Mictlantecuhtli god

Mictlantecuhtli was 6 feet tall, and was depicted mictlantecuhtli god a blood-spattered skeleton or a person wearing a toothy skull. Although his head was typically a skull, his eye sockets did contain eyeballs. His headdress was shown decorated with owl feathers and paper banners, mictlantecuhtli god, and he wore a necklace of human eyeballs, while his earspools were made from human bones.

Mictlantecuhtli is the god of death in ancient Aztec religion and was also one of the rulers of the Aztec underworld, Mictlan. The interaction between life and death in Aztec religion is circular. Death is a necessity since it prepares you for a new life. As the Aztec god of death, Mictlantecuhtli also played a key role in the creation of life. Aztec god of death Mictlantecuhtli is a fascinating god in an already fascinating set of underworld gods. Mictlan is the place over which he ruled, which is the name for the Aztec underworld. His residence consisted of nine layers.

Mictlantecuhtli god

He is one of the principal gods of the Aztecs and is the most prominent of several gods and goddesses of death and the underworld. The worship of Mictlantecuhtli sometimes involved ritual cannibalism , with human flesh being consumed in and around the temple. Two life-size clay statues of Mictlantecuhtli were found marking the entrances to the House of Eagles to the north of the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan. Mictlantecuhtli was considered 6 feet 1. He was not the only Aztec god to be depicted in this fashion, as numerous other deities had skulls for heads or else wore clothing or decorations that incorporated bones and skulls. In the Aztec world, skeletal imagery was a symbol of fertility, health and abundance, alluding to the close symbolic links between life and death. His wife was Mictecacihuatl , [5] and together they were said to dwell in a windowless house in Mictlan. Mictlantecuhtli was associated with spiders , [7] owls , [7] bats , [7] the 11th hour, and the northern compass direction, known as Mictlampa, the region of death. Mictlantecuhtli and his wife were the opposites and complements of Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl , the givers of life. Mictlantecuhtli was the god of the day sign Itzcuintli dog , [5] one of the 20 such signs recognised in the Aztec calendar , and was regarded as supplying the souls of those who were born on that day. He was seen as the source of souls for those born on the sixth day of the day week and was the fifth of the nine Night Gods of the Aztecs.

Subscribe to our newsletter. In this image from the Codex Borgia, she wears a necklace made of eyes. Accessed March 15, 2.

After all, mythology is storytelling at its finest. Mictlantecuhtli was the Aztec god of death who ruled over Mictlan , the land of the dead. Like Hades , the Greek underworld, Mictlan was where most people would spend their afterlife, regardless of moral standing. Mictlantecutli left stands next to Quetzalcoatl in this page from the Codex Borgia. Together, the two deities represent the binary of life and death. Mictlantecuhtli was most commonly depicted as a skeletal figure, though reliefs have also been found depicting him as a skull with eyes. In the Aztec universe, each of the cardinal directions was associated with one of the godly realms.

As a god of death , Mictlantecuhtli ruled over the Aztec version of Hell and was typically portrayed either with a skull for a head or as an entire skeleton. Mictlantecuhtli played a significant role in Aztec myths, most notably their creation stories. This article outlines the main myths about Mictlantecuhtli below, and his symbolism and relevance today. In most of his depictions or visual representations, he is shown as a bloodied skeleton or a man with a skull for a head. However, he is also always covered with royal garments such as a crown, sandals, and others. That is meant to show his high status as not just a deity but as a lord. Mictlantecuhtli is also associated with spiders, bats, and owls, as well as the 11 th hour of the day. Mictlantecuhtli was perfectly content sitting in his kingdom and waiting for people to die on their own. Instead, the Aztecs differentiated between three types of death which determined who goes where in the afterlife:. Essentially, Mictlan is the worst option for an Aztec to end up in.

Mictlantecuhtli god

After all, mythology is storytelling at its finest. Mictlantecuhtli was the Aztec god of death who ruled over Mictlan , the land of the dead. Like Hades , the Greek underworld, Mictlan was where most people would spend their afterlife, regardless of moral standing.

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Norse Mythology Guide. Japanese Mythology Guide. Quetzalcoatl combined the two to create a new civilization. Mictlantecuhtli was the god of the day sign Itzcuintli dog , [5] one of the 20 such signs recognised in the Aztec calendar , and was regarded as supplying the souls of those who were born on that day. Aztec god of death Mictlantecuhtli is a fascinating god in an already fascinating set of underworld gods. After the dawn of the Fifth Age , the world was without people. It is rare for a mortal to travel to my humble abode without first dying. The Aztec calendar consists of 18 months, each of 20 days, with an extra five days in the end, which are deemed the most unlucky of all. Although it did work, Quetzalcoatl managed to escape with the bones. Ruling over the realm where almost every single person goes after their death can be quite stressful. Wharton; Jan Marie Olson Mythopedia Guides. He then calls the bees to enter the shell and to make it sound out like a trumpet.

Aztec religion was a polytheistic set of beliefs where many gods were worshipped.

Bray ed. As god of death and ruler of Mictlan, Mictlantecuhtli was the boss of one of the three realms that are distinguished in Aztec mythology. The gods in the Aztec pantheon are perhaps closer to designers of societies than judges of individuals. Aztec god of death Mictlantecuhtli is a fascinating god in an already fascinating set of underworld gods. It was out of sheer hopelessness because the four creator gods were the only ones left after the collapse of the earth and heavens. What is Mictlantecuhtli the God Of? Quetzalcoatl was allowed to collect the shattered bones of any human being, but he could just wander around for four rounds maximum. The Aztecs used this myth to explain why people often varied in height. It was simply and most probably the most important temple of the Aztec empire. Don't have an account?