Coanen (MH633v)

Coanen (MH633v)
Compound Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the compound glyph for the personal name Coanen (“Idle Serpent," "Serpent-Divine Force Image," or "Serpent-Doll,”) is attested here as a woman's name. It shows a snake or serpent (coatl) in an undulating horizontal pose, somewhat going downward, with its head on the viewer's right. The snake has spots. Riding on the snake just behind its head is the nenetl symbol, which can refer to a figurine of a divine force, a doll, or female genitals. The -nen- syllable is often a phonetic indicator; it often translates as "useless," "lazy," or "idle."

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

There was a Chalcan princess called Coanentzin who died in 1477 C.E., according to Chimalpahin. See the Online Nahuatl Dictionary.

Gloss Image: 
Gloss Diplomatic Transcription: 

maria
covane

Gloss Normalization: 

María Coanen

Gloss Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Source Manuscript: 
Huexotzinco, Matrícula de (MH)
Date of Manuscript: 

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Huejotzingo, Puebla

Semantic Categories: 
personal name
phonetic dimensions
Syntax: 
ne or nen syllable
noun(s)
Writing Features: 
compound of phonogram(s) & logogram(s)
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Animals: Misc.
Art, Design, Crafts, etc.
Children, Childhood, Adolescence
Gender (female)
Names (personal and/or theonym)
Religion (Indigenous)
Toys
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors: 
black & white drawing (no color)
Shapes and Perspectives: 
circle(s) (small, often concentric)
facing right
frontal view
horizontal
profile view
spotted or mottled
Parts (compounds or simplex + notation): 
2
Reading Order (Compounds or Simplex + Notation): 
upward
Keywords: 

serpents, snakes, serpientes, culebras, víboras, esculturas, sculptures, figurillas, dolls, muñecas, ixiptla, nenetl, inútiles, cohuatl, viudas, viejas, nombres de princesas, nombres de mujeres

Glyph or Iconographic Image: 
Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s): 

Coanen, a personal name, perhaps "Snake Tongue," https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/coanentzin
coa(tl), serpent, snake, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/coatl
nene(tl), doll or deity figure, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/nenetl

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

Serpiente Inútil, o Serpiente-Muñeca, o Serpiente-Imagen Divina

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 633v, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=349st=image.

Image Source, Rights: 

This manuscript is hosted by the Library of Congress and the World Digital Library; used here with the Creative Commons, “Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License” (CC-BY-NC-SAq 3.0).

Orthography: 
dropped "n"
Historical Contextualizing Image: 
See Also: 

Zanen (MH629r)

Nentequitl (MH626r)

Nenquizqui (MH492v)

nenetl (MH633v)

Coanen (MH886r)