A Glyph From The Tablet of 96 Hieroglyphs Palenque

Clifford C. Richey
February 2010
 Illustration 1: Initial Form: A Rectangle

The initial Form of this glyph is a Rectangle meaning a place.

The Place

Illustration 2: Imagery
This illustrates the total glyph somewhat teased apart so that it is easier to see the imagery contained
within it.

Illustration 3: Sub-Forms

There are three large Sub-Forms in the glyph. From the left a Bee meaning a warrior, A large Bird (a
great flight in the Stance of Sitting (i. e. awaiting). Finally a Tumi Knife indicating that the warrior was
a great ray (of the Sun). The Knife's stance or Position is that of being on the side (of the earth).

The Place
of
The Great Warrior
Awaiting His Great Flight

The Great Knife,

The Great Ray
of
The Sun
 Illustration 4: Color Coded Imagery

Here we see that the Bee Form was composed of three groupings of signs. Taken-down, a held-in-
vertical-place, (gold color). Further, the held-in-place sign is between in its Stance. These signs are on
top of the roof of the sign for a hidden cave or cavern (orange color). Below is the Double Lined Oval
sign for all or everything. A Circular location sign is in the center.

The Great Warrior

Taken Down
to
A Place
Held-in
Between The Sides

A Hidden Cave
The Location
of
All
that
is
Hidden
 Illustration 5: Color Coded Signs

Next we have the breakdown for the Large Bird (great flight) Form. The Body of the Bird
(brown color) is the Imagery of a, relative to the other signs, Large Dog's Head. The meaning
of this associative Image is that of a Prophet or Prophecy. In this case we already know that the
subject is one of a warrior so we are talking about a warrior-prophet. The green sign over the
Dog's Head is the sign for Protect or Protector. The line in the middle of this Double Lined
sign is one of a unseen-pathway. Hanging below this are many locational signs that make up
the cells of a Bee's Hive (the community). Thus the Warrior-Prophet was considered the
Protector of the Community. The green sign represents an Arm thrown over the head to protect
it. There is a unseen-turning sign (blue color) on the side (Stance).

The Great Prophet

The Protector
of
The Community
The Hidden Pathway
Turning
on
The Side
of
The Earth
The Bird's head (brown color) is one of a Bird's Nest indicating a-place-of-birth. The Bird's
Beak (yellow color) is in the Form of a gateway sign and each individual sign is a place sign,
places. Below this is a Horizontal (Stance, on the side) Leg (long) and Foot (journey). The
gateway-places to the long-journey on the side (of the earth). Below this Horizontal Leg and
Foot is the earth-female sign (indicating the earth).

The Gateway
The Places
of
Birth
(more likely re-birth in this context)
The Long Journey
On The Side
of
The
Earth-female

The Tumi Knife Form is composed of signs that create the sign for a cave and its Stance (on-
the-side). There are two place signs (white color) on an Angle (Stance), places on the side. And
below another four such place signs. These additional four place signs might mean places-on-
the-side-in the-four directions. All over or everywhere on the sides of the earth.

The Cave
On the Side
The Places (2)
The Places (4)
in
All Directions,
Everywhere
There is also another Leg and Foot sign also touching the earth-female sign. This is combined
with a Bare Foot sign below it. The meaning is a long, unprotected (Barefoot) or unsafe,
journey below the surface (of the earth). The “Toes” of the Foot are created from a gateway
sign.

His Long
Unprotected
Journey
to
The
Gateway
(at the)
The gateway sign is below the surface as made by the toe of the Foot.
Surface
This glyph was found at the site of the Temple of Inscriptions, beneath which Pacal or “Hand
Shield” was entombed at its base, we can see that this glyph metaphorically relates to that
burial. The burial itself is metaphorical in the sense that the temple was in the form of a
Mountain with the tomb below being a kind of artificial cave.