Variant: wavy jaguar tail

·    Features – usually a “horizontally rectangular” glyph (longer along the horizontal axis than along the vertical):

o A (rotated) S-shaped outline portraying a “wavy jaguar tail”.

o With “jaguar spots” on the inside.

o Optionally, short, parallel ticks (MC, K&H).

·    Iconographic origin:

o This glyph is also logogram NEH = “tail”.

o The syllabogram usage is obviously derived from the logogram usage.

Variant: boulder with curled-up jaguar tail

·    Features – a boulder outline glyph (square with rounded corners) with:

o A single, not very tightly curled, anticlockwise spiral forming a bold wall on the right wall, roof, left wall, and the left half of the floor. The spiral typically begins at the bottom right corner, but can also begin in the middle of the floor (TOK.p17.r2.c2).

o The bold spiral does just “one turn”, ending in the middle of the glyph.

o Jaguar spots on the entire inside of the glyph (except for the spiral).

·    Iconographic origin:

o Although more “abstract” than the “wavy jaguar tail” variant, it would appear that this variant is also derived from the representation of a jaguar tail.

·    Do not confuse with KUK, which looks similar but has full cross-hatching in the entire background, instead of jaguar spots. See Prager-TS576.

Variant: feathery tail

·    Features – a rectangular shaped glyph (longer along one axis than the other):

o An S-shaped scroll with (often) one end being less tightly curled than the other.

o The less-curled end has an additional element – a roundish bracket, with a series of slightly curved parallel ticks on the inside of the outer edge – somewhat resembling a ka-comb (but not really – this element is more curved and “flowing”, less rigid and symmetric).

o There can be a spine through the S-element, or it can be reduced to just a little “reinforcement” along the curled-up part of the S.

o As can be seen from both the MHD and Bonn examples, the “bracket” is optional (absent in MHD.2SB.3 and 0198ex).

·    Iconographic origin:

o The “picture” field of the MHD Catalog describes it as: tail with “ka” sign.