VMs: Re: Moons in Zodiac?

["Rafal T. Prinke" <rafalp@xxxxxxxxxx>]

John Grove wrote:

> Can someone explain the significance of each of the images
> surrounding the Libra character in that recent posting... How
> is each 30 degrees of the sky marked off - are the images something
> that could be used to determine the actual year that image was
> written for (if you didn't already know the year?).

No - the images are those of the degrees themselves. Just as there
are the well known images for every sign (Aries, Taurus, Gemini...),
so in medieval astrology there were also images for the decans
(ie. 10 degrees divisions - 3 per sign) and for individual degrees
(and that book of Astromagia is the earliest known visual
depiction of these, even though there are earlier textual
descriptions - most notably by Peter of Abano). And just like
the signs of the Zodiac were/are meant to be mnemonic tools
to remember the horoscopic characteristics of them (Aries the Ram is
energetic, moving forward without thinking much; Taurus the Bull
is slow but sure, strong, etc.), so were the other images.
When a planet or other significant moving point fell in
a particular degree in a horoscope, the astrologer would 
interpret it accordingly.

The reason I thought it might be related to the VMS Zodiac
is that I can imagine a student of the Cracow University
sitting there and listening to a professor lecturing on
the degree images (and there was a chair of astrology
separate from that of astronomy in Cracow) but - uninterested
as most students always are - drawing the images that he
liked more <g/>.

Best regards,

Rafal