Druid/Greek Cultural Transition Shown by Herakles Krater Texts (600-550 BCE)

For translation methodology see: How to Translate Alphabetic Akkadian Texts

Heraklez Fights Life-Power Blockages Caused by Controlling Lunar Powers in a Transitional Bi-Directional Text

(September 26, November 21, 2022) Heraklez represents a divine power which fights against the astrological powers of fate (the full moon lunar motion powers, not the life powers of the feminine crescent moon). The word "Heraklez" means in Akkadian "Hu's gatherer of emotion-owls lacking lunar-energy." This krater was found near the former Etruscan city of Vulci in 1883 on the northern Italian coast.  It is now located at the Louvre Museum and it dates to between 600 to 550 BCE because of its black on light color style. 

Heraklez in Front Scene Fighting Blocked Openings Causing Drought Producing Sun (550 BCE)

Heraklez Fighting the Lunar Powers Making a Sick Sun and Causing Drought (570 BCE)

(Jan 28, 2023) Traditional Druid writing direction (right to left) texts are labeled white with new Greek writing direction (left to right) texts labeled blue. This 100 years between 600 and 500 BCE was a time of writing transition from Akkadian into the national languages of Latin and Greek probably due to nationalist wars of survival which these two civilizations conducted against their Akkadian speaking neighbors.

Heraklez (Herakles) during this time period is identified by his wearing of an lion skin instead of carrying it draped on his arm. Lions represented the sun god Hu.  The shield bearing fighters represent blockages in the life network. Notice one blocker has started to retreat. A dying magic crafter (label 5) is shown on the ground with his cone-shaped “wizards cap.”

  1. (left to right) Hu's gatherer of emotion-owls lacking lunar-energy ("Heraklez')
  2. (left to right) Emotional-Energy is enlightening us about the misery of the filter (network).
  3. (top to bottom) The high-powers are emanating starvation.  Yahu (YA) is emanating nothing. Breaking-through the Opener (Thu) will not come from lunar-energy.
  4. (bottom to top) Magical emanations are lunar-energy. Yahu's rain is from emanating astrological-powers
  5. (right to left) Turn-away the eagle-vultures and the magic-crafters which det[ach] Yahu 

(Louvre 1883 Entry Number MNC 495, Catalog number F 53.1). Letter assignments by Olmsted. 

These Lunar Powers in Back Scene are Causing the Life Blockages Due to a Lack of Control (550 BCE)

These Lunar Powers on Back Scene are Causing the Life Blockages (570 BCE)

(Jan 28, 2023) The image on the back side of the Heraklez krater shows a chariot containing the two lunar power deities, the full moon god Su and the cresent moon goddess Ayu. Su is the shield bearer while Ayu  (Artemis, Ishtar, Inanna, Hathor) wearing the dress is the chariot driver. She is controlling three double-headed horses. Each horse represents a layer in the Ancient Pagan Paradigm while the double heads represent the masculine/feminine duality of powers. Above the horses is the omen owl controlled by Su.  It Reads:

  1. Baking is being opened. Omens are revealing that.
  2. [ ] is emanating nothing. The pushing (of fertility-fluids) is an emanation.
  3. Pushing is a miserable prodding-stick for the eagle-vultures
  4. These should be shepherding the high thread's emotion-owls
  5. Nothing is pushing the high thread's emotion-owls

Image has been digitally white corrected by author and numbers added. (Louvre 1883)

Sick Sun with No Snakes (330 BCE)

A later version of the sick sun which the Greeks called a Gorgon. This one is from the north Aegean Island of Thaso and dates to between 400 and 300 BCE. It is the same sick sun as  shown on the shield but with longer teeth and no snakes. Originally the sharp teeth simply represented the sun's rays and only later did they become fangs. This image continued to evolve becoming the Green Man seen on Medieval Cathedrals. It is now at the Pushkin Museum in Moscow. (Shakko Creative Commons 2009)

Heraklez Fighting Blocked Openings Caused by Divine Birds (570 BCE)

A different Etruscan krater found in Vulci in 1848 which shows Heraklez fighting the motion powers of the magical birds, specifically, the owls and eagle-vultures. Louvre (1848).

Heraklez Fighting Magical Ibexes (Swans) (550 BCE)

This Etruscan Krater was found in central Italy in 1863 and it shows Heraklez morphing into his classical style with him holding a lion skin instead of wearing it. Now the lion skin is being used like a falconer's glove. It is not a shield as some claim. Because he is out hunting birds his weapon is a sling. The letters are too indistinct to read in this photo (Louvre 1863)

Front Text: Heraklez (Herakles)

Name (Phonetic)

Read left to right
  • H[E]RAKLEZ

Translation in Akkadian (Med 23.1.1)

Read left to right when viewed from human figure point of view. Capital letters on pot. Inner vowels inferred
  1. Ḫu ERra AKu Lu EZu 

In English

  1. Hu's gatherer of emotion-owls lacking lunar-energy

Front Text Below Shield-Bearers

Translation in Akkadian (Med 23.1.2)

Read left to right (top to bottom). Capital letters on pot. Inner vowels inferred
  1. Gi EDu Wa'u NaPu.

In English

  1. Emotional-Energy is enlightening us about  the misery of the filter.

Front Text Behind Heraklez

Translation in Akkadian (Med 23.1.3)

Read left to right. Capital letters on pot. Inner vowels inferred
  1. ELu Zu Eku. Yahu (YA) Zu E. Ga'u Pu EZzu E. 

In English

  1. High-Powers are emanating starvation.  Yahu (YA) is emanating nothing. Breaking-through the Opener will not come from lunar-energy (impatience).

Front Text Behind the Blocked Openings

Translation in Akkadian (Med 23.1.4)

Read right to left. Capital letters on pot. Inner vowels inferred
  1. Zu Tu Ezu. Ya'u ZuNu A Le'u Zu. 

In English

  1. Magical emanations are lunar-energy (Impatience). Yahu's rain is from emanated astrological-powers

Front Text Above the Magic Crafter

Translation in Akkadian (Med 23.1.5)

Read right to left when viewed from human figure point of view.). Capital letters on pot. Inner vowels inferred
  1. EWu Ru U Ru Ya'u Ga[Lu] (the repair seems to have partly rubbed out the last letter)

In English

  1. Turn-away the eagle-vultures and the magic-crafters which det[ach] Yahu

Back Text Behind the Omen Bird

Translation in Akkadian (Med 23.2.1)

Read right to left when viewed from front of figures (left to right in above image). Capital letters on pot. Inner vowels inferred
  1. Za'u Pu. ITu Nu A

In English

  1. Baking is being opened. Omens are revealing that.

Back Text in Front of the Omen Bird

Translation in Akkadian (Med 23.2.2)

Read right to left when viewed from front of figures (left to right in above image). Capital letters on pot. Inner vowels inferred
  1. [ ] Zu  E. Ma'u  Zu

In English

  1. [ ] is emanating nothing. The pushing is an emanation

Text Over the Horses

Translation in Akkadian (Med 23.2.3)

Read right to left when viewed from front of figures (left to right in above image). Capital letters on pot. Inner vowels inferred
  1. Ma'u Ka'u Ru Wa

In English

  1. Pushing is a miserable prodding-stick for the eagle-vultures

Back Text Below the Horses

Translation in Akkadian (Med 23.2.4)

Read right to left when viewed from front of figures (left to right in above image). Capital letters on pot. Inner vowels inferred
  1. A Re'u Qu Ilu Aku

In English

  1. These should be shepherding the high thread's emotion-owls

Back Text in Front of the Horses

Translation in Akkadian (Med 23.2.5)

Read right to left when viewed from front of figures (left to right in above image). Capital letters on pot. Inner vowels inferred
  1. E Ma'u Qu Ilu AKu

In English

  1. Nothing is pushing the high thread's emotion-owls