Representation of Deities of the Maya Manuscripts | Page 8

_constellation
of the Little Bear_. And, in fact, the figure of a long-tailed ape is quite
appropriate to the constellation, at any rate decidedly more so than the
Bear; indeed, it suggests the prehensile tail by means of which the ape
could attach himself to the pole and in the form of the constellation
swing around the pole as around a fixed point.
These astronomical surmises seem to be contradicted by the fact that
god C, as already stated, is represented with all the four cardinal points
(compare for example Cort. 10 and 11, bottom), which would certainly
seem to harmonize ill with his personification of the north star, unless
we assume, that in a different conception of the polar star he is ruler of
the cardinal points, which are determined from him as a centre.
It has already been remarked of B, that the deity C appears to stand in
some sort of relation to him. In fact, we find on those pages of the
Dresden manuscript, where B is represented with the four cardinal
points, that the hieroglyph of C almost always occurs in the text also
(for example Dr. 29, et seq., especially Dr. 32c). Indeed, C's hieroglyph
is connected even with the signs of the symbolic colors of the cardinal
points, already mentioned in connection with B.
Finally, it should be borne in mind, that god C also seems to be

connected in some way with the serpent (compare Dr. 36b, 1st and 3d
pictures).
According to Förstemann, the day ruled by C seems to be Chuen.
D. The Moon- and Night-God.
[Illustration: Figs. 17-20]
This is a deity who is pictured in the form of an old man with an aged
face and sunken, toothless mouth. He is frequently characterized by a
long, pendent head ornament, in which is the sign Akbal, darkness,
night, which also appears in his hieroglyph before the forehead of the
deity, surrounded by dots as an indication of the starry sky. His
name-hieroglyph is Fig. 17, and a second sign almost always follows
(Fig. 18) which evidently serves likewise as a designation of the god,
just as god A also is always designated by two hieroglyphs. The second
sign consists of two sacrificial knives and the sign of the day Ahau,
which is equivalent to "king".
The head of this deity appears in reduced, cursive form as the sign of
the moon (Fig. 20). This character also has the significance of 20 as a
number sign in the calendar. The association of these ideas probably
rests upon the ancient conceptions, according to which the moon
appearing, waxing, waning and again disappearing, was compared to
man, and man in primeval ages was the most primitive calculating
machine, being equivalent, from the sum of his fingers and toes, to the
number 20. Twenty days is also the duration of that period during
which the moon (aside from the new moon) is really alive. Moreover
the sign (Fig. 20) appears in many places as a counterpart of the sign
for the sun.
God D occurs once as feminine in the same passage mentioned above,
in which the death-deity is also pictured as feminine (Dr. 9c). In a few
other places the god is, curiously enough, depicted with a short beard,
as Dr. 4c, 7a, 27b. He seems to stand in an unknown relation to the
water-goddess I (see this deity) with the serpent as a head ornament,
compare Dr. 9c, where apparently this goddess is represented, though

the text has D's sign; still it is possible that god D is pictured here with
the attributes of goddess I.
God D is not connected with the grim powers of destruction; he never
appears with death symbols. In Dr. 5c and 9a he wears the snail on his
head. He seems, therefore, like god A to be connected with birth. In Dr.
8c he is connected with god C, and this is quite appropriate, if we look
upon these gods as heavenly bodies. The aged face, the sunken,
toothless mouth are his distinguishing marks. In the Madrid manuscript,
where god D occurs with special frequency, his chief characteristic, by
which he is always easily recognized, is the single tooth in his
under-jaw (see Fig. 19), compare too Dr. 8c, where the solitary tooth is
also to be seen. In Dr. 9a (1st figure) the god holds in his hand a kind of
sprinkler with the rattles of the rattlesnake, as Landa (Cap. 26)
describes the god in connection with the rite of infant baptism (see also
Cort. 26, Tro. 7*a and 13*c)
A very remarkable passage is Tro. 15*; there a figure is pictured
carving with a hatchet a head, which it holds in its hand. Above it are
four hieroglyphs. The first shows a hatchet and