1881.] ^dl [Brinton. 



Padre nonoliel Jca zili, tlie Father iinderstood our story. In a derived 

 application it signified that mysterious and supernal knowledge which 

 the magician and diviner possess, and which, in its highest form, is the 

 peculiar attribute of divinity. In this sense it is synonymous with 

 'puz, which I have already discussed, and both are given by Goto as 

 the words for magic and necromancy. Both are also employed together 

 in various passages of the Popol Vuh. Thus it is said (p. 10) that 

 in the beginning the mountains and the valleys, the cypresses and the 

 pines were created instaneously by miracle, by magic, xahinaucd, xaMpuz ; 

 so it is said of the formation of the first men that it was by enchantment, 

 by sorcery — mo puz, xa naual qui tzaMc (p. 198). The expression ?ia/iaMrtc, 

 therefore has no reference to Aztec myth but to the supernatural power of 

 Divinity, and probably especially to the psychical and intellectual mani- 

 festation of the divine energy. 



The radical of these comprehensive words is na, to feel, to preceive 

 (sentir, advertir, Varea). The reduplication appears in the forms ta nana, 

 look, naiwli, appointed, designated, and is common in the Maya deriva- 

 tives from this root, as appears, for instance, in the following entry from 

 the Diccionario de Motul : 

 "Naiiaol: considerar, contemplar, entender y arbitrar." 



The following are definitions from Yarea : — 

 "Naoli: el sentido, el uso, la experiencia, el arte, la industria, el buen 



"ingenio en los hombres, y el instinto natural en los brutos. 

 "^ffaohili: hacer algo los animales con buen instinto: y tambien hazer 



"elhombre algo con prudencia, arte, buen uso o tiento con eutendi- 



"miento. 

 " Naoliticall : ensenar 6 doctrinar costumbres, artes, letras, cosas 



"buenas 6 malas. 

 "Lanoxin : tener muy de memoria algo. 

 "Naval: creyan que avia cosa viva dentro del arbol, piedra o monte que 



"hablaba, llamaba [hence naval che, spirit of the tree, naval abah spirit 



"of the stone]. 

 "Navalili : hazer milagros de echizeros encantos. 

 "Puz Naval : era una manera de nigromaucia 6 magica que usaban los 



"jmdios tranformaudose en globos de faego y en aguila y otros animales 



" que yban por el ayre. " 



The process of thought seen in these derivatives is interesting to note. 

 From the simple use of the senses (na), come experience, knowledge, 

 ability, skill {naoh), he who has these to a great degree can do more than 

 others, he can work wonders (nacalih) ; he can understand the voices of 

 nature which speak in the babbling brook, the moaning of the wind, the 

 crackling fire, the rattling stones {naval) ; and in his highest attainments 

 may transform himself into any other form of existence (j>uz naval). 



Such is the testimony which these rude natives bear through the wit- 

 ness of their language to the source and power of knowledge ; and such 



