Day Symbols of the Maya Year: Sixteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1894-1895, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1897, pages 199-266.Thomas, Cyrus
Religion
Day Symbols of the Maya Year: Sixteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1894-1895, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1897, pages 199-266.
Thomas, Cyrus
Maya calendar
In a previous paper[208-1] I suggested that the probable signification
of the character LXIV, 7, from Dres. 14c and 46b, is _maax_, "monkey,
ape, imitator." Below the text in each case is seen a dark male figure
(or deity), to which it undoubtedly refers, as is conceded by Drs
Schellhas and Seler. The face character, which forms part of the glyph,
may be only a determinative; at least I am unable to assign it any other
value in this connection, and the necessity for such determinative is
apparent. Brasseur, under _akab-maax_, speaks of a phantom or hobgoblin
of this name, which he says signifies "the great monkey of the night."
Perez gives as definitions "duende" (elf or hobgoblin) and "mico
nocturno." Henderson, who writes the name _akabmax_, simply says
"sprite, phantom." It would seem, therefore, that among the
superstitious beliefs of the Maya was that of a night phantom or deity,
which took the form of a monkey. But this black figure appears to be
different from those on Tro. 34*-31*, with which Seler connects it and
to which he applies the name Ekchuah.[208-2]
In the paper above referred to, I have interpreted the symbol shown in
plate LXIV, 8 (from Dres. 35c) _maach_, "the crow," assuming the
birdhead to be a determinative. Seler concludes that the bird which this
represents is "a substitute, colleague, or symbol of the Rain god Chac,"
the so-called Maya Tlaloc so frequently represented in the codices.
Although there is in this case no bird figure below to confirm our
interpretation, yet it appears to be justified by the comparisons given
and by its agreement with the phonetic value of the _imix_ symbol. It is
also further confirmed by the two glyphs shown in plate LXVIII, 13, 14,
which occur together in Dres. 38b. In this case the two characters,
which are combined in plate LXIV, 8, are separated, yet must have the
same signification. Here the bird figure (a man with a bird's head or
bird mask) is seen below. In both instances rain is represented, showing
that the bird is supposed to bear some relation thereto. But it is more
likely that it has direct reference to the wind which accompanies the
rain storm rather than to "fruitfulness," as Seler supposes. Be this,
however, as it may, our rendering of the _imix_ symbol in this
connection appears to be justified, and indicates that the symbol is
used here for its phonetic value rather than with any reference to its
primary signification.
[Illustration: PL. LXIV. COPIES OF GLYPHS FROM THE CODICES]
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