·    This glyph occurs in 3 contexts:

o In parentage statements, with an -il inflection to give xaakil/saakil.

§ Dorota Bojkowska: The xaakil/saakil-part was added to the “MIJIIN” parentage statement later in the Classic period – in earlier inscriptions the phrase was only “MIJIIN”.

§ Sim: It can also occur independently of “MIJIIN”, as in PAL Temple 18 jambs B13-A15.

o Within the euphemistic phrase “to die” k’a’ay u-xaak/saak-sak-ik’-il (XAAK/SAAK infixed within SAK).

o In the warrior-name of Kokaaj Bahlam III – Ucha’an Aj Xaak/Saak (as a logogram with end phonetic complement ki).

·    Polyukhovych-APPSfT533 is a 2-page paper which seems to offer good arguments for MOOK (which supports MHD reading of MOK?).

·    Outside of parentage statements, XAAK/SAAK was formerly read as MOK (MacLeod; 2006) or BOK (Prager; 2006), or, later, NIK (Stewart-PSaPSS.p3.pdfp22.para2, Stewart-PSaPSS.p37.pdfp56.para2; 2009, Stewart-PSaPSS.p49.pdfp68.l-2); for many years, the warrior-name of Kokaaj Bahlam III was Ucha’an Aj Nik (also mentioned on Stewart-PSaPSS.p40). BMM9 does not commit to initial consonant or actual vowel, giving only “##K”.

·    Now read as XAAK/SAAK – most contexts where there is a final phonetic complement have ki as the phonetic complement.

o Note however that MHD reads it as MHD.ZA1a = MOK?.

o MHD makes a distinction between MHD.ZA1a (an “uncapped” AJAW) = MOK? vs. MHD.ZA3 (the “capped AJAW”) = MIJIN.

·    In the Komkom vase, there is a final phonetic complement with ka, and with the disappearance of long vowels (in 8^th century), we infer that the original medial vowel is -a- (and hence formerly long with final ki, invalidating earlier proposed readings of NIK, MOK, BOK); unfortunately, no initial phonetic complement has been found, so there is still uncertainty between x-/s-:

o With the meaning of “pumpkin seed” gives s- based on the meanings of modern reflexes (Stuart).

o With the meaning of “sprout” gives x- based on the meanings of modern reflexes (Davletshin).

·    Variants (2) – features:

o A. Stylized: the “AJAW-face” / la-face (right side up).

o B. Skull: a skull with the stylized variant infixed into the top of the head. As there is generally less space in just the top of the head:

§ The “la-face” can optionally be made to be shorter from chin to crown than from ear to ear.

§ The “la-face” can then be rotated almost 90 degrees clockwise (as in YAX Lintel 24 and 26 and Stela 12).

·    Do not confuse this with the visually similar Tzolk’in day-name AJAW. It’s only AJAW when it’s in the “blood-cartouche”, in the context of a Tzolk’in date.

·    Do not confuse this with the visually similar MIJIIN/“child of father”. XAAK/SAAK is very “plain” – just the “AJAW-face”, nothing more. MIJIIN always has a “cap” (see MIJIIN / “capped AJAW”), although whether or not the “flames” on the top are to be included is an open question.