The Mam Glyph

Clifford C. Richey
March 2012

The use of the illustration and photograph in this paper is based on fair use for educational and non commercial purposes.

Although this Mayan glyph1 appears to be a simple drawing of the Face of an old man it is actually quite a complex composition. Its complexity lies in the abundant use of Form which the ancient reader needed to define and ponder its meaning while reading it. The message is cosmological, and highly metaphorical. It was, perhaps, a song or poem in the original Mayan language. The Face (his appearance) is one of a toothless, balding, old man with his hair falling off or at least downward. This glyph uses a remarkable amount of Form to present its message. It really tests the reader's ability to figure out or visually complete the various Forms using his knowledge of the system. Divisions between the Forms are marked by gray lines in order to reduce confusion with the drawings black lines. His appearance, The Old One. Heading eastward,

The Nose (alluding, by Position, to the Nostrils its orifices or holes) is relatively large indicating, greatness. The Nose (white area) is in the Form of a relatively large Figure, the great one, sitting (waiting) and facing the right or west. It has a Large Arm and Hand that forms the white of the Eye equating it with the signs for The Eye (the Eye of the Sun, Venus). A Large Arm and Hand stems from the figure's Head The Black Curve of the Eye is the sign for ascending upward and over and its Form is that of a small (black) Hand. The (white) space between the small (black) Hand's Index Finger and Thumb (indicating something being, held) is a Rectangular, horizontal-place sign. It is also the long (white) Nose of the Sitting Figure again indicating holes as stated above. 1 Stuart, David http://decipherment.wordpress.com/2007/09/29/the-mam-glyph/

The great one, Heading Eastward, The Arm, The Hand of the Sun, The warrior, the steward of the Sun, Awaiting, Ascension. The Eye of the Sun, Venus Held, In the Place, of the holes

The Eyebrow (brown) above the Eye is a Horizontal Leg and Foot sign meaning, the long-walk of (yellow) the sign for, a star. The star sign is connected to the Eye (the eye of the Sun, Venus). The Star is Positionally, on the side of the (pink) Cheek Bone, the Upper Half of a Circle meaning, the upperworld. The star sign is on the right side of the composition indicating, the west. The long walk Of The star, On the western side, Of The upper world.

Below the upper-world sign (the pink, Half Circle) is a slender Profile Face (his appearance). The profile is facing (heading) to the right, the west. The Profile Face can be divided into two(yellowbrown)Feet. The upper Foot stems from the Nose (the holes) and its sole is Positioned on the side of a Breast (the metaphorical sign for, a hill (of the earth-female). The Toes of the Foot are pointed downward to indicate the direction of the walk. The (light blue) Nipple (a sign for moisture or wetness) has a small Right Leaning Rectangle meaning a waiting-place sign Positioned on it. The walk on the hillside, the wet waiting-place. Above resting on the Breast Imagery is the Form of a (light blue) Sitting Bird (awaiting flight) composed of Double Lines (unseen), The Form of the Bird is that of a Shepherd's Crook (taken-upwards). The tip of the Birds Tail was left unclosed to indicate an opening Positioned above. Within the Bird Form (brown) is the Form of a Foot (a walk). From the hole on the hillside, his walk to a wet waiting-place. From the hole In the west, His walk down, The hillside, To the wet, Waiting place, Below.

To the right, the Slender Profile Face touches the Form (tan) of an Egg which is the sign for, the unborn. The Next, lower, Foot touches this Egg Form at the position of the Profile Face's Mouth (a water source) which is below the toe of the upper Foot and its toe is pointing to the left or the east. Walking eastward. Going to the left we come to the Larger Face's Mouth (a water source). This brings us to a Bird's Head (flight) lying on its side and, in effect, facing upwards. From the Bird's Neck there

is a Curved Line forming the sign for, ascending. The Form also appears to be that of an Arm and Hand (a warrior-steward of the Sun). Attached to the Hand is a (blue) curved Form which is the sign for a male-spirit. The male-spirit sign was based on the glans-penis. We are now back at the Nose (Positionally, in profile, an orifice or hole). The Form of the Nose (red) is a rough taken-upward sign that leads to the Forehead (blue) which is the sign for the, arc of the sky. The unborn, His eastward walk, Here, To The water source. His flight, ascending, The Arm the Hand The warrior-steward, The male-spirit. Taken upward, To the Arc of the sky.

On the bottom right, the west we find, The (tan) Egg, the unborn Positionally below the Breast, the hill. The wet place upon it. The Sitting Bird, (awaiting flight). The Bird was composed of Double Lines indicating, unseen. The tip of its Tail was left unclosed to indicate, an opening. Also the Three Curves (light green) found in the lines that surround this section or passage Form the sign for, many times or often.2 The unborn, Below, The hill, Awaiting flight, Unseen, Taken upward, To The opening. Often in the east, Often in the west.

We now turn our attention to the Lock of Hair to the left (east) of the Face. The Black lines are the sign for, flowing water. The combination of the Hair with the flowing water sign indicates a cleansing or purification. There is a long slender (tan) Finger pointing downward and at the position of the Knuckle there are two (green) Rectangular (places) signs. The rest of the Finger is and points, below. Next we see the Form of a Sitting Bird (awaiting flight) in contact with the Mouth (the water source) and the (light blue) male-spirit sign. The Tail of the Bird is the sign for a Double Lined (unseen) with a pathway Line internal to it.

The hair of the old man appears to have fallen down

2 Tomkins, William Indian Sign Language, Dover Publications, Inc. New York. Pp 44-45.

The Form of this sign is one of, arising. On the left are two (brown) Fingers in the Form of the ascending sign. The Positioning of the two fingers next to each other is the sign for together or united as one. This sign like the Bird's Tail terminates at the sign for, the arc of the sky. His Purification. His Face, His appearance, in The Places, Down below, United as one, Arising To The Arc of the sky. When we look back at the Bird Form (blue) that composed the Chin of the Old Man's Face it does appear rather vague. Fortunately we have evidence that this Form was indeed used to indicate a Bird.

Illustration 1: Bird Heads and Necks on Upper Incisors http://anthropologynet.files.wordpress.com/2007/ 06/mayan-jeweled-teeth.jpg/ The above Illustration of the Jaws of a Mayan skull shows the same Form as the Chin of the Old Man

Face Imagery. However the Form is also Imagery by the addition of an Eye. The flight of the Eye of the Sun Venus. The Jaw is divided into the left and right (east and west). The Bird Heads are facing in those directions, the directions from which Venus arises. To further reinforce this interpretation the inlays of the Teeth in the west are black for, darkness. The inlays in the east are blue-green which would indicate water. What distinction was being aimed at here is unknown. The inlays for the Eyes number Three of each color meaning, the many flights of the eye in the east and the west. The canine and bicuspid teeth do not have necks like the Bird Imagery and are in the Form of the sign for the upper world. These teeth are also located in the upper jaw. The lower teeth were carved into Three Sitting birds and indicate, the many awaiting flight. The enamel of the Teeth that would be above the gum line are naturally in the Form of the underworld sign. The Birds are thus sitting on the surface of the underworld or the middle-world. That these Forms and Images are located within in the Mouth is meaningful because the Mouth indicates a water-source such as a spring or spring fed pool. As we know, from previous papers, it is in such pools that the male-spirits wait for the Sun to arise and draw up the spirits to the sky via evaporation. It can be seen, in comparison, that both the Old Man glyph and the Jeweled Teeth relate to the same cosmological theme of the warrior-stewards (Warrior- priests of the Sun) and their after-life. Below we are able to connect the meaning of Face imagery with the importance of the appearance of Venus. Now when they came from Tulan Zuyva, they did not eat. They fasted continuously. Yet they fixed their eyes on the dawn, looking steadfastly for the coming forth of the sun. They occupied themselves in looking for the Great Star, called Icoquih569 The face of this Green Morning Star570 always appears at the coming forth of the sun.3 Emphasis added. The Mam or Old Man Glyph tells us that it is the warrior-steward that is undergoing rebirth and becomes or merges with Venus so it was not the regeneration of the sun that was being directly referenced by the green star in Christenson's note (570) but the star itself. Of course this was probably also an association in parallel to the metaphorical rebirth of the sun.

3 2007 Popol Vuh: Sacred Book of the Quich Maya People. Electronic version of original 2003 publication. Mesoweb: www.mesoweb.com/publications/Christenson/PopolVuh.pdf. P. 205. 569 Ik'oq'ij (Accompanies/Bears/Passes Before Sun) 570 Raxa Ik'oq'ij. Rax is green, new, fresh, sudden, regenerated, revived. It is unclear whether this refers to the green color of the planet Venus, or whether it refers to the life-generating power of the Morning Star to assist in the birth of the sun.