title: [Symbolics of the eye in mythology and history].
abstract: Researches on the creation of Russian ophthalmological terms by Martin Il'ich Shein in 1750 caused semiotic investigations on universal female respectively lunar connotations of the eye as Latin pupilla--puppet, the small picture of an observer's person reflected by the cornea of another one face to face to him/her, Greek (see text)-- kore, which means girl, pupil and globe of the eye. Kore is the Minoan name of a spring goddess, called Greek Persephone as part of a triadic mother-goddess, in summer Demeter in autumn Hekate. Such goddesses are represented by the three enlighted main phases of the moon: full moon and both half moons. Its dark phase, new moon, is the fourth element of compressing 28 or 29 phases of a lunation to its least understandable numerical abstraction 4. Its mythologic meaning dead or underworld takes part in believing in cyclic renewing of life. The universal code 4 for moon contains a 5200 years old precuneiform Sumeric sign NAM2, shaped as 4-stepped ladder, representing Inanna of Uruk, which is phenomenically identic with the to-days Chinese sign mù (see text) for eye. The reason of this identity is founded on 370.000 old astronomic abstractions, drawn on beasts' bones by paleolithic men at Bilzingsleben (Thuringia). We may trace and estimate important facts in history--for example the transfer of the imperial role from the Byzantine emperors to Charles the Great by pope Leo III in 800--by such abstractions as semiotic tools, which have been used in mythological sources as Odyssey or in arts, as Pablo Picasso had done commenting cruel facts of World War II.
authors.forename: Aloys
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Henning
mesh_terms: D005123:Eye; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049690:History, Ancient; D049691:History, Medieval; D009229:Mythology; D013561:Symbolism