CMGG entry for "{YUK}BEN"      (This article is part of the Learner's Maya Glyph Guide and Concordance.)

Translation: Ben (day 13)
Part of speech: Noun

Logogram spellings of "{YUK}BEN"

MC

 

                                                          

Safronov                         25EMC.pdfp6.r3.c7            

PNG Panel 3 A7              

 

·     The 13th day of the Tzolk’in calendar.

·     Variants (2):

o A. Abstract – single horizontal line dividing the boulder outline into a top and bottom half (optionally bold):

§ Top half: two non-touching dots in the ceiling.

§ Bottom half, either:

·       Two struts, or

·       A single strut, with an L-shaped band from the ceiling down to halfway, the leg turning to the left, “under” the single strut.

o B. Head:

§ Essentially the elements of the abstract variant, in an anthropomorphic head.

§ In the head variant, it can happen that the (sometimes slightly curved) horizontal line on two struts in BEN becomes a “lipped-U” (still on two struts). The normally non-touching two dots at the top of BEN can also merge to resemble the “LEM” at the top of OHL. When that happens, the head variant of BEN and the head variant of OHL can be easily confused. The presence or absence of the blood-cartouche is a good way to distinguish them, but even this is not infallible. It’s rare for day-names to not have a blood-cartouche, but it does occur, as can be seen in both PNG Panel 3 A7 and 25EMC.pdfp6.r3.c7 (both being BEN, but without the blood-cartouche). Context is the best guide in such extreme cases.