Bolon Tiku

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9 rulers of the night in Codex Borgia , (reading direction bustrophedon , i.e. serpentine from bottom right to top left)

Bolon Tiku (also bolón-ti-ku , German: "Nine Lords of the Night") is the name of a group of Maya gods .

mythology

The “Nine Lords of the Night” are the opposite of the “13 Lords of Heaven” or the “13 Lords of the Day” ( oxlahun-ti-ku ) and, like them, have a counterpart in mythology and in the calendar of Mexico .

The Nine Lords of the Night rule from the underworld . They are the masters of the midnight sun and are accompanied by earth symbols. Their glyphs are mostly very schematic.

Each of the nine ruled the Haab calendar, alternating daily, for a total of 40 days. From the remaining 5 unlucky days (Uayéb, the 19th month), the gentlemen of the night withdrew their hand, leaving them without protection. The Chilám Balám books also tell of the battle of the Neo gods against the Thirteen gods.

In the interlocking of both calendars, both systems and groups of gods unite after 13 Tún (360 days each), i.e. after 4680 days.

designation

The Mayan names of the Neo gods have not been passed down, so these are only referred to as G-1 to G-9. The Aztec names are:

  • G-1: Xiuhtecuhtli (mother and father of the gods, god of fire, of light in the dark)
  • G-2: Itztli (god of stone and offerings)
  • G-3: Piltzintecuhtli (god of the rising sun and hallucinogens)
  • G-4: Cinteotl (god of corn and fertility, son of Piltzintecuhtli and the Tlazolteotl)
  • G-5: Mictlantecuhtli (ruler of the realm of the dead)
  • G-6: Chalchiuhtlicue (goddess of waters and rivers)
  • G-7: Tlazolteotl (goddess of lust)
  • G-8: Tepeyollotl (god of earthquakes and jaguar. He is the god of the eighth hour of the night)
  • G-9 / G-0: Tlaloc (god of rain)

Others

In the Maya site of Comalcalco there is a room known as the “Tomb of the Nine Lords of the Night”.

literature

  • David M. Jones and Brain L. Molyneaux: Mythology of the New World: An Encyclopedia of Myths in North, Meso and South America , Reichelsheim 2002, p. 95

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The nine lords of the night. In: Tonalpohualli.ch
  2. ↑ Ivan van Laningham: 8. The G and F Glyphs of the Lunar Supplementary Series. In: Pauahtun.org. The Mayan Calendar, May 28, 2013, accessed October 20, 2016 .

Web links