#Codex Huitzilopochtli

[jamesgraybooksellerworld]

THE IMAGES of GODS

In today’s wonderful book there are over Two Hundred 3/4 page woodcuts of gods, from the beginning of Idolatry and from newly (16th century) discovered parts of the heavens and earth. The East and the west, Japan, Mexico. This is truly a encyclopedia forever yon from there pious, to the pagan, from theologian to artisan.. 774J  Vincenso Cartari.  1531–1569 A TYOHON, youngest son of Gaea (Earth)…

[thirteene42]

I'm going to be not normal about huitzilopotchli on the not being normal about things website

because he was BORN to protect his mother from his own sister. his birth is an act of protection, and he fails to save BOTH of them, his mother becoming a two-headed snake monster, his sister leading an army against him, made of his own brothers and sisters. when he has to kill them all, they become the stars in the sky, and his sister the moon, and every night he has to fight their angry, dead bodies through the night sky, led by a dog he doesn't know is the closest thing he has anymore to a brother. and one day he will fail and the world knows he's going to lose this fight one day and when it does they will all die and he just has to live with that. they have to love him anyway, give their own flesh and blood anyway

like he leads the people of mexico to lake texcoco. he clearly loves the people. not as much as quetzalcoatl but he does

like who's gonna write the book??? do i have to do it??? will it be me????

[tzompantli-ink]

-Tonantzin Coatlicue, madre tierra y madre del Anáhuac, el colibrí anunciando la llegada de el guerrero de la voluntad Huitzilopochtli.

Una humilde ofrenda de Maíz, obsidianas (iztetl) traidas del valle del Mezquital y espinas de Maguey 💀🐍

[ifishouldvanish]

The idea of Olrox being from Cholula specifically makes me so insane. Like would he have identified more as Mexica? Or as Tlaxcaltec? Would he have been loyal to the Tlaxcaltec and allied with the Spanish only to get screwed over like his Mohican lover did in the colonies? Would he have done so thinking he could get the upper hand in the end just like Mizrak/Emmanuel thought the Order could with Erzsebet?

"He thinks the devils he manufactures will be enough to destroy her when the time comes. What do you think? Do you think he's right?" - S1E4

Even after the fall of Tenochtitlan, nobility from all over the region would have been sent to Cholula to get the blessing of Cholulan priests for their legitimacy. How might this have fueled his disdain for nobility?

Olrox: "I prefer my blood blue."

Drolta: "Maybe you do things differently in the new world, but over here we don't feed off the wealthy. The locals will start to grumble." - S1E5

As a Mexica citizen, this disdain could come from resentment toward sumptuary laws, the increasing lack of socioeconomic mobility during Moctezuma's rule, and frustration with how he handled the Spanish... But as a Cholulan sympathetic to Tlaxcala, there's so much more???

It could come from frustration with leadership that defected from the very people who helped them elude Mexica rule in the years before the Spanish conquest. Anger at a decision that economically obliterated the Tlaxcaltec, who became completely surrounded by Mexica member-states? Regret at how much it cost them to 'overthrow' the Mexica? Grief at how this kind of political/military opportunism helped lead the wider indigenous population to its demise?? Like the latter is so much more thematically ripe for a show tackling colonialism and imperialism imo???

"This one? He was just an opportunist, following the Messiah because she's powerful." - S1E4

I mean!!?? Think about how the implications of all of this... *gestures wildly* stuff would lead him to adopt such a cynical, morally ambiguous worldview? This sense that it's all doomed, that he's not strong enough to fight it? Resist and fall to your enemies, or work with them only to lose parts of your identity in the process? Think about how the brutality of the Cholula massacre recontextualizes eurocentric perceptions of the brutality of flower wars and ritual sacrifice??? How it would leave you with anger and pain and an unyielding need for justice?

"Little boy Belmont. I know that feeling. That pain, that hate, that burning, unendurable need for retribution." - S1E1

Think about how the Mexica Empire had adopted Huitzilopochtli (war, sacrifice) as their primary patron deity, and the Tlaxcaltec Mixcoatl/Camaxtli (the hunt, fire)... Yet Olrox's form seems to be based on Quetzalcoatl (wind, knowledge, rebirth, among other things)–the deity the great temple at Cholula was dedicated to.

A handful of mesoamerican deities are associated with serpents/have names ending in '-coatl', but Olrox's serpent form clearly has a feathered crest—the 'quetzal-' in Quetzalcoatl.

But Olrox's abilities also seem to include lightning/thunder, which are associated with Tlaloc, who the Cholulans seemed to have adopted as their central deity some time before the Spanish conquest.

Quetzalcoatl is only associated with storms sort of tangentially, through his aspect as the wind god, Ehecatl. The Florentine Codex refers to Quetzalcoatl-Ehecatl as sweeping the roads to make way for the rain and the thunder.

Think about how in Tlaxcaltec accounts, Cholula–being a sacred city–had no real military to speak of and depended on their gods to protect them???

Mizrak: "There's only one God. Just one. That's the only thing I'm sure of. And I've spent my whole life serving him, fighting for him. That hasn't changed, and it never will." Olrox: "One god... And you think he can protect you?" - S1E4

Like... What does it all mean???? 🫠🫠🫠

Agshsjdkdkfll *screams into a pillow* I am so excited for season 2 but whatever happens Cholulan Olrox is canon in my heart y'all

[toastedclownery]

Shrike as Huitzilopochtli... 2!

Ah shit. Here we go again. This time with some more facts (and some corrections lol) 

Huitzilopochtli, “Hummingbird of the South”, is the patron god of the Mexica (historically called the Aztecs). He was the patron of the capital city of the Aztec empire, Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City). He was the god of warfare and the sun, as the sun of the fifth and current era. 

We'll start with the iconography, and then possible themes

—

Huitzi is nearly always represented with quetzal feathers (quetzalli) on his headdress, a lot of gods in the pantheon have them (In my last post I called them hummingbird feathers but those are the ones on his back. Whoops!). These appear in Shrike’s design as the spikes of his tentacles.

Huitzilopochtli is most known for having a black mask around his eyes. Shrike has dark circles around his eyes. His namesake, shrike, is a bird also known for having a mask of black feathers around its eyes. Additionally, when he’s dressed up as Bandito in ep2, he puts on a dark antiface. And as a potential extra layer, this is to imitate the black masks that raccoons also have.

Huitzi is called the "hummingbird of the south", and so he wears the head of a hummingbird on top of his own. The Aztecs also believed that warriors who died in battle got reincarnated into hummingbirds, so that’s another connection to warfare. Shrike has a beak-like mouth that has visibly been getting longer throughout the episodes.

The god has a pectoral circle made of seashell on his chest (anahuatl). I’m not entirely sure if the collar of his jacket is supposed to be a reference to this. In his reference sheet it’s a circle, various animators draw it as a circle, but Zeurel never draws it as a circle when animating, so it might be a stretch.

Huitzi commonly carries Xiuhcoatl, the “Turquoise Serpent”, as a weapon, mentioned in the story of his birth in the Florentine Codex. When dressed up as Bandito, Shrike grabs one of the floppy leaves of the plant, resembling the shape of the snake.

But Xiuhcoatl can also be found on the pattern on the sides of his shoes!

Also mentioned in his origin story in Florentine, he has a xiuh atlatl, a “turquoise dart thrower” (although it can also be associated with Xiuhcoatl as the same thing).

That would be his gun. It’s not the only time that guns are gonna be compared to dart throwers.

—

Huitzilopochtli was the sun of the fifth era to the Mexica. This sun has the symbol “Nahui Ollin”, which means “4 Movement”. The Ollin is one of the Aztec calendar day signs, it means “movement” or “earthquake”, and it is represented as two intertwined lines. Here it is represented in Codex Borgia.

Now here’s what I’m thinking

This might just be where Shrike’s pinky quirk comes from! Shrike was the one to tell Beebs about pinky promises, and they seem to be very important to him. So much so that he subconsciously keeps his pinkies up whenever he’s holding his guns or his phone.

The reason why each era has a name and symbol attributed to it is because they’re named after the way it would end. This fifth era is named after earthquakes because the Aztecs believed that this world would end with strong tremors, the sun would lose its perpetual fight against darkness, and the stars would come down to earth in the form of creatures called Tzitzimime to kill all of humanity.

This god represents the sun. The sun in the solar system. Earth’s sun, our sun, the Terrans’ sun. Yeah, that sun.

The sun’s job was to illuminate the world for us humans, and to not let it fall into darkness. This could be why Shrike has a fear of the dark, and has such appreciation for Terrans!

Shrike, as the protagonist of the show, is Huitzilopochtli, the god most important to the Mexica. Zeurel currently doesn't have a specific nationality for him, he's generally hispanic, but the crew's Spanish consultant is Mexican, and so is Sr. Pelo, the voice of Bandito. In Bandito's show there are curtains with the colors of the Mexican flag and a prickly pear cactus, which appears in the coat of arms in the middle of said flag.

This symbol actually comes from the legend on the origins of Tenochtitlan! Huitzilopochtli told the Mexica to leave Aztlan, the place where they were originally from (that's where the term "Aztec" comes from). He told them to build a new city where they found an eagle perched on a prickly pear cactus, devouring a snake. That was in the middle of lake Texcoco, where Mexico City still stands on today.

I'd say Shrike is the one who has the strongest connection to his past life memories because he feels a strong connection to Mexican culture and language (if he spoke ancient Nahuatl it'd be too obvious so they made him speak Mexican Spanish instead). He also has the habit of calling everyone “amigo”, even to the people he dislikes or doesn’t seem to know at all.

Maybe it’s because he did know them. A long time ago?

List

[talonabraxas]

Nahui Ollin Talon Abraxas

The Nahui Ollin represents the cyclical movement of nature with respect to the four directions. The Nahui Ollin is a fundamental concept in Aztec/Mexica cosmology, a guide for everyday life and decisions. The objective is to constantly strive for balance, even when there is struggle. The Nahui Ollin uses cultural concepts representing community, knowledge, education, will power, transformation, and most importantly, self-reflection. The Nahui Ollin is composed of traditional Aztec ideologies, including the concepts of Tezcatlipoca, Quetzalcoatl, Huitzilopochtli, and Xipe Totec. The Nahui Ollin is used as a culturally responsive method of teaching and ultimately supporting the development of harmony and balance of the mind, body, spirit, and community.

Nahui Ollin symbol with an eye (ixtli) in the center. A solar ray and a precious stone (chalchihuitl) emanata from the eye, Codex Borbonicus (1519–1521)

[aztec-religion]

Huitzilopochtli,

patron of the Mexica

"And Huitzilopochtli said to them,

'Take what is among the cacti. They will be the first tribute! And at once there, he changed the name of the Aztecs. He said to them, 'From now on, your name is no longer Aztec, you are now Mexica!

There he painted their ears black; in this way the Mexica took their name.

And there they were given the arrow and the bow and the little net.

Whatever flew overhead, the Mexica shot them well with bows and arrows.

Photo: Codex Borbonicus

Text: Codex Azcatitlan

[radaedan]

Have you heard of the canonical/ingame xbalanque x xiuhcoatl genderswap fanfic writing group yet

You ask me THAT? You ask the Xiuhcoatl's simp that scoured every crumbs of his mention in the game??? Of course I do.

Personally, I don't agree with the ship, but why do they have to heterofy it😒 If they want to ship them so bad, at least commit to it and make it a DOOMED (and optional: toxic) YAOI as God intended😤✊️

But if you want to hear my copium-riddled brain's opinion... it actually makes sense. Not that Xiuhcoatl is actually female, but in a way, he also embodied femininity.

(TW: Mentions of pregnancy. Nothing graphic though.)

Take a look at other confirmed sovereigns:

• Neuvillette: He's pretty feminine, actually. Not just in appearance (long hair with a bow tie, superb eyelashes, his name having -ette, a feminine suffix, etc,) but also in narrative. He's regarded as the father of the melusine, and his love for them are nurturing, almost maternal-like. He forgave the Fontainians and made them into real humans with real blood, almost like pregnancy turning an embrio into a real flesh and blood. He also has a Persephone theme going on:

He's the Persephone to Focalors' Hades, who tricked him to dwell in Fontaine (the Netherworld) and care for the Fontainians. He's also the Heart of the Primordial Sea, the sea that birthed Teyvat's original lifeforms.

And his sourcewater droplets have dna-looking thing in them, almost like an egg cell/ovum:

So yeah, Neuvillette is MOTHERING😤

• Apep: The dragon has female voice. 'Nuf said/j. But joking aside, she indeed have many life-giving aspect of motherhood:

Elemental lifeforms were born and nurtured inside her, and she planned to release her "children" after they matured... this is literally pregnancy. Warden of Oasis Prime, her immune system's second boss form holds an embrio, in a pose almost like a mother holding her child:

And it's attacks are littered with DNA imagery:

So yeah, Xiuhcoatl being feminine isn't far-fetched. In fact, I expect him to be so. It seems Sovereigns act as the life-giving forces of the original world, and Xiuhcoatl is no exception. The fanfic writers probably catch his feminine side and run along with it.

Plus, if he's the one who created Huitzilopochtli, that's actually pretty cool. Because not only it reversed his position as Huitzilopochtli's weapon in the myth, he also embodied two important female figures in Huitzilopochtli's life:

• Huitzilopochtli's mother (if we go by Codex Florentine), Coatlicue. She has many snake imageries, and Huitzilopochtli is practically her weapon against the stars and moon, the night, which we can take as a metaphor for the Abyss in game.

Coatlicue is represented as a woman wearing a skirt of writhing snakes and a necklace made of human hearts, hands, and skulls. Her feet and hands are adorned with claws and her breasts are depicted as hanging flaccid from pregnancy. Her face is formed by two facing serpents, which represent blood spurting from her neck after she was decapitated. According to Aztec legend, Coatlicue was once magically impregnated by a ball of feathers that fell on her while she was sweeping a temple. She subsequently gave birth to the god Huitzilopochtli. Her daughter the goddess Coyolxauhqui then rallied Coatlicue's four hundred other children together and goaded them into attacking and decapitating their mother. The instant she was killed, the god Huitzilopochtli suddenly emerged from her womb fully grown and armed for battle.

- Wikipedia "Coatlicue"

• But considering Xiuhcoatl's moon imagery, and the fact that he was killed by the Huitzilopochtli's equivalent in game, Xbalanque, he could also embodied Huitzilopochtli's sister, Coyolxauhqui, the Goddess of the Moon.

On the summit of Coatepec ("Serpent Mountain") sat a shrine for Coatlicue, the maternal Earth deity. One day, as she swept her shrine, a ball of hummingbird feathers fell from the sky. She "snatched them up; she placed them at her waist." Thus, she became pregnant with the deity Huītzilōpōchtli. Her miraculous pregnancy embarrassed Coatlicue's other children, including her eldest daughter, Coyolxāuhqui. Hearing of her pregnancy, the Centzonhuītznāhua, led by Coyolxāuhqui, decided to kill Coatlicue. As they prepared for battle and gathered at the base of Coatepec, one of the Centzonhuītznāhua, Quauitlicac, warned Huītzilōpōchtli of the attack while he was in utero. Hearing of the attack, the pregnant Cōātlīcue miraculously gave birth to a fully grown and armed Huītzilōpōchtli who sprang from her womb, wielding "his shield, teueuelli, and his darts and his blue dart thrower, called xinatlatl." Huītzilōpōchtli killed Coyolxāuhqui, beheading her and throwing her body down the side of Coatepec: "He pierced Coyolxauhqui, and then quickly struck off her head. It stopped there at the edge of Coatepetl. And her body came falling below; it fell breaking to pieces; in various places her arms, her legs, her body each fell." As for his brothers, the Centzonhuītznāhua, he scattered them in all directions from the top of Coatepec. He pursued them relentlessly, and those who escaped went south.

- Wikipedia "Coyolxauhqui"

(Btw this supports my copium theory that Xiuhcoatl-Xbalanque are Natlan's symbolic twins. Having similarities with both the mother and sister of the God of the Sun and War... damn.)

In conclusion: Xiuhcoatl might not be female, but he probably does embody femininity. Thanks for the ask!

[santoschristos]

And they also had great respect for Tezcatlipoca, who was believed to have the power to mediate between the gods and the people. Tezcatlipoca was known as the ‘smoking mirror,’ and was associated with the night sky and the stars. He was believed to have the power to see all things, to know all things, and to control the destinies of men. Tezcatlipoca was often invoked in times of war and other crises, as he was believed to have the power to protect the people and to ensure their victory.” Source: Florentine Codex

Tezcatlipoca – Mythopedia

A key element of Tezcatlipoca's power was his omnipresence. He was often represented by an obsidian mirror, though his power extended far beyond obsidian. Any reflection was a portal through which he could view the world.

Pronounced 'Tez-cah-tlee-poh-ka', Tezcatlipoca is the god of night and rival of Huitzilopochtli. His name means 'smoking mirror'. He's often depicted as carrying an obsidian mirror. Aztecs believed Tezcatlipoca and Huitzilopochtli created the world.

Tezcatlipoca was a god of mystery and magic, who could shape-shift into various animal forms and wield great power over the forces of nature.

Image: Aztec God Tezcatlipoca by Mahaboka

[bashar-gibara]

A Brief Analysis on the flags of Medieval Two Total War #1

Introduction and Aztecs | Part 02

Aztecs 

 

In-Game Symbol 

This one had me a bit confused, as I couldn’t figure out 100% what it’s depicted due to the low resolution of the game. Though I think it’s the Sun/Calendar Stone. As the name suggests, it’s a monolithic calendar constructed during the reign of Moctezuma II (1500s-1520). It was found in 1790, under the Zócalo square of Mexico City, at the ruins of the Main Temple of Tenōchtitlan, dedicated to Huitzilopochtli the war god and Tlaloc the rain god. At the centre a deity is depicted, thought to be Tōnatiuh the Sun Deity of daytime Sky.  On the aligning circles are carved various symbols representing the eras, centuries and days of the Aztec calendar as well as the four points on the horizon, Moctezuma’s name and two fire serpents. It is debated whether it was used solely as a calendar or as a sacrificial altar.  

(Images from Wikipedia)

📜 Historicity  📜

This flag is fictional but inspired by historical elements. The yellow colour for one of the Sun deities is fitting as well as the turquoise colour, which is matching with Tōnatiuh’s epithet of “Turquoise Lord”. Tōnatiuh was one of the most prominent deities of the Aztecs –as well as of other Mesoamerican cultures. The use of the entirety of the sunstone was what confused me the most. As far as I know, the American people and their rulers didn’t use flags, but of course one had to be made for the game. According to Wikipedia, the Aztecs used banners with intricate designs, called Pāmitl in Nahuatl to represent officers and important warriors on the battlefield. Those banners are indeed present in-game and appear on the backs of certain units. 

(Pāmitl as depicted on the Codex Mendoza-1540s)

(Pāmitl used by in-game units)

☝️🤓 My humble suggestion  ☝️🤓

Although, I think I can understand the reasoning behind it, I believe that this flag can be improved. We can keep the Sun elements with the original colours, but the Sun Stone could be replaced with a depiction of Tōnatiuh, or perhaps another sun deity like Huitzilopochtli. Or since gods’ depictions are very detail and something simpler would be more practical, we can put an animal ascosiated with the sun. Like an eagle, as these birds are associated with Huitzilopochtli. In Aztec mythology eagles were present when the sun was created, as well in Tenōchtitlan’s founding myth, the Aztecs decided to build their city on the place where an eagle landed and ate a snake. The eagle was believed to have been Huitzilopochtli. Let’s not forget that this scene is depicted in Mexico’s coat of arms. An alternative could be the hummingbird, another bird linked with Huitzilopochtli that has some supernatural properties of its own. It was believed that hummingbirds were the reincarnation of fallen warriors. One last suggestion would be the jaguar, an animal associated with the creator god Tēzcatlīpohca and represented military might.  

(Tōnatiuh as depicted in Codex Borgia- 16th c.)

(Huitzilopochtli as depicted in Codex Telleriano-Remensis-After 1542)

(Codex Mendoza)

(Aztec Spirit Bird from Mexico City, Jorge Enciso-1947)

(Hummingbird, Codex Mendoza)

(Jaguar depicted in Codex Magliabechiano-16th c.)

Sources

[his112midterm]

Ballcourt in the Codex Borgia

Ullamaliztli (religious ceremony)

Ullamaliztli is a mesoamerican ballgame played by the Aztecs. Where a ball made of rubber, where each player would "kick" the ball with their hips.¹ It would be played in a court on an oblong-shaped field, with wider ends giving it the look of a capitalized I. A thick wall would surround the field, and in the middle of the wall, there would be a high ring which was the goal.�� The ball weighed 2.5 kilograms and it could not touch the ground. It was only permitted to be kicked with the hips, head, elbows, and knees. The players wore protective shields, but they would still come out with bruises and bleeding. The Aztecs enjoyed gambling and used Ullamaliztli as an outlet too. With the loser needing to give up a daughter or wife to the winner. Even becoming slaves to the winning man.³ The court symbolized the Aztec underworld, with Ullamaliztli being a reenactment of day and night opposite forces, as the sun passes through the underworld to rise back up. This significance comes from the nature of the gods they worshipped dealing with elemental and cosmic manifestations. Such as gods of the sun, moon, rain, earth, and stars, based on a calendar cycle which determines the people's prosperity.⁴ An interpretation of this ritual is that the ball is the goddess of the moon's head. Representing her decapitation by Huitzilopochtli the sun god. Showing the light defeating the dark. It is said they played in specific equinoxes or months to influence the movement of the sun as it passes through the underworld⁵. The Aztecs used a ritual where they would choose someone to impersonate a god and then sacrifice them. In this ceremony, a player would be chosen to represent the moon goddess, and at the end of the game would be sacrificed to complete the ritual.⁶ The religious aspect of this game is to maintain a cosmic balance as many Aztec rituals are performed in order to prevent cataclysmic events.

-----------------------------------------------------

Bibloagraphy

Cohodas, Marvin. The Symbolism and Ritual Function of the Middle Classic Ball Game in Mesoamerica. American Indian Quarterly, vol. 2, no. 2, 1975, URL

Maries-Les, Gabriela. AZTECS - CIVILIZATION, CULTURE AND SPORTIVE ACTIVITIES: ACCES LA SUCCES. Calitatea 13, no. 2 05, 2012 URL

Leyenaar, Ted J. J. Ulama the Survival of the Mesoamerican Ballgame Ullamaliztli. Kiva 58, no. 2, 1992. URL

------------------------------------------------------

Ted J.J., Leyenaar, Ulama the Survival of the Mesoamerican Ballgame Ullamaliztli, (Kiva 58, no. 2, 1992,) p117, URL

Leyenaar, Ted J.J., Ulama the Survival of the Mesoamerican Ballgame UllamaliztlI, p119

Gabriela, Maires-Les, AZTECS - CIVILIZATION, CULTURE AND SPORTIVE ACTIVITIES: ACCES LA SUCCES. (Calitatea 13, no. 2 05, 2012,) URL

Marvin, Cohodas, The Symbolism and Ritual Function of the Middle Classic Ball Game in Mesoamerica, (American Indian Quarterly, vol. 2, no. 2, 1975,) p102, URL

Cohodas, Marvin, The Symbolism and Ritual Function of the Middle Classic Ball Game in Mesoamerica, p109

Cohodas, Marvin, The Symbolism and Ritual Function of the Middle Classic Ball Game in Mesoamerica, p109-110

[jamesgraybooksellerworld]

THE IMAGES of GODS

In today’s wonderful book there are over Two Hundred 3/4 page woodcuts of gods, from the beginning of Idolatry and from newly (16th century) discovered parts of the heavens and earth. The East and the west, Japan, Mexico. This is truly a encyclopedia forever yon from there pious, to the pagan, from theologian to artisan.. 774J  Vincenso Cartari.  1531–1569 A TYOHON, youngest son of Gaea (Earth)…

[harpagornis]

The Mesoamerican Sun/War God

Depiction of Tonatiuh from the Codex Borgia.

The image of a still beating heart being presented to the sun on an Aztec pyramid might not reflect reality (beheading was more common), but it is true that the Mexica sun god, Huitzilopochtli, was conceived as a warrior deity demanding sacrifices to keep his war against nocturnal evil gods.

At first, I thought that this sun/war combo was exclusive to the Aztec. After all, the Mexica were relatively late newcomers to Mesoamerica, so their patron god would have stand out as unique. Yet, the more I searched this rabbit hole, the more the idea of a pan-Mesoamerican war/sun deity began to form:

Tonatiuh, the sun god of the Mixtecs, was a warrior deity associated with eagles (Catillo 2008), much like the replacing Huitzilopochtli.

Curicaueri, the Tarascan/Purepecha sun god, was similarly a warrior god associated with eagles.(Torres 2005)

Copijcha, the Zapotec sun god, was also a warrior deity. This in particular is noticeable given the seniority of the Zapotecs compared to these other cultures, and how their domain is located to the south of them.

Just about the only exception to this seems to be the Mayan sun god, K’inich Ahau, which was more of a healing deity. So rather than an Aztec invention, the sun/war god seems to have a deep history in Mesoamerica. Thus Huitzilopochtli’s attributes match those of a long established tradition, which makes one wonder if he changed once the Mexica became established as an empire, or if this aspect was once more widespread across the Americas and we simply haven’t detected it well enough.

Food for thought.

References

Diaz del Castillo, Bernal (2008). Carrasco, David (ed.). The History of the Conquest of New Spain. Mexico: University of New Mexico Press. p. 469. ISBN 978-0826342874.

González Torres, Yólotl (2005). Diccionario de mitología y religión de Mesoamérica (1. Aufl., 11. reimpr ed.). Madrid: Larousse. pp. 54–55. ISBN 978-970-607-802-5.

[emmanuelvaltierraillustrator]

Susanoo vs kurama #naruto #sasuke #susanoo #kyubbi #kurama #rasengan #anime #manga #codex #codice #aztec #azteca #mexico #mayan #maya #dragonball #onepiece #tenochtitlan #teotihuacan #huitzilopochtli #quetzalcoatl (at San Antonio, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/CkRwj3DDMbZ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[hasquetzorkukudoneanythingwrong]

Codex Chaldeas: Please wake up!

During the events of the third lostbelt, things had not gone well. The group of Chaldea had to finish this lostbelt since the other masters and Goredolf had unfortunately been poisoned by Vitch.

But then towards the climax of the journey through the third lostbelt, Rex had been near-fatally wounded by Yu Mei Ren. While the team were thankfully able to stabilize the wound to get him back to Novum Chaldea, once Nightingale and others were working to heal him, things still weren't looking good.

The head nurse let out a sigh once she had completed the operation. "That is all we can do now... now we just need to let Master's body do the rest" Nightingale said while putting all the instruments away. It wasn't long after the third lostbelt, in fact there were still many servants who hadn't been resummoned yet. Nightingale had been quickly resummoned thanks to the grave situation of the injury Rex sustained.

"W-will he make it?" Asked Quetzalcoatl, with her voice very shaky and nervous. People weren't used to seeing the Solar Goddess in such a state. She was always so cheerful and lighthearted aside from those few instances where she was filled with pure malice and anger. But this.... this was desperation, fear even. She had never loved someone quite like Rex before and the idea of losing him was far too much for her.

"I.... I cannot say for certain, Quetzalcoatl" the nurse answered, "this can honestly go either way. There is a chance he'll pull through but I cannot guarantee anything at this point.

That was not the answer Quetz was hoping to hear. But it wasn't what she was dreading either. There was a chance, no guarantee but it was something. All she could really do was wait and hope he'd pull through. "C-can I stay with him?" She questioned the Nurse.

Nightingale was originally going to answer no, but then she thought things through. She's clearly going through a lot of emotional turmoil right now. And telling her to go back to her room, a room she normally shared with Master but would now be devoid of him... and the lingering thought of him not making it.... this was going through her thoughts before she answered "yes, you may stay with master. Stay as long as you like"

"G-gracias! I'll be staying with him until he pulls through" Quetz answered, relieved she could stay with her beloved while she waited.

The Nurse walked away to let the couple be. Though it wasn't long until she ran into some of the others. Namely the other masters of Vy and Quin, both of which looked to also be very worried for their friend.

"I-is Rex going to be ok?" Vy asked

"Y-yeah! Is b-big b-bro going to b-be fine?" Quin also asked.

The Nurse let out another sigh before answering the other masters. "I cannot guarantee anything at this moment. I've done all that can be done, all that's left is to wait and hope he'll pull through. I'm sorry I cannot give you a more hopeful answer then that but that's the reality of the situation." She told them straightforward.

The two other masters weren't very optimistic from hearing such an answer. His chances weren't utterly hopeless but they weren't much better.

Then in came the smaller Da Vinci, who seemed to come in the right time to say what needed to be said. "Now now girls. I understand how you feel now that Rex is in this... unfortunate situation. But do not lose hope! In fact, I say you two should operate under the assumption he'll pull through! So for now, you two need to prepare for the next lostbelt. Work hard but not too hard!" She was telling the two while pushing them, gently down the hall. "Now off you two go! For the sake of humanity, remember!"

"A-alright Da Vinci" Quin answered back

"A-aye..." Vy also said back to Da Vinci, before the two left.

Over the next few days, the other masters and staff worked to get Novum Chaldea to how Chaldea was before the lostbelts and clock tower visit. Including summoning all the servants who were unsummoned. Of course all of Vy and Quin's closest were overjoyed to see them again, but then when some of Rex's closest servants heard what had happened.

"What do you mean he's been stabbed!?!?!?" Martha yelled out in shock as to the news of her master's condition.

Many other servants were in a panic or rage when hearing this.

"Who did it?!" Scathach yelled out

"Is he ok?!" Ishtar worried

"I'll tear the perpetrator apart!" Roared Gorgon!

"L-listen all of you! Please calm down. He's in stable condition, we're just.... we're waiting to see if he pulls through or not" the smaller Da Vinci told the large group of servants.

"What?!" Panicked Boudica.

"You're not even sure if he'll make it?!" Bellowed Penthesilea.

"Where's Quetzalcoatl?! How's she handling this?!" Tlazolteotl questioned the tiny genius.

"She's with him now. She's..... been with him the entire time" she answered to the other goddess. "For now, we're working under the assumption that he'll pull through just fine. Of course there's no guarantee unfortunately, but it's a better mindset to have" She then told the group

No one was satisfied with the answer. Da Vinci could feel how tense the atmosphere was ever so easily.

"Look, I don't exactly like the situation either" Da Vinci finally said "but there's really not much else that can be done! We just have to wait and hope.... it's all we can do" She told the group, solemnly.

Everyone could at least agree with that, despite how not so hopeful it was. They all separated and went to work, preparing for the rest of the lostbelts. Humanity still needed to he saved, they just hoped Rex could still be around to see it.

Quetzalcoatl stayed in the same infirmary room the whole time waiting for Rex to recover. She refused to go anywhere until he got back up.

"Quetzal?" Was heard from the entrance of the door.

When Quetz looked up she saw Xochiquetzal, looking on worried.

"O-oh! Hola Xochi!" The Solar goddess answered.

"Is everything ok?" The flower goddess asked. "How have you been?"

Then Quetz answered, with at least a small amount of cheer "s-si... I'm just waiting until Mi amor wakes up is all" She told her. Whilst the machine that recorded his pulse kept beeping, telling you he was alive but it wasn't certain if he'd stay that way.

Xochi couldn't say much at first.... she didn't do well with death. But she still managed to say "I'm sorry to hear what happened to master"

"S-si....." Quetz responded solemnly "I-its painful.... seeing mi amor like this. B-but I'm still holding out hope he'll make it.... he has to" She elaborated to her fellow goddess. You could see the fear in her eyes plain as day, she needed him to be fine.

"I-I'm sure he will!" Xochi said, trying to stay hopeful and to cheer Quetz up somewhat. "The world would not be so cruel as to take your first love away from you" She continued on.

"S-si, gracias Xochi. That means a lot" Quetz answered back to her. "U-um... have you seen mi hermana, Xolotl? Normally she'd be helpful to see in these.... harsh times." She Questioned the other goddess.

Then Xochi answered back "n-no... I haven't seen her at all... it's weird honestly. Dunno why she hasn't shown up yet."

Quetz then looked back to her master, holding his hand tightly but not too tight. "Th-that's fine.... I'm sure she'll be here soon enough" she told Xochi.

But Xolotl was being a very busy goddess. Most of the other servants couldn't do much else to help, but in her unique role as a psychopomp she could! She traversed in her canine form, to where the souls of the departed traveled to their destinations in the afterlifewith one goal: see if Rex's soul was here and if it was, take it back to where it belongs. This was why she hadn't answered the summons yet, she had to make sure he made it through!

Then she saw it! Rex's soul was there alright! And now it was time she took it back to his body! She took it in her mouth, as gently as a Golden Retriever would an egg.

"Hola master's soul! Ready to go back to mi hermana!?" She said to the soul she held.

But then before she left she heard a familiar voice question her.

"What is it that you're doing, hermana?" The voice said out.

When Xolotl turned to see who said it, she saw her brother, Huitzilopochtli, God of War.

"Oh.... Hola hermano. I'm just taking master back to where he belongs. Now if you'll excuse me!" She said, clearly in a rush with no time to spare him.

But he wasn't done yet "Hermana! You know you cannot mess with the natural order of things!" He told her, to try to stop her.

"Do not lie to me!" She responded back " We are gods! Mess with the natural order all the time!" She had told him, with clear signs she wasn't going to be stopped!

"And what if your lord, Mictecacihuatl were to hear of this?" He questioned his sister, knowing she served under the underworld king.

But then she responded back "Xibalba is not his destination! He has no say in this matter, and you cannot stop me from bringing him back!" She told him, before turning around and saying one last thing "if you loved Quetzal like the hermano you're supposed to be, you wouldn't question my actions!"

He attempted to defend his actions but she was already gone before he had the time. He let out a sigh before saying "I do care about her.... but we should only be messing with these forces for so much...."

Then back in the infirmary... Rex's eyes finally opened.

Quetzalcoatl had fallen asleep while waiting for him to awaken, still sitting on the chair to the side of his bed. Refusing to leave his side until she knew he'd be OK. "M-mi.... corazon?" He finally managed to say, voice still weak from his injuries.

Quetzalcoatl had awoken from hearing this, tho she wasn't aware it was him until she opened her eyes and saw Rex holding her hand back and looking towards her.

"MI AMOR!!!!! YOU'RE FINALLY AWAKE!!!!" The goddess yelled out with an endless amount of pure joy and happiness at finally seeing her beloved pull through!

She had hugged Rex so tight immediately after, thankful to see he was ok, while tears of joy flowed down her face.

"I-I'm so happy y-you're ok, Mi amor!" She managed to let out as she embraced him. "I-I was s-so worried th-that maybe you wouldn't m-make it! But now you're here! You're fine and we can be happy together again!" She told Rex while the tears continued to flow.

"Cuidado mi corazon... I'm still a bit roughed up from before" he warned her, as to not be harmed much more.

"I-I'm sorry mi amor. I'm just so happy to see you're ok! I-I just cannot contain myself!" She said before immediately grabbing his face and giving him the first kiss in what felt to her like ages!

Rex then embraced her back while putting his all into kissing her too, happy to finally be able to do this again with his beloved Goddess!

A/N: ok then! There's the story of how things went for Rex immediately after the 3rd lostbelt. I've been thinking on this story for a while so it's nice to finally let it out!

Featuring cameos from Quin of @hasbbdoneanythingwrong and Vy from @writer-and-artist27 not too big of rolls but still

Also tags for other folks!

@hizentadahiro @professorcharisma @chaldeamage-neo @witch-of-chaldea @havetheavengersdoneanythingwrong @haskamadoneanythingwrong @hasspartacusdoneanythingwrong @akampana @renmeo

[toastedclownery]

Agness as Xolotl

Xolotl is the god of the evening star, monsters, deformities, twins, and is considered the dark twin of Quetzalcoatl. 

I guessed Xolotl for Agness through her tracker, the elements in the environment of ep2, and her character design.

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Xolotl is usually depicted with a humanoid figure and the head of a dog, particularly the xoloitzcuintli, the Mexican Hairless Dog. 

These dogs were believed to be guides in the afterlife, and they’d help the dead get through one of the first stages of the journey through Mictlan, the Aztec underworld. Xolotl’s job is to guide the Sun through Mictlan every night. He also guided his brother Quetzalcoatl in the creation myth when the latter had to retrieve the bones of the previous generations of humans.

Agness gives Shrike a device to point him and Beebs to the Lythops’ location in ep2. The tracker is continuously barking, and it whines like a dog when Punti cuts it in half. It guides Shrike, as Huitzilopochtli, the Sun, through a dark cave, which in this episode represents the underworld.

There is this brief shot with Shrike and Beebs leaving the cave, panning up to the night sky. 

And when it transitions them going back to Agness, we see sunlight again. Precisely in the evening, which is associated with Xolotl as the evening star. It felt worth mentioning.

—

Agness also has some similarities to another part of the creation myth. In the Florentine Codex right after Nanahuatzin and Tecciztecatl jump into the fire, we get another story with Xolotl, how he tried to escape the god Ehecatl from sacrificing him. This is copy-pasted from the English translation here (note that “the wind” is referring to Ehecatl)

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“After both the sun and the moon had risen over the Earth, they remained still; they would not move from their places. 

And once again the gods talked among themselves and said, “How can we live? The sun is not moving. Are we going to live among the common people? Let us all die and make it return to life through our death.” 

And then the wind took charge of killing all the gods; and it killed them. And it is said that one of them, called Xolotl, refused to die and told the gods, “Oh, gods, may I not die!” And he wept so much that his eyes became swollen from so much crying. And when the one who was to kill him approached him, he took off running. 

He hid in the maize fields; and he turned around and turned into the root of the maize stalk that has two stems, which the farmers call “xolotl”. And he was seen and discovered among the roots of the maize stalks. 

Once again, he took off running, hid himself among the maguey plants, and turned into the maguey plant that has two bodies, called “mexolotl”. 

Once again, he was discovered, took off running, and got in the water; and he became the fish called “axolotl”. And it was there that they caught him and killed him”

—

As we can see from the myth above, Xolotl transforms into various things to hide from Ehecatl. One of them is a double maguey plant. The twin agave (or maguey) plant looks really similar to the floating specks in the planet of ep2.

He also shapeshifts into an axolotl, and Agness’ lure head has these appendages that resemble simplified axolotl gills!

—

Since Xolotl is known for shapeshifting, Agness could also have disguises as one of her recurring themes, being an anglerfish, and being able to use her lure as a second face. She even disguised herself as a L.A.W. scientist. Being an anglerfish could also play into Xolotl being the god of monsters!

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