MICTLANTECUHTLI
Mictlantecuhtli :Lord of Death
According to Aztec cosmology, there are thirteen celestial levels and nine Underworld levels. Souls of the dead must pass through each lower level until reaching the very last, Mictlan, during an arduous journey that takes years to accomplish.
Mictlantecuhtli is Lord of Mictlan, the Aztec realm of death. His wife and partner is Mictlancihuatl. Those who die uneventful deaths enter his realm. At the beginning of this world, Quetzalcoatl went to Mictlan to gather old bones in order to create a new race of people. When Mictlantecuhtli wouldn’t give them to him, Quetzalcoatl stole them.
In Javier Hernandez’s comic book El Muerto: The Aztec Zombie, Mictlantecuhtli seeks the return of traditional Aztec religion.
ALSO KNOWN AS:
Tzontemoc
ORIGIN:
Mexico
MANIFESTATION:
Mictlantecuhtli, a bloodstained skeleton, wears paper clothing, owl feathers, and a collar made of eyeballs. (Paper clothing was a traditional offering to the dead.)
ATTRIBUTE:
Skull
DIRECTION:
North or south
TIME:
The eleventh hour
ANIMALS:
Dog, bat, spider
BIRD:
Owl
OFFERINGS:
Once upon a time, the Aztecs buried loved ones with valuable gifts to be presented to Mictlantecuhtli upon arrival in Mictlan.
SEE ALSO:
- Mictlancihuatl
- Quetzalcoatl
- Xolotl
- Aztec Mythology
- Meso American Mythology
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.