The meaning of his local name in other Mesoamerican languages is similar. Archaeologist Karl Taube hypothesized, the feathered serpent, by virtue of its ‘evolved’ morphology, may have been associated with fertility as well as the intricate political classes of the region. O ne day Tezcatlipoca disguised himself as an old man and gave Quetzalcoatl a enchanted mirror. Living Greyhawk Official Listing of Deities for Use in the Campaign, version 2.0. Find this month’s issue of the magazine and archives of all past magazines at this link (to download) or view it online as a flipping magazine on ISSUU. When it stopped raining, the land started to appear again. Click here to Tezcatlipoca was often described as a rival of another important god of the Aztecs, the culture hero, Quetzalcoatl. In essence, over the course of centuries, the Nahua-speaking tribes would adopt many of the legends of Quetzalcoatl (along with other Toltec myths) and mix them with their own native folklore, thus giving rise to the ubiquity of the mythical ‘Feathered Serpent’ and his motifs in the Aztec pantheon of gods by circa 15th century AD. Opposing Forces The opposition between Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca is reflected in the legend of the mythical city of Tollan . N.p., n.d. In the Aztec creation story, there are five “Suns” or worlds. There was an ice dam in the western United States that let go and released enough water to flood almost the entire western states just east of the Rockies. At the beginning, there was nothing. And without waiting for an answer, he turned them into the first dogs in the world so they could become man’s best friend and ever faithful companion (until it comes to their stomachs). Well, according some scholars, the snake in its most basic form in Mesoamerican culture might have represented the earth and the vegetation. Posted By: Dattatreya Mandal (Just a friendly comment to the reader here: You and I are not the first people to see all sorts of correlation be-tween these Aztec Mythologies and the stories in Geneses. In Aztec tradition Tezcatlipoca was considered to be an opposite and rival to Quetzalcoatl. And as we described before, the Toltec rulers continued the tradition of venerating Quetzalcoatl through their own mythico-historical association of rulers with the deity. Quetzalcoatl earned Tezcatlipoca's resentment through his actions as a god, causing the two to battle. A name that reverberates throughout the rich Mesoamerican culture, Quetzalcoatl is arguably (and rather uniquely) the most renowned of all mythical entities from the Aztec mythology, whose legacy has survived the rigors of time and foreign influence. In that regard, Quetzalcoatl was often venerated as the god of light, rain, justice, mercy, and wind (along with even knowledge, books, and poetry); while contrastingly, Tezcatlipoca was considered as the god of night, deceit, sorcery, and the Earth. En la mitología Mexica, hubo una batalla titánica que dio origen y creación al mundo como lo veían en el México prehispánico. My intent is also not to lesson or change or anything toward Christian beliefs as the two stories existed long before anyone from one culture knew anything about the other. While Quetzalcoatl was considered to be more gentle in nature, Tezcatlipoca was supposedly more war-like. By Kirby Vickery from the September 2016 Edition. There were several different myths and stories about Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl in Aztec tradition in relation to their rivalry. It is through their inter-actions in satisfying each of their own desires and dislikes of the others that the other four worlds or “Suns” were created and all but the last destroyed and the creation of all the other pantheon of Aztec gods, some of whom were around and worshiped a long time before the Aztecs ever came on the scene. In one version of the Aztec creation account the myth of the Five Suns, the first creation, "The Sun of the Earth" was ruled by Tezcatlipoca but destroyed by Quetzalcoatl when he struck down Tezcatlipoca who then transformed into a jaguar. Depending on the version of the story, Quetzalcoatl either sees himself becoming old and weak as a mortal, or sees himself turn into Tezcatlipoca. Quetzalcoatl became the ruler of the subsequent creation "Sun of Water", and Tezcatlipoca destroyed the third creation "The Sun of Wind" by striking do… "Quetzalcoatl." Bibliography. However, this connection of Quetzalcoatl-Cortés is not really found in any native document that is devoid of the post-Conquest Spanish influence. Tezcatlipoca’s cult was brought to central Mexico by the Toltecs, Nahua-speaking warriors from the north, about the end of the 10th century ad. 5500BCE). Furthermore, historians have found only scarce evidence of such a foretelling of Quetzalcoatl’s return in pre-Hispanic traditions. To get to the one that deals with a flood, one has to understand the Aztecs’ version of their creation first. This allowed it to be both opposites. Quite interestingly, in some Aztec traditions, Quetzalcoatl opposes human sacrifice possibly for this very same reason – as the practice goes against the legacy of the gods defeating the bloodthirsty monster. Interestingly enough, Mixcoatl was primarily perceived as the god of hunt in the later Aztec mythology. According to Niang-Niang, the Magic God Tezcatlipoca was created to combat the Spanish conquistadores. With each victory a world age is ended; Tezcatlipoca’svictories signify the end of the second and fourth suns, so that Quetzalcoatl may return at the end of the fifth and final sun to triumph at the ending of the world. Upon retirement he went back to New England as a Quality Assurance Manager in electronics manufacturing before he was moved to Production Manager for the company’s Mexico operations. However, given the violent loss of her physical form, the monster (now embodying the earth) thirsts for blood and hearts – thus alluding to the grisly practice of human sacrifice. Turned into a jaguar and destroyed the world after he got beat up by Quetzalcoatl. He was also known as the rain god and the bringer of life. The earth herself is the nourisher of life; but she is also the burial ground of the dead. 0. When they were ready, he turned on the rain and flooded the entire world. Tez-ca-tli-po-ca) or Smoking Mirror in Nahuatl was one of the most important gods in Postclassical Mesoamerican culture and a particularly important deity for the Toltecs (from the 10th century CE) and later, for the Aztecs, most especially at Texcoco. Tezcatlipoca(テスカトリポカ, Tesukatoripoka?) Being both male and female he, she, or it was able to have children and he, she, or it had four which ended up representing the four directions of the compass. Also needed human sacrifice. September 1, 2016 January 7, 2018 Kirby Vickery Leave a Comment on Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca. It has created more backlash and controversy over time in our modern world, almost more than any other story. — Quetzalcoatl was very wise and intelligent, but Tezcatlipoca was a master of deception and trickery. By Kirby Vickery from the September 2016 Edition. Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca represent the bright and dark aspects of the Creator. Furthermore, both Quetzalcoatl and his brother Tezcatlipoca were honored as Ipalnemohuani, meaning ‘by whom we live’, with the title giving credence to their statuses as creator gods. The Nahuatl word quetzalli means "long green feather" (Molina: ), but later came to be applied also to the bird who give these feathers: the Resplendent Quetzal. 2016 Kirby Vickery September 2016. In some myths, Quetzalcoatl grows a beard and goes on to wear a white mask, thereby hinting at his erroneous representation as a white-bearded god. Consequently, her hair and skin give way to trees and flowers, while her eyes and nose account for the caverns and springs. Another when the damn across the Bosphorus Strait was overcome by the melting of some ice sheets during the decline of the last major ice age (approx. The name Quetzalcoatl literally means "feathered snake". For Christians of faith, the story is fact. In the Aztec creation myth, Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca fight violently over the creation of the world; first Quetzalcoatl defeats Tezcatlipoca, then Tezcatlipoca defeats Quetzalcoatl. Then there was the first and most powerful god, Ometecuhtli/Omecihuatl. After having looked over several and my own notes of years’ past, I can assure you that we are not the first. This confederacy went on to provide logistical support to the Spanish conquistadors in their time and even went on to take control of the symbolic Cholula from a pro-Aztec faction. Tezcatlipoca, the Shadow God, is the Aztec god of darkness and a powerful enemy of Wonder Woman and the heroes called Aztek. Follow 4160. What we have today is a plethora of creation stories for each sun depending on where you are when you hear each story or from which codex you pull your translation. This explains his association with the first day of the thirteen-day Aztec calendar which is represented by a jaguar. For example, it his aspect of Quetzalcoatl-Ehécatl, the god was depicted with a duckbill mask protruding with fangs and shell jewelry known as the ehecailacocozcatl (‘wind breastplate’). Like we discussed before, Tezcatlipoca was associated with night and darkness, whereas his equal yet opposite Quetzalcoatl was associated with light and thus possibly referred to as the White Tezcatlipoca. One Aztec story claims that Quetzalcoatl was seduced by Tezcatlipoca into becoming drunk and sleeping with a celibate priestess (in some accounts, his sister Quetzalpetlatl) and then burned himself to death out of remorse. Tezcatlipoca (pron. My first shot using Google brought over 18,000 web sites with the same idea. Quetzalcoatl guided people to prosperity as a virtuous deity, but was eventually vanquished by the god Tezcatlipoca and disappeared from Aztec. In some myths, Quetzalcoatl grows a beard and goes on to wear a white mask, thereby hinting at his erroneous representation as a white-bearded god. Variation of Transcendent Physiology. Similarly, another legendary Toltec ruler Topiltzin Ce Acatl Quetzalcoatl was hailed as the son of Mixcoatl, a renowned Chichimeca warrior. The deity Tezcatlipoca is the Aztec god of death and the sun that fought Quetzalcoatl. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2005. 1 Capabilities 2 Deities 2.1 Major Deities 2.2 Other Deities 2.3 Folk Saint Deities 3 Associations 4 Known Users 4.1 Anime/Manga 4.2 Television 4.3 Cartoons/Comics 4.4 Video Games 5 Gallery The user can have the traits and abilities of Aztec Gods and Goddesses. His heart became the morning star (see Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli). Feb 25, 2017 - Explore Diego Alvarez's board "Quetzalcoatl" on Pinterest. Conforti, Steven, ed. Wiki Points. The gods always fought, so they never got the job done. Online Sources: McGill University / LACMA / World Digital Library / MexicoLore, Featured Image: Artwork by GENZOMAN (DeviantArt), Home » Blog Posts » Culture » Quetzalcoatl: History and Mythology of the Aztec ‘Feathered Serpent’ God. The stela, dating from some time between 1200 – 400 BC, portrays a serpent rearing its head behind a person (possibly a priest). Kirby was born in a little burg just south of El Paso, Texas called Fabens. As he understand it, they we were passing through. Xiuhcoatl: O Flame, Burn the Gods Themselves: The second coming of the flames Quetzalcoatl used to burn down her temple to keep its priceless artifacts out of the hands of the evil god Tezcatlipoca. This god, as were most of them, was a dual god, meaning that it was both male and female at the same time. Numerous myths relate how Tezcatlipoca expelled the priest-king Quetzalcóatl, the Feathered Serpent, from the latter’s centre at Tula. Thus the ‘Feathered Serpent’ was also known as Kukulkán to the Maya of Yucatan (possibly having its origins in Waxaklahun Ubah Kan, the War Serpent or the even older Vision Serpent) and Gucumatz (or Qʼuqʼumatz) to the Quiché of Guatemala. Leaving behind a prophecy about its return. When Tlaloc saw this, he was furious and asked them if this was how they returned his faith in them. Like we discussed before, Tezcatlipoca was associated with night and darkness, whereas his equal yet opposite Quetzalcoatl was associated with light and thus possibly referred to as the White Tezcatlipoca. And it is this latter characterization that has been debated in the academic circles. Interestingly enough, the duality of Quetzalcoatl and his brother Tezcatlipoca mirrors the mythical narrative of light and darkness. A fight between Tezcatlipoca and the god Quetzalcoatl, who wanted to replace him, put an end to this first world with the giants being devoured by jaguars. He was known as the “Provider” and ruled the fourth layer of the upper world. Waking up next morning, the remorseful Quetzalcoatl willingly sets himself on fire (thereby sacrificing himself), and consequently his ashes and heart rise up to the sky to transform into the radiant morning star (Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli or aspect of Venus). 2014. From the etymological perspective, the very term Quetzalcoatl (or Quetzalcohuātl in Classical Nahuatl) means ‘feathered serpent’, with the Nahuatl word, quetzalli roughly meaning ‘long green feather’, later associated with the ‘emerald plumed bird’, and coatl referring to a serpent. Told them to hollow out a large tree and get in it so they would be able ride!, Mixcoatl was primarily perceived as the rain and flooded the entire world vanquished by time! His final stay was being in charge of Air Force Recruiting in San Diego,,! Brought over 18,000 web sites with the same idea a Comment on Quetzalcoatl and his brother Tezcatlipoca the! 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