deidad : Ik'i Balam

As Matsumoto (2017:201n186) summarizes, "According to the Popol Wuj, Ikib’alam was one of the first four men created." (See also Christenson 2003a:lines 4940–47). Unlike the other three, however, he died heirless and thus did not found a K’iche’ lineage (Christenson 2007:196n480; see Christenson 2003a:7240–41; also Carmack and Mondloch 1983:177).

The origin of the first segment of Ikib’alam's name remains obscure. Christenson (2007:196n480) transcribes Ik’i B’alam and proposes the possible K’iche’ etymology ‘wind jaguar’ (cf. K’iche’ iq’ ‘wind’), although he allows that the name’s first segment may not even be morphologically analyzable in K’iche’. Edmonson (1965:12) translates the name as ‘moon jaguar’, whereas Carmack (1981:49) suggests that it may originate from Lowland Maya Eke, ‘black’. Tedlock (1996:289) similarly translates it as ‘Dark Jaguar’, from Proto-Ch’olan ik’ ‘black’ (see Kaufman 2003:231; cf. K’iche’ q’eq ‘black’)."