Camazotz
Camazotz: Snatch Bat; Death Bat
Long before Dracula, there was Camazotz, spirit of death in the form of a bat. Camazotz is the servant of the Lord of Death. He leads the nightly arrival of twilight, the time when bats emerge from their caves.
Camazotz first appears on the stage of history among the Zapotec of Oaxaca, Mexico, but was incorporated into the pantheon of the Quiché Maya of Guatemala. In the Mayan sacred text, the Popul Vuh, Camazotz decapitates the hero, Hunahpu.
His name literally translates as “snatch bat,” and archaeologists suggest that Camazotz is a sacred vampire. He is identified with various species, including the common vampire (Desmodus rotundus) or the false vampire (Vampyrum spectrum), the largest Western Hemisphere bat. Some now connect Camazotz with recent fossils of a giant vampire bat (Desmodus draculae) or the chupacabra.
ALSO KNOWN AS:
Zotz
ORIGIN:
Maya
FAVOURED PEOPLE:
Bat and vampire lovers
MANIFESTATIONS:
Camazotz may have a bat’s head on a human male body, or he may manifest as a really big bat. Because his nose is described as being like a flint knife, there is some speculation that he is a leaf-nosed bat, as for example, the false vampire (Vampyrum spectrum).
SEE ALSO:
SOURCE:
Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses– Written by Judika Illes Copyright © 2009 by Judika Illes.
