Opochtli

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Opochtli depicted in the Codex Florentinus

Opochtli was one of the gods of the Aztec pantheon . He was considered the god of fishing and hunting and one of the representatives of the rain god Tlaloc . In Nahuatl , his name means The Left or The Left-Handed . He was the god who threw his spear with his left hand. Since the Aztecs saw the west as the primary direction, the south was on the left according to their orientation. Opochtli was therefore also associated with the south.

Rain and water gods

Gods, who were associated with rain and water, were of great importance in the dry homeland of the Aztecs. In addition to Tlaloc, one of the main gods of the pantheon, there were therefore a large number of assistants ( Tlaloques ) who helped the main god make the weather. They were imagined as dwarfs who distributed the water jugs from Mount Tlalocan over the thirsty land. But the Tlaloques also made snow, fog, thunder and lightning. Tlaloc's wife, on the other hand, was Chalchiuhtlicue , to whom the destructive power of water was ascribed. The rain gods also included the Tepictoton , the water god Nappatecutli and, last but not least, Opochtli. Opochtli himself is also associated with Amimitl , the god of the lakes, and with Atlaua , the lord of the water.

particularities

For Opochtli, characteristic of the crowd of rain and water gods was that he was credited with inventing fishing, fishing nets, oars, fish traps and minacachalli . The minacachalli was a spear with which large fish, but also birds and other game were captured. Opochtli was especially venerated in villages on the waterfront. He was offered food and pulque as an offering of thanks and copal as a smoke offering .

literature

  • Günter Lanczkowski, The Religion of the Aztecs, Maya and Inka , Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft Darmstadt (1989), ISBN 3-534-03222-5
  • Karl Taube : Aztec and Maya myths , Phillip Reclam jun. Stuttgart (1994), ISBN 3-15-010427-0
  • George C. Vaillant: The Aztecs , M. Dumont Schaumberg Verlag, Cologne (1957)
  • Eduard Seler: Some chapters from the historical work of Fray Bernardino de Sahagun , Stuttgart (1927)
  • Jacques Soustelle: How the Aztecs Lived on the Eve of the Spanish Conquest , Deutsche Verlagsanstalt Stuttgart (1956)

Web links

supporting documents

  1. ↑ Jacques Soustelle: How the Aztecs Lived on the Eve of the Spanish Conquest , page 26
  2. ^ Günter Lanczkowski, The Religion of the Aztecs, Maya and Inka, page 47
  3. ^ Günter Lanczkowski: The religion of the Aztecs, Maya and Inca , page 46
  4. ^ Eduard Seler: Some chapters from the historical work of Fray Bernardino de Sahagun , quoted from Günter Lanczkowski