#mictlantecutli

[oldschoolfrp]

Mictlantecuhtli, Greater God of Death, usually appears in the form of a lich who can summon and control large numbers of undead.  He can be summoned only by a ritual that requires the sacrifice of 50 of his own followers.  (Jeff Dee, from the Central American Mythos in AD&D Deities & Demigods, TSR, 1980)

[ximenitaramoseblogs]

[02kt]

[captainicequeen555]

INKTOBER 2022

Potions

Day 22. Magic tree leaves

So i picked bay leaf

Gods

Day 22. Mictlantecutli

The name means: king of the land of the dead. Very original, guess no one wanted to give a name to the poor guy...

[ivanutrera]

mictlantecutli

[leaslichoma]

I've been fascinated with the Aztec god Xolotl recently.

Xolotl (pronunced Sho-lo-t followed by an L like sound that doesn't exist in the English language) was a Mesoamerican god associated with many things, including fire, lightning, disease, deformity, twins, the Mesoamerican ball game, death, dogs, the planet Venus as the evening star, twilight, shapeshifting, and monsters. Xolotl was the twin and sometimes companion of his more famous brother Quetzalcoatl. Xolotl was thought to guide the dead in their journey through the underworld, and to guide the sun through the underworld each night. Xolotl is usually depicted as either a dog anthro, a man with a dog head, or a dwarf skeletal jester. Xolotl is usually depicted missing eyes. Xolotl seems to have been feared by the Aztecs and especially hated by the Spanish, but I have a more favorable view.

Some of the most prominent myths about Xolotl involve the story of the fifth sun, or how the current world was made from the previous, destroyed one.

The first myth involves the recreation of humanity. The tales differ as to whether Quetzalcoatl was responsible, Xolotl was responsible, or if it was a collaborative effort. The humans of the fourth world were destroyed, and humanity had to be brought back. To this end Xolotl and/or Quetzalcoatl traveled to the Aztec underworld, Mictlan and met with its king, Mictlantecutli. The god(s) asked to gather the bones of the previous humans so they could be created anew. Mictlantecutli. Mictlantecutli gives them tests but later decides against letting them gather the bones. Xolotl and/or Quetzalcoatl fall into pit, breaking the bones in the process which is why people have different heights. The bones are later resurrected. The versions of this tale differ as to which god went to Mictlan and whether they did tests for Mictlantecutli or simply stole the bones.

In the second myth, the gods are sacrificing themselves in a fire to create a fifth sun for humanity because the previous one went out. They choose Nanahuatzin, a poor and humble god with syphilis and some relation to Xolotl to become the moon; and Tecciztecatl to become the sun because he is wealthy and strong. However, Tecciztecatl is unable to throw himself in the fire when the time comes, so Nanahuatzin becomes the sun instead. Tecciztecatl is sacrificed after and becomes the moon (and also the man on the moon), but has a rabbit thrown at his face which is one explanation for the rabbit people sometimes see.

Later, Xolotl is the last to be sacrificed to the new sun. In some versions this is because he was the executioner for the previous gods. However, in some tales he refuses to sacrifice himself. Xolotl begs and cries until his eyes literally fall out but this does nothing. Xolotl transforms to escape Ehecatl who has been executing other gods to make the sun move. Xolotl at first transforms into a corn plant with two stalks, then an Agave americana, and finally an Axolotl amphibian. But he was still caught in the end.

What I find most interesting about Xolotl is his relation to disability. Since deformities are among Xolotl's best known domains, he could be considered a god of disabilities as well. Xolotl is also a god of monsters, and it's worth mentioning that the Nahua word "Xolo" which his name is derived from and means monster, is used for both mythological monsters and those with physical abnormalities, much like the Latin word "Monstrum". (I think in literature analysis the themes of monsters as outcasts could be explored more) In many, perhaps even most historical (and unfortunately even modern) societies the attitude towards those with disabilities has been very negative. In the Aztec world twins were considered unnatural, and sometimes one of them would be murdered shortly after birth. Wikipedia mentions an speculation by Eduard Seler that resonates with me: that Xolotl represents the murdered twin who dwells in the underworld while Quetzalcoatl is the living one who is cherished in the world of light.

Another connection with Xolotl and disability is that he was sometimes depicted as a jester with dwarfism. It's relevant the jesters around the world were often disabled. European court jesters were known for having the freedom to criticize and mock royalty, and were sometimes selected from the intellectually disabled because they could not be held responsible for what they said. Additionally, the Spanish during the colonization of the Aztecs sent some Aztec jesters to Spain, who were described as humpbacks.

This is what I find most interesting about Xolotl, that he is a reflection or shadow of society. Historically Xolotl was often considered a sinister god, but when society is itself sinister who is to be believed? My view of Xolotl is more favorable. The god of the disabled is feared because the disabled are hated. Xolotl is the outcast, who is hated and feared yet has done no wrong. Xolotl is the murdered twin, who looks upon the world of light and life, from a place of darkness, the world he was not given, never had the right to enjoy. He is the god who is looked upon with disgust due to his role in hardship, yet is the only one who stays with you through that hardship the entire time. Xolotl is the disabled child, who is called a child of shame and hidden away in some institution to be forgotten by their more privileged relatives. Xolotl is viewed with contempt, but his domains are just as necessary to the universe's function as any of the more handsome gods. The janitor, who is viewed with contempt and disgust yet whose works are vital for society.

The "evil twin" Xolotl, misunderstood twin and hound of Quetzalcoatl who lives in the world's shadow, watching the world of life and guarding the light of the sun through the underworld.

[supernovaae]

List of all 80 Espers still in the running for Hottest Esper (05/01/24 | Alphabetized)

Abigail (Frigga)

Adrina (Chantico)

Ahmed (Geb)

Alice (Gullveig)

Anna (Persphone)

Archibald (Mictlantecutli)

Asenath (Nefertem)

Ashley (Heimdall)

Brewster (Garmr)

Camille (Hati)

Catherine (Hela)

Cecilia (Isis)

Chloe (Medea)

Chu Yao (Tai Yi)

Clara (Hera)

Drew (Anubis)

Eira (Freya)

Elaine (Nyx)

Embla (Ymir)

Ethan (Pan)

Everett (Tyr)

Farrah | Aminah (Tiamat | Abzu)

Fatum Sisters (Nornir)

Feng Nuxi (Nuwa)

Feng Xun (Fu Xi)

Fu Shi (Suan Ni)

Fumitsuki (Kaguya-hime)

Gabrielle (Njord)

Gaius (Zeus)

Ginny (Hestia)

Hailey (Hephaestus)

Heng Yue (Chang’e)

Hilda (Hypnos)

Hyde (Hades)

Ife (Meretseger)

Ikki (Tsukuyomi)

Intisar (Kauket)

Javid (Shamash)

Jiang Jiuli (Chiyou)

Jiang Man (Meng Po)

Jin Qiu (Ru SHou)

Jin Yuyao (Queen Mother)

Leora (Athena)

Li Guang (Vermilion Bird)

Li Ling (Nezha)

Liam (Xolotl)

Lian (Jiao Tu)

Lin Xiao (White Tiger)

Long Mian (Ao Bing)

Lucas (Apollo)

Mateo (Prometheus)

Mavis (Mictecacihuatl)

Nicole (Nephthys)

Norah (The Muses)

Ollie (Osiris)

Ophelia (Thanatos)

Parmi (Ninsun)

Raven (Odin)

Sachiko (Hare of Inaba)

Sally (Sif)

Sander (Set)

Sienna (Gaia)

Su Jue (Daji)

Tang Xuan (Sun Wukong)

Tevor (Sphinx)

Tiye (Nut)

Toland (Tezcatlipoca)

Triki (Loki)

Uday (Sopdet)

Unas (Shu)

Valeria (Quetzalcoatl)

Wu You (Dijiang)

Xiao Yin (Azure Dragon)

Xuan Pin (Jiutian Xuannu)

Yamato (Izanagi)

Yu Ran (Bai Ze)

Yu Xu (Jing Wei)

Yun Chuan (Yang Jian)

Yuuhime (Izanami)

Zora (Amunet)

[thewapolls]

[occasionaltouhou]

I hate how many touhou youkai eat human flesh and drink their blood. My flesh belongs to Mictlantecutli, you disgusting thieves. If Huitzolopochtli does not get his hearts and blood the sun will go out, and all will perish.

i mean. they don't have to eat your flesh. just tell them this and i'm sure they'll be considerate and let you go get your heart ripped out or whatever

[onlyhurtforaminute]

CH'AHOM-THE BREATH OF MICTLANTECUTLI

[aspelladay]

Death Spells

Death Spirits or Spirits of Death sound so threatening compared to a Healing Spirit or a Spirit of Love. This isn’t mere modern squeamishness but an attitude shared with the ancients. Death Spirits, although they play a necessary function, made our ancestors nervous, too. Death Spirits tend to fall into one of two categories:

Spirits who are involved in the dying process or who serve to ease the transition to the next life

Spirits who are guardians of the dead, who preside over the realms of the dead, or who rule cemeteries and cremation grounds

Many Spirit Guardians of Death’s Doors remain unnamed. As with Disease Spirits, there’s some reluctance to name many of them, just in case they actually come when called, thus epithets and euphemisms are frequently substituted. Often, a Death Spirit’s true name remains secret. Hades literally means “the unseen one.” Should that name become too familiar, other euphemisms may be substituted: Polydegmon means “the hospitable one” because, after all, everyone is welcome in his realm. Pluton means “wealth,” because ultimately he owns everyone and everything.

Despite the fear they instill, these spirits can be very needed, helpful, and welcome—at the right moment, of course. Their assistance is incorporated into many spells for a variety of reasons and purposes.

Guardians of the next world and of the cemetery gates include:

Baron Samedi, leader of the Vodoun Ghede spirits, and his consort, La Grande Brigitte

Dongyue Dadi, Lord of Tai Shan (China)

Erishkigal/Lamashtu (Mesopotamia)

Hades, Persephone (Greece)

Hella (Norse)

Kali, Shiva, Yama (Hindu)

Mictlantecutli and Mictecacuiuatl (Aztec Lord and Lady of the Dead)

Osiris (Egypt)

Oya (Yoruba)

Yambe Akka (Saami)

Appeal to these guardian spirits to protect the souls of the dead, and also to maintain control over the souls of the dead, keeping them in line, so to speak. Petition them also for access to the spirits of the dead, should this be desired.

(from The Element Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells by Judika Illes)

[02kt]

[linomexitl]

Saben hace muchísimo tiempo no tomaba una caja de colores y me dejaba ir... Fue bonito, talvez mi técnica apeste, pero practicare mas y les traeré trabajos mejor elaborados en colores, esta se editó en paint solo para darle los brillitos :3

Esta ilustración servirá de referencia ya que será el final de México y sus problemas con los soviéticos, ya que en México se tiene cierto concepto a la muerte, y se ha visto con nuestro festejo de día de muertos, eso hace a México (aún estamos en busca de nombre) alguien que ama a la muerte.

Pará quien no sepa quién es les dejo información, sobre la cultura de los dioses aztecas, si les gusta esto podemos seguir con pequeñas ilustraciones o mini cómics.

Mictecacihuatl, es un concepto parecido a la diosa Hell, ya que ella se adueñaba de los espíritus de personas que morían en determinadas circunstancias. Los que quedaban excluidos del Mictlan eran los guerreros, los que morían en sacrificio, las mujeres que morían en el parto y los que morían ahogados, el resto eran para Mictehuacihuatl. Bernardino de Sahagun afirma en sus escritos que gente de la nobleza era también recibida en su reino.

Algo que hay que apuntar es que ella no reinaba sola, tenia a su esposo Mictecacihuatl, ambos eran los dueños del inframundo,es frecuente encontrar parejas de dioses que reinan juntos, que nos hace recordar el principio dual en todas las cosas.

México miró a la diosa, ella recogía a sus soldados que morían a manos de los españoles y sus propios hijos.

"Mictecacihuatl, la reina de la muerte, mi amada señora, acojeme en tu seno y dame la paz que busco".

~¿Acaso de veras se vive con raíz en la tierra?

No para siempre en la tierra:

sólo un poco aquí.

Aunque sea de jade se quiebra,

aunque sea de oro se rompe,

aunque sea plumaje de quetzal se desgarra.

No para siempre en la tierra:

sólo un poco aquí°

Nezahualcóyotl - yo le pregunto

[ivanutrera]

mictlantecutli

[epica-fantasia-ilustrada]

Mictlantecuhtli se ha vuelto una de las deidades más representativas de la civilización mexica. Hay varias formas de referirse a este dios azteca, siendo las más comunes «Señor del reino de los muertos», «del más allá» o «de las sombras». Su nombre procede de la palabra Mictlán, que fue la forma que usaron los mexicas para designar a una de las divisiones del inframundo. Para los mayas también había una deidad para la muerte, muy similar a Mictlantecuhtli, pero en este caso se le conocía como Ah Puch.

El reino de los muertos, donde manda Mictlantecuhtli, es la zona a la que se dirigen las ánimas de las personas que han muerto. Este destino final tiene el objetivo de ofrecer reposo de forma permanente. Según los dogmas de los aztecas en esa época, solo podían ingresar a la zona donde gobernaron Mictlantecuhtli y su esposa Mictecacihuatl los que fallecían por causas naturales. A pesar de todo, no era tan sencilla la entrada al inframundo.Los muertos tienen que superar varios obstáculos antes de poder comparecer ante los dioses de las sombras.Según cuenta la mitología, uno de los niveles más difíciles es pasar por zonas donde se encuentran Xochitónales, iguanas o cocodrilos gigantes que viven en zonas pantanosas. También deben pasar por áreas desiertas o sufrir fuertes corrientes de viento, todo con el objetivo de llegar al Mictlán.Cuando los muertos se presentaban ante los dioses de la muerte tenían que dar ofrendas.El viaje hasta llegar a Mictlán dura cuatro días. Luego los espíritus de los difuntos son separados entre las nueve regiones que componen el más allá en la mitología mexica.

Algunos textos aseguran que otra de las formas para referirse al dios Mictlantecuhtli era como Popocatzin. Su pareja es Mictecacihuatl y son considerados como el dúo más poderoso de las zonas del más allá, que se dividen en nueve según la civilización azteca. La representación que se hace de Mictlantecuhtli, así como de su pareja, es con la de un cuerpo esquelético que se asemeja a la forma de los humanos. Cuentan con una gran cantidad de dientes y cabello de color negro.

El cuerpo de esta deidad está compuesto por los huesos de un cuerpo humano. Su rostro es una máscara que tiene la forma de un cráneo y cuenta con una melena de color negro. Lo normal es que Mictlantecuhtli esté en una postura que asemeja la intención de atacar. Además de que poseía garras que lo hacen un ser agresivo.Hay varios animales que se vinculan con esta deidad de la cultura mexica, entre ellos el perro, e l ciempiés, el alacrán, el murciélago, las arañas y los búhos.

El señor del inframundo es mencionado en la leyenda de los primeros humanos, una de las pocas en las que aparece. Quetzalcoatl y su hermano Xolotl descendieron al inframundo para conseguir los huesos de los difuntos que murieron en el diluvio del cuarto Sol. Al enterarse Mictlantecuhtli envió a unas codornices en su persecución y consiguió que Quetzalcoatl perdiera los huesos que al caer al suelo se rompieron en mil pedazos. En ese preciso instante, Cihuacóatl recogió esos restos y los trituró en un mortero de jade, los mezcló con la sangre de Quetzalcóatl y crearon a los primeros humanos del quinto Sol.En cuanto a los animales a los que se le relacionaba era las arañas por poseer muchas de ellas dentro de su cuerpo esquelético. 

Fue una de las creencias que los españoles luego de la conquista trataron de borrar de la cultura mexicana. La intención era que el catolicismo predominará como religión. A pesar de todo, la adoración a Mictlantecuhtli tiene que ver mucho con la celebración que hoy en día se conoce como Día de Muertos en México, que ocurre a principios de noviembre. 

Fuente: Neomexicanismos.org / Lifeder.com