Saturday 14 April 2012

My signs

Joining with ♥woolf♥ today on her Zodiac challenge. I know people do take a keen interest in their star signs, but I have never taken much notice of mine.
Chinese sign showing the 12 animals of the Zodiac
I am a Virgo under the star signs, a horse in the Chinese Zodiac, and Astraea in Greek mythology. 
Virgo illustration from a 15th C medieval illuminated manuscript - Virgo is seasonally associated with the end of summer and the onset of autumn so she is shown holding a sheath of corn and a branch of leaves. I do remember someone once came in to my home, and exclaimed "you must be a Virgo"!!!
Horse painting from the walls of the Lascaux Caves in France.
Apparently horses should steer clear of rats, although male horses are very attracted to female rats - a dangerous liaison. 
This led me on to the task of finding out what animal H is!
and he is a tiger grrrrrrrrrr
The tiger, fortuitously, and I did not know this before, is best matched with a horse, if not a horse then a dog. How lucky is that, and to suddenly find this out after all of our years together!!!
A base-relief figure of Astraea in the old Supreme Court Chamber at the Vermont State House.
Astraea in Greek mythology was the celestial virgin, was the last of the immortals to live with humans during the Golden Age. Astraea abandoned the earth during the Iron Age fleeing the new wickedness of humanity, she ascended to heaven to become the constellation Virgo.
There you have me, neatly packaged. 
all images courtesy wikipedia

36 comments:

  1. Hello Rosemary:
    We love each one of the images which you have chosen to illustrate this post, particularly the one taken from the C15 illuminated manuscript. Absolutely beautiful.

    Rather like you, we have absolutely no interest in star signs, horoscopes and all things related.

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    1. Dear Jane and Lance - it is interesting that it seems to be of universal human interest around the world. There are the Western zodiac signs, Indian astrology, Chinese zodiac signs, all of which seem to play an important role in many peoples lives.

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  2. I am not into these things but your pictures are very interesting.

    Greetings,
    Filip

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    1. Same here Filip. There are, however, some lovely images from 15th C English and French illuminated manuscripts, and also the Chinese Zodiac illustrations.

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  3. Thank you for your interesting post with charming colors and fabulous images x Leena

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    1. Dear Leena - thank you for your visit, and glad you found the post of interest.

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  4. Hi, Rosemary - I had heard somewhere that the story of the Great Flood is a cross-cultural legend and that the animals in the Chinese Zodiac appear in the same order that they entered the ark. I'm glad you and H match up — maybe there's something to it after all!

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    1. Dear Mark - I like that idea of the cross cultural legend about the animals.
      Yes, that was strange finding out we matched, however, it is a bit late in the day for us if we had not.

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  5. Hi Rosemary, I am like you, not specially interested. I once red that me and my husband had very conflicting signs. Very well, it is 30 years since we met, and we have no plans to part from each other. Anyway, the challenge was fun, and I love the illumination. Thank you, and have a nice week end

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    1. Dear Lise, that is funny, glad that you plan to remain with each other. It was a bit of fun, and thank you for your visit. Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

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  6. A fascinating post, I do know my Zodiac and Chinese signs but would not say I am an avid believer, interested though!

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    1. That seems to have been the overall consensus, interesting and a bit of fun. There are some very nice images though relating to the subject. Thank you for visiting.

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  7. Hi Rosemary, I am also like you, not all that interested in the Zodiac signs but I had a great time with this challenge. Your post is fabulous....with gorgeous photos and interesting information. According to all the signs my hubby of 35 yrs and I are a perfect match.

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    1. Dear Carole - that is good news, rather like me and my husband. I had no idea we were a perfect match until this week!!! However, we have managed all of these years without knowing.

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  8. Now I know a huge amount more about Virgo, Rosemary. My favourite is that gorgeous illuminated manuscript!

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    1. Me too Kate, on both counts - The illuminated manuscripts are said to be the best surviving specimens of medieval painting and the best preserved too. Mainly I suspect because they were in the safe keeping of the church.

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  9. I too put little stock in the signs of the Zodiac but I am a Gemini and have many of the characteristics of a Gemini. So there who knows.

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    1. Dear Olive - I too have many of the traits of a Virgo, but also there are many other sides to Virgo that I do not have.
      I love your little puppy, I bet he is a bundle of fun, and brings you both lots of joy.

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  10. Hello Rosemary,
    excellent post! Very beautiful pictures!
    A big hug

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    1. Hello Antonio - thank you for your kind comment. Take care.

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  11. Very nice images,
    dear Rosemary.
    Especially of the horses.
    BTW I'm a horse, too and my husband is a tiger... its fantstic... never boring ;-)

    x Ariane.

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    1. Dear Ariane - thank you for your visit and how fortunate that you are a horse, and your husband a tiger. Glad you enjoyed the images. It is amazing to think that the horses in the Lascaux Caves are 17,000 years old.

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    1. Thank you - so pleased to have your visit, and glad you enjoyed the journey.

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  13. hooray for lucky match making! it's a plus, innit? and also quite amusing.
    i am not into these stars-in-our-eyes myself, but when i read about characteristics sometimes, i don't half chuckle.
    you've learnt me a thing about the greek mythology though! i had no idea.
    thanks for playing, n♥
    ps - i wonder perhaps if i was a child, a toddler even when HAIR came out. i was!
    but i do seem to recognize many melodies from the film. ..

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    1. Hooray indeed - I had no idea about the lucky match, so thanks for that. We can now go forward with confidence♥
      Thank you, I enjoyed the journey♥
      ps perhaps you were not even born when Hair came out, may be a twinkle in your father's eye!!!
      The Age of Aquarius music and song is very haunting and rather lovely♥

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  14. I too am a virgo : )
    I never like the name virgo so much, and never took it all too seriously, but this post is fun : )

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    1. Hello fellow Virgo - glad you enjoyed the post - it was a bit of fun, and an enjoyable challenge. Thanks for visiting.

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  15. dear Rosemary,

    what a great post!
    I like the way you handle a subject
    the explanations, the beautiful pictures
    nice, nice!
    and my youngest is a Virgo
    so now I know a little more about his sign

    happy Sunday!

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    1. Dear Patrice - you are so kind with your comments, you have made a happy start to my morning. I cannot do all the wonderful artistic things the rest of you do, I think that I am inhibited by my youngest son who is a great artist.
      Glad you enjoyed the post, and that your son is a Virgo too.

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  16. dear Rosemary, very beautiful illustrated post, i never saw a chinese sign like the one you show us, it's fun and fun too your discovering about Y and H after many years together, x

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    1. Dear Renilde - I thought that the chinese sign was rather nice too. It was a fun post to do thanks to ♥woolf♥ and it was interesting to discover that H and myself are, in fact, OK together.

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  17. Wonderful and interesting post, so funny you found out about your matching chinese signs. I am a tiger as well, seems I have to go out and find my horse (or dog) now! ;o)

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    1. Dear Tanïa - thanks for your visit. Sorry Tanïa it doesn't work like that. A female tiger is not the same thing as the male tiger. The female tiger is best matched with a pig!!! Actually they are much nicer than you would imagine, but may be you like pigs, I certainly do.
      Male pigs apparently love luxury and pleasure, but are not afraid of hard work. Luck favours the pig, so quite a good partner to have. Thanks for your visit.

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  18. Very interesting Rosemary, Nice evening, Dietmut

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    1. This was a challenge that someone set for us to do - it proved to be interesting.

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