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The Penis-Headed Manikin Glyph

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Michael P. Closs
Michael P. Closs*
Affiliation:
Department of Mathematics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada KIN 6N5
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Abstract

One of the most exotic Maya glyphs consists of a seated figure having a head that appears to be a penis. This paper argues that the head is indeed a penis and provides an interpretation and a linguistic decipherment for the glyph. The glyph can be read as xib'ah "underworld lord" (Cholan) or xib'alb'a "underworld, underworld lord" (Yucatec). It is an epithet for a major Maya deity who was both god of Venus and Lord of the Underworld. In one case, it is used as a place name for the underworld. The paper also presents a rationale for the unusual graphic form of the glyph based on ethnohistoric documentation.

Type
Reports
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 53 , Issue 4 , October 1988 , pp. 804 - 811
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 1988

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References

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