INTI
Real Name:
Inti-Raymi
Occupation:
God of the sun, patron god of the Incas
Legal Status:
Citizen of El Dorado
Identity: The general populace of Earth is unaware of the existence of Inti except as a mythological deity.
Other Aliases:
Apo-Inti, Apointi ("lord sun"), Cori-Inti ("son sun"),
Inti-Wawqi ("sun-brother") (Incan names), Apu-Punchau (Quecha name),
Adaheli (Curra name), Karu (Kadev name), Kuat (Mamuirian name), Aiomum Kondi
(possible Carib-Arawak name),
Place of Birth:
Marital Status: Married
Known Relatives:
Viracocha
(father), Cocamama (mother, alias Mama Cocha), Coniraya
(uncle), Noncomala (aunt), Kilya (sister/wife, alias Mama Quilla), Catequil
(alias Tupan), Caruincho
(brothers), Bachue, Cuycha, Cavillaca (sisters), Ayar Cachi, Huana Cauri, Cusco
Huanca, Manco Capac (sons), Topa Huaco, Ipa Huaco, Mama Coya, Mama Ocollo
(daughters), Vichama, Ekkeko (alleged sons), Huitaca (alleged daughter),
Jurupari, Jacy (nephews), Peruda (niece), Bochica (grandfather), Chia
(grandmother), Chibchacum (great-uncle),
Huayana Capac, Huascar, Atahualpa, Manco Capac II
(descendants, deceased)
Group Affiliations: The Incan Gods
Base of Operations:
El Dorado and Sao Paulo, Brazil, formerly Coricancha ("Temple of the
Sun") at Cuzco in the Incan Empire (modern Peru)
First Appearance: Apollo and Artemis Limited Series #7
History: Inti-Raymi is a member of the extra-dimensional race of beings known as the El Doradans, who were worshipped as gods by the Incas. The El Doradans are natives of the other-dimensional realm of Hanan Pacha, which is accessed by way of underground and subterranean portals in the land of the Incans; in later myths, it was said that Hanan Pacha existed underground. The invading Europeans who conquered the Incans later referred to this realm as El Dorado due to a misunderstanding of the name. El Dorado translates as "man of gold" and refers to their practice of sprinkling gold dust on fallen warriors who died in combat and were laid to rest in lakes that their spirits might descend through the lakes down into the realm of the Incan gods. The Spanish Conquistadors mistakenly believed that El Dorado referred to a "city of gold" and later conquered the Incan Empire looking for the nonexistent "city of gold." (The actual name of the race of the Incan gods has not yet been revealed.)
Inti is actually the third god known by that name. The first Inti was reported as having created the Earth and the universe and later became equated with Tecumotzin to the Quecha Indians of Bolivia. The second Inti was the father of Viracocha, the ancestor of the Incan Indians and later ruler of the Incan gods, now known as Bochica of the Quecha Indians. The current Inti is the son of Viracocha, chieftain of the Incan gods, and Cocamama, goddess of fertility. He was the most important of the gods worshipped by the Incas. Worshipped as a face on a gold disc, he soared through the sky to the west and dived into the ocean to reemerge from the land to the east, possibly tracing the path of the actual sun as it traversed the sky. The Incas later equated him with the sun itself.
Inti eventually took Kilya, the goddess of the moon, as his wife and sired the Children of the Sun. In his travels across the sky, Inti discovered the Incas were living in squalid conditions and sent the Children of the Sun to raise them from the level of animals, teach them how to be civilized and rule over them. He gave them a mystical golden staff as a symbol of their supremacy to mark the boundaries of what would be the boundaries of the Incan Empire. Emerging from Lake Titicaca, the Children of the Sun traveled North and marked the Earth every time they stopped for the night. Along their way, Huana Cauri, the eldest brother died and was buried near Apitay. The Children of the Sun eventually reached Mount Huanacauri, named for the fallen brother, and here the staff vanished into the ground where it was placed. Huana Cauri's spirit informed them that this was where they would settle and the brother, Cusco Huanca, founded the city of Cuzco. His brother, Manco Capac, inherited the throne after his death and lead the Incas to great prosperity, his ancestors becoming the later rulers of the Incan Empire. The empire actually gathered and assimilated several rival races and tribes, merging their gods and rituals. Among the deities Inti overwhelmed was Aiomun Kondi, the father of Okonorote and ancestor of the Carib-Arawak Indians.
At the zenith of the Incan Empire, the region was invaded by Spanish conquistadors looking for gold. The death of King Huayana Capac had not left an heir and the feud of his sons, Huascar and Atahualpa over the throne allowed for explorer Francisco Pizarro to more easily overthrow the Incas from power in 1532. The Incas were even said to have accepted the fair-skinned Spaniards as returning Incan demigods. The Incan Gods were unable to rally to the support of their worshippers due to an edict Viracocha had made during the Third Host of the Celestials. Unable to come to the defense of his people, Inti instead aided many of the surviving Incans to escape into the mountains and survive in isolated regions away from civilization.
In recent years, Inti, Tupan and Bachue have returned to Earth
to act as champions for the descendants of the Incans. Among their rivals are
the voodoo-gods, Damballah
and Sagbata,
introduced to Brazil by the slaves brought to the region during the European
invasions, and Baroness Sangria, a former Nazi terrorist commanding a legion of
undead warriors. Inti recently joined with the gods Apollo
and Artemis
into invading Iku, the African land of the dead, to rescue his sister,
Cavillaca, the virgin-goddess.
Height: 6' 2"
Weight: 425 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
Strength Level: Inti possesses superhuman strength enabling her to lift
(press) 35 tons under optimal conditions.
Known Superhuman Powers: Inti possesses the conventional physical attributes
of the El Doradans or Incan gods. Like all of the El Doradans, he is extremely
long-lived, but he is not immortal like the Olympian gods, he ages at an
extremely slow rate, using mystical means to retain his youthful form and
appearance. He cannot die by any conventional means, and he is immune to all
Earthly diseases and is resistant to conventional injury. If he were somehow
wounded, his godly life force would enable him to recover with superhuman speed. It
would take an injury of such magnitude that it dispersed a major portion of his
bodily molecules to cause him a physical death. Even then, it might be possible for
a god of significant power, such as Viracocha, Coniraya or Bochica or for a number of
Incan gods of equal power working together to revive him. Inti also possesses
superhuman strength and his El Doradan metabolism provides him with far greater than
human endurance in all physical activities. (Doradan flesh and bone is about three
times as dense as similar human tissue, contributing to the superhuman
strength and weight of the Incan gods.)
Inti also has several mystical abilities enabling him to tap into and conjure solar energies. He can conjure great heat and light, enabling him to burn as bright as a sun. His presence carries the holy anathema of the real sun, enabling him to defy and destroy occult energy. He can conjure objects from this energy such as shields and beams of concussive force. He can also fly by will and move between worlds, he can dive into Late Titcaca and emerge in El Dorado at will.
Abilities: Inti is a capable warrior adept in unarmed
combat.
Weapons: Inti carries an enchanted golden staff which he can wield as a
club or javelin. It is enchanted to return to his hand.
Comments: Inti has not yet appeared in the Marvel or DC Universes
Manco Capac appeared in the graphic novel Stan Lee
Presents: Wonder Woman.
Clarifications: Inti is not to be
confused with any other sun-god:
Last updated: 10/18/08