Understanding the Aztec snake symbol
Snakes are a really weird species whilst they're hated in a few countries and religions as the symbol of death and evil in other countries they're revered as a sign of god and heaven. So it was not extremely surprising that the ancient Aztecs would consider the snake as a powerful creature. In truth they revered one such feathered snake as their god, "Quetzalcoatl."
Aztec Snake - The Feathered Serpent
This respect for the feathered Aztec god was depending on seriously substantial legends about the god of life. Though the legends usually are not extremely clear, it is evident that he had a tremendous influence on Aztec culture as well as the way of life. It is definite that there was a ruler called as Quetzalcoatl or the plumed serpent who was a terrific and much revered leader in the year AD 947.
He was also progressive enough to abolish human sacrifice and permit only the future sacrifice of snakes, flowers and tiny birds! This was more than enough to irritate the local priests. This is where the stories get vague with neighborhood priests then inviting a vengeful god called as Texcatlipoca to help them do away with Quetzalcoatl. He was lured in breaking his priestly vow of chastity and therefore went into a self imposed exile as penance.
The Aztec revered him as the symbol of death and resurrection and he was later deemed as the patron of priests. The name Quetzalcoatl could be roughly translated to "plumed serpents," "green-feathered-serpent," or "serpent of valuable feathers." The main translation of the word is "quetzal," that is a beautiful, green Guatemalan bird, and "coatl," which means serpent. Therefore on account of the significance attached to the name later on Aztecs priests and also the Aztec society came to regard the snake as assign of the god.
The idea of a feathered serpent has a entire range of symbolic meaning for the Aztec society and later on it became an integral element of the Aztec drawing and Aztec books. The Aztec snake symbol became sacred and is still present on Mexican coat of arms. Snake worship was prominent amongst the Toltec and Aztec periods of prehistoric Mexican civilization. Yet another Aztec myth also advocates a half-divine, half-human being who came down to earth to find out and educate humankind ; the Aztecs referred to him as the "feathered serpent," or the reincarnation of the feathered sun who kept the Aztecs alive.
Snakes are a really weird species whilst they're hated in a few countries and religions as the symbol of death and evil in other countries they're revered as a sign of god and heaven. So it was not extremely surprising that the ancient Aztecs would consider the snake as a powerful creature. In truth they revered one such feathered snake as their god, "Quetzalcoatl."
Aztec Snake - The Feathered Serpent
This respect for the feathered Aztec god was depending on seriously substantial legends about the god of life. Though the legends usually are not extremely clear, it is evident that he had a tremendous influence on Aztec culture as well as the way of life. It is definite that there was a ruler called as Quetzalcoatl or the plumed serpent who was a terrific and much revered leader in the year AD 947.
He was also progressive enough to abolish human sacrifice and permit only the future sacrifice of snakes, flowers and tiny birds! This was more than enough to irritate the local priests. This is where the stories get vague with neighborhood priests then inviting a vengeful god called as Texcatlipoca to help them do away with Quetzalcoatl. He was lured in breaking his priestly vow of chastity and therefore went into a self imposed exile as penance.
The Aztec revered him as the symbol of death and resurrection and he was later deemed as the patron of priests. The name Quetzalcoatl could be roughly translated to "plumed serpents," "green-feathered-serpent," or "serpent of valuable feathers." The main translation of the word is "quetzal," that is a beautiful, green Guatemalan bird, and "coatl," which means serpent. Therefore on account of the significance attached to the name later on Aztecs priests and also the Aztec society came to regard the snake as assign of the god.
The idea of a feathered serpent has a entire range of symbolic meaning for the Aztec society and later on it became an integral element of the Aztec drawing and Aztec books. The Aztec snake symbol became sacred and is still present on Mexican coat of arms. Snake worship was prominent amongst the Toltec and Aztec periods of prehistoric Mexican civilization. Yet another Aztec myth also advocates a half-divine, half-human being who came down to earth to find out and educate humankind ; the Aztecs referred to him as the "feathered serpent," or the reincarnation of the feathered sun who kept the Aztecs alive.
About the Author:
The writer is enthusiastic about Aztec history and has a full site featuring the Aztecs. There you could find information about Aztecs including this article. For more of Aztec history, see this article.
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