Olin (MH826v)

Olin was a day name in the 260-day divinatory calendar called the tonalpohualli in Nahuatl. This calendar had a role in various Mesoamerican religions, including the Mixtec. Movement is part of the conceptualization of the universe, often associated with the movement of the sun. A link to the celestial realm may be supported by the olin glyph on folio 40 recto of the Codex Mendoza, which has a starry eye at the center of its X shape (see below). See James Maffie (Aztec Philosophy, 2014, 238–240) for a detailed discussion of the olin glyph and its iconography, drawing from a number of studies. Motion-change is a key theme, especially as it all relates to the changing ages or eras (culminating in the Fifth Sun). Maffie (2014, 232) also discusses numerous connections between olin and butterflies. In some contexts, the flutter of a butterfly is connected to the flickering of flames. [See Peter T. Markman and ‎Roberta H. Markman, Masks of the Spirit (1989), 148.] Butterflies and hummingbirds (whose wings have remarkably quick movements) can be found to have solar connections in various Mesoamerican ethnographies. The shapes for movement (olin) vary from glyph to glyph, but many seem to resemble something winged. Some include a black rubber ball (olli) in them, as a phonetic complement. Some look like spinning tops, which would reflect European influence in Nahua conceptualizations of movement. See other examples below.