Abstract
This study examines the roles of the serpent and water lily in Maya epigraphy and iconography and, from an ethnobotanical perspective, interprets these elements in Classic and post-Classic Maya images and glyphs in ways that challenge conventional wisdom. We introduce a new and testable explanation for the evident Maya perception of a close symbolic relationship between the feathered serpent and the water lily (Nymphaea ampla DC.), whereby we identify the plant's serpentoid peduncle with ophidian images and the plant's large-petalose (plumose) flowers with avian symbols. Physical and symbolic similarities between the Water Lily Serpent, the Water Lily Monster, the Quadripartite God, a rain/lightning deity referred to as Chahk, and the Vision Serpent are assessed with the suggestion that these entities share a closer relationship than previously suspected based in large part on their shared and overlooked water lily attributes. Our novel interpretations are presented in light of recurrent suggestions that Nymphaea ampla was employed as a psychotropic medium in religious and dynastic rituals.
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