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Mayan mythology. Gods of Mayan civilization The most important god of the Maya

The god of death and the lord of the underworld, the worst world of all the nine hell realms. Usually Ah Puch was depicted as a skeleton or a corpse, or in an anthropomorphic form with a skull instead of a head, black cadaveric spots on the body; his headdress is shaped like an owl's head or a caiman's head.

Cavil - one of the supreme gods of the Maya, the lord of the elements, causing earthquakes, possibly the god of thunder and war. Its permanent attribute is the ax-celt.

Camashtli is the god of the stars, the polar star, hunting, battles, clouds and fate. Creator of fire, one of the four gods who created the world.

Quetzalcoatl is the creator god of the world, the creator of man and culture, the lord of the elements, the god of the morning star, twins, the patron of the priesthood and science, the ruler of the capital of the Toltecs - Tollana. Quetzalcoatl - "a snake covered with green feathers."

Kukulkan - the god of the four Holy Gifts - fire, earth, air and water; and each element was associated with a divine animal or plant: Air, Eagle, Earth, Corn, Fire, Lizard, Water, Fish.

Metzli - in Aztec mythology - the god of the moon. Metzli is often depicted as a black disc or a vessel of water with a rabbit on it.

Mictlantecuhtli is the ruler of the realm of the dead. In the mythology of the Aztecs, the god of the afterlife (underground) world and the underworld, was depicted as a skeleton or with a skull instead of a head; his constant companions are a bat, a spider and an owl.

Mixcoatl - "cloud serpent". Initially among the Chichimecas, Michcoatl was a deity of the hunt, revered in the form of a deer. Later, the Aztecs are associated with the cult of Huitzilopochtli and are considered as the progenitor of the Nahua tribes.

Sinteotl is the god of corn. He was considered the patron saint of farmers.

Tezcatlipoca is one of the three main gods; patron of priests, punishing criminals, lord of the stars and cold, lord of the elements, causing earthquakes; he is the god-demiurge and at the same time the destroyer of the world.

Tlaloc - God of rain and thunder Agriculture, fire and the south side of the world, the lord of all edible plants; the Maya have Chak, the Totonacs have Tahin, the Mixtecs have Tsavi, and the Zapotecs have Cosiho-Pitao.

Tonatiu - in Aztec mythology, the god of the sky and the sun, the god of warriors. The cult of Tonatiu was one of the most important in Aztec society. Tonatiu governs the 5th, current world age. Depicted as a young man with a red face and fiery hair.

Huitzilopochtli - the god of the blue clear sky, the young sun, hunting, the special patron of the youth of the Aztec nobility. In other myths, Huitzilopochtli among the Aztecs is the god of war, to whom the most brutal, bloody human sacrifices were made.

Chak (Chaak) is the god of rain, thunder and lightning. It is assumed that, originally Chak, was the god of cleansing the forest, later became the god of rain and water, and the deity of agriculture.

Xipe Totec - in the mythology of the Aztecs, a deity that goes back to the ancient deities of spring vegetation and crops, the patron of goldsmiths. Mystical god of agriculture, spring and the seasons.

Yum Kaash - "lord of the forests". In Maya mythology, the young god of corn is also known as Ium-Viila. He was depicted as a young man or teenager with a head turning into an ear, or with wavy hair like maize leaves.

Aztec and Mayan Goddesses

Ishtab - in Mayan mythology, the goddess of suicide and the wife of Kami. In the Mayan tradition, suicide, especially hanging, was considered a noble way of death, comparable to the human victims of the sacrificial rite and the slain warriors.

Ixchel - in Mayan mythology, the goddess of the moon, moonlight and rainbows, the patroness of weaving, medical knowledge and childbearing; was considered the wife of Itzamna. Pretty girls were sacrificed to her.

Coatlicue is the goddess of earth and fire, the mother of the gods and stars of the southern sky. It contains both the beginning and the end of life. She was depicted in clothes made of snakes. At the same time, Coatlicue is the goddess of death, because. the earth devours everything that lives.

Coyolxauqui - in Aztec mythology, the goddess of the moon. Possesses magical powers capable of inflicting colossal harm.

- the god of death and the lord of the underworld, the worst world of all nine hell worlds. Usually Ah Puch was depicted as a skeleton or a corpse, or in an anthropomorphic form with a skull instead of a head, black cadaveric spots on the body; his headdress is shaped like an owl's head or a caiman's head.

Cavil is one of the supreme gods of the Maya, the lord of the elements, causing earthquakes, possibly the god of thunder and war. Its permanent attribute is the ax-celt.

Camashtli is the god of the stars, the polar star, hunting, battles, clouds and fate. Creator of fire, one of the four gods who created the world.

Kukulkan - the god of the four Holy Gifts - fire, earth, air and water; and each element was associated with a divine animal or plant: Air - Eagle, Earth - Corn, Fire - Lizard, Water - Fish.

Metzli - in Aztec mythology - the god of the moon. Metzli is often depicted as a black disc or a vessel of water with a rabbit on it.

Sinteotl is the god of corn. He was considered the patron saint of farmers. In ancient times, before the Olmecs, Sinteotl was revered by all the inhabitants of Mesoamerica under various names.

Tlaloc - the god of rain and thunder, agriculture, fire and the south side of the world, the lord of all edible plants; the Maya have Chak, the Totonacs have Tahin, the Mixtecs have Tsavi, and the Zapotecs have Cosiho-Pitao.

Tonatiu - in Aztec mythology, the god of the sky and the sun, the god of warriors. The cult of Tonatiu was one of the most important in Aztec society. Tonatiu governs the fifth, current world age. Depicted as a young man with a red face and fiery hair.

Chuck is the god of rain, thunder and lightning. It is assumed that, originally Chak, was the god of cleansing the forest, later became the god of rain and water, and the deity of agriculture.

Xipe Totec - in the mythology of the Aztecs, a deity dating back to the ancient deities of spring vegetation and crops, the patron of goldsmiths. Mystical god of agriculture, spring and the seasons.

In different periods of Maya history, these or other gods could have different significance for their worshipers.

The Maya believed that the universe consisted of 13 heavens and 9 underworlds. In the center of the earth was a tree that passed through all celestial spheres. On each of the four sides of the earth stood one more tree, symbolizing the countries of the world - the east corresponded to a mahogany, to the south - yellow, to the west - black and to the north - white. Each side of the world had several gods (wind, rain and heaven holders), who had the corresponding color. One of the important gods of the Maya of the classical period was the god of corn, represented in the guise of a young man with a high headdress.

By the time of the arrival of the Spaniards, Itzamna, represented as an old man with a hooked nose and beard, was considered another important deity. As a rule, images of Mayan deities included a variety of symbolism, which speaks of the complexity of the thinking of customers and performers of sculptures, reliefs or drawings. So, the sun god had large crooked fangs, his mouth was outlined by a strip of circles. The eyes and mouth of another deity are depicted as coiled snakes, etc. Among the female deities, the “red goddess”, the wife of the rain god, was especially significant, judging by the codes; she was depicted with a snake on her head and with the paws of some predator instead of legs. Itzamna's wife was the moon goddess Ish-Chel; it was believed that it helps in childbirth, in weaving and in medicine. Some Mayan gods were represented in the form of animals or birds: a jaguar, an eagle.

In the Toltec period of Maya history, the veneration of deities of Central Mexican origin spread among them. One of the most respected gods of this kind was Kukulkan, in whose image elements of the god Quetzalcoatl of the Nahua peoples are obvious.

At present, the following Mayan mythological deities are accepted and recognized by most scientists: the god of rain and lightning - Chak (Chaak or Chac); the god of death and the lord of the world of the dead - Ah Puch (Ah Puch); the god of death - Kimi (Cimi); the lord of the sky - Itzamna (Itzamna); the god of trade - Ek Chuah; the goddess of sacrifices and ritual suicides - Ish-Tab (IxTab); the goddess of the rainbow and moonlight - Ish-Chel (IxChel); the riding god, the feathered serpent Quetzal - Kukulkan (Gukumatz); the god of corn and forests - Yum Kaash (Jum Kaash); the god of fire and thunder - Huracan; demon of the underworld - Zipacna and others.

An example of Mayan mythology of the pre-Hispanic period is provided by the epic of one of the peoples of Guatemala, the Quiché, Popol Vuh, preserved from colonial times. It contains plots of the creation of the world and people, the origin of the twin heroes, their struggle with the underground lords, etc. The veneration of deities among the Maya was expressed in complex rituals, part of which were sacrifices (including human ones) and a ball game. Chichen Itza had a ball court, the largest in all of Mexico. From two sides it was closed by walls, and from two more - by temples. The ball game was not just a sport. Many archaeological discoveries indicate that it was clearly associated with human sacrifice. Headless people are depicted in relief on the walls surrounding the site. There are 3 platforms around the site: the platform of "Venus" (Quetzalcoatl) with the tomb of Chak-Mool, the platform of the Eagle and the Jaguar with the temple of the Jaguar, and the platform of the Skulls. Huge statues of Chak-Mool depict him reclining, with a dish for sacrifices on his stomach. Stakes were placed on the platform of the Skulls, on which the severed heads of the victims were strung.

Maya writing.

For a long time it was believed that the Maya were the inventors of writing and the calendar system. However, after similar but more ancient signs were found in places remote from the Maya region, it became apparent that the Maya inherited some elements of earlier cultures. Mayan writing was of the hieroglyphic type. Mayan hieroglyphs are preserved in 4 manuscripts (the so-called Mayan codices, three in Dresden, Madrid, Paris, the fourth codex is partially preserved); they give either images of figures, or are combined into groups of 4 or 6 hieroglyphs above figured images. Calendar signs and numbers accompany the entire text. Schellgas (in "Zeitschrift fuer Ethnologie", 1886) and Zehler (in "Verhandlungen der Berliner Anthropologischen Gesellschaft" and in "Zeitschrift fur Ethnologie", 1887) did a lot to analyze hieroglyphs.

The latter proved that the groups of hieroglyphs are composed of one hieroglyph related to the action depicted in the picture below them, another hieroglyphically signifying the corresponding god, and 2 more reporting the attributes of the god.

The hieroglyphs themselves are not combinations of elements representing a known sound or sound combination, but almost exclusively ideograms. Paul Schellgas systematized images of Mayan deities in three codes: Dresden, Madrid and Paris. The list of deities of Shellgas consists of fifteen Mayan gods. He identified most of the hieroglyphs directly related to these deities and denoting their names and epithets.

As a rule, the texts went in parallel with the graphic representation of the plot. With the help of writing, the Maya could record long texts of various contents. Thanks to the efforts of several generations of researchers, it became possible to read ancient texts. A significant contribution was made by our compatriot, Yuri Valentinovich Knorozov, whose first publications on this topic appeared in the early 1950s. In 1963 he published the monograph Mayan Writing. It reproduced in facsimile the texts of the surviving Mayan manuscripts (codexes), compiled, possibly even before the Spanish conquest, in the 12-15 centuries. and named after the cities in which they are now stored - Dresden, Madrid and Paris. The book also contained principles of decipherment, a catalog of hieroglyphs, a dictionary of the early colonial Yucatan Maya language, and a grammar of the Maya language. In 1975, in the book Maya Hieroglyphic Manuscripts, Knorozov suggested reading the manuscripts and translating them into Russian. The texts of the codes turned out to be a kind of manual for priests with a list of rites, sacrifices and predictions related to different types the Mayan economy and to all social strata of the population, except for slaves. Brief descriptions of the activities of the gods served as indications of what to do for the respective groups of inhabitants. In turn, the priests, guided by the descriptions of the actions of the deities, could set the time for ceremonies, sacrifices, and the implementation of certain works; they could also predict the future.

Mayan calendar

To calculate the time, the Maya used a complex calendar system that included several cycles. One of them represented a combination of numbers from 1 to 13 ("week") and 20 "months", which had their own names. There was also a solar calendar in use with a year of 365 days. It consisted of 18 months of 20 days and five "extra" or "unlucky" days. In addition, the Maya used the so-called long account, which, in addition to the 20-day month and 18-month year, took into account a 20-year period (katun); a period of 20 katuns (baktun) and so on. There were other ways of dating. All these ways have changed over time, which makes it much more difficult to correlate the dates recorded by the Maya with European chronology.

We know about the gods of the ancient Maya mainly from the richest iconographic and epigraphic sources, such as: stelae, altars, wall frescoes and bas-reliefs, classical and post-classical codices, graffiti. The Maya, like most ancient peoples, had many gods, more ancient and more local deities sometimes became revered over a larger territory over time, while others disappeared altogether, or continued to be revered in relatively small isolated regions. The Maya, as you know, were great warriors and conquerors, carried their supreme gods to conquered lands, establishing a cult of patron deities ruling dynasty.

The Aztecs, indirectly assuming many cultural features of the great Mayan people, gave names to many gods in their own language. At the same time, in the most classical and postclassical Maya pantheon, Nahua-language names of gods are found, due to close contacts with these peoples in the late period of their history.

At the beginning of the twentieth century (1904), the well-known researcher of the history and culture of the ancient Maya, Paul Schelhas, systematized the images of Mayan deities depicted in three Mayan codices: Dresden, Madrid and Paris. His list was fifteen characters. He also identified most of the hieroglyphs, directly related to these deities and denoting their names and epithets.

Shelkhas' research was chronologically limited to the postclassical period (900-1521). The deities of the classical period of Mayan history (250-900) are undoubtedly more numerous and their images are found on ceramic vessels, monumental sculptures (steles, altars, etc.) and small plastic.

Today we can read most of the names of the gods of the "Shelkhas list", which continues to serve as a kind of catechism regarding the ancient Maya deities.

These are deities, in relation to which there is much less doubtful and hypothetical than in relation to chronologically earlier and local gods, therefore, in this essay, it is advisable to confine ourselves to them.

The first in this list is the god of death, whose name is Kimi (Cimi). He, as a rule, is depicted as a skeleton with such an indispensable attribute as a "dead eye" (usually there are several of them), which fits into the elements of the "costume" and / or composes the necklace of the god of death. In the images on ceramic vessels, its connection with the ceremony of sacrifice can be traced. Its colonial and modern Yucatec name is Kizin ("accumulation of gases") and Vak Mitun Ahau (perhaps Mitun is a mythical toponym, the underworld, Miktlan among the Aztecs). In fact, this god is identical to the Mexican Mictlantecuhtli. In the Dresden manuscript, it is called Shib - "fear" (the world of the dead among the Maya Quiche is Xibalba - "place of fear").

The aforementioned god of death has another hypostasis, the analogues of which are not observed when compared with the deities of Central Mexico. A characteristic feature of this deity is a black horizontal line passing "through" the eye. This deity is primarily the patron god of sacrifices. On vessels, he is often depicted in acts of self-decapitation.

Chak was one of the most significant and most ancient Maya gods. (Chak, Chak Xib Chak, Yaxha Chak). His images are beginning to be found on objects belonging to the preclassical period. The most characteristic features are: a long nose, "serpentine" Celtic axes (the butt is the body of a reptile), snakes running out of the corners of the mouth, the body is usually blue. In Central Mexico, his name is Tlaloc. This god is closely associated with rain and thunderstorms: glow (lightning), the Mayan tseltal "Chahuk", which means "beam" or "thunder". Chak is one of the first known gods of the vast Maya pantheon. In the Yucatan, a rain-making ceremony called cha-chak is still held (rain, according to the Yucatec Maya, is a product of the life of Chak). Chuck is also semantically associated with war (in classic and postclassic) and subsequent sacrifices - an indispensable attribute of war.

Next, you need to dwell on the god Ku (K "u). This is perhaps the most common epithet of animate and inanimate objects in hieroglyphic inscriptions of various periods. Its exact meaning is unknown, but it is most likely that its narrative presence emphasized the concept of the sacredness of the object. Means "god", "temple" It is also found on inanimate objects and fantastic characters.

Itzamna. Probably the supreme god of the Mayan pantheon of the classical and postclassic period. An adequate translation of his name has not yet been found, but, apparently, this word does not belong to the Mayan language family. Itzamna is believed to be the lord of the sky, dwelling on the clouds. At the same time, he is the first and chief priest and patron of priests and intellectuals in general. God of esoteric knowledge. Scribe. Perhaps his Mexican equivalent is Tonacatecuhtli.

Maize god (Vaxak Yol Kavil). The Mexican equivalent is Centeotl, the god of maize. God of life and fertility. One of the supreme gods of the Mayan pantheon of the postclassic and classical period. Often the deceased ruler, after death, in the afterlife was depicted as a young god of maize, which symbolized the resurrection and rebirth to life.

Kinich Ahaw. Sun-eyed (solar-faced) deity. Sun God. An ancient deity (known from preclassics). Frequent title of the ruler in texts, as well as a widely used part of the name of the rulers of the largest Mayan cities. His images are distinguished by a characteristic eye and a T-shaped tooth running out of the mouth.

Sip (Zip). Shbalanka. One of a pair of mythical deified twins - the heroes of the Maya Kiche epic "Popol-Vuh". Depicted endowed with jaguar features (spots, clawed feet). The most common scenes with his participation: the birth of the God Maize and scenes with the participation of the lords of Xibalba.

Goddess of the Moon. The character is quite mysterious. It is known that she was the patroness of women and girls. Often depicted sitting with a rabbit on her lap, framed by an abstract symbol of the moon. The earliest images are from the Preclassic period. Present in magical conspiracies and ritual chants.

Cavil. Perhaps the most important god. Possibly the god of the storm sky. Its connection with the war is obvious and undoubted, its constant attribute is the ax-celt. He was the patron of the ruling dynasty of the largest Mayan cities. For example, the names of some Tikal, Calakmul, Karakol, Narankh and Kopan rulers contained the name of this deity. A feature of Cavil's iconography is that one of his legs was always depicted as a snake. The scepter of supreme power in many major Mayan cities was an image of this god. Items associated with Cavil - incense burner, mirror.

Muan Chan (Moan Chan?) is often depicted as an old god wearing a bird feathers, sometimes with a cigar in his mouth. Associated animals: owl, jaguar. In a picturesque scene on one of the vessels, which is an illustration of the legend about the abduction of his clothes and staff by a rabbit, he is named Pavakhtun.

Pavahtun (Pauahtun). According to late colonial sources, it is known that there were four Pavakhtuns (one for each cardinal direction), or five (four on the cardinal points and one in the center). Characteristic features are a spiral shell or turtle shell on the back. Pavahtun is often represented in the monumental architecture of the ancient Maya in the form of a kind of Atlas supporting a stone vault. Perhaps later he became a post-classical deity called Mam among the Mayan-speaking groups (for example, among the Huastecs).

The goddess of the rainbow, "Ish Chel" (Ix Chel, Chak Chel). In one of the written Indian sources of the colonial period, this goddess is called "Fire Rainbow" ("Ritual of Bakabs"). Associated in the postclassic period with hurricanes and floods. A characteristic feature is a snake headdress.

God of sacrifice. The Mexican equivalent of this deity is Xipe Totec, the god of violent death. Among the Aztecs, he was depicted dressed in the freshly flayed human skin of the victim. The Mayan god, in all likelihood, was the patron of various kinds of sacrifices, both military and civilian.

God with the sign "boar". Apparently, the god of the earth, but his meaning is still not entirely clear.

Hun Ahaw. The second of a pair of twins - heroes of the Maya Kiche epic "Popol-Vuh", a deified mythical hero. His images are often found on ceramic vessels.

The pantheon of the ancient Indians of the Mayan tribe, which includedmaingodsMayan, as well as local, less significant deities, who were worshiped either in individual regions, or certain groups of people, for example, artisans, consisted of an incredible number of creatures. According to the chronicles of the Spanish conquistadors and records belonging to the Aztecs, Incas and Maya, the total number of deities reached 200. Deities such as wind god, patrons of water and other elements, were part of the so-called pantheon of the classical period, the golden age of the Mayan civilization. A peasant, an ordinary inhabitant of Mesoamerica, for whom, for obvious reasons, religion was headed by the Godrainalso believed in many other idols to worship. The deification and animation of the forces of nature is the main feature of the religion of the ancient peoples and the Indians of America as well. Olympus Maya, which ruledthe Godfire, filled with mortals, like people, beings of elemental belonging, who controlled all aspects of life.

The main gods of the Maya: the creatures on which the world rested.

In the mythology of the Mayan people, bakabs are mentioned as creatures on which the sky rests. Each Mayan sky god held his side of the sky so that he would not fall to the ground. Legends tell of four brothers: Sak-Kimi, Kan-Tsik-Nal, Hobnil and Hoean-Ek. The four bakaba brothers symbolized the cardinal directions and were associated with a certain color. Hobnil was associated with the east and red, Kan-Tsik-Pal was associated with the north and white, Sam-Kimi was associated with the west and black, Kavak was associated with the south and yellow.