mythosofolivier
Welcome to Mythos of Olivier
[Not a mythological bot]
Your friendly spot for digging into myths from Egypt, Mesopotamia, Slavic lands, and Celtic shores (and any other mythology you love).
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Oh yeah :) It is really a fantastic mythology (except the name of the gods... a bit hard to pronounce 🫠 ). If I am not mistaken, they needed 7 suns to create the one we are in. Can't explain why, but nice concept :) Too bad in Europe there is not much about it
The names aren't so bad once you get down some of the basics of Nahuatl (central dialect). Most names are actually compounded words so can be broken down into syllables. When you see the combination of the letters 'tl' consider it consonant that's pronounced like a slushy 't' with a click.
Honestly I like it more than latin.
I would not say no for a link or a tiny winy course 😀 Because Coatlicue is sort of easy (I would mispronounce her name, sorry) but Huitzilopochtli...
Have you learnt Nahuatl?
Ahh latin... I have never learnt. I am part of that group who went for Ancient Greek 😂
And, It may sound like a stupid question, do you know if the colours that the gods wear have a signification?
I've learned a little bit of Nahuatl. I'm a history nerd from Texas and the Mexicans have pyramids, seemed like a no brainer for me to get interested in Aztecs.
That's absolutely not stupid question, in fact quite the opposite. Mesoamerican culture, architecture, and community planning put(s) a lot of emphasis on geometry and the cardinal directions. Each direction is color coded and gets a patron deity:
Blue Tezcatlipoca South - Tlaloc/Huitzilopochtli
Red Tezcatlipoca East - Xipe Totec/Camaxtli
White or Yellow Tezcatlipoca West - Quetzalcoatl
Black Tezcatlipoca North - Tezcatlipoca (weird I know but he has a bunch of names)
To pronounce Huitzilopochtli just break it down like this: Huit-zil-opoch-tli
It kind of breaks down in this pronunciation
Huit = like "wheat" but say the "wh" fast like "who" stretch out the "e". Kind of combine "wh" and the French "oui"
zil = exactly like it looks. Like "bill" but with a "z". The old Felix the Cat movie had a "Duke of Zill".
opoach = "oh" & "poach" like an egg.
tli = hardest part "tl" is it's own consanent but the "i" in the end is like "ee" in see.
What I find fascinating is that, perhaps, to put it simple: the Aztecs tend to think; worship (if i may say like that) more Tezcatlipoca over for example Quetzalcoatl. I mean, if the cardinal points bear the name "Tezcatlipoca" + sth. And the sacrifices (they are known for that.) which is linked to Tezcatlipoca. To "satisfy" the god.
I have not gone deep, deep into the Aztec mythology unfortunately. I can see.
Maybe I have been bias by other mythology and/or cultural facts. I think we tend to go to the "creator", "light" (mostly). But, Tezcatlipoca also creates through "conflicts", brings "change" ; brutal. But, he is more mysterious, enigmatic, complex.
Sorry just some thoughts
😄
Sorry to confuse you but Tezcatlipoca doesn't mean cardinal direction but each cardinal direction is assigned a Tezcatlipoca or rather each direction has a principal deity associated with it. Tezcatlipoca literally translates to "smoking mirror" which has several metaphorical connotations. Five hundred years ago and more the mirrors could be made from a number of materials, but most abundant and prized was obsidian. The reflection would appear opaque or "smokey" and the world in the mirror was beyond where mortal men could go.
Furthermore the "Teotl", a misnomer since the word is intended to be compounded with other words to denote sacredness, or gods are not static. Think of them more like an assembly of accessories, relics, clothing, body paint, and symbols of office that are then referenced by a name (sometimes that name is a calendar date). Xipe Totec, Mixcoatl, and Camaxtli are all different gods but all the same "guy", they turn into one another just like spring becomes summer. It would be similar to taking the lightning bolt out of Zeus' hand then putting the winged shoes on him to make him Hermes (probably by adorning a statue).
As far as the motivations of worshipping Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca I will give some context of how these deities were/are viewed. Quetzalcoatl isn't the source of light, that is Tonatiuh the Sun which is viewed as a mighty warrior that requires blood to sustain itself. Quetzalcoatl moves Tonatiuh via wind, in fact the most common and popular depiction of Quetzalcoatl is Quetzalcoatl Ehecatl (Precious Feather Wind) which he wears a big red duck mask thing. There was a belief that the world was a woven mats of snakes and when plants start growing it is as verdant as the quetzal feather hence a metaphor for life is quetzal coatl(snake). There was a belief that wind comes from caves which are the mouths of the "snakes". Quetzalcoatl is the invisible force who is the breath of life of the world.
Tezcatlipoca (the black one) on the other hand is the ever present infinity the way that only darkness could be. Tezcatlipoca is the darkness that obscures the predator from the prey, the murderer from the victim, and the thief from the prize. On the other hand it's the same darkness where the refugee hides from the oppressor, the exhausted from the heat, and the chest of treasure from the adventurer. Tezcatlipoca is fate which is good, bad, kind, cruel, and always hidden until Quetzalcoatl blows away what conceals it. Tezcatlipoca is the god of kings and slaves, he gives authority to the state and Tlatoani to place the manacles and gives strength to the slave to break them. Conflict promotes character growth in humans. Even if you don't reciprocate the animosity just by existing you are someone's enemy or potential victim.
I could keep writing pages about this. Unfortunately I'm a failed archeologist and now an unemployed web developer. So I will now devote time to learning Python rather than the flowery history of Mexico.
I hope this encourages you to learn more about Mesoamerica. If you have more questions I can answer them in detail at a slower rate.
I know but. I express myself terribly. Long day at work... I mean Tezcatlipoca is a god. My thoughts, behind, were like: Interesting that they use "Tezcatlipoca". Maybe due to the complexity of the God. I am just thinking out of loud :)
Thank you for sharing 😀
Yep, I would need to go deeper into Mesoamerica mythology, for sure