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Mid American: Aztecs, Toltecs etc
"Feathered Snake"
Quetzalcoatl is one of the major deities of the Mid American People. He is commonly known as the creator, sky-god and wise legislator. He is also known as the God of Wind (Ehecatl being one of his forms), the water god and fertility god. He is known as the son of the Virgin Goddess Coatlicue and is the twin borther of Xolotl. He was known to have organised the original cosmos and participate in the creation and destruction of various world epochs (periods). He was the ruler of the fifth world cycle and it was written that he created the humans that lived in that cycle. The story goes something like:
Quetzalcoatl descended to Mictlan, the underworld, and gathered the bones of the human-beings that lived in previous epochs. Upon returning he sprinkled his own blood onto these bones, this creating the humans of his new era.
Selection of Stories:
1) Quetzacoatl allowed himself to be seduced by Tezcatlipoca, but through remorse threw himself onto a funeral pyre. Then after his death, his heart became the morning-star, and is as such identified with the god Tlahuizcalpantecutli.
2) Similar to the above story but deriving from dualistic Toltec religion, the deity Tezcatlipoca ("Smoking Mirror"), a god of the night, had reputedly driven Quetzalcoatl into exile. This time he left on a raft of snakes over the sea.
Either way, Quetzalcoatl, described as light-skinned and bearded, would return. This then leads onto when the Spanish conqueror Hernán Cortés appeared in 1519, the Aztec king, Montezuma II, was easily convinced that Cortés was in fact the returning god, Quetzalcoatl. On another note, totally irrelevant, this also leads onto the theory of a Lost Civilisation. Why would South American Indians have a white Caucasian with a Beard (Indians cant grow big Bushy Beards), as a Deity? Long before Europeans discovered America.
Later on in their existence the Aztecs made him a symbol of death, resurrection and a patron of priests. The higher priests of this time were actually called Quetzalcoatl as well. The god has a great affinity with the priest-king Topiltzin Ce Acatl Quetzalcoatl, who ruled the Toltecs in Tula in the 10th century. The cult of Quetzalcoatl was widespread in Teotihuacan (ca. 50km northeast of Mexico City), Tula (or Tullán, capitol of the Toltecs in middle Mexico), Xochilco, Cholula, Tenochtitlan (the current Mexico City), and Chichen Itza.
Final Fantasy 8
Quezacotl is a Lightning Elemental Guardian Force. Looks like a giant bird, but has no features, just the shape. Yellow'ey colour. |
