A CLAY YESSEL AYITH A PlCll RE OF A YAM- 

 PIRE-HEAUED DEITY « 



By E. p. Dieseldorff 



The accompanying drawing- of the vampire god (pLate xi.ix) occurs 

 on a day vessel which I found l)uried with a dead person on the sum- 

 mit of a temple mound in Chama, together with urn 2, discussed in 

 Verhandlungen, 1893, page 549, where I described the spot where it 

 was found. 



The pot is cylindric in form, about 55 centimeters in circumfer- 

 ence, measured around the outer edge, and 15 centimeters in height. 

 It was broken into many pieces, and the polish and painting are 

 greatW damaged. It is to be noted that reddish black, droplike 

 spots occur all over the pot, as if some resinous fluid had been sprin- 

 kled over it with a brush. I have also ol)ser^'ed similar spots on pots 

 from the Zacapa region. 



In order to form a cliaracteristic image of the vampire god we n)ust 

 direct our attention to his dress and to similar ivpresentations on 

 the monuments of ancient Maya civilization. 



The first thing that strikes us is that he wears the collar of the 

 death god, showing the three round I)alls, which also aiJ])ear on the 

 cloaklike wings, and which Dr P^duard Seler, no doubt cori-ectly, 

 assumes to be human eyes. 



That an ornament of this kind should be given to the death god is 

 entirely in keeping with the fact that the extinction of the eyesight 

 in approaching dissolution is one of the most striking phenomena of 

 death. 



In the temple at Co})an which bounds the western court on the 

 north, on the east side of the inner entrance, was the representation of 

 a l)attle l)etween the vampire god and rnkulcan, tlie god of bght. 

 which I am inclined to regard as morning twilight, the struiigle 

 between darkness and bglit. On ihc l);isis of this, supported by (he 

 fact that the vampire leaves his hiding place at twilight, I regard 



" Ein Thongefass mil Djirstelliinu oiner vainpyckuptiKea OottheU, VerhiUidliiniien dor 

 Herlinor (;(='sellscliaft fiir .Vntliropolo.aii'. Ellinolosie, und rrj;escl)ic'litp. pp. ."i70-.">77. pub- 

 lished ill Zoitsclnift fiir Etlinolosie, 1S94, pt. G. 



065 



