#aztec folklore

[briefbestiary]

Women who perished during labor. Having captured the soul of their unborn child, they transform into a spirit of the dead that spends the majority of its time in either Cihuatlampa or guiding the Sun.

[noxspost]

day 15

here is xolotl!

I know that this drawing wasn't decided in the pole but I am finishing up drawing the remainders of that pole that I last set up and the tiger is for day 16 I just need to finish drawing it

[aquatic-indie-gal]

Day 6 of Inktober, an Aztec Mythological Water Beast, the Ahuizotl.

An Aztec Beast that looks like a mixture of both a Dog and a Monkey with a Paw at the end of its tail. This creature was said to be a Friend of all Rain Gods. The fur of the Beast has a Waterproof fur as its name comes from the propensity of its fur that when it leaves the Water, they live in all kinds of Water Places (such as Pools or Cavern).

These creatures are said to lure people who wanted to come close towards any water places (like say you'd want a bath or a drink from the lake) into their own death with the catch by their own Third Hand that attempt to drown their own victims (which would let into the Souls of People to Tlaloc and Chalchiuhtlicue, the Gods to collect the favorite souls, but due to have a water-connection with Tlaloc, most Souls would travel down through Tlaloc's paradise for the afterlife). At the end of their victim's doom, the Ahuizotl would end up feasting on their own corpse.

Ahuizotl (c) Aztec Mythology

[xochitl-nahuatl]

The Cihuateteoh

In Aztec culture, those women who died in childbirth were believed to become dangerous spirits called cihuateteoh. Because of the great harshness of childbirth, labor was viewed as being a different type of ‘war’. It was believed that the child’s spirit was sent down to the earth by the gods, and the woman had to fight and struggle in order to bring it into the world. The newborn child was seen as a sufficient reward if she was successful and emerged victorious from her battle, but if she proved unsuccessful, then she died and became a cihuateotl. 

After the death of such a woman, special funerary practices were carried out, as the body of a woman who had died in childbirth was believed to possess special magic powers. In these special practices, the body was guarded fiercely by an armed entourage that included the widowed husband, his friends, the midwives, and old women. This was deemed necessary due to the need to protect the woman's remains from warriors. Certain parts of her body were believed to be especially powerful relics for warriors, such as her left middle finger and her hair (which contains part of a person’s spirit). According to Aztec belief, “these relics had magical power and, if placed on their shields, would make the warriors brave and valiant, give them strength, and blind the eyes of their enemies.”

The Cihuateteoh all reside in a spiritual domain in the west known as Cihuatlampa, the “place of women.” They were seen as being the female counterparts of the men who died in war, and so they resided in one of the 13 heavens instead of going to Mictlan, the underworld. Each day, the Cihuateteoh guided the sun into the west from noon until sunset. They were assisted by the spirits of the male warriors, and this practice of guiding the sun was seen as exclusive to these two groups of the dead- it was an honor that was not bestowed on any other individuals.

During five specific days of the Aztec calendar, the cihuateteoh descended to the Earth, and became like demons of the night. These five days were the five western trecenas: 1 Eagle, 1 Deer (Ce Mazatl), 1 Monkey (Ce Ozomatli), 1 House (Ce Calli), and 1 Rain (Ce Quiahuitl). They were greatly feared by the Aztecs as they could descend on these particular days to harm women and children with a number of illnesses, including paralyses and epilepsy, or to steal infants. Sometimes they would even induce men to adultery. The cihuateteoh also often haunted crossroads, and so roadside shrines with their statues were often erected to try and appease them. Such depictions show these spirits as women with skeletal faces, wild hair, and skirts fastened with snake belts. Cihuateteoh figures found at the site of El Zapotal are even covered with the flayed skins of victims, and carry staffs bearing human heads as trophies.

However, when still in their domain of Cihuatlampa, these women were at times propitiated by midwives and curers. It was believed that if rituals were performed, and the cihuateteoh were praised, then they would be appeased and would assist in healing the sick, or to protect children. 

[cryptids-of-the-world]

Quetzalcoatl is a winged snake god found in Aztec mythology. Quetzalcoatl is described as a winged snake with beautiful colored feathers and was known to devour people. It was believed that Quetzalcoatl carried the sun across the sky and back down into the underworld at night; he is also the god of the sky, wind, clouds, and water. Quetzalcoatl has a bird named after it being the Resplendent Quetzal and each color of its feathers represents something. The turquoise colored feathers represent the sky and vegetation, and the red feathers represent fire. It is also said that the snake was a symbol of rebirth to the Aztec people due to snakes shedding their skin. Quetzalcoatl also represented sexual duality with his masculine nature being his snake form and his feminine nature being god over the water and wind. 

[godfatherofsol]

Metztli /Rabbit in the Moon, Codex Borgia Aztec goddess of the moon, the night, and of farmers. She was the protector of harvests and promotor of growth. The Otomi people called her the Old Mother, and she represented both Moon and Earth simultaneously.

[fairies-in-the-hawthorns]

La Llorona

La Llorona (Spanish for “weeping woman”) is a popular urban legend found in Latin America. 

There are different versions of La Llorona depending on which Latin American country you are from or where the person you hear the story of La Llorona is from. Basically: long ago, a woman named Maria married a rich man, with whom she eventually had two children. Then their marriage hit a rough patch: her husband spent less and less time at home, and whenever he was home, he paid attention only to the children. Eventually, she sees him with another woman. Enraged beyond reason, some versions claim Maria drowned her two children—but she immediately regretted it, crying out, “Ay, mis hijos!” (Translation: “Oh, my children!”) Maria is sometimes said to have drowned herself afterward. But when she arrived at heaven’s gates, she was denied entry, banished back to purgatory on Earth until she could find her lost children. She’s now known as La Llorona, which translates to “the weeping woman.” Now, the legend says, she floats over and near bodies of water in her white, funeral gown, forever weeping as she searches for her lost children. Some versions of the story say she kidnaps or attacks children; others say she attacks cheating husbands. It is said that when her wails sound near she is actually far and when she sounds distant, she is actually very near. Regardless, when you hear her cries, the directive remains the same: run away, because she will cause misfortune to those who are near or hear her, or even death.

With all urban legend stories, there is always a kernel of truth that inspires these tales. La Llorona’s origins can be found in either a real person, as a prophesied omen, or as a Goddess (or two Goddess combined). 

It is said that La Llorona was actually La Malinche, a native woman who served as an interpreter, guide, and later mistress to Hernán Cortés during his conquest of Mexico. The conquistador left her after she gave birth and instead married a Spanish woman. Despised now by her own people, it is said that La Malinche murdered Cortés’ spawn in vengeance. There is no evidence that the historic La Malinche — who did in fact exist — killed her children or was exiled by her people. But even before the conquistadors showed up to colonize Latin America, there were stories of a weeping woman in Mexico-Tenochtitlan (current-day Mexico City). This woman was, according to theological advisors to Emperor Moctezuma Xocoyotzin, an omen that bad news was coming. This weeping woman was believed to be one of ten omens predicting the conquest of Mexico.

But even before prophesied omens, La Llorona could also be either the goddess Cihuacōātl (Nahua for Snake Woman). She wears white and walks about at night while constantly crying. Another goddess that La Llorona could be is Chalchiuhtlicue (Nahua for the Jade-skirted one). Chalchiuhtlicue watched over the waters and was greatly feared because she would drown people. In order to honor her or appease her, the Mexica (commonly known as the Aztecs) would sacrifice children.        

[atmaflare]

--Mictecacihuatl, Aztec goddess of the dead--------------------------------------------- In Aztec mythology, the goddess who rules over as queen of Mictlan, the Aztec underworld, alongside her husband, Mictlantecuhtli, god of the dead. Her name can be translated as "The Lady of the Dead", as some legends state that she was sacrificed as an infant andmatured in the underworld as a skeleton, becoming known as "the living death". She was usually portrayed as a skull-headed woman or as a complete skeleton decorated with jewelry made from human skulls and hands. Together with her husband, she lived in a palace of darkness with no windows or doors, and both were considered opposite and complementary entities to the creator gods of life, Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl. Her main job was to protect the bones of the dead from other gods and spirits, as they were used (in fact, stolen from her) to create the first humans of this world, and will probably be needed to create the new humans of the next world after this one gets destroyed. She usually stayed with her husband in the underworld, but also came frequently to the world of the living to deal with matters related to the dead. In ancient times, festivals honoring the departed were presided by her, the same festivals which evolved into the Day of the Dead festivities celebrated in Mexico today, of which she still is technically presiding over. In popular culture, Santa Muerte and La Calavera Catrina are considered to have taken Mictecacihuatl's place as her modern counterparts. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Original DA post: [link]