From The Alpha and the Omega - Volume III
by Jim A. Cornwell, Copyright © July 20, 2002, all rights reserved "Volume III - The Eleventh Month - Constellation Names for Pegasus"
In the Eleventh Month - Aquarius.

Pegasus, the Winged Horse.
The constellation name for Pegasus:

• Pegasus in Middle English, from Latin Pegasus, from Greek Pegasos.
  
  
• Pegasus is an autumn constellation in the Northern Hemisphere near Aquarius and Andromeda and appears on the Meridian on October 20.    Some scholars think that when the zodiac was defined and the constellation Aries, the Ram, was formed, some of the stars from the Winged Horse and Taurus, the Bull, became part of Aries.    This transfer would explain why both Pegasus and Taurus represent only the front halves of the beasts.
  • Note: It may also explain the division of the Bands from Piscis to Taurus by Cetus, the Sea Monster.
  
  
• Pegasus is above the head of Aquarius and is a picture of Christ going forth with the power of His Gospel, since he is often portrayed as a figure in Revelation as mounted and riding upon a horse or a white horse.    In the Old Testament we have a picture of a horse going forth with the same elements.    A message of good tidings and blessing.
  
  
• In Greek Mythology, Pegasus is a winged horse that with a stroke of his hoof caused the fountain Hippocrene to spring forth from Mount Helicon.    (Note that Water flows from the Urn of Aquarius.)
  • Hippocrene in Greek Mythology was the fountain on Mount Helicon, Greece, sacred to the Muses and regarded as a source of poetic inspiration [Latin Hippocrene, from Greek Hippokrene : hippos, horse (from the myth that Pegasus' hoof created it); + krene, fountain].    "Fountain Horse."
    • Fountain.
      • In Proverbs 13:14, 14:27 it mentions "a fountain of life," or source of life.    In the bridegroom's praise of his pure bride (Song of Songs 4:15) she is "a garden fountain."    A fountain sufficient to water many gardens.    Its springs upon the earth, its source in heaven.    It is now not "sealed," but open "stream" (Rev. 22:17).
      • Hebrew 'ayin, ah'yin; ma'yan, mah-yawn'; maqowr, maw-kore'; mabbuwa, mab-boo'-ah; bowr, bore, words all meaning fountain.
      • In the "Gospel of the Stars," by Joseph Seiss, page 76 "Horse of the Fountain," or "the horse of the opening" or Noetic "gushing fountain."
    • Richard H. Allen comments: The Greeks called the constellation simply Ippos (which Latins pronounced Hippos), although Aratos added ieros, "divine," and Eratosthenes alluded to it as Pegasos, but distinctly asserted that it was without wings, and until after middle classical times it generally was so drawn, although loose plumes at the shoulders occasionally were added.    The figure was considered incomplete, a possible reason for this being given under Aries.    Thus it was characterized as emiteles and emitomos, "cut in two,"or as if partly hidden in the clouds; while Nonnus had Emiphanes Libus Ippos, the Half-visible Libyan Horse.
  • Helicon is a mountain, 1,749.2 (5,735 ft) high, of central Greece.    It was the legendary abode of the Muses and was sacred to Apollo.    Apollo as Kitharodos (lyre singer) was the leader of the Muses.
  • Mnemosyne the goddess of memory, mother of the Muses.    The Nine Muses were:
    • Clio the Muse of history [Latin, from Greek Kleio, from kleiein, to tell].
    • Euterpe the Muse of lyric poetry and music (flute-playing).
    • Thalia the Muse of comedy and pastoral poetry.    One of the three Graces.
    • Melpomene the Muse of tragedy.
    • Terpsichore the Muse of dancing, poetry and choral singing.    Terpsichore the art of dancing [Latin Terpsichore, from Greek Terpsikhore, from feminine of terpsikhoros, dance-loving: terpein, to delight + khoros, dance].
    • Erato the Muse of lyric poetry (love) and mime, a nymph of Lykaion oracle inspired by Pan.
    • Polyhymnia also Polymnia the Muse of sacred song and oratory (mime).
    • Urania the muse of astronomy [Latin U rania, from Greek Ourania, from ouranos, heaven].    Urania uranium dioxide [New Latin urania, from uranium].
    • Calliope the Muse of epic poetry [Latin, from Greek Kalliope : kalli-, beautiful (from kallos, beauty) + ops, op-, voice].
  
  
• Richard H. Allen comments: Germanicus was apparently the first of Latin authors to style it Pegasus.
      In the Alfonsine Tables it was Alatus, Winged, Secundus sometimes being added to distinguish it from Equuleus, which preceded it on the sphere; the Almagest of 1551 had Equus Pegasus, which the 17^th-century astronomers extended to Pegasus Equus alatus, Caesius cited Pegasides, and Bayer quoted Equus posterior, volans, aereus, and dimidiatus, Bellerophon, and Bellerophontes.
      Bochart said that the word is a compound of the Phoenician Pag, or Pega, and Sus, the Bridled Horse, used for the figurehead on a ship, which would account for the constellation being shown with only the head and fore quarters; but others have considered it of Egyptian origin, from Pag, "to cease," and Sus, "a vessel," thus symbolizing the cessation of navigation at the change of the Nile flow.    From this, Pegasus seems to have been regarded, in those countries at least, as the sky emblem of a ship.    In the old work the Destruction of Troye, we read of "a ship built by Perseus, and named Pegasus, which was likened to a flying horse."
  
• Pega + Sus the Winged/Chief Horse
  • Pega equates to Winged or Chief.
    • Winged.
      • Wing.
        • Hebrew kanaph, kaw-nawf', to project literally, withdraw, be removed, an edge or extremity, spec. (of a bird or army) a wing, [Gr. pteryx] is used figuratively as God soaring on the wings of the wind (Psalm 18:10).
        • Sumerian áhi, ah₅, á: arm; wing; horn; side; strength; work performance; wages; moment.
        • Sumerian ^(giš)pa: leaf, bud, sprout; branch; wing; feather.
        • Sumerian á...dúb; á-dúb...ak: to beat the wings (with -šè and -ši-, to fly towards) ('wing' + 'to flap' + 'to do').
      • Wings.
        • As in the "wings of an eagle," Hebrew 'eber, ay-ber', from Heb. 'abar, aw-bar', to soar, fly, thus a pinion, winged.
        • Phoenician Pegah-sus, originally just a horse, which acquired wings on a Hittite seal of the 2^nd millenium B.C.
      • Allen comments: Ptolemy mentioned the wings as well recognized in his day; and this has continued till ours, for the sky figure is now known as the Winged Horse, — a recurrence to Etruscan, Euphratean, and Hittite ideas, for the wings are clearly represented on a horse's figure on tablets, vases, etc., of those countries, where this constellation may have been known in pre-classical times.    Indeed, it is said to have been placed in the heavens by the early Aryans to represent Asva, the Sun.
    • Chief.
      • Hebrew pechah, pek-khaw', of foreign origin, a prefect (of a city or small district), captain, deputy, governor.
      • · In the "Gospel of the Stars," by Joseph Seiss, page 76 "Pega, Peka, Pacha is Noetic for the chief."
  
  
• Egyptian/Coptic:
  • On Denderah Zodiac under Perseus and above Aquarius, Pegasus is seen as the headless body of an animal-like figure facing in the opposite direction of the other figures and standing on all four legs and it has a short tail.    Behind its tail is a star, which may or may not be associated with the small bird above it (Cygnus).
    • As one source claims "Under the ram is (Pegasus) the body of a person who has lost its head while walking on all fours."
  • Some sources claim it is known as Pe-Ka, Peka or Pega.
    • In "The Witness of the Stars," by E.W. Bullinger, seen on page 89 "In the Denderah Zodiac there are two characters immediately below the horse, Pe and Ka.    Peka or Pega is in Hebrew, pehah, the chief, and Sus is horse.    So the very word (Pegasus) has come down to us and has been preserved through all the languages."
  • One source claims "Pegasus - In the Great Square of Pegasus some claim that there is a great door known as the 'Wall of the Ruler.'    Beyond the fish's mouth (east fish of Pisces) is a man holding a ram (Perseus) the body of a person who has lost its head while walking on all fours."
  
  
• Sus equates to Horse (Continuation of Pega + Sus the Winged/Chief Horse)
  • Horse.
    • The Mesopotamian people recognized these stars as only a horse.    Pegasus is today only the forequarters of a horse, and originally there may have been a complete horse.
    • Hebrew çuwç, soos or çuç, from an unused root meaning to skip (properly joy: a horse (as leaping), also a swallow (from its rapid flight), crane, horse.
      • Hebrew Çuwçiy, soo-see', from Hebrew çuwç, soos, thus horse-like, Susi, an Israelite.
    • Sumerian ANSHE.KUR.RA, Akkadian sisû, "The Horse," see following for more.
    • Rolleston claims that Latin Pegasus means "coming quickly, joyfully."
    • In the "Gospel of the Stars," by Joseph Seiss, page 76 "sus, a horse, swiftly coming or returning."
  • Sumerian ANSHE.KUR.RA, Akkadian sisû, "The Horse," Pegasus.
    • Allen states: The prominent stars of Corvus have otherwise been identified with the Akkadian; Kurra, the Horse.
  • Sumerian sisi (ANŠE.KUR.RA): horse (reduplicated si, 'to stand upright').
    • In the Tablet of the 30 stars as the lunar asterism:
      • Babylonian-Assyrian is called Si-su.
      • Kakkab Ansu-kurra, "The-Animal-from-the-East."
    • Sumerian anše: male donkey; onager; equid; pack animal (an, 'sky; high', + šè, terminative postposition = 'up to' = 'to raise up, carry').
      • Sumerian anše-bar-an-mi₂: female donkey ('equid' + 'foreign' + 'high' + 'female').
      • Sumerian anše-bar-an-nita₂: male donkey ('equid' + 'foreign' + 'high' + 'male').
      • Sumerian anše-bìr: ass yoked in a team ('equid' + 'team').
      • Sumerian anše-dub: ass registered on a tablet ('equid' + 'tablet').
      • Sumerian anše-edin-na: wild ass ('equid' + 'steppe' + a(k), genitival postposition).
      • Sumerian anše-giš: workass ('equid' + 'tool').
      • Sumerian ANŠE-ka: one of the best groups of people.
      • Sumerian anše-mar: chariot or wagon ass ('equid' + 'wagon').
      • Sumerian máš-anše: animals ('goats' + 'equids').
      • Sumerian dúsu [ANŠE.LIBIR]: an ass or equid used as a draft animal before plows and wagons.
    • Sumerian kur: n., mountain; highland; (foreign) land; the netherworld. v., to reach, attain; to kindle; to rise (sun).
      • Sumerian kur, mountain, nether-world, kurra, mountains.    Kur also called Syria.    The peoples who lived to the west of Sumer, the barbarous, illiterate, and savage tribes (Sumerian viewpoint) who inhabited the Syrian and Arabian deserts, were generally called Martu.    They were the ancestors of the Amuru who ranged across much of the northern, central, and eastern Arabian deserts."    (Note: Muru = Amorite, Hebrew 'emori).
        • One Sumerian myth: Kramer and Maier postulated that Enki was once known as En-kur, lord of the underworld, which either contained or was contained in the Abzu.    He did struggle with Kur as mentioned in the prelude to "Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and the Underworld", and presumably was victorious and thereby able to claim the title "Lord of Kur" (the realm).
        • Sumerian ^lúMAR-TU[-KI]: Amorite - Semitic nomad of the western desert (mar, 'wagon' + tu, 'to be born').
          • As to Amorite = Amuru, Muru: notes found in the Sumerian ég, íg, e: n., irrigation ditch; boundary canal/dike/levee. v., to water; to speak, say (e = sing. marû, plural hamtu, and plural marû; cf., dug₄, also di); to do (as auxiliary verb preceded by a noun). demonstrative pron., this one; in the immediate vicinity; suffixed to ergative agent.
          • Sumerian ^(giš/urudu)mar, gar₇: n., spade; earthworm; wagon (Akkadian marru "hoe, spade" from Semitic root "to hoe, farm"). v., to sow, scatter; to coat, apply; to don; to immerse; to enclose, lock up.
            • Sumerian engar: irrigator, farmer (en, 'lord', + agar, 'field'; Akkadian 'ikkar from Semitic "to hoe, cultivate").
          • Sumerian tud, tu, dú: to bear, give birth to; to beget; to be born; to make, fashion, create.
            • Sumerian tu: to interfere (cf., tud and tur₅).
            • Sumerian tu^mušen: (cf., tur₅^mušen).
            • Sumerian tu_2,3: (cf., tumu_2,3).
            • Sumerian tu_5,17: n., bath. v., to wash, bathe; to pour; to make libation (probably reduplication class).
            • Sumerian tu₆: exorcism; exorcistic formula.
            • Sumerian tu₇: soup; soup pitcher.
            • Sumerian tu_10,11: (cf., dun).
            • Sumerian tu₁₅: (cf., tumu).
        • Sumerian kúr: n., enemy. v., to be different; to change (often with -da-) (kúr-re in marû). adj., strange; hostile.
          • Sumerian kùr: (cf., gur).
          • Sumerian kur₄: (cf., gur₄).
          • Sumerian kur₅: (cf., kud).
            • Sumerian kud, kur₅, ku₅: to cut off (with -ta-); to breach (a dike); to separate; to levy tax or tribute; to curse (regularly followed by rá; cf., kìr and gur₁₀).
          • Sumerian kur₆: (cf., kurum₆).
          • Sumerian kur₇: (cf., kurum₇).
          • Sumerian kur₉, ku₄: n., entrance. v., to enter; to bring; to deliver (-ni- specifies delivery location); to enter before someone (with dative prefix); to let enter (with -ni-); enter into the presence of (with -ši-); to turn round, turn into, transform (with -da-) (singular [?] reduplication class stem; cf., sun₅).
            • Sumerian ku₄: (cf., kur₉).
      • Sumerian ra(-g/h): n., inundation. v., to strike, stab, slay; to stir; to impress, stamp, or roll (a seal into clay); to flood, overflow; to measure; to pack, haul, or throw away (with -ta-).
        • (.RA) + nominative ending as in Sumerian ga-àr-ra: cheese )'milk' + "to chew' + nominative).
        • Sumerian rá: (cf., re₇).
        • Sumerian rà: (cf., ara₄). (e.g., buranun, 'Euphrates river' = bu₅, 'to rush around' + ra, 'to flood, overflow' + nun, 'noble, great');
        • Sumerian a-ra-zu: prayer ('tears' + 'to overflow' + 'to inform').
        • Sumerian a-še-ra: lamentation (Semitic loan ?).
        • Sumerian an-ta-sur-ra: a stone ('heaven' + 'from' + 'boundary marker' + a, 'the').
        • Sumerian ga-ba-ra-hum: revolt (gaba, 'rival' + 'to overflow' + 'to smash, break').
  
  
• Great Square of Pegasus
  • Allen commented: The Arabs knew the familiar quadrangle as Al Dalw, the Water-bucket, the Amphora of some Latin imitator, which generally was used for the Urn in Aquarius; and the Arabian astronomers followed Ptolemy in Al Faras al Thani, the Second Horse, which Bayer turned into Alpheras; Chilmead, into Alfaras Alathem; and La Lande, into Alphares.
  • Marked by the stars a, b, and g Pegasi and a Andromedae and so is not completely within Pegasus.    The horse is upside-down with it's head to the south.
  • Sumerian ASH.GÁN, Akkadian ikû, "The Field," represents the Great Square but it claims with the stars a Markab, horse's shoulder, b in Aquarius, Arabic Scheat, shin, and g Pegasi, Arabic Algenib, the side, and last with a Andromedae.
    • Allen states in his Aries section: Elsewhere he tells us that when Aries became chief of the zodiac signs it took the Akkadian titles Ku, I-ku, and I-ku-u, from its lucida Hamal, all equivalents of the Assyrian Rubu, Prince, and very appropriate to the leading stellar group of that date, although not one of the first formations.
    • In "Hamlet's Mill" by Giorgio de Santillana and Hertha von Dechend, Gambit Inc. 1969 it states on page 434, "The Pegusus-square, called 'I-Iku' (i.e. the standard field measure of the Sumerians)."    Here they propose that the square of Pegusus was the square between the two fishes of Pisces as seen below on the zodiac of Denderah.
          Pisces is seen, as two fish with a cord attached to their tails, and between them is a rectangular figure (tablet-like) with three hieroglyphic seen as Egyptian water signs, nnn, on it.    Other sources call this the "She" where the Egyptians portrayed equally spaced vertical wavy lines inclosed by a rectangle denoting a lake or pool (body of water).    The cord is connected to a figure, which seems to be Cetus.
      • In his work “BABYLONIAN STAR-LORE: An Illustrated Guide to the Star-lore and Constellations of Ancient Babylonia,” by Gavin White claims, "Finally, the square enclosure that can be seen between the Piscean fish is, in all likelihood, a depiction of the Field constellation that is known to correspond to the Square of Pegasus.    As its name suggests, the Field represents a rectangular plot of irrigated land, which is inscribed with zigzag lines representing irrigation channels filled with water."
            On his page 31, White comments, "Pegasus is clearly based on the Babylonian Horse constellation, which has been faithfully preserved in Arabic traditions.    But quite why Pegasus is portrayed upside down and missing its hindquarters on the Greek star-map has proved difficult to explain."
      • One source claims this is the Sumerian ashag, meaning field.
        • Sumerian ašag, aša₅ [GANÁ]: field, plot (cf., a-šà-(g)).
        • Sumerian a-šà-(g): field ('seed' + 'womb'; cf., a-gàr; ašag).
      • Other sources call this Sumerian ASH.GÁN, Akkadian ikû, as follows:
        • Sumerian éš-gán: surveyor's rope ('rope' + 'surface measure').
          • Sumerian éše, éš: rope; measuring tape/cord (eš, 'much', + eš, 'much').
          • Sumerian éš: (cf., éše).
            • Sumerian eš-bar: decision ('much' + 'to divide'; cf., ka-aš-bar).
            • Sumerian èš: shrine.
            • Sumerian èš-èš: a festival (reduplicated 'shrine').
            • Sumerian eš_5,6,16,21: three.
        • From www.lexiline.com, "The Great Square ((ASH).IKU), domicile of d.Ea, which leads the stars of d.Anu.    Sumerian ASH.IKU means 'enclosure'."
        • Sumerian aš: one; unique.
          • Sumerian aš₍₅₎: spider.
          • Sumerian áš: n., wish; curse (abbreviated tàš ?, ašte ? [ašte: need; necessity; desirable or beloved object (á, 'side', + šita₄, 'to bind, join'). ]). v., to desire; to curse.
          • Sumerian aš_3,4,8: six (ía, 'five', + aš, 'one').
            • Sumerian a-na-aš(-am): why ('what' + 'one' + 'to be').
          • ASH, Babylonian Ash-nar (-tum) or Ash-lal (-tum) as the l and r are interchangeable, where tum means "the exalted."    Sargon's Queen, the Lady Ash (Ash-Nini), Tomb Inscriptions at Abydos deciphered.
        • Sumerian gána, gán: tract of land, field parcel; (flat) surface; measure of surface; cultivation (cf., iku).
          • Sumerian ^kušdùg-gan: leather bag ('gladness' + 'to bring forth').
          • Sumerian dakkan, daggan: harem, living quarters (dag, 'dwelling', + gan, 'to bear').
          • Sumerian šakan, šagan: a large jar for oil (šag₄/šà, 'stomach, container', + gan, 'to bring forth').
            • Sumerian šákan: official in charge of expenditures - comptroller (šu, 'portion', + gan, 'to bring forth'; cf. also, šaggina).
    
    
  • Other names for Pegasus: Alfa'ras Alathem, Alpha'res, Alphe'ras, Al Fa'ras al Thani, Al Dalw (square), Su'ud al Nujum (star group).
    • Allen comments: The Arabs knew the familiar quadrangle as Al Dalw, the Water-bucket, the Amphora of some Latin imitator, which generally was used for the Urn in Aquarius; ... and the Arabian astronomers followed Ptolemy in Al Faras al Thani, the Second Horse, which Bayer turned into Alpheras; Chilmead, into Alfaras Alathem; and La Lande, into Alphares.
    • Pegasus is called thus in Germany, but Pegase in France and Pegaso in Italy.
    • Allen comments: Leaving this constellation, it is worth while to note that an asterism, now virtually lost to us and seldom mentioned except in the lists of Al Sufi, Al Amasch, and Kazwini, is described by the last-named under the title Al Faras al Tamm, the Complete Horse.    Although somewhat indefinitely marked out, it is said to have occupied the space between the eastern wing of the Swan (Cygnus), the chest of Pegasus, Equuleus, and the tail of Lacerta, drawing for its components from the last three; but Beigel held that it could have existed only with the grammarians, — the Tamm in its title being easily confused, in transcription, with the Thani in the Arabians' name for Pegasus.    Ideler's Sternnamen is the sole modern work in which I find any reference to this Complete Horse, and even that author, in one passage, seems to regard Monoceros as the modern representative of this somewhat mythical constellation; but this is impossible if Kazwini's description be accepted.    Indeed, Ideler himself, later on in his book, changed his opinion to agree with that of Beigel.
  
  See Star Names of Pegasus.
  

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      This page was updated on March 14, 2005, July 15, 2008, and March 30, 2010.
  
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