The Demonic Paradise Wiki
Register
Advertisement

You have graciously come on earth, you have graciously approached your water, your high place of Mexico, you have come down to your mat, your throne, which I have briefly kept for you, I who used to keep it for you. You have graciously arrived, you have known pain, you have known weariness, now come on earth, take your rest, enter into your palace, rest your limbs; may our lords come on earth.
~ Quetzalcoatl.
Quetzalcoatl is a primal idea of the duality of human nature. The serpent is the embodiment of Heaven and Earth. It scares people in many ways.
~ Robert Graham about the Quetzalcoatl.

Quetzalcoatl is one of the most important gods in ancient Aztec Mesoamerica. This deity, known as the Plumed Serpent or Winged Serpent, is a Dragon King that rules over the sky in Aztec mythology and is the creator of the fifth humanity.

Description[]

He is a mix of bird and rattle snake and his name is a combination of the Nahuatl words for the quetzal, the emerald plumed bird, and coatl or serpent. He was regarded as the god of winds and rain and as the creator of the world and mankind.

In Central Mexico from 1200 CE he was also considered the patron god of priests and merchants and considered the god of learning, science, agriculture, crafts and the arts. He also invented the calendar, was identified with Venus, the rising morning star, he was associated with opossums and even discovered corn (maize) with the help of giant red ant that led him to a mountain packed full of grain and seeds.

Among the Aztecs, whose beliefs are the best-documented in the historical sources, Quetzalcoatl was related to gods of the wind, of Venus, of the dawn, of merchants and of arts, crafts and knowledge. He was also the patron god of the Aztec priesthood, of learning and knowledge.

History[]

Background[]

Quetzalcoatl was the son of the primordial androgynous god Ometeotl and was the brother of Tezcatlipoca, Huitzilopochtli and Xipe Totec. He is the 9th of the 13 Lords of the Day and is often associated with the rain god Tlāloc. Quetzalcoatl was offered to become part of the chief members of the Council of Godheads but he declined.

Five Suns[]

Quetzalcoatl is also one of the creators of the cosmos along with either his brother Tezcatlipoca or Huitzilopochtli and is one of the four sons of Tonacateuctli and Tonacacihuatl, the original creator gods. After waiting for 600 years this aged couple instructed Quetzalcoatl to create the world. In some versions of the myth Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca repeatedly fight each other and as a consequence the four ages are created and destroyed with each successive battle between the two gods.

In an alternative version of creation Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca are more cooperative and together they create the sun, the first man and woman, fire and the rain gods. The pair of gods had created the earth and the sky when they transformed themselves into huge snakes and ripped in two the female reptilian monster known as Tlaltcuhtli (or Cipactli), one part becoming the earth and the other the sky. Trees, plants and flowers sprang from the dead creature’s hair and skin whilst springs and caves were made from her eyes and nose and the valleys and mountains came from her mouth.

Chimalpopoca[]

In the Codex Chimalpopoca, it is said Quetzalcoatl was coerced by Tezcatlipoca into becoming drunk on pulque, cavorting with his older sister, Quetzalpetlatl, a celibate priestess, and neglecting their religious duties. The next morning, Quetzalcoatl, feeling shame and regret, had his servants build him a stone chest, adorn him in turquoise, and then, laying in the chest, set himself on fire. His ashes rose into the sky and then his heart followed, becoming the morning star.

Gallery[]

Advertisement