The Serpent's Arm And Hand

The Serpent's Arm and Hand A Moche Vessel By

Clifford C. Richey September 2009

Revised 9-20-09

Illustration 1: The Serpent' Turning In Its Hole Photograph courtesy of the Logan Museum of Anthropology, Beloit College, Wisconsin.

Illustration 2: Total Form Breakdown

The Vessel, the container, The Hand (?) on the side, the female-spirit below Stance -below the earthen vessel). This is only one view of the Form and it is quite possible that as the vessel was probably meant to be handled and read from several angles. As it was turned around in reading, it may have presented other Forms to the viewer and provided additional meanings. Along this line it will be noted that the tubular spout of the vessel when viewed from the front would appear as a Square (yellow) house sign.

Illustration 3: Illustration 3: Color Code

The Largest Form is that of an Arm and Hand (red). By now we are quite familiar with this combination of signs often meaning the Arm and Hand of the Sun. A title for warriors and priests (Stewards of the Sun). In this particular case it is possible that the reference might relate to Female Serpent priests because the Serpent is connected to the earth thus female. This is reinforced by the Imagery of the Head of the Serpent being a female sign and placed on the Hand, the steward. However the Arm is also a part of the Serpent, her warrior. This may have been a situation in which the Arm, the warrior, male, may have been separate roles as differentiated from the Hand of the Serpent, the steward. We will need to wait for more evidence to clarify this issue. The Serpent (meaning a stream of water) turns around under the Mouth of the vessel. Here we have overlaid the compound sign for a hole, over the Mouth of the vessel (the actual hole). Viewed from the Front the Spout forms a Square (yellow), Her house, her domain. The white area means the ground's surface and the Dark Circle meaning depth and darkness. The Serpents Head has a Line incised at its Mouth, As a Line this would mean the land's surface and as a Mouth would mean a water-source. On the right side of the vessel the Serpent's bears three signs for holes. The number three has been shown to be a form of shorthand for the word, many. Thus the many-holes-in-the-surface.

Illustration 4: Brings-up-thefemale-spirit The Tip of the Serpent's Tail is a small female-spirit sign the Face of which has, at least ,Eyes, and a Nose. The basic sign here is the takes or brings-up sign. This is attached to the small female sign, brings-up-the female-spirit to the base (just below the surface) of a larger larger female-sign. The upwards motion of the Serpent is emphasized by the Imagery of the Serpent's Head being raised up. Within the Center of the Turning Serpent Form is the sign for, male (red and blue). This Form is based on the Head of the phallus –signifying male. Female is based on the Triangular shape of the female genital area. The Tail of the Serpent Imagery (violet) is the Triangular female sign, a female-spirit. The sign has a small Face within it, meaning his/her appearance. The Face imagery was a way of saying, she appears or her appearance. He the (male-spirit) appears, temporarily, as a female-spirit . The Eyes are the signs for dark-locations, one on each side (of the Nose). The Nose is composed of two signs, location-place. The overall turning motion coupled with the Tip of the Tail's female-spirit sign indicates turning-female-spirit –a way of saying the male-spirit has entered into the domain of the earth-female (the burial of the deceased in a hole in the ground ). Because this ceramic is a Vessel it represents the earth-female, the earth. The Vessel was viewed as a Container that contained the essence of life –water. There is Imagery of a Serpent on the Arm almost like a tattoo. Again, the subject matter is that of a stream of water as represented by the Serpent. The undulating Serpent's Body is composed of the signs for water and moving. The outline of the Body is in Double Lines thus indicating unseen. The small Dark Circles within the body indicate a dark-trail of moisture. They also may reflect a count of nights related to when the Serpent arises on the surface. We cannot discount the idea that the Serpent represents a constellation (apparently viewed as skeletons, the deceased, in the sky) and the count may have been initiated before it appeared on the horizon.

Illustration 5: Color Coded

The spots also are arranged to Form Triangles (black) which indicate female-moisture-spirits. The distinction between male and female spirits appears to relate to whether they are within the earthfemale or on the surface or above it. The Surface of the earth and above (the Sky) was viewed as male while the Earth was considered the the domain of earth-woman. It is for this reason the the Serpent Form was depicted as turning. The male spirit descended (turned female) into the earth at death and (carried along by the artesian streams –the Serpent) then turned upwards toward the surface to become male once again. The Head of the Serpent (blue) is represented as a side-place (black Rectangle) and the sign is the “T” shaped combination (the black rectangle plus the blue Line making up the top of the Serpent's Head. The meaning of the “T” shaped sign changes depending on its Stance or relative positioning. Thus, a place-on-the-side (of the earth). The signs, Eyes, for holes-in-the-surface were positioned on both sides of the previous sign. This indicates the holes were conceived as being on the sides of the earth. We now arrive at the Mouth of the Serpent. The Mouth (any mouth) represented a source of water and was drawn in the Form of the Triangular , female, or possibly even the Imagery of a vagina. This may be an allusion to a woman's water breaking prior to giving birth. The water gushing could have been the metaphorical equivalent of the spring and the birth of the male-spirit. Thus female-water (emanating from earth-woman). The Serpent's Teeth are the signs for doorways or gateways. These signs (green) were cleverly arranged to also create spirit-faces (their appearance at the Mouth). The Moche were quite technically and mechanically oriented. Although it is not known whether this depiction of a serpent's Mouth actually has a hole in it we would not be surprised to learn that once the vessel was filled with water that it would flow from the Serpent's Mouth and thereby dramatically complete and demonstrate the vessel's message. If this vessel is like many other Moche vessels, applied in reverse, the mouth of the Serpent could become the mouth piece for a whistle.

The Great Vessel, The Great Container (the earth) The Hand, The Steward On The Side The Female-Spirit Below (Stance) Female -Turning Male (the Center Form is the sign for Female when viewed from the front but Male when viewd from the side) Taken Upward The Female-Spirit Beneath Earth-Female Her Hole, Her House Her Tunnel The Great Serpent, The Great Stream Below The Arm, The Warrior The Hand, The Steward Turning Beneath The Hole The Many Holes Of The Serpent, The Stream Unseen The Moving Water The Pathway of the Female Water-Spirits The Twenty Six Nights (a possible count) Beneath The Surface-Place The Holes On The Side (of the earth) The Location of Her Mouth, The Spring The Gateways Of The Spirits