Edgar: doublets, bifrasismos, difrasismos (atl-tlachinolli)

[William L. Barnes]

While this is a bit off the track from Garibay's introduction of
'difrasismo' - off the top of my head, in terms of the atl-tlachinolli
diphrasism, one should look to Seler's correct assumption that it is
actually teo-atl that is depicted in pre-Hisp. visual texts. That is,
the reference is to "divine water" or blood (Seler 1990:2:92-93 [the
Labrynthos trans]).  In pre-European visual texts (for example, the
Teocalli of Sacred Warfare), the teo-atl scroll segment of this spoken
phrase is usually depicted as water - but water that comes from the
mouth of a supernatural (whether a divine  or a semi-divine
individual).  The speaker, then, would serve as a semantic indicator
for the "teo" modifier.  The tlachinolli speech-scroll (literally
something[land?] burning) is usually depicted as a headless
(fire?)serpent, identifiable (again, i.e. the Teocalli) by its
segmented body - and the scalloped rent flesh  and "spurt" of
blood/flame at its end.  The same crescent forms used in visual texts
to identify furrows in plots of land (i.e. place-name glyphs for
Xochimilco) often show up on the underbelly of these headless
'tlachinolli' serpents suggesting that it is, indeed, agricultural
land being burned.  In terms of metaphors and diphrasims for warfare,
the Nahuas were not alone in referencing blood spilled & fields
burned.

As for atl-tepetl or in atl in tepetl, I don't have much in the way of
visual evidence aside from the common place-name glyph of a hill with
water flowing from below - although one should keep in mind the
diphrasism for a person "gone wild" involves "throwing oneself off the
hill and into the water" - literally, becoming un-civilized (also
referenced by "becoming the deer, becoming the hare" - I don't have
Olmos in front of me, but it's in there).  The fact that most
civilized/urban locales (like Teotihuacan or, later, Tenochtitlan &
etc.) were made of stone & had access to fresh water via lakes,
rivers, and/or canals, probably played some role in this . . .

WB

____________________________________________

William L. Barnes
School of Art, Design and Art History
San Diego State University
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego, CA 92182-4805

Phone:(619) 594-5918
Fax: (619) 594-1217
email: wbarnes at mail.sdsu.edu
____________________________________________



> -----Original Message-----
> From: Nahua language and culture discussion
> [mailto:NAHUAT-L at LISTS.UMN.EDU]On Behalf Of Stephanie Wood
> Sent: Thursday, September 02, 2004 5:13 PM
> To: NAHUAT-L at LISTS.UMN.EDU
> Subject: Re: Edgar: doublets, bifrasismos, difrasismos
>
>
> It has been fun seeing the many interpretations of in atl,
> in tlachinolli.
> Is there energy to build a similar thread with the
> implications behind in
> atl, in tepetl?
>
> --Stephanie
>