F(".RSTEMANN.] DAY GODS OF THE MAYAS 565 



The glyph shows a line winding from below upward, on the upper 

 end of which there is a small round object. I do not consider it 

 impossible that this may indicate a bird mounting into the air. 



14. Caban, a. I connect this word with cab, to which Perez in his 

 lexicon gives the meaning of earth, world, soil. At the first glance the 

 Aztec Ollin does not seem to correspond to it at all, because the idea of 

 movement attaches to Ollin and particularly the movement of the sun; 

 but when we find that the Meztitlan expression, Nahui Olli means the 

 four movements given for this day in Brinton's Calendar, page 32, 

 and read " directions " rather than '' movements ", the riddle is solved, 

 for it means the four cardinal points surrounding the world. I must 

 leave it to the future to reconcile this meaning with the Tzental Chic, 

 the Kiche-Cakchikel Noh, and the Zapotec Xoo, to which the meaning 

 of great, firm, powerful is ascribed. Can these be the designations 

 for the gods of the four cardinal points, the Bacabs ? 



The form of the Aztec glyph accords with my supposition. 

 Around a central design in which, without too much imagination, one 

 can see a suggestion of the earth, the ocean, and the surrounding 

 atmosphere, figures in the form of sails of a windmill extend in 

 four directions. We are here strongh^ reminded of the represen- 

 tation in Codex Cortesianus, pages 41 to 42, which Leon de Rosny not 

 inappropriately has called a tableau des Bacabs; that is, of the four 

 deities of the cardinal points. It is a tonalamatl in which, from a 

 central inclosure, half of it rectangular and half circular, four figures 

 representing the separate days project in as many directions. 



The Maya glyph unquestionably denotes the ground. I here quote 

 the words of Schellhas (Die Mayahandschrift der Koniglichen Bib- 

 liothek zu Dresden, 188G, page 21) : 



The sign Is the symbol of land, the ground, the earth, which is called cab 

 in Maya. Numerous pictures of persons and objects, which sit, lie. and stand 

 on this sign, and especially its fre(iuent occurrence as ground and foimdation 

 in the representations, confirms the signification of the word. Thus the sign 

 cab occurs especially in the Troano codex, frequently also the sign Kan. as 

 a symbolic glyph of the fruitful eartli from whicli maize stalics are sprouting 

 (Troano codex, p;ige 33). In another passage (Troan(> codex, page 32) tliere 

 are vines, twining about a pole, on the sign Caban. 



Yet, notwithstanding all those assured points, it is difficult to inter- 

 pret the form of the Maya glyph. It includes the .same spiral line 

 terminating in a small round object at the top whidi we saw in the 

 preceding day Cib and interpreted as a soaring bird. In addition, 

 it contains a second small object, from which a straight dotted line 

 runs downward. Can this be an indication of two directions, up and 

 down? This explanation does not altogether satisfy me. We shall 

 therefore be forced to regard the four Bacabs as tlie gods of this day. 



15. Pvzanab, r. The Aztec Tecpatl is flint, such as is used for 



