314 ANIMAL FIGURES IN THE MAYA CODICES 



Maya and in Nahuatl, the " feathered serpent " or the '' bird ser- 

 pent." Other authorities consider god B as Itzamna, another 

 of the main gods of the Mayas. Seler interprets god B as 

 the counterpart of the Nahua rain god, Tlaloc. It is certain 

 that when god B and the serpent are associated together 

 water and rain are usually indicated. God H, ''the Chicchan 

 god," also has some relation to the serpent. As pointed out 

 by Schellhas (1904, pp. 28-30), this god often appears char- 

 acterized by a skin-spot or a scale of the serpent on his temple 

 of the same shape as the hieroglyph of the day Chicchan 

 (serpent). The glyph belonging to this deity also shows 

 the Chicchan sign as its distinguishing mark. Similar signs 

 appear on the body of the serpent in many places, as in 

 Tro-Cortesianus 30a (PL 11, fig. 1). 



We have already noted that the serpent, god B , and water 

 are frequently shown together, so the serpent also appears 

 associated with water and rain, when no figure of god B is 

 present. From this connection, it can be argued that 

 there is some relation between the serpent and the coming 

 of the rains. These facts would give strength to the theory 

 that god B is to be identified as a rain god. In Dresden 

 33a, 35a, god B is seated on the open jaws of a serpent, while 

 the body of the reptile encloses a blue field evidently signi- 

 fying water. The number nineteen appears on this blue 

 color. It will be noted that there are nineteen spots on the 

 serpents in PL 11, figs. 1, 2. In Tro-Cortesianus 3a-6a, 

 corresponding scenes seem to be shown. The body of the 

 serpent encloses water, and here the number eighteen appears 

 in each case. God B occurs always in front of the serpent 

 and his head appears as the head of the reptile in the first 

 instance. In Dresden 35a, 36a, the head of god B is pictured 

 as the head of the serpent in the midst of the water. In 

 Dresden 37b (PL 10, fig. 8), B is holding a snake in the water. 



Water appears in connection with the serpent and god B 

 in many places in the Tro-Cortesianus. In 9, god B is pictured 

 pouring water from a jar, a common method of showing 

 the idea of rain in the codices. In 12b, B again is shown 



