P. T. Barnum: Astrological Article and Chart

Horoscope and chart of P. T. Barnum

^* A planet less than 1° from the next House cusp is considered to be posited in the said House. 2° when the AS and the MC are involved

Astrological portrait of P. T. Barnum (excerpt)

Disclaimer: these short excerpts of astrological charts are computer processed. They are, by no means, of a personal nature. This principle is valid for the celebrities included in our database. These texts provide the meanings of planets, or combination of planets, in signs and in houses, as well as the interpretations of planetary dominants in line with modern Western astrology rules. Moreover, since Astrotheme is not a polemic website, no negative aspect which may damage the good reputation of a celebrity is posted here, unlike in the comprehensive astrological portrait.

Introduction

Here are some character traits from P. T. Barnum's birth chart. This description is far from being comprehensive but it can shed light on his/her personality, which is still interesting for professional astrologers or astrology lovers.

The dominant planets of P. T. Barnum

When interpreting a natal chart, the best method is to start gradually from general features to specific ones. Thus, there is usually a plan to be followed, from the overall analysis of the chart and its structure, to the description of its different character traits.

In the first part, an overall analysis of the chart enables us to figure out the personality's main features and to emphasize several points that are confirmed or not in the detailed analysis: in any case, those general traits are taken into account. Human personality is an infinitely intricate entity and describing it is a complex task. Claiming to rapidly summarize it is illusory, although it does not mean that it is an impossible challenge. It is essential to read a natal chart several times in order to absorb all its different meanings and to grasp all this complexity. But the exercise is worthwhile.

In brief, a natal chart is composed of ten planets: two luminaries, the Sun and the Moon, three fast-moving or individual planets, Mercury, Venus and Mars, two slow-moving planets, Jupiter and Saturn, and three very slow-moving planets, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Additional secondary elements are: the Lunar Nodes, the Dark Moon or Lilith, Chiron and other minor objects. They are all posited on the Zodiac wheel consisting of twelve signs, from Aries to Pisces, and divided into twelve astrological houses.

The first step is to evaluate the importance of each planet. This is what we call identifying the dominant planets. This process obeys rules that depend on the astrologer's sensitivity and experience but it also has precise and steady bases: thus, we can take into account the parameters of a planet's activity (the number of active aspects a planet forms, the importance of each aspect according to its nature and its exactness), angularity parameters; (proximity to the four angles, Ascendant, Midheaven, Descendant and Imum Coeli or Nadir, all of them being evaluated numerically, according to the kind of angle and the planet-angle distance) and quality parameters (rulership, exaltation, exile and fall). Finally, other criteria such as the rulership of the Ascendant and the Midheaven etc. are important.

These different criteria allow a planet to be highlighted and lead to useful conclusions when interpreting the chart.

The overall chart analysis begins with the observation of three sorts of planetary distributions in the chart: Eastern or Western hemisphere, Northern or Southern hemisphere, and quadrants (North-eastern, North-western, South-eastern and South-western). These three distributions give a general tone in terms of introversion and extraversion, willpower, sociability, and behavioural predispositions.

Then, there are three additional distributions: elements (called triplicity since there are three groups of signs for each one) - Fire, Air, Earth and Water - corresponding to a character typology, modality (or quadruplicity with four groups of signs for each one) - Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable - and polarity (Yin and Yang).

There are three types of dominants: dominant planets, dominant signs and dominant houses. The novice thinks astrology means only "to be Aries" or sometimes, for example, "to be Aries Ascendant Virgo". It is actually far more complex. Although the Sun and the Ascendant alone may reveal a large part of the character - approximately a third or a half of your psychological signature, a person is neither "just the Sun" (called the sign) nor just "the first house" (the Ascendant). Thus, a particular planet's influence may be significantly increased; a particular sign or house may contain a group of planets that will bring nuances and sometimes weaken the role of the Ascendant, of the Sun sign etc.

Lastly, there are two other criteria: accentuations (angular, succedent and cadent) which are a classification of astrological houses and types of decanates that are occupied (each sign is divided into three decanates of ten degrees each). They provide some additional informations.

These general character traits must not be taken literally; they are, somehow, preparing for the chart reading. They allow to understand the second part of the analysis, which is more detailed and precise. It focuses on every area of the personality and provides a synthesis of all the above-mentioned parameters according to sound hierarchical rules.

Astrological Quadrants for P. T. Barnum

Each quadrant is a combination of the four hemispheres of your birth chart and relates to a character typology. The Southern hemisphere – the top of your chart, around the Midheaven – is associated with extraversion, action, and public life, whereas the Northern hemisphere prompts to introversion, reflexion, and private life. The Eastern hemisphere – the left part, around the Ascendant – is linked to your ego and your willpower, whereas the Western hemisphere indicates how other people influence you, and how flexible you are when you make a decision.

P. T. Barnum, the diurnal South-eastern quadrant, consisting of the 10th, 11th and 12th houses, prevails in your chart: assertion and goals achievement are at the centre of your concerns. You are very keen to implement your dreams and your plans. You achieve your ambitions as soon as possible, whether through an active social life, highly charged friendly relations, or an urge to take actions in order to reap - in the eyes of the world, of course - the rewards of your dynamism. It is likely that spirituality or humanitarian actions are part of your motivations, sometimes at the price of some degree of isolation.

Elements, Modes and House Accentuations for P. T. Barnum

P. T. Barnum, here are the graphs of your Elements and Modes, based on planets' position and angles in the twelve signs:

P. T. Barnum, Fire is dominant in your natal chart and endows you with intuition, energy, courage, self-confidence, and enthusiasm! You are inclined to be passionate, you assert your willpower, you move forward, and come hell or high water, you achieve your dreams and your goals. The relative weakness of this element is the difficulty to step back or a kind of boldness that may prompt you to do foolish things.

The predominance of Water signs indicates high sensitivity and elevation through feelings, P. T. Barnum. Your heart and your emotions are your driving forces, and you can't do anything on Earth if you don't feel a strong affective charge (as a matter of fact, the word "feeling" is essential in your psychology). You need to love in order to understand, and to feel in order to take action, which causes a certain vulnerability which you should fight against.

Air is under-represented in your natal chart, with only 7.65% instead of the average 25%. Air symbolizes the values of communication, exchanges with others, but also adaptability and flexibility abilities: if you don't get out of your cocoon to talk, to show interest in others, and to socialize, you may have problems understanding others. Because of your lack of flexibility or of your refusal to adapt yourself, you may be suddenly overwhelmed by events. You should get into the habit of talking, of phoning, and of thinking in terms of "mobility, flexibility, adaptability, change" in every circumstance. It will spare you so many troubles!

The twelve zodiacal signs are split up into three groups or modes, called quadruplicities, a learned word meaning only that these three groups include four signs. The Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable modes are more or less represented in your natal chart, depending on planets' positions and importance, and on angles in the twelve signs.

The Fixed mode corresponds to a majority of elements in your chart, P. T. Barnum, and represents the desire for security and durability: you are able to concretely appreciate a situation and its stability. You definitely prefer to play the role of a loyal, obstinate and hard-working person, rather than to try new and risky experiences - beware, however, not to confuse obstinacy with intransigence. You structure, cement, and strengthen everything you find on your way: it is your nature, although you are not especially interested in swiftness: slow and steady...

Houses are split up into three groups: angular, succedent and cadent.

The first ones are the most important ones, the most "noticeable" and energetic houses. They are the 1st, 4th, 7th and 10th houses. Their cuspides correspond to four famous angles: Ascendant for the 1st house, Imum Coeli for the 4th house, Descendant, opposite the Ascendant, for the 7th house and Midheaven for the 10th house, opposite the Imum Coeli.

Planets are evaluated according to a whole set of criteria that includes comprehensive Western astrology rules. At their turn, planets emphasize specific types of houses, signs, repartitions etc., as previously explained.

Cadent houses, namely the 3rd, 6th, 9th and 12th houses, are very emphasized in your chart, P. T. Barnum. They indicate important potential for communication, adaptability and flexibility. These houses are symbolically linked to the mind and intellect. The relative weakness implied by these characteristics indicates your tendency to hesitate or to be indecisive, but also your remarkable ability to start off again, which is a nice quality, finally: you can easily get yourself out of a tight spot thanks to your mobility and casualness, in the best sense of the term. This group of houses corresponds to evolutionary characteristics of your personality. However, they are only indications and you must include them in the rest of your chart in order to see whether they are validated or not!

N.B.: this dominant is a minor one.

Dominants: Planets, Signs and Houses for P. T. Barnum

The issue of dominant planets has existed since the mists of time in astrology: how nice it would be if a person could be described with a few words and one or several planets that would represent their character, without having to analyse such elements as rulerships, angularities, houses, etc!

The ten planets - the Sun throughout Pluto - are a bit like ten characters in a role-play, each one has its own personality, its own way of acting, its own strengths and weaknesses. They actually represent a classification into ten distinct personalities, and astrologers have always tried to associate one or several dominant planets to a natal chart as well as dominant signs and houses.

Indeed, it is quite the same situation with signs and houses. If planets symbolize characters, signs represent hues - the mental, emotional and physical structures of an individual. The sign in which a planet is posited is like a character whose features are modified according to the place where he lives. In a chart, there are usually one, two or three highlighted signs that allow to rapidly describe its owner.

Regarding astrological houses, the principle is even simpler: the twelve houses correspond to twelve fields of life, and planets tenanting any given house increase that house's importance and highlight all relevant life departments: it may be marriage, work, friendship etc.

In your natal chart, P. T. Barnum, the ten main planets are distributed as follows:

The three most important planets in your chart are Jupiter, the Moon and the Sun.

Jupiter, the planet of expansion, organization, power and benevolence, is quite emphasized in your chart. Like any Jupiterian, you are warm, open, sociable, consensual, active and optimistic. You can use your self-confidence to erase differences of opinion, and you leave the task of analyzing and perfecting things to specialists. Your role, and you know it since you were young, is to gather, to demonstrate your synthesizing and conciliatory mind, and to naturally reap its fruits - power.

You appreciate legality, social order but also order in general. With you as a leader, every plan or human entity can be organized and structured. You excel at supervising. The Jupiterian type is indeed the politician par excellence, and a positive Jupiter in your chart is synonymous with good integration into society, whatever the chosen path.

Is this idyllic picture really perfect? Certainly not: each planet's typology has its own weaknesses. One of yours is pride, like the Solarian, but your will of expansion at all costs may generate a form of exaggeration in everything, endless pleasure, inappropriate self-confidence that could lead you to rough materialism and the thirst for absurd material comfort - in the worst cases, of course.

The Moon is one of the most important planets in your chart and endows you with a receptive, emotive, and imaginative nature. You have an innate ability to instinctively absorb atmospheres and impressions that nurture you, and as a result, you are often dreaming your life away rather than actually living it.

One of the consequences of your spontaneity may turn into popularity, or even fame: the crowd is a living and complex entity, and it always appreciates truth and sincerity rather than calculation and total self-control.

As a Lunar character, you find it difficult to control yourself, you have to deal with your moods, and you must be careful not to stay passive in front of events: nothing is handed on a plate, and although your sensitivity is rich, even richer than most people's, you must make a move and spare some of your energy for... action!

One of the dominant planets in your natal chart is the Sun. He symbolizes will, magnetism, sense of honour and dignity. You are a Solar being, and you often display charismatic and leadership qualities. Your warmth and your persuasive power lead you far away from pettiness. You enjoy thinking big and, consequently, you move forward according to what you decide.

Your Solarian weakness may be related to the sin of pride or to excessive authority. The frontier between pride and vanity is tenuous: be careful not to overstep it and to keep the nobleness of heart that is part of your charm.

In your natal chart, the three most important signs - according to criteria mentioned above - are in decreasing order of strength Leo, Taurus and Cancer. In general, these signs are important because your Ascendant or your Sun is located there. But this is not always the case: there may be a cluster of planets, or a planet may be near an angle other than the Midheaven or Ascendant. It may also be because two or three planets are considered to be very active because they form numerous aspects from these signs.

Thus, you display some of the three signs' characteristics, a bit like a superposition of features on the rest of your chart, and it is all the more so if the sign is emphasized.

With Leo as a dominant sign, you naturally shine brightly. Your dignity, your sense of honour, and your generosity can almost turn you into a solar mythological hero, a knight or a lord from the ancient times. People may blame you for your selfishness, your pride or your somewhat loud authority, but if you are self-confident, kind-hearted and strong-willed, it surely makes up for your little flaws, as long as they remain moderate...

With the Taurus sign so important in your chart, you are constructive, stable, and sensual. Good taste, sense of beauty, manners, and unfailing good sense - all these qualities contribute to your charm and seductive power. Furthermore, if some people criticize your slow pace and your stubbornness, you rightly reply that this is the price for your security, and that you like the way it is - slow and steady....

Cancer is one of your dominant signs and endows you with imagination and exceptionally shrewd sensitivity. Although suspicious at first sight - and even at second...- as soon as you get familiar with people and let them win your confidence, your golden heart eventually shows up, despite your discretion and your desire for security that make you return into your shell at the slightest alert! Actually, you are a poet and if you are sometimes blamed for your nostalgia and your laziness, it is because your intense inner life is at full throttle...

The 12th, 10th and 11th houses are the most prominent ones in your birth chart. From the analysis of the most tenanted houses, the astrologer identifies your most significant fields or spheres of activity. They deal with what you are experiencing - or what you will be brought to experience one day - or they deal with your inner motivations.

The 12th house is emphasized in your chart: like the 8th house, it has a rich and complex meaning. Although its bad reputation is likely to scare most readers in the first place - it is indeed the house of hidden or isolated places, of solitude, of ordeals or enemies - it can also mean that a part of your life is very deep and intense. If your achievements are not visible in the public eye, you may fulfil yourself in a different but equally important way: you may be involved in secret activities, humanitarian causes, and projects in favour of disadvantaged people. You are likely to work in quiet and remote places. In many cases, you will gain from these hidden activities as many treasures as people who have a more public destiny. It may be because you sublimate your work, or only because you successfully carry out your task within your environment. There is no such things as a good or a bad house, because each area of life is necessary in its own way, and we need all of them, if we are to improve spiritually.

With a prominent 10th house, your destiny's achievement may be very notable: the 10th house represents your career, your public life, and your ambitions. A good deal of your energy may thus be used to successfully implement what you have in mind. Instinctively, you are very keen to make your dreams come true. Sooner or later, you will deal with the public, and your personal achievement will go through trials and ordeals: other people and visible actions.

The 11th house is among your dominant houses. Therefore, social life and friendships are very important, even strategic to you.

You think that group activities, whether in the humanitarian field or simple gatherings of friends, are endless sources of inspiration and of enjoyment, provided that there are no tensed aspects in this sector. Everything human is important to you, often more important than your own success, unless your 10th house is also powerful.

After this paragraph about dominant planets, of P. T. Barnum, here are the character traits that you must read more carefully than the previous texts since they are very specific: the texts about dominant planets only give background information about the personality and remain quite general: they emphasize or, on the contrary, mitigate different particularities or facets of a personality. A human being is a complex whole and only bodies of texts can attempt to successfully figure out all the finer points.

The Moon in Leo and in House 12: his sensitivity

Recherchant l'attention et l'approbation des autres, vous avez besoin P. T. Barnum d'extérioriser vos émotions, de les interpréter et même de les jouer de façon théâtrale parfois car il est essentiel pour vous d'occuper le devant de la scène et de briller. Vous souhaitez faire toujours plus sinon mieux que les autres et vous vous efforcez donc, quelle que soit la situation, de vous montrer chaleureux, généreux, loyal, honnête, droit et courageux. Vous êtes toujours disponible quand on a besoin de votre aide ou de vos conseils et vous êtes fier et heureux de pouvoir rendre service. Attention toutefois à ne pas trop imposer votre présence légèrement dominatrice ! Vous n'êtes pas toujours indispensable et l'on pourrait vous reprocher de vous comporter de manière quelque peu égocentrique et autoritaire quand vous tentez de prendre les choses en main sans tenir compte de l'avis des personnes qui vous entourent. Il serait dommage de donner de vous cette image alors que, manquant peut-être de confiance en vous, vous cherchez tout simplement à vous rassurer...

P. T. Barnum, vous avez du mal à montrer ce que vous ressentez, ou bien tout simplement vous considérez que cela vous appartient et que cela n'a pas à être exposé. Quoiqu'il en soit, même si vos émotions sont riches et profondes, elles sont ressenties intérieurement surtout et... (excerpt)

Mercury in Gemini and in House 10: his intellect and social life

Une intelligence curieuse, une compréhension immédiate ainsi que des intérêts variés vous poussent P. T. Barnum tout naturellement vers les autres en toutes circonstances afin d'échanger des idées et d'exercer votre sens de la répartie. Avec vous, les pensées comme les actions doivent être rapides et vous risquez de vous montrer impatient, voire critique et ironique avec les personnes qui ne peuvent soutenir votre rythme effréné. Très adaptable, vous pouvez facilement faire plusieurs choses à la fois tout en réfléchissant à une action future car vous avez sans cesse besoin d'être en mouvement. Et même si l'on vous reproche parfois une tendance à la superficialité, à la dispersion ainsi que votre goût à dissimuler quelque peu la vérité, vous vous sortirez toujours des situations délicates avec une facilité incroyable tant vous pouvez être astucieux, rusé et charmeur.

Votre esprit vif et conciliant est au service de votre carrière, P. T. Barnum. Grâce à votre mobilité naturelle, vous vous adaptez en permanence pour vous glisser au mieux aux postes que vous convoitez et votre réussite professionnelle est souvent due à votre capacité à comprendre que changer,... (excerpt)

Venus in Leo and in House 12, and the Sun in Cancer: his affectivity and seductiveness

Dans votre thème, le Soleil est en Cancer, Vénus en Lion. Malgré votre apparente réserve et le caractère sélectif de votre affectivité (Soleil en Cancer), il y chez vous un vif désir de conquête et de séduction (Vénus en Lion). Cette configuration tend à s'inscrire dans un schéma souvent répété : l'être est élu, choyé, protégé. Parfois adulé. Reste alors à gagner son estime, son amour, sa confiance. On peut s'attendre à une affectivité romanesque, voire théâtrale. Il y a chez vous un désir d'absolu évident. Avec une Vénus en Lion tout d'abord : la passion ne se satisfait pas des demi-mesures. On aime de tout son être. Ou pas du tout. Absolu aussi avec un Soleil Cancer pour qui le couple est sacré, indivisible. Ainsi, vous exigez probablement autant de l'autre que vous vous donnez. Le risque est peut-être d'attendre tant d'une liaison qu'on en oublie de prendre parfois un certain recul. D'étouffer l'amour, de le broyer à force de trop vouloir l'étreindre. Reste une sensibilité a fleur de peau, une certaine vulnérabilité qui donne à la vie affective sa pleine mesure. Si l'être dont vous rêvez ne vous déçoit pas, vous vous montrez capable d'une générosité sans limite. Mais ni la confiance (Cancer) ni l'admiration (Lion) réciproques ne doivent disparaître. Car vous êtes, plus que d'autres, susceptible sur ce plan et pouvez faire preuve d'une rare intransigeance. Dernier point : la jalousie est un défaut très courant et sans gravité !

Vous si êtes si fier et généreux, P. T. Barnum que votre puissance d'amour contient en elle votre vulnérabilité mais c'est cela aussi qui fait votre charme et votre originalité. Vous êtes loyal et droit et avez un besoin aussi important d'être admiré que d'être aimé. Les deux sentiments chez vous sont intimement liés et le risque est réel que l'amour ne se rompe pour des malentendus d'importance insignifiante simplement parce que votre susceptibilité a été atteinte. Quoiqu'il en soit, vous êtes démonstratif, brillant et même théâtral et votre générosité est légendaire. Avec vous, tout est et doit être démesuré : les preuves d'amour que vous donnez à votre partenaire, les cadeaux que vous faites, le confort et même le luxe qui teintent l'atmosphère de vos sorties ou de vos voyages. Physiquement vous êtes un lion, en tout cas vous avez son appétit sexuel ; vous êtes voluptueux, passionné et finalement la seule chose que vous pouvez ne pas posséder est la souplesse, que ce soit dans votre façon de montrer votre amour ou bien de réagir à des évènements qui pourraient vous contrarier, même de très loin.

P. T. Barnum, vous illustrez que vous le vouliez ou non ce célèbre adage : "Pour vivre heureux vivons cachés ! " Rien ne vous convient mieux en effet que la tranquillité, le calme et finalement quelque part le secret pour votre vie amoureuse. Cela peut provenir de... (excerpt)

The Ascendant is in Leo and the ruler of the Ascendant is the Sun, in Cancer: his behaviour

The ruler of the Ascendant, also referred to as the chart ruler, brings a few interesting nuances to the meanings provided by the Sun and the Ascendant. The sign in which the ruler of the Ascendant is posited fine-tunes the style of personality described by the Sun and the Ascendant. It may strengthen it if the sign is identical to either of them.

In your chart, the ruler of the Ascendant is the Sun. This specific feature means that the Sun's characteristics previously delineated are strengthened.

The Sun in Cancer and in House 11: his will and inner motivations

Psychologiquement, vous êtes d'une nature rêveuse, tournée vers la nostalgie du passé, vers la mère, vers la famille : tout en instinct, tout en protection ou défense de votre être vis-à-vis de l'extérieur, vous possédez une vie intérieure riche, une imagination fertile voire même infinie, une propension à éviter tout risque inutile, à rechercher la sécurité en ne vous  dévoilant que lorsque la confiance est là, une nostalgie du passé pour le sentiment de bien-être qu'il vous rappelle.

Né avec la marque de ce signe, vous êtes émotif, sentimental, paisible, imaginatif, sensible, fidèle, résistant, protecteur, vulnérable, généreux, romantique, tendre, poète, paternel ou maternel, rêveur, indolent, gourmand, dévoué, mais vous pouvez aussi être craintif, irréaliste, fuyant, passif, susceptible, angoissé, dépendant, entêté, lunatique, passéiste, paresseux, pesant, casanier ou hermétique.

L'amour au masculin : pour vous, P. T. Barnum, en amour, vous êtes un tendre, un sensible, plutôt fidèle. Influencé par votre mère, vous recherchez inconsciemment une compagne qui vous apportera autant d'attention et d'affection que vous en receviez dans votre enfance. Casanier mais rêveur, vous vous épanouirez dans votre cocon familial au milieu de la famille que vous aurez créée, rêvant d'aventures et de voyages extraordinaires... que vous réaliserez quand même quelquefois mais surtout dans votre tête.

La tendresse compte pour vous plus que la sexualité même si elle est également un facteur de sécurité et de stabilité. Vous appréciez énormément de redevenir le petit enfant gâté que vous étiez, savourant les petits plats ou recevant les compliments réguliers dont vous avez tant besoin pour vous sentir rassuré.

Vous êtes sans doute à l'abri des drames, des complications de la vie car au moment même où une situation délicate intervient, vous préférez souvent la tuer dans l'oeuf en n'y donnant pas suite ou en rentrant dans votre coquille tranquillement, et en y ressortant quand l'orage est passé.

Votre foyer sera généralement heureux et riche, calme et harmonieux dans la durée.

Vous êtes assurément une bonne âme, P. T. Barnum : vous appréciez par dessus tout de vous affirmer par le canal de l'amitié, la vraie, profonde et chaleureuse; rien ne vous gratifie davantage que de vous faire accepter et aimer par les amis et relations que vous aurez... (excerpt)

Mars in Cancer and in House 11: his ability to take action

Plus sensible que vous est difficile, P. T. Barnum, ce qui fait que vous pouvez souvent contenir une certaine agressivité que vous aurez en général du mal à extérioriser. Vous êtes habituellement plutôt passif et votre force tient davantage de l'inertie et de la résistance que du déploiement vers l'action. Vous êtes d'humeur changeante et comme vous ne montrez que peu de choses de vous, vous surprenez en réagissant à contre-temps, si tardivement alors que les autres n'ont plus le souvenir de ce qui vous avait troublé à l'origine. Le seul domaine où vous pouvez avec bonheur exprimer toute votre ardeur ou votre action est celui de votre foyer ou, dans un sens plus symbolique, dans le domaine que vous avez sécurisé auparavant : en d'autres mots, vous avez besoin de confiance pour agir, dans le domaine concret aussi bien que celui de votre sexualité.

C'est dans le domaine de l'amitié et de la vie collective (projets en commun, réunions etc.) que vous montrez votre impulsivité et votre chaleur, mais aussi votre capacité d'action, P. T. Barnum. Vous êtes tout d'une pièce sur ce plan-là et avec vous, " ça passe ou ça casse... (excerpt)

Conclusion

This text is only an excerpt from the portrait of of P. T. Barnum, which we hope will inspire you to deepen your knowledge of astrology.

Regarding the sources of the birth data in our possession, kindly note that the pages we publish constitute a starting point for more detailed research, even though they seem useful to us. When the sources are contradictory, which occurs rarely, after having analysed them, we choose the most reliable one. Sometimes, we publish a birth date just because it is made available, but we do not claim that is it the best one, by no means.