| ACHIRD | |
| Eta Cassiopeia | |
| 08TAU50 | 10TAU15 |
| + 57.17' | + 57.49' |
| 00h49m | + 47.00' |
| F9 | 3.6 |
History of the star: Achird is a binary star, orange and violet, in the girdle of the Ethiopian Queen Cassiopeia.
[Star
Names,
Their Lore and Meaning,
Richard Hinchley Allen, 1889].
Etymology: Isaac Mozeson author of The Word says about this star in the GIRDLE:
The Biblical phrase
“gird your loins” surrounds this star name. Hebrew [K]HaGoaR means gird, while a
[K]HaGooRaH is a belt, a GARTER-like garment or a GIRDER that prepares and
fortifies the wearer for battle or other action. Preparedness is a key theme
here.
Under “GIRDLE” entry in
The
Word: Old Norse gjorth is the source of the
English words like GIRDLE and GIRTH. The IE root gher means to grasp or enclose,
with derivatives meaning "enclosure." Hebrew (HA)GUR is to "gird" in Exodus
29:9. (HA)GOR is a belt or girdle.
BRANCHES: Hebrew (SA)GUR (to close, shut in, lock [another name for Cassiopeia
is the Laconian Key]) establishes the Hebrew GR two-letter root which parallels
the IE root. (It also may have influenced words like CIGAR(ETTE), SECRET and
SECURE). Similarly, Hebrew EGROF is a closed hand or fist - an extension of OGUR
(to gather, collect) [Arabians named the constellation
Cassiopeia Kaff
al
Hadib, the large Hand Stained with Henna, the bright stars
marking the fingertips;]. DOGUR is a hatch.
Cognates of GIRD and GIRDLE at IE gher include CHOIR, CHORAL, CHORALE,
CHORUS, COHORT, CORTEGE, COURT (in the context of a "palace.", basketball
COURT), COURTEOUS, COURTESAN, COURTESY, COURTIER, [CURTAIN], CURTSY, GARDEN,
GARTH, HORTICULTURE, KINDERGARTEN, ORCHARD, and YARD. [The
Word Dictionary, Isaac Mozeson].
The astrological influences of the constellation: Haughtiness, boastfulness, exaggerated pride
and at the same time power of commanding respect. The Ethiopian Queen is
associated the Hebrew letter Beth and the 2nd Tarot Trump "The High Priestess".
(Fixed Stars and Constellations in Astrology
, Vivian E. Robson, 1923).
The astrological influences of the constellation given by Manilius:
"Cassiope will produce goldsmiths who can turn their work into a thousand different shapes, endow the precious substance with yet greater value, and add thereto the vivid hue of Jewels. From Cassiope come the gifts of Augustus which gleam in the temples he consecrated, where the blaze of gold rivals the sun's brightness and the fires of gems flash forth light out of shadow. From Cassiope come the memorials of Pompey's triumph of old and the trophies which bear the features of Mithridates: they remain to this very day, spoils undimmed by the passage of time, their sparkle as fresh as ever.
"From Cassiope
come the enhancement of beauty and devices for adorning the
body: from gold has been sought the means to give grace to the
appearance; precious stones have been spread over head, neck,
and hands and golden chains have shone on snow-white feet. What
products would a grand lady like Cassiope prefer her sons to
handle rather than those she could turn to her own
employments? And that material for such employment should not be
lacking, she bids men look for gold beneath the ground, uproot
all which nature stealthily conceals, and turn earth upside down
in search of gain; she bids them detect the treasure in lumps of
ore and finally, for all its reluctance, expose it to a sky it
has never seen. The son of Cassiope will also count greedily the
yellow sands, and drench a dripping beach with a new flood; he
will make small weights to measure the tiny grains, or else will
collect the wealth of gold-foaming Pactolus; or he will smelt
lumps of silver, separating the hidden metal and causing the
mineral to flow forth in a running stream; otherwise he will
become a trader of the metals produced by these two craftsmen,
ever ready to change coinage of the one metal into wares of the
other. Such are the inclinations which Cassiope will fashion in
those born under her" [Manilius,
Astronomica, book 5, 1st century AD, p.343.]