CMGG entry for syllabogram mu      (This article is part of the Learner's Maya Glyph Guide.)

Variant: animal head

                              

MC                                         K&H                                    JM                               TOK.p36.r3.c3

                   

                              

MC                            K&H                  JM                          TOK.p8.r3.c3

 

(Tokovinine lecture/lesson lost reference) In the early stages of the Classic Maya script, bu and mu were not distinguished, probably because they were borrowed from a language which didn’t distinguish between b and m. But as this distinction is important in Classic Maya, they gradually developed two different forms:

·    bu with dots on the scroll

·    mu without dots on the scroll

 

Sub-variants (2)

·    A. Full:

o Left: boulder with scroll.

o Right: snake/lizard/turtle or bird head, with bass-clef spiral in the bottom middle or right.

·    B. Reduced: left part only.