Understanding the Aztec snake symbol
Snakes are a truly weird species whilst they may be hated in a few nations and religions as the symbol of death and evil in other nations they are revered as a sign of god and heaven. So it was not really surprising that the ancient Aztecs would consider the snake as a powerful creature. The truth is they revered one such feathered snake as their god, "Quetzalcoatl."
Aztec Snake - The Feathered Serpent
This reverence for the feathered Aztec god was based on seriously extensive legends in regards to the god of life. Although the legends usually are not quite clear, it is evident that he had a tremendous influence on Aztec culture and the way of life. It's definite that there was a ruler called as Quetzalcoatl or the plumed serpent who was a great and significantly revered leader in the year AD 947.
He was also progressive enough to abolish human sacrifice and allow only the future sacrifice of snakes, flowers and tiny birds! This was more than enough to irritate the neighborhood priests. This really is where the stories get vague with neighborhood priests then inviting a vengeful god called as Texcatlipoca to assist them remove Quetzalcoatl. He was lured in breaking his priestly vow of chastity and thus went into a self imposed exile as penance.
The Aztec revered him as the symbol of death and resurrection and he was later regarded as the patron of priests. The name Quetzalcoatl may 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," meaning serpent. Hence because 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 features a entire range of symbolic meaning for the Aztec society and later on it became an integral part of the Aztec drawing and Aztec books. The Aztec snake symbol became sacred and is nonetheless present on Mexican coat of arms. Snake worship was prominent amongst the Toltec and Aztec periods of prehistoric Mexican civilization. One more 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 truly weird species whilst they may be hated in a few nations and religions as the symbol of death and evil in other nations they are revered as a sign of god and heaven. So it was not really surprising that the ancient Aztecs would consider the snake as a powerful creature. The truth is they revered one such feathered snake as their god, "Quetzalcoatl."
Aztec Snake - The Feathered Serpent
This reverence for the feathered Aztec god was based on seriously extensive legends in regards to the god of life. Although the legends usually are not quite clear, it is evident that he had a tremendous influence on Aztec culture and the way of life. It's definite that there was a ruler called as Quetzalcoatl or the plumed serpent who was a great and significantly revered leader in the year AD 947.
He was also progressive enough to abolish human sacrifice and allow only the future sacrifice of snakes, flowers and tiny birds! This was more than enough to irritate the neighborhood priests. This really is where the stories get vague with neighborhood priests then inviting a vengeful god called as Texcatlipoca to assist them remove Quetzalcoatl. He was lured in breaking his priestly vow of chastity and thus went into a self imposed exile as penance.
The Aztec revered him as the symbol of death and resurrection and he was later regarded as the patron of priests. The name Quetzalcoatl may 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," meaning serpent. Hence because 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 features a entire range of symbolic meaning for the Aztec society and later on it became an integral part of the Aztec drawing and Aztec books. The Aztec snake symbol became sacred and is nonetheless present on Mexican coat of arms. Snake worship was prominent amongst the Toltec and Aztec periods of prehistoric Mexican civilization. One more 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 interested in Aztec history and has a full internet site featuring the Aztecs. There you could find details about Aztecs which includes snake symbol of the aztecs. For more of Aztec history, see aztec society.
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