by Landa is seen in
plate LXVI, 4; the form most usual in the Tro. and Cort. codices is that
shown in LXVI, 5; the variations seen in LXVI, 6, 7, 8, are from the
Dresden Codex, and that in LXVI, 9, is from the Peresianus.

This character occurs very seldom, if ever, except as a day symbol,
hence it is presumed to be purely ideographic or pictorial. There is,
however, a deity symbol found in the Tro. Codex (plate LXVI, 10) in
which we see apparently the chief characteristic of the _eb_ symbol.
Here, however, instead of a dot-bordered tooth, there is a dot-bordered
dark stripe which runs downward entirely across the face. This is
accompanied usually by the numeral prefix 11. The symbol of the same
deity as found in the Dresden Codex is shown in plate LXVI, 11. Here the
stripe is reduced to a single broken line. Dr Schellhas contends that he
is a Death god and the equivalent of the Mexican Xipe. That he is a god
of the underworld in the Tro. Codex is apparent from his ornaments and
the dotted lines on his body or limbs; yet in two instances--plates 5a
and b--he is represented as a traveling merchant. Whether the deity in
the Dresden Codex is the same as that of the Tro. Codex is not
positively certain, but the presence of the numeral 11 with the symbol,
and in some instances the dotted lines on the body of the deity,
indicate that the two are identical. Whether this deity glyph bears any
relation to the day symbol is, however, doubtful. The only names of Maya
deities I find with _buluc_ ("eleven") as a prefix are Ahbuluc-Balam and
Buluc-Ahau (?). The first, which signifies "He of the Eleven Tigers,"
was one of the idols made at the festival of the new year Cauac. On one
of the four plates of the Dresden Codex representing the festivals of
the new year (26a) we observe that the image carried by the chac is a
tiger-like animal marked with dotted lines. Whether this is to be
connected with the deity above mentioned is doubtful. The other name,
Buluc-Ahau, mentioned by Landa, is the name of one of the signs of the
Katun given in his figure of the cycle, and, although he uses the word
"idol," does not appear to refer to any particular deity.

In regard to the names of the first three calendars, Dr Seler remarks as
follows:

_E_, _ye_ signifies "the edge," "sharpness," "the notch;" _eb_,
_ebil_, _ebal_, _yebal_, "a row of notches," "flight of steps,"
"stairs." In Quiche-Cakchiquel _e_ signifies "the tooth," "th