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TRANSLATIONS
The 'grapes' form a triangular pattern and generate triangular numbers: 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21, 28 ... Each 'grape' is like a 'dot' and should be counted as 1.  The word cauac (the glyph above) means 'rain': "Another glyph which may sometimes mean 'rain' is the Cauac day glyph, also read as haab 'waters, rainy season, year', and probably as cu." (Kelley) The little cross sign could mean a lesser 'barred' situation, with sun behind the rain clouds rather than 'abroad'. The slightly curved line under which the 10 grapes are hanging suggests the sky roof. At left there is a sign like a pair of short henua, possibly also meaning 10 (twice 5). There are 7 dots (stones) surrounding in a half circle, maybe indicating the summer half of the year. These 'double henua' sign with surrounding dots are sinking slightly as time moves on:
Then, suddenly, at Mac they are in heaven - sun has left - and the look is like the teeth of a rabbit (Lamat). Only the skeleton of these 4 * 2 = 8 'cauac periods' are left, hanging in the branches (ribs in Kankin).
When in his 6th location the Rain God is standing in the water it may indicate that the haab year is reaching its end. Although this 'haab' could alternatively - and better - be a name for the 2nd half of the year, the part beginning with the 'monkey' high up in the tree, in the mansion of the eagle (Chuen is not far from Ch'en):
Sun is reaching his limit with number 18, with rain drumming on the roof. Gates has much to say about cauac, but I will cite just a fraction: "In Dr. 55.g, we see the Xul-animal, all his facial marks appearing, hanging by his tail from the sky-band.
With tail and both paws he holds flaming torches. Above in the text we see our form 19.3.1;
the superfix [subfix I would say] is a club, constantly appearing as an instrument of attack; it is neither spear nor knife, and also shows the same marks as are seen on wooden posts, for the knots; the prefix we shall later see defined as the conventionalized flames of firewood ... These three elements united, the cauac, or Storm, relámpago, rayo or lightning bolt as rendered in the above cited vocabularies, with the club or stick as superfix , and the flames as prefix, give a complete compound for 'thunderbolt'. Modern Maya has lost the term cauac in this sense, but has two other fully expressive terms: lemba, lightning that shines; and hatz'-chac, which may be either the heavy bolt or blow, or the stroke of the Chac, Jupiter Tonans." Thursday is the 5th day of the week. The 'fire' is ending. A new one is needed. Possibly one of the 'stones' in the sky will strike down. Note that the bottom one is missing in the cauac glyph referred to above. The sign of flames is originating with the 'double henua' sign. The subfix, the club, has the sun eye in this same corner of the glyph, yet at right has 'double henua' in 'rabbit position', maybe meaning death (and rebirth) to the clubbed noble enemy whose eternal soul will rise up to the sky, like a spark from the fire. When the Xul-animal is hanging by his tail it is a sign that his season is at its 'tail' (end). The last locations of the Rain God, should tell us the end of the story:
"The tenth locality shows the god drumming and a head with a speach scroll (perhaps for song) as the glyph. The eleventh locality seems to show a sexual relationship between the Rain God and the Moon Goddess, and Barthel associates it with the heaven where the sons of men are created. The glyphs do not include a locative prefix, but rather the supposed agentive ah. This is another context where the reading hitz 'dead' is inappropriate. Locality 12 is regarded by Barthel as the place of the two reed bundles, which does not help much. I would be more inclined to think that in this case the place was one which could not easily be represented; so its name was put in place of a drawing. The name might well be represented by some term in which initial and final consonants are identical. The thirteenth locality is regarded romantically by Barthel as the 'place of eagledown feathers'. The prefix is identified as down feathers and the head as an eagle, following Seler. Neither of the identifications seems to me at all well established, though I have no alternative to offer." (Kelley) Maybe Barthel thought of Piringa Aniva, with the 13th location equal to winter solstice. The 'Rain God' needs more feathers to rejuvenate himself. A succession of localities with shorter space for the 'Rain Gods' can be seen. The sky roof at winter solstice is low, because the 'ground' is higher. The 10th location is the one following the 'place of crossed bones' and exceptional in several ways. The head gear looks new and not fully grown as yet. There is no location to sit on, he is in limbo (limb0). The old season is being tied up says the right part of the glyph. The head has the sign of pax - the crack in time. I cannot see any drum (which Kelley refers to). The speech scroll indicates, I guess, that sound reaches our ears but nothing is seen. The new fire is not yet giving any light. The 7th pillar of Tahiti was Procyon - the pillar for elocution:
If this structure is parallel (at least in part) then the following Betelgeuse (not far from the 'turtle') would be the pillar to sit by. To 'sit sideways' - we remember - gives a clue as to what 'sit' means:
The 9th pillar is the one of exit. The 'Rain God' (in his 12th residence) holds something looking like Ik (air, wind, life) in his right hand:
Is he flying away? New life on his way to the earth region? The new 'Rain God' in the 10th location is looking up - he is just a little kid. The talking is not done by him but by somebody higher positioned. |
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