами (Rig-Veda
VII: 72, 4), при движении по утреннему небу богов Ашвинов бог Савитар светит в их сторону. Кроме
того, Ашвины связаны с зорями, эти боги – быки (Rig-Veda I: 46, 1; VII: 69, 5; I: 117, 15). Более того,
жертвоприношение в огне (хотар) должно было пробудить Ашвинов, причем хотар – это сам бог Аг-
ни (Rig-Veda I: 1, 5; VIII: 9, 17). Интересно отметить, что двух Ашвинов звали Nasatya и Dasra, при-
чем второе имя можно прочитать как *Da Sra – “Дает (свет) Заря (Блестящее Солнце)”. Вот это древ-
нее индоарийское слово *sra, которое в санскрите было утрачено, в мире Причерноморских индоари-
ев сохранилось в синдском языке (см. ниже) и вошло в скифо-сарматский язык как сор-, сол-, сар-,
сал-, зор- и зар-. Русское заря, по мнению М. Фасмера (1986: 81), сопоставимо с древнегреческим
ταροπος – “лучезарный”. Эти слова, при метатезе слогов индоевропейской основы *sawel- – “Солнце”
(ср. этрусское usil- – “Солнце”) сопоставимы с древнеиндийским sūrya – “Солнце”. Мы исходим из
реконструции индоевропейской лексики (Pokorny 1959).
Имя Насатьи (как первого из Ашвинов, так и обоих Ашвинов) можно связать с древнеиндий-
скими sata – “свет, сияние; изобилие” и satana – “продолжение рода”.
Для того, чтобы понять прочитанную надпись на уровне славянского фольклора, обратимся к
сюжету русской народной сказки “Василиса Прекрасная” (Афанасьев 1957: 159-165, № 104). Красный
и белый всадники – это персонажи, тождественные или подобные Ашвинам, а баба Яга – это Агни.
В прочитанном скифо-сарматском тексте говорится о том, благодаря богине Ме сияет (жарит,
горит) Солнце, причем благодаря богу Таргитаю-Савитару сильные, словно быки, два коня богов
Ашвинов поднимаются по небосводу вверх (имя этих парных богов явно не указано, но ведь это были
конские боги). Появилась на коне утренняя Заря (второй Ашвин как амазонка?).

8
 В украинском “Чародейном заговоре против русалок” содержатся такие скифо-сарматские сло-
ва: Ника М(а) Шол да, кол да… – (Богиня) Ника-Ма, Заря на первом небе, небесный огонь (кол-, гор-)
= Солнце на первом небе…” (Рябчиков 2002: 153).
В украинской “Песне ведьм на Лысой горе” содержатся такие скифо-сарматские слова: Ви хада
к Сара Гуя тун, Гуя тун, лифа п(а) Рада, Гуя тун, Гуя тун… – “Конь движется вместе с (богиней)
Зарей. (Бог) Гойтосир сильный, (бог) Гойтосир сильный; (это) – львица-защитница Рада (Рата, Рожа-
ница, Лада, Радуница и т.п.). Гойтосир сильный, (бог) Гойтосир сильный…” (Рябчиков 2002: 138).
Скифо-сарматское ви означает здесь “конь”, ср. древнеиндийское vi – “конь”.
Мы можем констатировать, что песни древних жриц (ведьм) зафиксировали некоторые религи-
озные формулы скифо-сарматского времени вполне удовлетворительно.
Известно боспорская надпись (КБН 1015), в которой фигурирует Комосария, жена боспорского
царя Перисада I (349/348 – 311/310 гг. до н.э.). Как считает О.Н. Трубачев (1977: 20), это имя – синд-
ское (индоарийское). Читаем его как Комо (= Кама) Сара – “Любящая Заря”.
На торцах Керченской плиты ранее были исследованы скифо-сарматские тексты (Рябчиков
2005а; 2005б). В них сообщается о подвигах синдской царицы Амаги, упоминается имя Комосарии в
форме Сара (Сора) и сообщается о смерти царя Перисада I. Известно, что Амага с именами Акия и
Агия (КБН 1041, 1042) посвятила алтарь или статую богине Афродите Апатуре, а также посвятила
алтарь какому-то божеству (Артемиде?). Не исключено, что, будучи дочерью всевластного правите-
ля, эта молодая женщина являлась жрицей различных богинь в нескольких храмах, причем, будучи
по матери синдкой, она, несомненно, проводила служения с учетом варварских религиозных культов
(Афродита Апатура = Ма, Артемида Агротера = Ага, ставшая в славянском мире Ягой и т.д.). Само
имя Амага читается как А-Ма Га (Ка, Го, Ко) – “Солнечные лучи (или Корова) (посвященная богине
Ме)”. Датируем на этом основании надписи Керченской плиты IV в. до н.э.

II

Еще рааз обратимся к анализу находок в погребальной камере слепа № 2 кургана Большой
Близницы (близ станицы Вышестеблиевской, Краснодарский край) конца IV – начала III в. до н.э.,
который был расположен в 8 км к югу от Фанагории (Цветаева 1968: 71-73; Рябчиков 2002: 167-168).
Основной вывод верен: эта жрица была, прежде всего, служительницей божеств варварского
круга, и уже в этом статусе, с этими воззрениями, представлениями и намерениями она служила в
различных храмах в качестве жрицы богинь Афродиты, Деметры и иных богинь. На парадном золо-
том головном уборе погребенной – сцена борьбы варваров и грифонов. Что может быть более выра-
зительным для обоснования нашей точки зрения?
На золотых бляшках с одеяния великой жрицы – изображения, среди прочих, не только Афины,
Деметры и Коры, но и местной крылатой богини. Представляет повышенный интерес изучение рос-
писи этой погребальной камеры. Здесь изображена богиня с синдскими (негреческими) чертами лица.
Можно полагать, что так была показана не древнегреческая богиня, а местная великая богиня Солнца
и огня Ма (Рада, Ага, Табити и т.д.).
На одном из золотых перстней, которые были надеты на пальцы левой руки, изображены боги-
ня Афродита и Эрот. На руках жрицы были надеты золотые браслеты с фигурками бегущих львиц. К
жреческому головному убору был присоединен начельник с изображением древнегреческой богини
победы Ники. Все эти данные в комплексе свидетельствуют о том, что погребенная жрица была пре-
жде всего служительницей культа богини Мы (Рады, Соры), а уже потом Афродиты Апатуры из пя-
тиколонного фанагорийского храма, Ники, Артемиды, Деметры и других богинь.
Можно сделать смелое предположение: погребенная великая жрица была явно из ближайшего
царского круга, причем она в равной степени была приверженкой и варварской, и греческой культур,
возможно, это была Амага (Акия, Агия) или Комосария. Если это была Комосария, то Амагой могла
бы быть покойница из плитовой гробницы (основные находки здесь – золотой венец, золотые брасле-
ты, украшенные головками баранов, зеркало, веретено, семь статуэток и несколько ваз).

III

На некоторых ткацких грузилах из боспорских поселений начертаны скифо-сарматские знаки.

Это – тема отдельного исследования. Два примера такого использования древней письменности (Со-
ломоник 1959: 161-162, № 148, [1], [3]) показаны на рис. 2 и 3.

9
 Рис. 2.

Читаем текст таким образом: 12-33, т.е. Сора – “(богиня) Сор- (Сол-, Заря, Солнце)”.

Рис. 3.

Читаем текст таким образом: 77 “круг”, т.е. Ко СОЛНЦЕ (опр.) – “Солнечные лучи (быки, ко-
ровы)”.
В этой связи, параллели можно искать в русских народных заклинаниях, которые уходят в
глубь веков. Остров Буян – это Таманский полуостров, где плодотворно проходило взаимодействие
культур варваров и других жителей Боспорского царства. Рассмотрим наиболее интересные фрагмен-
ты таких текстов:

А) На море, на Окияне, на острове на Буяне стоит светлица, во светлице три девицы: первая иголочки
держит, другая девица ниточки делает, а третья девица кровавую рану зашивает… (Майков 1869: 64, № 151).
Б) На мори на Кияни, на острови на Буяни, на камне на высоком стоит гробница, в гробнице лежит крас-
ная девица; ты встань, востань, красная девушка, возьми иглу линевую, ты вздень нитку шелковую, зашей рану
кровавую… (Майков 1869: 62, № 143).
В) На синем море, на большом камне сидит стратим-птица … (Майков 1869: 60-61, № 138).
Г) На море, на Окияне, на острове на Буяне лежит горюч камень. На белом горюч камне бабушка Салма-
нида Христа Бога повивает, на белы руки принимает… (Майков 1869: 68, № 167).
Д) На море, на Окиане, на острове на Буяне стоит дуб, под тем дубом ракитовый куст, под тем кустом
лежит бел камень, на том камне лежит рунцо, под тем рунцом лежит змея скорпея. Есть у нее сестры Марья,
Марина и Катерина. И мы вам помолимся, на все четыре стороны поклонимся: “Утишите свою лихость от раба
Божия” (имя рек) (Майков 1869: 70, № 174).
Е) Заря зарница, красная девица, сама мати и царица… (Забылин 1880: 341).
Ж) Заря зарница, красная девица, полунощница! В поле заяц, в море камень, на дне Лимарь … (Забылин
1880: 365).
З) Четыре зарницы, четыре сестрицы: первая Марья, вторая Марфа, третья Марина, четвертая Макрида…
(Забылин 1880: 311).
И) В том поле есть Окиан-море, в том море есть Алатырь камень, на том камне стоит столб от земли до
неба огненный, под тем столбом лежит змея жгуча, опалюча… (Забылин 1880: 310).
К) ... погляжу я посмотрю под восточную сторону; под восточной стороной стоит есть три печи. Печка
медна, печка железна, печка кирпична (Забылин 1880: 310-311).
Л) Как на море, на Окиане, на острове на Буяне есть горюч камень Алатырь, на том камне устроена огне-
палимая баня… (Забылин 1880: 302-303).
М) В чистом поле стоит свят окиан-камень, на святом окиан-камне сидит красная девица с шелковой
ниткой, рану зашивает, щипь унимает и кровь заговаривает у раба Божия (имя рек)… (Забылин 1880: 291).
Н) На море на Окиане есть бел горюч (светящийся) камень Алатырь, никем неведомый, под тем камнем
сокрыта сила могуча, и силы нет конца… (Забылин 1880: 302-303).

Как можно заметить, тема прядения, шитья занимает в заговорах особое место. Три девицы
(три печки и т.п.) – это три ипостаси скифо-сарматской богини, известной как Апи, Аргимпаса и Та-
бити. Красная девица – это и красная заря, и заря красавица. Как тут не задуматься древним людям о
любовной магии?
Позже великая богиня Солнца и огня стала именоваться Ма – “Сияющие лучи Солнца”. Эта же
богиня в ипостаси весны и утренней зари называлась Сол- (Сор-), причем в современном языке это
имя звучит как Заря (Зоря). Четыре зарницы обозначают полный год (все стороны света) и суточное
движение Солнца по небосводу. Бабушка Салманида – это дошедшее к нам имя богини зари: Сал-
ман- – “Заря умножающая (земные блага)”. Весьма вероятно, что под Алатырем подразумевается ал-
тарь храма богини Афродиты Апатуры (богини Мы) в античной Фанагории.

10
 IV

Рассмотрим головной убор сарматской жрицы из захоронения в кургане 10 Кобяковского мо-

гильника (г. Ростов-на-Дону). Здесь начертаны скифо-сарматские символы (Прохорова, Гугуев 1992:
155, рис. 12, 9), см. рис. 4.

Рис. 4.

Читаем скифо-сарматский текст следующим образом: 12-33, т.е. Сора – “(богиня) Сор- (Сол-,
Заря, Солнце)”.
Кроме того, существенный интерес представляют скифо-сарматские знаки на зеркале из этого
захоронения (Прохорова, Гугуев 1992: 153, рис. 11). Здесь можно распознать четыре пары символов:
знак “круг” (Солнце) и знак 80 Ма (имя богини Солнца и огня). Знаки располагаются таким образом,
что, бесспорно, передают суточное (и годовое) движение Солнца по небу. Очевидно, что в обязанно-
сти этой жрицы входили определенные культовые действия для поддержания равновесия и гармонии
в окружающем ее мире.

Рассмотрим скифо-сарматские символы (Медведев 2008: 201, рис. 50, 3) на ручке сосуда из III
Чертовицкого городища (Воронежская область), где совместно проживали сарматы и автохтонное
лесостепное население, см. рис. 5.

Рис. 5.

Читаем скифо-сарматский текст таким образом: 33-01, т.е. Рада – “(богиня) Рада (Рата, балто-
славянская Лада)”. Очевидно, что эта богиня выступала в качестве богини изобилия и плодородия.
Можно предположить, что имя Рада (Рата) скифо-сарматской богини света и плодородия восходит к
индоевропейской основе *ǝrdh- – “расти; высокий”.
У русских на Петров день (12 июня ст. стиля) с утра ожидали появления первых лучей Солнца
и, заметив их, пели величальную песню:

Ой, Ладо! Ой, Лад! На кургане

Соловей гнездо завивает… (Забылин 1880: 86)

Таким образом, Лада (и ее мужская ипостась – Лад) были олицетворениями поворота Солнца к
жаркому лету.
В детстве многие слышали такую присказку:

Ладушки, ладушки,
Жили мы у бабушки,
Кашку ели,
Бражку пили…

Вновь Лада выступает как подательница всех благ, причем формула о каше и вине, возможно,
обозначает ритуальную пищу и питие, связанные с этой богиней.

11
 По мнению А.Н. Афанасьева (1865: 228), Лада была “богиня весны, в образе которой слились
вместе представления девы ясного Солнца и облачной нимфы“. Ценно также замечание Афанасьева
(там же) о том, что у литовцев богиня Lada – это само Солнце.
В ряде русских народных песен (Горелов 1984: 122, № 160; 123, № 161) при распашке полей,
при посеве зерна повторялись слова: родись, уродись. Вполне возможно, что в основу таких текстов
были положены древние заклинания, посвященные Ладе-Рожанице-Раде.
Рассмотрим изображения на сарматском зеркале из Ново-Никольского могильника (Липецкая
область), курган 37 (Медведев 2008: 198, рис. 47, 13). Здесь можно выделить такие символы:
1) Малый круг внутри круга большего размера, причем последний с внешней стороны был ук-
рашен зубчатым орнаментом (солярная символика).
2) Внутри большого круга – пять скифо-сарматских знаков 80 Ма.
Первая группа символов – это изображение Солнца, яркость и жар которого нарастают. Вторая
группа символов – это повторенное пять раз имя солярной богини Мы. Число пять – это интеграль-
ный символ этой богини (четыре стороны света и верхнее положение полуденного Солнца).
В славянском мире богиня Ма почиталась под именем Мокошь или Макошь. Само имя Ма в
качестве эпитета богини Табити означает буквально “Сияющие лучи света”.
Несомненно, что эти две территории, как и многие другие земли Подонья, где взаимодейство-
вали сарматская и автохтонная лесостепная культуры, были одним из центров формирования прасла-
вян (протославян).

ПРИМЕЧАНИЕ

1. Словарный состав скифо-сарматского языка изучен автором: см. (Рябчиков 2002) и другие работы. В этом
языке возможны чередования звуков, в частности, г/к, б/п, в/ф, з/с, л/р, а/о, и/у. Лексические параллели предла-
гаются в упрощенной орфографии. Слоговые знаки скифо-сарматской письменности – варианты линейного
письма А (Б), причем используются оригинальные идеограммы.

ЛИТЕРАТУРА

Афанасьев, А.Н., 1957. Народные русские сказки. Т. 1. Москва.

Афанасьев, А.Н., 1865. Поэтические воззрения славян на природу. Опыт сравнительного изучения славянских
преданий и верований, в связи с мифическими сказаниями других родственных народов. Т. I. Москва.
Горелов, А. (сост.), 1984. Русская народная поэзия. Лирическая поэзия. Ленинград.
Драчук, В.С., 1975. Системы знаков Северного Причерноморья (Тамгообразные знаки северопонтийской пери-
ферии античного мира первых веков нашей эры). Киев.
Забылин, М., 1880. Русский народ: его обычаи, обряды, предания, суеверия и поэзия. Москва.
Майков, Л., 1869. Великорусские заклинания. Санкт-Петербург.
Медведев, А.П., 2008. Сарматы в верховьях Танаиса. Москва.
Прохорова, Т.А., Гугуев, В.К., 1992. Богатое сарматское погребение в кургане 10 Кобяковского могильника //
Российская археология, № 1, с. 142-161.
Рябчиков, С.В., 2002. Скифо-сарматские истоки славянской культуры: Материалы Южнороссийской фольк-
лорно-этнографической экспедиции. Краснодар.
Рябчиков, С.В., 2005а. Истории об амазонках: дополнительные материалы // Вiсник Мiжнародного дослiдного
центру “Людина: мова, культура, пiзнання”, № 5(1), с. 46-55.
Рябчиков, С.В., 2005б. География Боспора и варваров: новые источники // Вiсник Мiжнародного дослiдного
центру “Людина: мова, культура, пiзнання”, № 5(1), с. 55-71.
Рябчиков, С.В., 2018. Скифо-сарматские гимны на Керченской плите // Hermonassa, № 9, с. 3-35.
Соломоник, Э.И., 1959. Сарматские знаки Северного Причерноморья. Киев.
Трубачев, О.Н., 1977. Лингвистическая периферия древнейшего славянства. Индоарийцы в Северном Причер-
номорье // Вопросы языкознания, № 6, с. 13-31.
Трубачев, О.Н., 1981. Indoarica в Северном Причерноморье. Источники. Интерпретация. Реконструкция // Во-
просы языкознания, № 2, с. 3-21.
Фасмер, М., 1986. Этимологический словарь русского языка. Т. II. Москва.
Цветаева, Г.А., 1968. Сокровища причерноморских курганов. Москва.
Pokorny, J., 1959. Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Bd. II. Bern.

12
 CHAPTER 3

Some Remarks on the Rongorongo Script from My Diaries

(Part 4)

Consider two parallel segments of the Mamari tablet (C), see figure 1a.

Figure 1a.

1 (Cb 10-11): 24 6 5-44 24 3 24 1 22 24 44b 49 Ai a titaha: ai Hina, ai Tiki, ao ai tua mau. The statues of the boundary:
the statue of Hina, the statue of Tiki; (it is) the power of the statues, the backs (of the statues) give the abundance.
2(Cb 12): 24 6 5-44 3 24 24 1 44b 24 49 Ai a titaha: Hina ai, ai Tiki, tua ai mau. The statues of the boundary: Hina-the
statue, the statue of Tiki; the backs of the statues give the abundance.

In both records only two statues of the ceremonial platform Ahu Naunau at the royal residence Anake-
na are described. The boundary between the eastern and western tribes known as Hotu (later Hotu-Iti; Tupa-
Hotu and others; Hanau Eepe) and Tuu (Miru and others; Hanau Momoko) was located at Anakena before
the famous war between those peoples in A.D. 1682.
In the inscriptions the name of the moon goddess Hina is marked with letter A, and the name of the
sun god Tiki is marked with letters B.
On the backs of the seven statues of that ahu the same design is cut; that complicated set of symbols
including some variations is crowned with the sign of the sun. The similar design is carved on the back of the
famous statue Hoa-hakananaia that stood in a house of the ceremonial village of Orongo and now is exhi-
bited in the British Museum (London).
According to the read texts, the drawings on the backs of the monuments had the great supernatural
power or mana: they were the source of the fertility and profusion in different forms. The natives believed
that those who controlled the statues of the Ahu Naunau, controlled the other parts of the island.
As a parallel, let us consider a fragment of Manuscript E (Barthel 1978: 264). The abundance (mau)
once had come upon the land because of a stone figure called Te Takapau Hakareva a Teka that remained at
the place Akahanga.
Later the Mamari board was used as a manual in the royal rongorongo school of the Miru tribe (Rjab-
chikov 2012a; 2012b).
Consider the parallel records on the Tahua (A) tablet, see figure 1b.

3 (Ab 2-3): (a) 4-26 21 Timo ako: The student is carving (writing):
(b) 6-19 4 24 44 24 Hoki atua ai, taha (= manu) ai: The deity of the statue returns, (it is) the bird incarnated into a sta-
tue:
(c) 5-44 5 24 3 24 1 24 75 24 44 69 24 75 24 69 24 75 24 6 24 6 24 Titaha atua ai: Hina ai, Tiki ai, hoko ai; taha moko
ai, hoko ai, moko ai, hoko ai; ha ai, ha ai, (It is) the boundary of the deities/statues: Hina-the statue, Tiki-the statue,
(they are) the joined statues, the Bird of the Lizard-the statue, (they are) the joined statues, the Lizard-the statue, (they
are) the joined statues, (they are) the guardians-statues, (they are) the guardians-statues,
(d) 90 27-32 6-7 24 44 24 Para raua Hatu ai, taha ai. Para is together with Hatu-the statue, (and) the Bird-the statue.
(e) 3 24 1 24 6-15 24 44b 24 49 44 5 24 44 5 24 Hina ai, Tiki ai, Hora ai, tua ai mau. Taha atua ai, taha atua ai. (So,)
(they are) Hina-the statue, Tiki-the statue, the season Hora (August-September chiefly)-the statue, (and) the backs of the
statues give the abundance. (It is) the bird-the deity/the statue, (It is) the bird-the deity/the statue.

13
4 (Ab 5): (a) 44 24 Taha (= manu) ai: (It is) the birds (incarnated into) statues:
(b) 5-44 5 24 3 24 1 75 24 44 24 61 21 24 43 56 24 43 56 24 6 24 6 24 Titaha atua ai: Hina ai, Tiki, hoko ai; taha ai,
Hina, hoko ai, ma paoa ai, ma paoa ai, ha ai, ha ai, (It is) the boundary of the deities/the statues: Hina-the statue, Tiki,
(they are) the joined statues, the Bird-the statue, Hina, (they are) the joined statues, the guardian-statue comes, the guar-
dian-statue comes, (they are) the guardians-statues, (they are) the guardians-statues,
(d) 90 27-32 7 24 44 24 Para raua (Ha)tu ai, taha ai. Para is together with Hatu-the statue, (and) the Bird-the statue.
(e) 3 24 1 24 44b 24 49 44 24 Hina ai, Tiki ai, tua ai mau. Taha ai. (So,) (they are) Hina-the statue, Tiki-the statue,
(and) the backs of the statues give the abundance. (It is) the bird-the statue.

Fig 1b.

These texts contain the additional details. The seven statues of the Ahu Naunau were called Hina, Tiki,
Manu (Taha) as the incarnation of the moon goddess, Moko, Para, Hatu and Manu. They are marked by let-
ters A to G. Interestingly, the petroglyph of a lizard (cf. Rapanui moko „lizard‟) is engraved on a stone of the
ahu below the fourth statue.
Both symbols of the reptile in that rock drawing and in the first record of the Tahua inscriptions might
denote the god Hiro of the rains and underworld. Besides, they might be an emblem of the Miru tribe: cf. the
ethnicon Hanau Momoko (< Moko).
One can suppose that the ceremonial platform was built by the workers of the Tuu (Miru; Hanau Mo-
moko) tribal union. Later the sculptors of the Tupa-Hotu (Hanau Eepe) carved all the monuments for that
platform. That religious complex was devoted to the annual arrival of the sooty terns (manu-tara) on the islet
of Motu-Nui near Easter Island. The statues were guardians in the local beliefs. The god Para linked to the
god Hatu (Lord; Stone) was the Peruvian deity Paryaqaqa.
In segment (e) of fragment 3 two birds were mentioned together. One can presume that this passage
describes two birds engraved on a stone of that ahu. It is clear that the monuments were connected closely to
the cult of the bird-man (cf. the names of gods, the name of the Hora season, the idea about the annual return
of birds).
Rapanui hoko means „in a group,‟ cf. Samoan so‟o „to join,‟ soso‟o „to be joined; to be connected; to
be next to.‟ This translation of the records is not my fantasy; cf. the name of the platform Ahu Koe Hoko
without any statues at the bay Hanga Ika Iri (Englert 1974: 270, No 189). The name of the ahu signifies „The
platform without a group (of statues).‟ By the way, the name of the bay means „The bay where fish appear.‟

14
 The name of the deity Ha was derived from Rapanui ha „to gaze,‟ cf. Maori haha „to seek; to look
for.‟ That god (guardian spirit) was known as Kuaha < Ku Haha. Cf. the cognate Rapanui term moaha „to
protect; to save‟ < *mo (< *ma) haha. The name of the deity Ma was derived from Old Rapanui ma „to
come,‟ cf. Maori ma „ditto.‟ Both gods had the solar nature.
Consider the parallel records on the Great Santiago (H), Small St. Petersburg (Q) and Great St. Peters-
burg (P) tablets, see figure 1c.

Figure 1c.

5 (Hr 3): (a) 6 24 A ai. There are statues.

(b) 5-44 5 3 15 24 1 24 75 24 61 24 22 24 43 24 75 24 69 24 75 24 Titaha atua: Hina roa ai, Tiki ai, hoko ai; Hina ai,
ao ai, ma ai, hoko ai; Moko ai, hoko ai; (It is) the boundary of the deities: the great Hina-the statue, Tiki-the statue,
(they are) the joined statues, Hina-the statue, (it is) the power/authority (of the statues), (it is) the coming (of the statues)
[= the two known ghosts, see below], (they are) the joined statues, the Lizard-the statue, (they are) the joined statues,
(c) 6 90 27-32 6/7 24 44 24 Ha: Para raua Hatu ai, Taha ai. (the deity) Kuaha: Para is together with Hatu-the statue,
(and) the Bird-the statue.

15
(d) 19-6 90 27-32 6/7 24 44 24 6 24 44b 49 Kuaha: Para raua Hatu ai, Taha ai, Ha ai, tua mau. (The deity) Kuaha:
Para is together with Hatu-the statue, (and) the Bird-the statue. (It is) Kuaha-the statue, the backs (of the statues) give
the abundance.
6 (Qr 3): (a) 6 24 A ai. There are statues.
(b) 5-44 5 3 15 24 1 24 75 24 61 24 22 24 43 24 75 24 69 24 75 24 Titaha atua: Hina roa ai, Tiki ai, hoko ai; Hina ai,
ao ai, ma ai, hoko ai; Moko ai, hoko ai; (It is) the boundary of the deities: the great Hina-the statue, Tiki-the statue,
(they are) the joined statues, Hina-the statue, (it is) the power/authority (of the statues), (it is) the coming (of the sta-
tues), (they are) the joined statues, the Lizard-the statue, (they are) the joined statues,
(c) 6 90 27-32 6/7 24 44 24 Ha: Para raua Hatu ai, Taha ai. (the deity) Kuaha: Para is together with Hatu-the statue,
(and) the Bird-the statue.
(d) 19-6 90 27-32 6/7 24 44 24 6 24 44b 24 49 Kuaha: Para raua Hatu ai, Taha ai, Ha ai, tua ai mau. (The deity) Kua-
ha: Para is together with Hatu-the statue, (and) the Bird-the statue. (It is) Kuaha-the statue, the backs of the statues give
the abundance.
7 (Pr 3): (a) 6 24 A ai. There are statues.
(b) 5-44-44 5 3 15 24 1 24 75 15 75 15 24 61 24 22 24 43 24 75 24 69 75 24-24 Titahataha atua: Hina roa ai, Tiki ai,
hoko roa, hoko roa ai; Hina ai, ao ai, ma ai, hoko ai; Moko hoko aiai; (It is) the boundary of the deities: the great Hina-
the statue, Tiki-the statue, (they are) the joined, erected statues, Hina-the statue, (it is) the power/authority (of the sta-
tues), (it is) the coming the statues), (they are) the joined statues, the joined Lizard, (they are) the joined statues,
(c) 6 90 27-32 6/7 24 44 24 Ha: Para raua Hatu ai, Taha ai. (the deity) Kuaha: Para is together with Hatu-the statue,
(and) the Bird-the statue.
(d) 19-6 90 27-32 6/7 24 44 24 6 62-4 24 49 Kuaha: Para raua Hatu ai, Taha ai, Ha toti ai mau. (The deity) Kuaha:
Para is together with Hatu-the statue, (and) the Bird-the statue. (It is) Kuaha added to the statues; (they) give the abun-
dance.

Old Rapanui toti signifies „attached,‟ cf. Tahitian toti „attached.‟

Consider most interesting segments from the previous figures, see figure 2.

Figure 2.

Glyphs 5-44 Titaha (The Border) denote the landmark (the big house) at the territory of Anakena. The
other segments describe the statues of the ceremonial platform Ahu Naunau. Glyphs 24 3 24 1 read ai Hina,
ai Tiki „the place (statue mo-ai) of Hina, the place (statue mo-ai) of Tiki.‟ Glyphs 4-26/21 timo ako „a pupil
strikes = writes‟ introduce didactic records on the Tahua, Great Santiago and Great St. Peterburg tablets.
The parallel segments read 5 24 3 24 1 24 atua-ai: Hina ai, Tiki ai „the gods of the places (mo-ai): the
place (statue mo-ai) of Hina, the place (statue mo-ai) of Tiki,‟ and 5 3 15 24 1 24 atua: Hina roa ai, Tiki ai

16
„the gods: the big Hina as a place (statue mo-ai), Tiki as a place (statue mo-ai).‟ Glyphs 69 24 Moko ai „The
Lizard (the chthonic deity Hiro known as Hiva Kara Rere) as a place (statue mo-ai)‟ denote another statue
on that platform. It could be an integral emblem of the western tribes (Hanau Momoko), too. This segment
turns out to correspond to the drawing of a large lizard engraved on a stone of this ahu.
Glyphs 6 90 27-32 6-7 24 read Ha: Para raua Hatu ai. Glyphs 19 6 90 27-32 6-7 24 read Kuaha: Pa-
ra raua Hatu ai. The name of the ghost Kuaha [Ku haha] means „(Somebody) has seen‟ is associated with
the view and light, cf. Rapanui ha „to gaze‟ (Rjabchikov 2011a: 6). In the first segment the simplified name
of that spirit is written as Ha (The View). It was the big-eyed god Makememe (Tiki, Maui-Tikitiki, Tane,
Tangaroa) indeed.
The phrase Para raua Hatu ai means „(The deity) Para together with (the deity) Hatu as a place (sta-
tue mo-ai).‟ It is the description of statues of the gods Para and Tiki-te-Hatu stood near each another on the
Ahu Naunau. They could be images of the Old Peruvian (Andean) gods Parya Qaqa and Tiqsi. Notice that
the eastern Rapanui tribe Hiti-Uira (the Hanau Eepe, Hotu-Iti) was called Ure-o-Hei, too. The first ethnicon
means „The lightning appears,‟ and the second one „The Kin of the Storm‟ (cf. Rjabchikov 2017a: 25). So,
the tribe was named after the archaic storm deity.
Glyphs 5-44-44 Titahataha (The Border) are the variant of glyphs 5-44 Titaha.
In figure 3 the names of the seven monuments of the Ahu Naunau are listed:

Figure 3.

II

Consider parallel records that precede the corresponding records in figure 1c, see figure 4.

Figure 4.

1 (Hr 3): 44 65 15 4 65 15 4 65 15 4 18 15 Taha: rangi roa, ata, rangi roa, ata, rangi roa, ata, te roa. (The deity) „The
Frigate Bird‟: the great sky, the shadow, the great sky, the shadow, the great sky, the shadow, the growth.

17
2 (Qr 3): 44 65 15 4 65 15 4 65 15 4 18 15 Taha: rangi roa, ata, rangi roa, ata, rangi roa, ata, te roa. Ditto.
3 (Pr 3): 27/99 65 15 4 65 15 4 65 15 4 18 15 Rau Ami: rangi roa, ata, rangi roa, ata, rangi roa, ata, te roa. (The deity)
Ami-the creator: the great sky, the shadow, the great sky, the shadow, the great sky, the shadow, the growth.

The Frigate Bird was the symbol of authority, this bird was an incarnation of the god Te Ao. One can
reconstruct Old Rapanui ami „to move up and down; to move back and forwards; to turn‟ using Hawaiian
ami „ditto.‟
Let us study the following passage of Manuscript E (Barthel 1978: 264):

Three times she repeats this call. It is heard by the spirits, by Te Ao and Te Amira. They move (ao mai) toward Te Va-
rivari, they move to Te Takotako, to Punapau. There is not (a trace); nothing is there. They lie down (? moe) on the oth-
er path, (the one) to Too Rangi, to Ngori, to Rae Paoa, to Omo Anga,. To Te Kauhanga O Varu. There is not (a trace);
nothing is there. Then they begin to lament (he i), the two spirits (varua), Te Ao and Te Amira. They turn around…

Hence in this narration both gods, Te Ao and Te Amira, move, lie down and turn around. It is their ba-
sic features (cf. the meanings of the Old Rapanui and Hawaiian ami).
According to Barthel (1978: 269), the name Te Ao means „The large dancing paddle‟ literally, but it
means also „The victory.‟ I suggest that this name means „The authority,‟ cf. Rapanui ao „authority; king-
dom; reign,‟ and Samoan ao „title of importance.‟ Indeed, one of the meanings of Rapanui ao is „victory,‟ but
it is a late innovation, cf. the Rapanui phrase ao kia Miru „the victory is with the Miru‟ (Métraux 1940: 381).
The god Ao is described in the records in figures 1a and 1c (the description of the Ahu Naunau). The
ghost Ma (glyph 43) is described in figures 1b and 1c. It is the god Ami or Ami raa (The moving sun).
Glyph 99 (a)mi represents the person without the head, cf. Rapanui amiami „to slander; to gossip.‟
Consider the record on the Aruku-Kurenga tablet (B), see figure 5.

Figure 5.

Bv 3: 99/50 26/48 33 6-33 2 (the inverted sign) 6 4/33 2 (the inverted sign) 11 4/33 Ami mau ua hau Hina Uri a atua/ua
Hina Uri, Mango atua/ua. (The god) Ami lifted himself from the location (dwelling literally) of (stone) “hats” [= the
Puna Pau quarry] of (the goddess) Hina Uri (The Black Hina), of the goddess Hina Uri (The Black Hina), of the god
Mango (Nuku-te-Mango).

In this inscription the name Ami is written down with glyph 99 [the sign without head] (a)mi and glyph
50 i to avoid the reading this anthropomorphic sign as 6 ha, a [the sign with the head].
In compliance with this text, the god Ami (Amira = Ami raa, Hamu, cf. Rapanui hamu „to dawn‟) acted
on the territory of the quarry Puna Pau, where appeared ghosts Paapaa Hiro (= the goddess Hina Uri „The
black moon = the new moon‟) and Mango (= the god Nuku te Mango who was named after the leader Mango
Toto „The bloody Shark‟ of the western tribes during the terrible war of 1682 A.D.).
The features of the motion of the sun are known in these examples: cf. Rapanui hitihaga raa „sunrise,‟
hiti „to dawn, to rise, to appear,‟ hitihaga „rising,‟ horau hitihiti „break of day‟ (< *ha rau hitihiti), hitihiti „to
dawn;‟ Rapanui ata means „shadow; design,‟ cf. Rapanui ata mea, ata tea, ata tehe „dawn; daybreak; su-
nrise,‟ with the literal meanings „the red shadow,‟ „the white shadow‟ and „the shadow comes,‟ cf. Rapanui
tehe „to come;‟ cf. also Rapanui otea „dawn‟ and oo tea „to dawn‟ meaning literally „the whiteness goes,‟ cf.
Rapanui oo „to go.‟

III

Consider the record on the Small Santiago tablet (G), see figure 6.

Figure 6.

Gr 8: 44 17 21 14 69 6-6-4 17 25 Taha te kohau! Moko, hahati te hua. Turn the tablet! The student (the son literally) is
writing (cf. Rjabchikov 2012a: 569, figure 9; the terms moko and hahati mean „to write‟, see ibid., p. 565).

18
 So, we know that text G is an ancient textbook. In this connection, let us study other fragment of that
board, see figure 7.

Figure 7.

Gr 2-4: (A) 8 45-46-45 44 62-4 19 12 33 Motu Punapu: Taha toti ki Ika VAI. (It is the area) Puna Pau: (the emblem) of
the Frigate Bird is attached to (the emblem) of the Fish (the god Tangaroa, the principal deity of the western tribes).
(B) 6-4-24 44-21 6 44 A atua ai Tako a taha, (The linked territories are:) The deity/place „Tako (the Orongo village) of
the frigate birds (sooty terns figuratively),‟
(C) 6-4-24 6-21 26 101 17 68 11 14 4/33 12 a atua ai Hakama o(h)o te honui Mango Hau atua/ua Ika, the deity/place
„(The sacred house) Hakama where noblemen appeared, (it is the area associated with) king Mango of the god „The
Fish‟ (= of the western tribes),‟
(D) 6-4-24 17 44-44 a atua ai Te ta(h)a-ta(h)a (or manu-manu etc.), the deity/place „Two birds‟ (the place where the
stone “hat” with the drawing of two birds was located at the Akahanga area),
(E) 6-4-24 6-21 15var a atua ai Aka roa, the deity/place „The great Akahanga,‟
(F) 6-4-24 14 11 a atua ai Hau Mango, the deity/place „King Mango‟ (the territory of the Puna-Pau quarry where ghost
Nuku-te-Mango dwelled),
(G) 6-4-24 6 132var (= 13) 4 a atua ai A Koe atua, the deity/place „the deity „The Emptiness‟ [the ceremonial platform
Ahu Koekoe near the ceremonial platform Ahu Hua Reva],‟
(H) 6-4-24 26-15 5 a atua ai Maro atua, the deity/place „(Maro-the deity = The bay of Maru (the month of the winter
solstice; the first month of the year) connected with the Vinapu – Tahiri observatory = Hanga te Pau),‟
(I) 6-4-24 4-26 25 a atua ai Tuma hua, the deity/place „The Trees with Fruits‟ [the ceremonial platform Ahu Hua Reva
„The Hanging Fruits‟],
(J) 6-4-24 4-6 a atua ai tua, the deity/place „the western part of the island,‟
(K) 6-4-24 56-4 a atua ai Potu, the deity/place Potu,
(L) 6-4-24 4-6 15 a atua ai tua roa, the deity/place „The great western part of the island,‟
(M) 6-4-24 44 4 24 8 75 54 a atua ai Tava atua ari(k)i Matua, ko Kai (= Hakai = Vakai). the deity/place (where) king
Tava-the lord = Hotu-Matua (and) Vakai (landed).

Some comments are here:

(A) The rebels (the workers and their leaders of the western tribes) of Puna Pau defeated the eastern tribes. The symbol
of the frigate bird of the eastern territory became the symbol of the Miru elite group of the western tribes.
(B) According to Manuscript E (Barthel 1978: 264), the guardian spirits Te Amira and Te Ao of the area Puna a Pau
(Puna Pau) went along the path connected with the places Varivari and Takotako.
(C) Cf. this passage of Manuscript E: Akahanga a Hare Hakamahangahanga (Barthel 1978: 85) = Akahanga a Hare
Hakama hangahanga „(It is the place) Akahanga: (it is) Hare Hakama „The house of wise men‟ (and) a bay (hangahan-
ga).‟ The wooden figurines moai kavakava were connected with a place (cliff) near Akahanga (Barthel 1978: 86). So,
this area was an important religious centre of the eastern tribes.
(D) See figure 8. In this segment glyph 68 honui conveys the meaning „noblemen.‟ On a wooden figurine tahonga that
is presented in the Etnorgafisk Museum (Oslo) sign „the turtle‟ is engraved (Heyerdahl 1976: plate 52d). I presume that
this glyph 68 reads honui „nobleman‟ in this context. The pendant could be among insignia of kings and other high
ranking persons.
(E) It is possible that the place name Akahanga reads Aka hanga „Aka (Root; the Ancestors etc.) and the bay.‟
(F) Again the Puna Pau quarry is mentioned.
(G) Ahu at Koekoe had not any statues (Englert 1974: 272, No 216), the name Koekoe means „Without (statues).‟
(H) Cf. this passage of Manuscript E: Hanga o maru a vave paupau (Barthel 1978: 87).
(I) Ahu Hua Reva is located not far from Ahu Koekoe (Englert 1974: 272, No 212).
(J) The limits between western and eastern tribes are marked.
(K) The place Potu (Patu) is called Patu ki Ao in the legend about Kahu Mea (Heyerdahl and Ferdon 1965: figures 139
– 142). The name Patu ki Ao means „(The place) Patu, where a victory was gained.‟
(L) The limits between western and eastern tribes are marked.
(M) The royal residence Anakena (Ana Kena) is mentioned.

19
 This stone hat (see figure 8) lies at the area of the Ahu Akahanga, there two birds are represented.

Figure 8.

Consider the record on the London tablet (K), see figure 9.

Figure 9.

Kr 3-5: (A) 8 45-46-45 44 62-4 19 12 33 Motu Punapu: Taha ivae Ika VAI. (It is the area) Puna Pau: (the emblem) of
the Frigate Bird is attached to (the emblem) of the Fish (the god Tangaroa, the principal deity of the western tribes).
(B) 6-[4] 44-21 A [atua] Tako, (The linked territories are: The deity „(The deity) Tako (the Orongo village),‟
I 6-4 6-21 26 101 17 68 a atua Hakama o(h)o te honui, the deity „(The house) Hakama where noblemen appeared,‟
(D) 6-4 17 44-44 a atua ai Te ta(h)a-ta(h)a (or manu-manu etc.), the deity „Two birds‟ (the place where the stone “hat”
with the drawing of two birds was located at the Akahanga area),
(E) 6-4-24 6-21 a atua ai Aka, the deity/place „Akahanga,‟
(F) 6-4-24 14 11 a atua ai Hau Mango, the deity/place „King Mango‟ (the territory of the Puna-Pau quarry where ghost
Nuku-te-Mango dwelled),
(G) 6-4 56 a atua Po, the deity „The Night‟ = Kore = Koekoe (the symbolism of the initial stage of the development of
the Universe) [the ceremonial platform Ahu Koekoe near the ceremonial platform Ahu Hua Reva],‟
(H) 6-4-24 26-15 5 a atua ai Maro atua, the deity/place „(Maro-the deity = The bay of Maru (the month of the winter
solstice; the first month of the year) connected with the Vinapu – Tahiri observatory = Hanga te Pau),‟
(I) 6-4-24 4-26 25 a atua ai Tuma hua, the deity/place „The Trees with Fruits‟ [the ceremonial platform Ahu Hua Reva
„The Hanging Fruits‟],
(J) 6-4-24 6-4 a atua ai Hotu, the deity/place „the eastern part of the island,‟
(K) 6-4-24 56-4 a atua ai Potu, the deity/place Potu,
(L) 6-4-24 6 a atua ai TANGA, the deity/place „Tangaroa (the western part of the island),‟
(M) 6-4-24 44 4 24 8 75 54 a atua ai Tava atua ari(k)i Matua. The deity/place (where) king Tava-the lord = Hotu-
Matua (landed).

Notice that some names of the places are introduced with glyphs 6 4 a atua „deity‟ instead of glyphs 6
4 24 a atua ai [moai] „deity/place [statue(s)].‟
Comparing both last inscriptions, one can discover several interpolations inserted into the initial text
inscribed on the tablet of the eastern tribes.

20
 As a parallel, consider this record on the Tahua tablet, see figure 10. It is the beginning of the list of
different places.

Figure 10.

Ab 4: 19 6 46 4-32 8 45-46-45 62-4 12 33 … Kuhane: atua/ua Motu Punapu(na) toti Ika VAI. The spirits: the dei-
ty/dwelling: Motu Punapuna (= the quarry Puna Pau „The water hole where is a quarry) which is annexed to the Fish (=
the god Tangaroa or Tinirau, the emblem of the western tribes).

In this inscription the word put down with the syllables ku-ha-na (glyphs 19 6 46) is found, cf. Rapa-
nui kuhane and kuhanga „spirit; soul.‟
This is information for archaeologists: such a method of the comparison of different inscriptions
enables to disclose synonyms and environs of some words. It is a bit of main ideas of structural linguistics.
See the additional data about glyphs 4 atua „deity‟ and 4-32 atua ua „deity/dwelling‟ in Rjabchikov 1987: 2-
3, figure 2, fragment 9, 1988: 316-317, figure 3, fragment 9, 2001: 216-217, figure 1, and 2014a: 172-173,
figure 9, fragment 6.

IV

I think that Fischer (1994) has guessed correctly that the famous chant “He timo te akoako” was devoted to
the initiation rites, though his interpretation is incorrect basically; the commencement of the text is truly
translated by Fedorova (1978: 314-315). Indeed, Old Rapanui timo means „to strike; to write,‟ cf. Hawaiian
kimo [timo] „to strike, as with a stone‟ and Maori timo „to peck, as a bird.‟ Both variants came from the ex-
pression *ti moa „cock or hen pecks.‟ Cf. also Samoan ti‟a „slender rod (dart) < *ti and tīgā „to hurt; to suf-
fer‟ < *ti. Samoan a‟o means „to learn‟ and a‟oa‟o „to learn; student.‟
The text is presented here in the reconstructed form on the basis of different versions:

He timo te akoako, he akoako te na, e te tuu, e te taha: e te kuia, e te kapakapa, e te here hua, e te manu vae punaka, e
te manu vae hiva. E aha ana? E noho ana i tua, te ataata, marumaru Kohukohu o ngao a nivae kia hiva, te Para atua
runga… mo noho i roto i te Pu. E para e! … A student is carving, (he) is carving here, (he knows) the direction (and)
the turn (of the lines): (it is) the bird kuia, (it is) the bird kapakapa, (it is) the son, (it is) the bird with young legs, (it is)
the bird with four legs. Where is the brightness (ana)? The brightness (ana) is located (noho) on the back [of the boy]
(tua), (they are) the shadows (or marks) (ataata, marumaru) of the thunderstorm because of the signs of nuts of palm
trees in the direction towards (the legendart homeland) Hiva, (because) the god Para (is situated) at the top… to live in
the direction of the star Aldebaran (Tuu Pu, Hetuu Pu). Oh Para!...

In this text the name of the god Para is retained; it is the Old Peruvian storm god Paryaqaqa (Popova
2017). In my opinion, the name Parya Qaqa means „The Rain – the Rock,‟ cf. Quechua para „rain‟ and qaqa
„rock.‟ The connection of the thunderstorm with the rock was very archaic and could be dated back to the
Palaeolithic times. Interestingly, the name of the Proto-Indo-European thunderstorm god *Perunos denotes
the rock (Ivanov and Toporov 1991). The Palaeolithic forms *pe- and *pi-/*pu- mean „to beat, to strike.‟ A
number of lexical parallels with the glossary of the language of the Palaeolithic people as well as the analysis
of their sign system are presented in earlier works of the author (Rjabchikov 2006; 2007a; 2007b).
Routledge (1998: 267-268, figure 114) informs us some traits of the initiation ritual (manu „bird‟)
which took place at the ceremonial village of Orongo:

The details of manu were more satisfactory. It was known as “te manu mo te poki,” or, “the bird for the child,”
and the child so initiated became a “poki-manu,” or “bird-child.” It could not be found that any special benefit resulted
from it, but a child whose parents had not performed the ceremony, and whose love affairs, for instance, went wrong,
might even kill his father in revenge for the omission. An expert, known as “tangata-tapa-manu,” the man who, as Dr.
Marett would tell us, “knew the right things to say,” was called in and given a hen‟s egg – on this last point much stress
was laid; he was at the same time told the child‟s name, which was subsequently inserted in the ritual. The child was
shaved, decorated with white bands, and hung round with coconuts, or, as these were not readily obtainable in Easter
Island, with pieces of wood carved to represent them called “tahonga.” A number of children, each with an expert, then
went up to Orongo; the correct month was December, and the Ao were therefore below at Mataveri. Jotefa, on whose
final account I principally rely, stated that he and nine other children, with their parents, and ten tangata-tapa-manu,

21
went to Orongo from his home on the north coast, a distance of some eleven miles; they took with them ten chickens.
The party danced in front of all the houses, went to the carved rocks at the end, and, coming back, stood in a semicircle
in front of the door of Taura-renga, the house of the statue, the experts being behind and all singing; no offering was
made to the image. Another authority stated that the parents and children went on the roof of the house, the experts
being below, and the parents gave chickens to the men. Jotefa‟s party returned to their home, had a feast, and gave more
food to the professionals. The tangata-tapa-manu subsequently repeated the ritual at any koro which were being held in
the island, the object apparently being to make public the child‟s initiation.
<…>A drawing was made for us by Juan and the old men of the poki-manu in ceremonial attire (fig. 114) ; it
was particularly interesting to find, when it was handed in, that circles of white pigment were made on the child‟s back,
and also on each buttock, in a way which recalls the adornment of the Anakena image (fig. 65).

Let us count the number of the concentric circles on the back of a boy represented in figure 114 of
Routledge‟s book. It is plain that there four circles are depicted. The white colour is the symbol of the bright
sun. These four united solar signs are called ana (the shine) in the decoded text of the “He timo te akoako”
song; such signs were represented on the back (tua) of a boy during the initiation in December in the past. As
a result, during the initiation rituals such a boy (the bird with young legs) “received” four legs, he became a
brave and strong warrior.
One the basis of the Western Polynesian (Niuean) folklore one can suppose that the term kuia (a cer-
tain bird; booby in Rapanui) in the chant “He timo te akoako” denoted the future bold warrior (Rjabchikov
2018a: 31). It is clear that after such a charm a boy transformed himself (according to the indigenous beliefs)
into such a strenuous warrior. In the Rapanui language another term for „booby‟ is kena. In this connection,
the wordplay was possible, cf. Rapanui tua kana „elder; elder brother.‟ Due to the alternations of the sounds
e/a (cf., e.g., Rapanui metua, matua „father‟), the previous expression could sound tua kena.
The expression ngao o niva e in the chant “He timo te akoako” reads indeed ngao o niu e „the sign(s)
of nuts;‟ it was the description of the wooden figurines tahonga (cf. Mangarevan gao „sign; mark‟). In accor-
dance with Brown (1996: 24), the ornament tahonga was “a wooden imitation of a coconut.” In some cases
glyph 9 niu reads niva (Rjabchikov 2011b: 5).
Consider the record on the Keiti tablet (E) compiled in the royal rongorongo school, see figure 11.

Figure 11.

(a) 4-26 6-15 4-26 6-15 21 Timo HORO, timo HORO ako. The pupil is writing,
(b) 26 6-15 maa horo, the son is writing,

22
(c) 26 6-4 26 6-4 maa hati, maa hati, the son is writing, the son is writing,
(d) 4 25 26 6-4 atu, hua, maa hati, the pupil (= son, = son) is writing,
(e) 12-12 26-4 hikahika motu: the boy is writing:
(f) 44b tua, (it is) the back (of the boy during the initiation),
(g) 17 44b 17-6 te tua te ha, (it is) the back with four (circles),
(h) 17 19 17-6 te kuia te ha, the booby (= the brave warrior) with four (circles),
(i) 30 ana. (these circles denote) the solar shine.
(j) 6-15 4 Horo ata, Write (the word) „shadow,‟
(k) 6-15 25 horo hu. write (the word) „thunderstorm.‟

The words horo (cf. Rapanui horo, orooro „to whet; to sharpen‟) is segment (a) are the specific deter-
minatives to read glyphs 4-26 timo and to exclude the reading tuma. Old Rapanui maa „child, boy‟ is compa-
rable with Rapanui maanga „child.‟ Old Rapanui hika „boy‟ is comparable with Maori hika „boy; to perform
certain rites with incantations.‟ Old Rapanui kohu and hu are synonyms, cf. Rapanui kohukohu „storm‟ and
hu „breaking of wind; whistling of wind, to blow, tempest, high wind.‟ Both terms were the nicknames of the
Old Rapanui god Para (Quechua Paryaqaqa).
Consider three lines of the Tablette échancrée (D), see figure 12.

Figure 12

Db (Dr?) 1: 69 1 69/32 11-11 69 5-5 (= 154) 69 62 43var 17 44 62 43var 17 4 (a damaged segment) 43var (a damaged
segment) … Moko atu, moko ua pokipoki, moko timo moko. To: vae te manu, to: vae te ha, … vae … … A student (atu)
is carving (moko), (he) is carving at a house (ua) of the children (pokipoki), (it is) the carving of glyphs (moko, timo,
moko). Add (the glyphs) “vae te manu” (either legs of a bird or legs of a frigate-bird), add (the glyphs) “vae te ha” (four
legs), [add] (the glyphs) “vae [ha]” (four legs).
Db 2: 69 21 57 5 21 15-24 44 15-24 7 15-24 19 24 63-63 44 15 12 15 7 14 15 49-49 Moko ako tara (a)ti, ako ro ai, taha
ro ai, tuu ro ai, kuia ai, kapakapa TAHA (or MANU) ro, hika ro, tuu Hau ro, (Ariki) Mau-(Ariki) Mau. A student (ako)
is carving (moko, tara, (a)ti = timo), (he) is learning (ako), (he) is turning (the tablet), (he) is directing (the glyphs in the
line): the bird kuia, then the bird kapakapa, then the children during the ritual (cf. Maori hika), then the star Antares (α
Scorpii), the bright star Antares.
Db 3: 6 35 6 35 41 4-15 25 4 35 4 35 8 24 5-15 5 56 15 17-17 68 35 41 4 75 6-6 Ha pa, ha pa: (H)ere – atua roa – hua,
ata pa, ata pa, motu ai: atua roa atua Para, teatea Honu pa, retu ko haha. (You) hit (wrote), (you) hit (wrote): the des-
cendant-boy (= “here hua”) as a great lord, the glyph “ata” (shadow), the glyph “ata” (shadow), hit (write) here: the
great god Para (glyphs 56 15), the glyph “Honu” (the Pleiades; the Taurus constellation) shone brightly (teatea), the
tattoo on the face (retu) looked (haha = aha) (as the symbolism of Makemake‟s mask)…

Why did the ancient priests invent the formula about the four legs (vae e ha, vae te ha) for the initia-
tion festival? According to the Rapanui script, rock art and folklore, the number four denotes „many; all; full;
great‟ metaphorically (Rjabchikov 2018b). So, a person with “four legs” was really a victor in any war.
In the Marama list of the Esteban Atan Manuscript (Heyerdahl and Ferdon 1965: figure 121, 1, 2), the
inverted sign 44 of the frigate bird is accompanied with the words in the Roman letters, poki manu [the child-
bird; the child during the initiation], and the shark sign 11 is accompanied with the words in the Roman let-
ters, poki take [the child during the initiation]. In fact, the first glyph reads taha [= manu in some cases] uri
„the bird – the offspring,‟ and the second glyph reads poki „child; boy‟ in this context. The next line of the
Esteban Atan Manuscript (Heyerdahl and Ferdon 1965: figure 121, 3) contains glyphs 44-30 and this text in
the Roman letters: he tagata uruuru hoa. The glyphs reads Tane (The male), it is the name of the sun god-
creator known as Makemake also; the addition text describes the statue Hoa-hakananaia, the central idol
(Taura-renga) of the initiation rites and the bird-man cult: Tangata (The male = Tane): Uruuru Hoa „([The
statue] Hoa (The Master; the Owner) enters‟ (the symbolism of the seasons of the warm and hot sun). By the

23
way, the heading He Marama (see Heyerdahl and Ferdon 1965: figure 112) means „The school‟ indeed. It
was not a personal name.
The initiation rite (manumanu) which happened in the month of the brightest sun (the month Koro;
December chiefly) is described as an important event in the life of the eastern tribes (Hotu, later Hotu-Iti;
Hanau Eepe; Tupa-Hotu and some others) in line Ca 4 of the Mamari tablet; in the next line, Ca 5, the star
Aldebaran is mentioned (Rjabchikov 2017a: 1-2, figure 1, fragments 4 and 11).
My own decipherment of lines on the Mataveri astronomical boulder allows assuming with the assur-
ance that the Rapanui priests-astronomers watched Aldebaran before and during the summer solstice (e.g., on
December 20 and 21) (Rjabchikov 2013: 7).

Consider the record on the Tahua tablet, see figure 13.

Figure 13.

Ab 4: 12 4-26 Ika Tuma. The Fish (the god Tangaroa) – the Foundation (Tumu).

In the rongorongo script, the possible versions of the readings are limited by the rules of the alterna-
tions of sounds, hence glyphs 4-26 read tuma and timo as well as tumo and tima (these two last variants are
not registered in the dictionaries). It must be emphasized that the basic syllabic readings of glyphs 4 and 26
are tu and ma (maa) respectively. (I suggest that in some cases glyph 26 reads mu: cf. the variants tuma and
tumu, although the forms tutuma „tree trunk‟ (< *tumu) = tumu „ditto‟ are registered, hence the word tuma
„trunk; foundation and so on‟ was understandable for the ancient natives).
In conformity with Gelb (1963: 75-76), in the Egyptian writing system every consonant may read with
any vowel: for instance, the sign txmx reads as tama, timi, teme, tumu, tami, temi, tam(a ), tem(e ), t(a )ma and so
forth. We can see the likeness and diversity of these two different hieroglyphic scripts.
See additional remarks concerning the inscription in figure 13 in Rjabchikov 1997 and 2012c.

VI

Consider the record on the Keiti tablet, see figure 14.

Figure 14.

In this inscription, glyph 25 hua represents the fruit and means „fruit.‟ Glyph 9 niu represents the
sprouted nut and means „nut.‟ In some cases in other records, this sign denotes the palm tree as well. Glyph
45 pu(a) represents the palm tree and means „trunk of palm tree‟ in this context.

VII

Consider the record on the Tahua tablet, see figure 15.

Figure 15.

Aa 5: 27 19-26 5-50 Rau kumaa tui. The leaves of sweet potatoes (kumara, kumaa) are expelled.

24
 Do you remember the similar words of a Rapanui song? The pupils get it by heart in rongorongo
schools:

Kiakia kiakia The birds kiakia

Tari rau kumara Carry the leaves of sweet potatoes
I te ehuehu, Into the drizzle,
I te kapuapua Into the fog (Barthel 1960: 842;
it is my own translation).

This topic was briefly inscribed on the Tahua tablet, a textbook created in the 18th century A.D. See
additional materials about the symbolism of the kiakia birds in Popova 2018.
The first word in the form raupa „large leaf‟ (glyphs 27-35) is retained in the record (Br 4) on the
Aruku-Kurenga tablet (Rjabchikov 2011a: 4, figure 1). The word kumaa „sweet potatoes‟ (glyphs 19-26) is
rendered in the record (Er 7) on the Keiti tablet (Rjabchikov 2016a: 2, figure 3). The word tui „to expel‟
(glyphs 5-50 or 4-50) is presented in the records about the god Maui-tikitiki on the Mamari and Tahua tablets
(Rjabchikov 2017b: 15-16, figure 15, fragment (e) and figure 16, fragment (c)). Do you forget that he was
once thrown away into the ocean? Read the Polynesian folklore texts!
Thus, I have distinguished various glyph combinations for the cross-readings. It is a clue to the reliable
decipherment.

VIII

If Fischer‟s (1997: 495) tracings of the signs of the Berlin tablet (O) is correct, line O 3 [O 1 in Barthel 1958]
contains this segment, see figure 16.

Figure 16 (my own drawing).

O 3 [O1]: 62 26-12 20 19-6 50 Too maika, ungu. Ku-ha, -hi! Take bananas (and) crabs. (The magical words) Kuaha,
Kuihi!

According to the legend about Kahu Mea (Heyerdahl and Ferdon 1965: figures 139 – 142; the transla-
tion in Rjabchikov 2009: Part 8), the guardians ate the sacred meal, crabs (ungu) and bananas (maika). By
the way, the words „bananas‟ and „crabs‟ can be read in Barthel‟s drawing, too.

IX

Consider the record on the Tahua tablet, see figure 17.

Figure 17.

Ab 5: 8 44 6 2 5-17 5-17 5-17 6-7 Matua Taha, a Hina atua Tea, atua Tea, atua Tea Hatu. The Frigate Bird (the Sooty
Tern metaphorically = the sun deity Tiki = Tane, Makemake) (and the moon goddess) Hina produced (matua) the deity
of the very brilliant Whiteness (atua Tea, atua Tea, atua Tea) of (the god) Hatu (cf. the name Tiki-te-Hatu).

According to the Creation Chant (Métraux 1940: 320-322), he Hina (= e Hina, the moon goddess) and
Rui-hakama-rui (cf. Rapanui maa „clear; clean,‟ Maori whakamā „to whiten‟), otherwise the light which ap-
peared after the darkness = the spring-time or the dawn, produced the sun (raa). In this context, the name of
the house Hare Hakama mentioned in paragraph III could be connected with the solar cult.
The expression atua Tea „the deity of the Whiteness (= the bright sun)‟ (glyphs 5-17) is presented in
the record on the Aruku-Kurenga board (Br 1) (Rjabchikov 2018c: 22, figure 32).
The decoded inscription contains an incantation for the beginning of the warm (hot) season.

25
 X

Let us continue the study of the record on the same board, see figure 18.

Figure 18.

See the details in Rjabchikov 2010. In segment (a) of this inscription the three definite articles te (the
three glyphs 17) and the two combinations of the preposition ki „to‟ and the definite article te (the two seg-
ments 19-17) are written. The word Hora (glyphs 6-15) at the beginning of this segment denotes months Ho-
ra-iti and Hora-nui (August-September chiefly).
Segment (b) contains this text:

(b) 6-19 35 41 17-17 9-9 Hoki, pare Teatea nivaniva. The Whiteness (the sun) returned (and) turned during the sunsets.

It is the description of a bolder at Mataveri decorated with some lines. About that Old Rapanui rock
calendar see Liller 1989; Rjabchikov 2013: 7; 2014b: 5, table 2; 2015: 2, table 1; 2016b: 1, table 1; 2016c: 1,
table 1; 2016d: 1, table 1.

References

Barthel, T.S., 1958. Grundlagen zur Entzifferung der Osterinselschrift. Hamburg: Cram, de Gruyter.
Barthel, T.S., 1960. Rezitationen von der Osterinsel. Anthropos, 55(5/6), pp. 841-859.
Barthel, T.S., 1978. The Eighth Land. The Polynesian Discovery and Settlement of Easter Island. Honolulu: University
of Hawaii Press.
Brown, J.M., 1996. The Riddle of the Pacific. Kempton: Adventures Unlimited Press.
Englert, S., 1974. La Tierra de Hotu Matu‟a. Historia y etnologia de la Isla de Pascua. Santiago de Chile: Ediciones de
la Universidad de Chile.
Fedorova, I.K., 1978. Mify, predaniya i legendy ostrova Paskhi. Moscow: Nauka.
Fischer, S.R., 1994. Rapanui‟s “Great Old Words”: E Timo Te Akoako. Journal of the Polynesian Society, 103(4), pp.
413-443.
Fischer, S.R., 1997. Rongorongo: The Easter Island Script. History, Traditions, Texts. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Gelb, I.J., 1963. A Study of Writing. Chicago & London: The University of Chicago Press.
Heyerdahl, T., 1976. The Art of Easter Island. London: George Allen & Unwin.
Heyerdahl, T. and E.N. Ferdon, Jr. (eds.), 1965. Reports of the Norwegian Archaeological Expedition to Easter Island
and East Pacific. Vol. 2. Miscellaneous Papers. Monographs of the School of American Research and the Kon-Tiki
Museum, No 24, Part 2. Chicago – New York – San Francisco: Rand McNally.
Ivanov, V.V. and V.N. Toporov, 1991. Indoevropeyskaya mifologiya. In: S.A. Tokarev (ed.) Mify narodov mira. Vol. 1.
Moscow: Sovetskaya entsiklopediya, pp. 527-533.
Liller, W., 1989. Karl Schanz‟s Calendar Stone: Part 2. Rapa Nui Journal, 3(2), pp. 4-5.
Métraux, A., 1940. Ethnology of Easter Island. Bishop Museum Bulletin 160. Honolulu: Bernice P. Bishop Museum.
Popova, T., 2017. The Old Andean God Paryaqaqa on Easter Island. Polynesia Newsletter, 10, pp. 2-5.
Popova, T., 2018. The Rapanui String Figure “Amo Moenga Roa”: On a Teacher‟s Rongorongo “Stone Book”. Polyne-
sia Newsletter, 14, pp. 2-6.
Rjabchikov, S.V., 1987. Religious Records in the Easter Island Tablets. Rapa Nui Notes, 5, pp. 2-3.
Rjabchikov, S.V., 1988. Allographic Variations of Easter Island Glyphs. Journal of the Polynesian Society, 97(3), pp.
313-320.
Rjabchikov, S.V., 1997. A Key to the Easter Island (Rapa Nui) Petroglyphs. Journal de la Société des Océanistes,
104(1), p. 111.
Rjabchikov, S.V., 2001. Rongorongo Glyphs Clarify Easter Island Rock Drawings. Journal de la Société des
Océanistes, 113(2), pp. 215-220.
Rjabchikov, S.V., 2006. O yazyke i znakovoy sisteme lyudey paleolita. Visnik Mizhnarodnogo doslidnogo tsentru
“Lyudina: mova, kul‟tura, piznannya”, 10(3), pp. 34-51.

26
Rjabchikov, S.V., 2007a. Materialy po etnografii lyudey paleolita. Visnik Mizhnarodnogo doslidnogo tsentru “Lyudina:
mova, kul‟tura, piznannya”, 12(2), pp. 193-219.
Rjabchikov, S.V., 2007b. Pervobytnoe obshchestvo na puti k tsivilizatsii. Visnik Mizhnarodnogo doslidnogo tsentru
“Lyudina: mova, kul‟tura, piznannya”, 14(4), pp. 127-166.
Rjabchikov, S.V., 2009. Rapanui Proper and Place Names versus Rongorongo Texts. AnthroGlobe Journal, 2009:
<http://www.anthroglobe.org/docs/srjabchikov_rongorongo_9_2008/rongorongo_srjabchikov_main.htm>.
Rjabchikov, S.V., 2010. Rapanuyskaya observatoriya v Mataveri. Visnik Mizhnarodnogo doslidnogo tsentru “Lyudina:
mova, kul‟tura, piznannya”, 27(4), pp. 66-75.
Rjabchikov, S.V., 2011a. Remarks about Fused Glyphs in the Rongorongo Writing. Polynesian Research, 2(1), pp. 3-
10.
Rjabchikov, S.V., 2011b. On a Rapanui Rock Motif about the Eel. Polynesian Research, 2(4), pp. 3-16.
Rjabchikov, S.V., 2012a. The rongorongo Schools on Easter Island. Anthropos, 107(2), pp. 564-570.
Rjabchikov, S.V., 2012b. The Teachers and Pupils on Easter Island. Polynesian Research, 3(3), pp. 9-25.
Rjabchikov, S.V., 2012c. Semantics of Statues RR-001-156 and RR-001-157 at Rano Raraku, Rapa Nui. Polynesian
Research, 3(2), pp. 10-12.
Rjabchikov, S.V., 2013. The Astronomical and Ethnological Components of the Cult of Bird-Man on Easter Island.
arXiv:1309.6056. <https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1309/1309.6056.pdf>.
Rjabchikov, S.V., 2014a. The God Tinirau in the Polynesian Art. Anthropos, 109(1), pp. 161-176.
Rjabchikov, S.V., 2014b. On the Observations of the Sun in Polynesia. arXiv:1407.5957.
<https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1407/1407.5957.pdf>.
Rjabchikov, S.V., 2015. Easter Island: the Tongariki and Mataveri Solar Observatories Used a Common Methodology.
arXiv:1508.07100. <https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1508/1508.07100.pdf>.
Rjabchikov, S.V., 2016a. The Ancient Astronomy of Easter Island: Mars and Sweet Potatoes. arXiv:1605.06375.
<https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1605/1605.06375.pdf>.
Rjabchikov, S.V., 2016b. The Ancient Astronomy of Easter Island: Venus and Aldebaran. arXiv:1604.03037.
<https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1604/1604.03037.pdf>.
Rjabchikov, S.V., 2016c. The Ancient Astronomy of Easter Island: Aldebaran and the Pleiades. arXiv:1610.08966.
<https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1610/1610.08966.pdf>.
Rjabchikov, S.V., 2016d. The Ancient Astronomy of Easter Island: Canopus and the Legendary King Hotu-Matua. ar-
Xiv:1611.07951. <https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1611/1611.07951.pdf>.
Rjabchikov, S.V., 2017a. The Ancient Astronomy of Easter Island: The Mamari Tablet Tells (Part 2).
arXiv:1702.08355. <https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1702/1702.08355.pdf>.
Rjabchikov, S.V., 2017b. The Ancient Astronomy of Easter Island: The Urauranga te Mahina Observatory. Polynesia
Newsletter, 9, pp. 2-32.
Rjabchikov, S.V., 2018a. Some Remarks on the Rongorongo Script from My Diaries (Part 3). In: Rjabchikov, S.V. Five
Enigmatic Scripts: The Keys and Results. Krasnodar: The Sergei Rjabchikov Foundation – Research Centre for Studies
of Ancient Civilisations and Cultures, pp. 26-33.
Rjabchikov, S.V., 2018b. The Portrait of a Next Glyphbreaker: Albert Davletshin. Polynesia Newsletter, 14, pp. 7-11.
Rjabchikov, S.V., 2018c. The Bird-man Cult in the Rapanui Rock Art and Oral Literature. Polynesia Newsletter, 16, pp.
2-32.
Routledge, K., 1998. The Mystery of Easter Island. Kempton: Adventures Unlimited Press.

27