Quetzalcoatl
Quetzalcoatl ("feathered serpent" or "plumed serpent") is the
Nahuatl name for the Feathered-Serpent deity of ancient
Mesoamerica, one of the main gods of many
Mexican and northern
Central American civilizations and also the name given to some
Toltec rulers, the most famous being
Topiltzin Ce Acatl Quetzalcoatl.
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A prototypical Mesoamerican serpent deity. |
The name
quetzalcoatl literally means "quetzal-bird snake", signifying a
serpent with feathers (
Amphitere) of the
Resplendent Quetzal (which implies something divine or precious) in the Nahuatl language. The meaning of his local name in other Mesoamerican languages is similar. The
Maya of Mexico knew him as Kukulkán; the
Quiché-Maya of
Guatemala, as
Gukumatz.
The Feathered Serpent deity was important in art and religion in most of Mesoamerica for close to 2,000 years, from the
Pre-Classic era until the
Spanish conquest. Civilizations worshipping the Feathered Serpent included the
Olmec,
Mixtec,
Toltec,
Aztec, who adopted it from the people of
Teotihuacan, and the Maya.
The cult of the serpent in Mesoamerica is very old; there are representation of snakes with bird-like characteristics as old as the
Olmec preclassic (1150-500 BC). The snake represents the earth and vegetation, but it was in
Teotihuacan (around 150 BC) where the snake got the precious feathers of the Quetzal, as seen in the Murals of the city. The most elaborate representations come from the old Quetzalcoatl Temple built around 200 BC, which shows a rattlesnake with the long green feathers of the quetzal.
Teotihuacan was dedicated to
Tlaloc, the water god, at the same time Quetzalcoatl, as a snake, was a representation of the fertility of the earth, and it was subordinate to Tlaloc. As the cult evolved, it became independent.
In time Quetzalcoatl was mixed with other gods, and acquired their attributes. Quetzalcoatl is often associated with
Ehecatl, the wind god, and represents the forces of nature, and is also associated with the morning star (
Venus). Quetzalcoatl became a representation of the rain, the celestial water and their associated winds, while Tlaloc would be the god of earthly water, the water in lakes, caverns and rivers, and also of vegetation. Eventually Quetzalcoatl was transformed into one of the gods of the creation (Ipalnemohuani).
The Teotihuacan influence took the god to the Mayas, who adopted him as Kukulkán. The Maya regarded him as a being who would transport the gods.
In
Xochicalco (700-900 AD), the political class began to claim that they ruled in the name of Quetzalcoatl, and representations of the god became more human. They influenced the Toltec, and the Toltec rulers began to use the name of Quetzalcoatl. The Toltec represented Quetzalcoatl as man, with god-like attributes, and these attributes were also associated with their rulers.
The most famous of those rulers was
Topiltzin Ce Acatl Quetzalcoatl. Ce Acatl means "one reed" and is the calendaric name of the ruler (923 - 947), whose legends became almost inseparable from accounts of the god. The Toltecs would associate Quetzalcoatl with their own god,
Tezcatlipoca, and make them equals, enemies and twins. The legends of Ce Acatl told us that he thought his face was ugly, so he let his beard grow to hide it, and eventually he wore a white mask. This legend has been distorted so representations of Quezalcoatl as a white bearded man have become common.
The
Nauhas would take the legends of Quetzalcoatl and mix them with their own. Quetzalcoatl would be considered the originator of the arts, poetry and all knowledge. The figure of Ce Acatl would become inseparable from the image of the god.
The
worship of Quetzalcoatl sometimes included animal
sacrifices, and in other traditions Quetzalcoatl was said to oppose human sacrifice.
Mesoamerican priests and kings would sometimes take the name of a deity they were associated with, so
Quetzalcoatl and
Kukulcan are also the names of historical persons. The reason being that Quetzalcoatl called one man, to whom he gave his rights, privileges, and powers, to administer in his religious duties who took on the name of the Deity, to show that the power had been given to him. The name was pronounced differently, to denote this man a mortal, in contrast to Quetzalcoatl, Kate-Zal, or Kukulcan the God of wind and waves.
One noted Post-Classic Toltec ruler was named Quetzalcoatl; he may be the same individual as the Kukulcan who invaded
Yucatán at about the same time. The
Mixtec also recorded a ruler named for the Feathered Serpent. In the
10th century a ruler closely associated with Quetzalcoatl ruled the Toltecs; his name was
Topiltzin Ce Acatl Quetzalcoatl. This ruler was said to be the son of either the great
Chichimeca warrior,
Mixcoatl and the Culhuacano woman
Chimalman, or of their descendant.
The
Toltecs had a dualistic belief system. Quetzalcoatl's opposite was
Tezcatlipoca, who supposedly sent Quetzalcoatl into exile. Alternatively, he left willingly on a raft of
snakes, promising to return.
When the Aztecs adopted the culture of the Toltecs, they made twin gods of Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl, opposite and equal; Quetzalcoatl was also called White Tezcatlipoca, to contrast him to the black Tezcatlipoca. Together, they created the world; Tezcatlipoca lost his foot in that process. Because white was the color symbol of Quezalcoatl, it does not mean Quezalcoatl was white.
Along with other gods, like Tezcatlipoca, and Tlaloc, Quetzalcoatl would be called "Ipalnemohuani", which means "by whom we live", a title reserved for the gods directly involved in the creation. Because the name, Ipalnemohuani is singular, this had lead to speculations that the Aztec were becoming monotheist, and all the main gods, were only one. While this interpretation cannot be ruled out, it is probably an oversimpification of the Aztec religion.
In modern times
In some rural parts of Mexico, there still exists a belief that in some caves, near certain towns, there lives a monster, a great feathered snake that can only be seen by special people. The monster must be placated for there to be plentiful rain. The feathered snake is also still worshipped by
Huichol and
Cora Indians.
The cult of Quetzalcoatl has been more or less idealized, and the image of a "white god" has become part of the popular culture.
Some modern esoteric groups, sometimes called "Mexicanistas", have mixed the cult of Queztalcoatl with modern esoteric practices. There are also claims that Quetzalcoatl was either a lone
viking,
Jesus, a survivor from
Atlantis, or even an
extraterrestrial.
The exact significance and attributes of Quetzalcoatl varied somewhat between civilizations and through history. Quetzalcoatl was often considered the god of the
morning star, and his twin brother
Xolotl was the
evening star (
Venus). As the morning star he was known by the title
Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, meaning "lord of the star of the dawn." He was known as the inventor of books and the
calendar, the giver of
maize corn to mankind, and sometimes as a symbol of death and
resurrection. Quetzalcoatl was also the patron of the priests and the title of the Aztec high priest.
Most Mesoamerican beliefs included cycles of worlds. Usually, our current time was considered the fifth world, the previous four having been destroyed by flood, fire and the like. Quetzalcoatl allegedly went to
Mictlan, the underworld, and created fifth-world mankind from the bones of the previous races (with the help of
Cihuacoatl), using his own blood, from a wound in his penis, to imbue the bones with new life.
His birth, along with his twin
Xolotl, was unusual; it was a
virgin birth, to the goddess
Coatlicue. Alternatively, he was a son of
Xochiquetzal and
Mixcoatl.
One
Aztec story claims that Quetzalcoatl was seduced by
Tezcatlipoca into becoming drunk and sleeping with a celibate priestess, and then burned himself to death out of remorse. His heart became the morning star (see
Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli).
It is generally accepted that the
Aztec Emperor
Moctezuma II initially believed the landing of
Hernán Cortés in
1519 to be Quetzalcoatl's return. This has been questioned by historian Victor Frank, who argues that the Quetzalcoatl-Cortés connection is asserted in no documents created independently of post-Conquest Spanish influence, and that there is little proof of a pre-Hispanic belief in Quetzalcoatl's return. Most documents expounding this theory are of entirely Spanish origin, such as Cortés's letters to
Charles V of
Spain, in which Cortés goes to great pains to present the naïve gullibility of the Mexica in general as a great aid in his conquest of
Mexico.
But Frank's Mexican colleagues disagree. The connection with Quetzalcoatl was also documented from Aztec sources, as in the
Matritense Codex and especially in the
Florentine Codex, and is also mentioned in the
Anales de Cuahtitlan. As a gift, Moctezuma specifically sent Cortés treasures of Quetzalcoatl. One item of those treasures, the headdress of the statue of Quetzalcoatl, is now in Vienna, mislabeled as the "headdress of Moctezuma" (
"El retorno de Quetzalcoatl,"
Arqueologia mexicana, February 2002).
It is believed by many members of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (
Mormons) that Quetzalcoatl was a name given, and story told, and changed over time, of
Jesus Christ's visit to the
Nephites (or group of
Native Americans Circa
600 B.C. -
421 A.D.) on the American continent shortly after his resurrection, as is depicted in
The Book of Mormon. (See
John Taylor,
Mediation and Atonement, 201-203).
*The early 20th-century English writer
D H Lawrence wrote a novel set in Mexico,
The Plumed Serpent (1926), describing the revival of a pre-
Christian religion. The first draft of this text was called
Quetzalcoatl.
*The title of a song from the Swedish symphonic metal group
Therion on the album
Lemuria (2004). The song is about Quetzalcoatl as God of the Sun.
*Referenced in a rock song performed by
Clutch called "Oregon" on the
"Slow Hole to China" album. The quote is as follows:"I fashion my crown from Quetzalcoatl's quillsBuild my palace in the jungles of BrazilIn the summertime come my children"For I hail Draco, king of dragon men"
*In the
role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, the
Couatl are benevolent "
Outsiders" who have the form of winged and feathered serpents.
*In the computer game
Rise of Legends, there is a playable race called
Cuotl. There are also air units in this race's army called 'Quetzals'.
*In the video game
Final Fantasy VIII, Quetzalcoatl is a lightning-based elemental creature that can be summoned into battle, however spelled "Quezacotl" due to character-space limit. It also the name of one of the
servers in
Final Fantasy XI.
*In the
warcraft universe the serpent like god "Hakkar the soulflayer" and his Windserpent spawn strongly resemble Quetzalcoatl.
*In the computer game
Serious Sam: The Second Encounter, Kulkulkan is the end boss of the Mayan levels.
*In the Nintendo
Game Boy Advance game
Riviera: The Promised Land, the Quetzalcoatl is also a lightning-based elemental enemy belonging to the Giant Wyrm Family
*In
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow for the
Nintendo DS, one of the monsters is called Quetzalcoatl and is a bone serpent with a little guy riding on his neck.
*In the video game
Culdcept, Quetzalcoatl is a powerful yellow creature card of "strange" rarity that gives +10 strength to creatures with the
first strike ability.
*In the video game
Freedom Force vs. the Third Reich, Quetzalcoatl is a superhero that has been summoned by a mysterious energy.
*In the
Crossfire multiplayer
RPG, Quetzalcoatl is a race that a player can choose for their
character.
*In
Terry Pratchett's
Discworld novel
Faust Eric, the people of the Tezumen Empire worshipped a creature described as a "feathered boa" called
Quezovercoatl. He is described as half man, half chicken, half jaguar, half serpent, half scorpion and half mad (a total of three homicidal maniacs).
*In the
Star Trek Animated Series episode
How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth Captain Kirk and the crew of the
Enterprise run into a being who claims to be Kukulkan the ancient god of the Mayan and Aztec peoples of Earth. He states he is actually a very long-lived benevolent entity who wants the humans to worship him just as the Mayans and Aztecs did centuries ago when he had visited Earth's distant past and influenced
Mesoamerican cultures.
*In the comic book
Tom Strong an alternate dimensional empire is run by an Aztec-like culture. Their main method of maintaining their empire is an advanced computer modeled after Quetzalcoatl. Eventually this computer gains sentience and creates its own multi-dimensional theocracy.
*The 1982 movie
Q (also known as
Q: The Winged Serpent) placed Quetzalcoatl in the setting of contemporary
Manhattan, as an essentially generic monster behind a series of killings.
*The manga
Spriggan depicted Quetzalcoatl as a being who assisted Yu Ominae and the Sasakura sisters in sealing the power of the Mask of Palenque.
*In the 1980's the book "The Lost Realms" by Zecharia Sitchin about the study of the archaeologist's findings in the pyramids from Central America as well as from Peru, depict Quetzalcoatl as an extra-terrestrial that promised to come back in the 20th century. In Latin-America some believe that the promised become true when there were massive UFO sightings reported in Mexico during the 6th solar eclipse (July 11, 1991). Today esoteric groups sometimes called "Mexicanistas" have mixed the cult of Queztalcoatl with modern esoteric practices.
*A 1996
X-Files novel by
Kevin J Anderson entitled "Ruins" also centres on Quetzalcoatl, and speculates that the god was in fact an extra-terrestrial.
*In the
Stargate SG-1 episode "
Crystal Skull", the giant mist alien who appears at the end of the episode identifies itself as Quetzalcoatl. As with other races in the series, such as the
Goa'uld and the
Asgard, there is no clear indication as to whether the alien inspired the legend or was merely playing on it.
*In
Sonny Whitelaw's
Stargate SG-1 novel "City of the Gods" Quetzalcoatl is more like the benevolent god of Mesoamerican mythology.
*In the video game
Fahrenheit, the main characters are in pursuit of a serial killer who is a shaman of the Maya faith and commits the murders in order to evoke the Maya god Quetzalcoatl.
*In the game
Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine, Quetzalcoatl is a giant serpent with a feathered mane that defends Azerim's Part in the Olmec Valley level.
The Mountain Goats, the stage name for American singer/songwriter John Darnielle, has several songs revolving around Quetzalcoatl.
*In the classic French/Japanese anime
The Mysterious Cities of Gold, statues of Quetzalcoatl appear as a recurring plot device. Typically the statues offer some written clue to help the show's protagonists on their quest for the seven cities of gold. As for Quetzalcoatl himself, not much is revealed. Yet in Ep. 23, "The Jade Mask," the character Tao translates some hieroglyphics on the wall of a temple: "A long time ago, in the land of the Mayas, there lived a man who was very intelligent, and he understood the heaven and the earth. He was called the Winged Serpent." It is additionally inscribed that he "built a gigantic furnace," which is later revealed to be a nuclear reactor.
*
Chris Heimerdinger's fictional novels: Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites: The Feathered Serpent,
Part One and
Part Two, explore the idea of the legend of Quetzalcoatl having been inspired by the visitation of Jesus Christ to the America's after his death and resurrection in Jerusalem.
*In
Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy and
Warhammer 40,000 fictional universes the
Chaos god
Tzeentch is based off of Quetzalcoatl. In the game, Tzeentch is the god of mutation and change, and is represented by the greater demon the Lord of Change as a big, wire-like bird-demon.
*In the sequel to
Atlantis: the Lost Tales,
Beyond Atlantis, the player must save a Maya nation by gaining the Chulel, or life-force, of Quetzalcoatl, in order to avoid the bloody sacrifices needed to gain the Chulel of
Tezcatlipoca.
*
Mercedes Lackey's "Diana Tregarde" mystery,
Burning Water centers around Tezcatlipoca, but features Quetzalcoatl as his antithesis.
*In the games and the animated shows/movies of Pokemon a dragon type simular in apperance to Quetzalcoatl can be found named Rayquaza.
*In the Digimon card game and franchise their is a digimon named Quetzalmon clearly based on the god.
*In the animated series
Jackie Chan Adventures, a statue of Quetzacoatl is animated through the power of the rat. The statue is humanoid in appearance, with scaly skin and multi-coloured wings, and possesses control of solar energy, the wind, and all plant life. Upon its animation the statue confuses the character Jade with the Mayan goddess of the moon and the character El Toro with the devil.
In paleontology
The late
Cretaceous pterodactyloid
Pterosaur Quetzalcoatlus was named after Quetzalcoatl.
