Representation of Deities of the Maya Manuscripts | Page 4

used in connection with specified cardinal points. Since, according to
the Aztec conception, the death-god was the god of the north, we might
expect that in the Maya manuscripts also, the death-god would be
always considered as the deity of the north. Nevertheless this happens
only once, namely in the picture at the end of Codex Cort., pp. 41 and
42. Elsewhere, on the other hand, this god is connected with other
cardinal points, thus Dr. 14a with the west or east (the hieroglyph is
illegible, but it can be only west or east), and in Dr. 27c with the west.
It is interesting to note that once, however, in a series of cardinal points,
the hieroglyph of the death-god connected with the numeral 10 stands
just in the place of the sign of the north; this is on Tro. 24* (bottom).
In regard to the name of the death-god in the Maya language, Landa
tells us that the wicked after death were banished to an underworld, the
name of which was "Mitnal", a word which is defined as "Hell" in the
Maya lexicon of Pio Perez and which has a striking resemblance to
Mictlan, the Aztec name for the lower regions. The death-god Hunhau
reigned in this underworld. According to other accounts (Hernandez),
however, the death-god is called Ahpuch. These names can in no wise
serve as aids to the explanation of the hieroglyphs of the death-god,
since they have no etymologic connection with death or the heads of
corpses and skulls, which form the main parts of the hieroglyph.
Furthermore, the hieroglyphs of the gods certainly have a purely
ideographic significance as already mentioned above, so that any
relation between the names of the deities and their hieroglyphs cannot
exist from the very nature of the case.
The day of the death-god is the day Cimi, death. The day-sign Cimi

corresponds almost perfectly with the heads of corpses contained in the
hieroglyphs of the death-god.
A hieroglyphic sign, which relates to death and the death-deity and
occurs very frequently, is the sign Fig. 5, which is probably to be
regarded as the ideogram of the owl. It represents the head of an owl,
while the figure in front of it signifies the owl's ear and the one below,
its teeth, as distinguishing marks of a bird of prey furnished with ears
and a powerful beak. The head of the owl appears on a human body
several times in the Dresden manuscript as a substitute for the
death-deity, thus Dr. 18c, 19c, 20a and 20c and in other places, and the
hieroglyphic group (Fig. 5) is almost a regular attendant hieroglyph of
the death-god.
A series of other figures of the Maya mythology is connected with the
death-god. This is evident from the fact that his hieroglyphs or his
symbols occur with certain other figures, which are thus brought into
connection with death and the death-deity.
These figures are as follows:
1. His companion, god F, the god of war, of human sacrifice and of
violent death in battle, apparently a counterpart of the Aztec Xipe, who
will be discussed farther on.
2. The moan bird. See beyond under Mythological Animals, No. 1.
3. The dog. See the same, No. 3.
4. A human figure, possibly representing the priest of the death-god
(see Dr. 28, centre, Dr. 5b and 9a). The last figure is a little doubtful. It
is blindfolded and thus recalls the Aztec deity of frost and sin,
Itztlacoliuhqui. A similar form with eyes bound occurs only once again
in the Maya manuscripts, namely Dr. 50 (centre). That this figure is
related to the death-god is proved by the fact that on Dr. 9a it wears the
Cimi-sign on the middle piece of the chain around its neck.
Furthermore it should be emphasized that the Aztec sin-god,
Itztlacoliuhqui, likewise appears with symbols of death.

5. An isolated figure, Dr. 50a (the sitting figure at the right). This wears
the skull as head ornament, which is represented in exactly the same
way as in the Aztec manuscripts (see Fig. 6).
6. Another isolated figure is twice represented combined with the
death-god in Dr. 22c. This picture is so effaced that it is impossible to
tell what it means. The hieroglyph represents a variant of the
death's-head, Cimi. It seems to signify an ape, which also in the
pictures of the Mexican codices was sometimes used in relation to the
death-god.
The symbols of the death-god are also found with the figure without a
head on Dr. 2 (45)a, clearly the picture of a beheaded prisoner. Death
symbols occur, too, with the curious picture of a hanged woman on Dr.
53b, a picture which is interesting from the fact that it recalls vividly a
communication of Bishop Landa. Landa tells us,