Xiuhnel (MH651r)

Xiuhnel (MH651r)
Simplex Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This black-line drawing of the simplex glyph for the personal name Xiuhnel ("Incapable," "Morning Star," or "Cloud Serpent," attested here an a man's name) is attested here as a man's name. This is a clump of three sprigs of green herbs (one of the meanings of xihuitl), is bound with a twisted cord. The use of herbs for the "xiuh-" start to the name appears to be a phonetic indicator.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

At first glance the name Xiuhnel appears to be a compound of xihuitl (turquoise) and nelli (true). James Lockhart suggests that -nel-, when in combinations, could lose that meaning, as noted in the OND under the term nelli. According to popular belief, Xiuhnel and Mimich were two of hundreds of Cloud Serpents associated with hunting, promiscuity, and drunkenness. See The Fate of Earthly Things by Molly H. Bassett (2015, 175). The translators of the Primeros Memoriales say that Xiuhnel and Mimich were prominent figures in many migration stories of central Mexican cultures. See the Sullivan and Nicholson edition of the PM (1997, 135). Some also say Xiuhnel is the morning star. If so, then the rectangular shapes in some Xiuhnel glyphs may relate to that. But there is also a xiuhnel meaning "incapable," according to A. Wimmer (2004) (included in the Gran Diccionario Náhuatl).

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Gloss Diplomatic Transcription: 

diego xiuhnel

Gloss Normalization: 

Diego Xiuhnel

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: 
noun(s)
Writing Features: 
simplex or element as phonogram
Cultural Content & Iconography: 
Celestial Phenomena
Gender (male)
Names (personal and/or theonym)
Plants, Flora
Politics, Power, Governance
Religion (Indigenous)
Rope, cord, string, leather ties
Technology (all types), plus Tools
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Colors: 
green (light)
Shapes and Perspectives: 
frontal view
leaf, marquise, pointed oval
tied, bound, or bundled
Keywords: 

plantas, hierbas, xihuitl, nombres de gobernadores, Chichimecas, estrellas, serpientes de nubes, nombres de hombres

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

Xiuhnel, the Morning Star, a Cloud Serpent, and a Chichimec ruler, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/xiuhnel
xihu(itl), green herbs, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/xihuitl-0
nel, a secondary particle with many meanings, https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/nel

Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

La Estrella de la Mañana, o La Serpiente de las Nubes, on Gobernante Chichimeca (?)

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 651r, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=384&st=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).

Historical Contextualizing Image: 
See Also: 

Xiuhnel (MH483r)

Xiuhnel (MH518r)

Xiuhnel (MH496r)

Xiuhnel (MH537v)