by
Milky Way Maid
I
was re-reading some old astrological references and came across this
list again. Felt it might be of interest to all you King Arthur fans
or lovers of medieval literature and culture.
First
of all, Arthur and Guinevere themselves symbolized the Sun and Moon
polarity. And there were not just 12 knights; there were many more.
Ultimately they totaled 144 by some counts, or twelve for each sign.
But primary among those that were most easily identified as belonging
to one sign or another are these knights listed below:
ARIES--
Sir Gareth, who (befitting his Mars ruler) was a skilled fighter but
unfortunately also known for his temper. Youngest son of King Lot and
Margause, making him King Arthur's nephew;
TAURUS--
Sir Dinadan, who was slow to anger but a formidable opponent once
aroused.
GEMINI--
Sir Lionel and Sir Bors, who were twins. (I bet you guessed that
right away, LOL!) One was traditionally thought of as good and loyal,
while the other one was unreliable.
CANCER--
Sir Kay. He was in charge of the kitchens; was known for some
culinary skills. And we don't like to mention this, but he was kind
of crabby sometimes.
LEO--
Sir Gawain was the brave and rather flamboyant star of the popular
tale of the Green Knight.
VIRGO--
Sir Tristam, who was unlucky in health and therefore probably was
forced to pay attention to care of the body more than most of the
other knights. His health interfered when he was called upon to
serve, which must have pained him more than the physical illness
itself.
LIBRA--
Sir Balin was notoriously indecisive, vacillating between his options
too long and losing the moment. He hesitated when it came time to
pass a death sentence on King Royn, and this hesitation led to his
undoing.
SCORPIO--
Sir Lancelot was not only a powerful warrior, but was also able to
bring the dead back to life. Unfortunately his passion for the lovely
and pure Guinevere was his downfall
SAGITTARIUS--
Sir Percival was among other things known for the ability to
communicate with animals.
CAPRICORN--
Sir Urry looked older than his years but was rejuvenated by Sir
Lancelot.
AQUARIUS--
Sir Palomides was socially successful, admiring not only his fellow
knights but also the kings of the Irish and Scottish territories;
those kings admired him so much they sent many gifts and invites to
major celebrations to share their fellowship.
PISCES--
Sir Galahad. Representing the spiritual seeker mode of Pisces, he was
the one most dedicated to the quest for the Holy Grail and was the
only one pure enough to achieve a vision.
========================================
As
long as I'm here, I may as well include the Celtic Tree Calendar.
This is a 13-sign calendar so I have to assume this is based on the
lunar cycles not the solar. The dates do not correspond to any of the
Western astrology sun signs although the Alder month begins on March
18, which is close enough to our Aries ingress and spring Equinox to
suit.
BETH
(birch) – Dec. 24 to Jan. 20
LUIS
(rowan or mountain ash) – Jan. 21 to Feb. 17
NION
(ash) – Feb. 18 to March 17
FEARN
(alder) – March 18 to April 14
SAILLE
(willow) – April 15 to May 12
UATH
(hawthorn) – May 13 to June 9
DUIR
(oak) – June 10 to July 7
TINNE
(holly) – July 8 to August 4
COLL
(hazel) – August 5 to Sept. 1
MUIN
(vine) – Sept. 2 to Sept. 29
GORT
(ivy) – Sept. 30 to Oct. 27
NGETAL
(reed) – Oct. 28 to Nov. 24
RUIS
(elder) – Nov. 25 to Dec. 22
(Dec.
23 is not part of this calendar due to its standing as a special day.
It is the day of the proverbial Year and a Day in the earliest courts
of law.)
