List of Maya gods and supernatural beings: Difference between revisions
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:Yucatec divine patron of those making [[scarification]]s and tattoos (Cogolludo); also called Acat *CHB* and Ah Cat.<ref>Knowlton 2010: 76-77</ref> |
:Yucatec divine patron of those making [[scarification]]s and tattoos (Cogolludo); also called Acat *CHB* and Ah Cat.<ref>Knowlton 2010: 76-77</ref> |
Revision as of 19:36, 17 January 2014
This article's factual accuracy is disputed. (March 2008) |
This is a name list of Maya gods and supernatural beings, mainly taken from the Books of Chilam Balam (CHB), Lacandon ethnography (LAC), Diego de Landa (L), and Popol Vuh (PV). Depending on the source, the name is Yucatec or K'iche'. The Classic Period names (belonging to a language related to modern Chol and Chorti) are only rarely known with certainty. Only those names have been listed that are familiar from popular books on the Maya, or which play an important role in scholarly discussions. Between square brackets, the correspondence with the deities in the revised Schellhas-Zimmermann-Taube list of codical deities[1] has been indicated. (Notice the letter J has no entries.)
A
- Acan
- God of wine. And sex
- Acat
- Yucatec divine patron of those making scarifications and tattoos (Cogolludo); also called Acat *CHB* and Ah Cat.[2]
- Ah Chuy Kak
- A God of war and destruction.
- Ah Ciliz
- A God of solar eclipses.
- Ah Mun *CHB*
- A designation of the Maya maize god.
- Ah Muzencab
- The gods of bees.
- Ah Peku
- The God of thunder.
- Ah Puch
The god of death
- Ah Tabai
- The God of the hunt.
- Ah Uuc Ticab
- A God of the Earth.
- Ahau Chamahez
- A God of medicine and good health.
- Ajbit *PV*
- One of the thirteen creator gods who helped construct humanity from maize.
- Ajtzak *PV*
- One of the thirteen creator gods who helped construct humanity from maize.
- Akna
- Meaning "Our mother," a very general title applied, amongst others, to goddesses of fertility and childbirth.
- Alom *PV*
- A sky god and one of the creator deities who participated in the last two attempts at creating humanity.
- Awilix *PV*
- Patron of the Nija'ib' lineage of the K'iche'.
B
- Bacab *L* [god N]
- Old god of the interior of the earth and of thunder, sky-carrier, fourfold.
- Bahlam
- Any of a group of jaguar gods who protected people and communities.
- Bitol *PV*
- A sky god and one of the creator deities who participated in the last two attempts at creating humanity.
- Bolon Ts'akab (Dzacab) *L* [ god K ]
- Ah Bolon Dzacab 'Innumerable Generations', the Lightning god, patron of the harvest and the seeds.
- Bolontiku *CHB*
- A group of nine underworld gods.
- Bolon Yokte'
- 'Nine Strides', mentioned in the Books of Chilam Balam and in Classic inscriptions; functions unknown.
- Buluc Chabtan [god F]
- God of war, violence, and sacrifice.
C
- Cabrakan *PV*
- A god of mountains and earthquakes. He was a son of Vucub Caquix and Chimalmat.
- Cacoch *LAC*
- A creator god.
- Camazotz *PV*
- Bat god, tries to kill the Hero Twins.
- Can Tzicnal *L*
- Bacab of the north, is assigned the color white, and the Muluc years, son of Itzamna and Ixchel.
- Chac *L*
- The god of Storms, enemy of Camazotz
- Chac Uayab Xoc *L*
- A fish god and the patron deity of fishermen.
- Chicchan
- A group of four Chorti rain gods who live in lakes and make rain clouds from the water in those lakes. Each of the rain gods was associated with a cardinal direction, similar to the Bacabs. Chiccan was also the name of a day in the Tzolkin cycle of the maya calendar.
- Cit-Bolon-Tum
- A god of medicine and healing.
- Chimalmat *PV*
- A giant who, by Vucub Caquix, was the mother of Cabrakan and Zipacna.
- Cizin
- A god of death who lived in Metnal.
- Colel Cab
- Mistress of the Bees
- Colop U Uichkin *RITUAL OF THE BACABS*
- An eclipse deity.
- Coyopa
- The god of thunder and brother of Cakulha.
- Cum Hau
- A god of death and the underworld.
E
- Ekchuah
- Also spelled Ek Chuah, the "black war chief" was the patron god of warriors and merchants, depicted carrying a bag over his shoulder. In art, he was a dark-skinned man with circles around his eyes, a scorpion tail and dangling lower lip. In early modern studies of Maya art and iconography, he was sometimes referred to as God M before his identity was firmly established.
G
- GI, GII, GIII
- Gods I, II, and III, that is, the three patron deities (Triad) of the Palenque kingdom: GI a sea deity with a shell ear, GII a baby lightning god (god K), and GIII the jaguar god of fire, also patron of the number Seven
- Gukumatz *PV*
- Feathered Snake god and creator. The depiction of the feathered serpent deity is present in other cultures of Mesoamerica. Gukumatz of the K'iche' Maya is closely related to the god Kukulkan of Yucatán and to Quetzalcoatl of the Aztec.
H
- Hachäk'yum *LAC*
- Worshipped by the Lacandon people as their patron deity.
- Hobnil *L*
- Bacab of the east
- Hozanek *L*
- Bacab of the south; the ek element in the name may refer to a star or constellation.
- Hun-Batz *PV*
- 'One Howler Monkey', one of the two stepbrothers of the Hero Twins, one of the Howler Monkey Gods and patron of the arts.
- Hun-Came *PV*
- 'One-Death', a lord of the underworld (Xibalba) who, along with Vucub-Came 'Seven-Death', killed Hun Hunahpu. They were defeated by the latter's sons, the Hero Twins.
- Hun-Chowen *PV*
- One of the two stepbrothers of the Hero Twins, one of the Howler Monkey Gods and patron of the arts.
- Hun-Hunahpu *PV*
- The father of the Maya Hero Twins Ixbalanque and Hun-Apu by a virgin. Beheaded in Xibalba, the underworld, by the rulers of Xibalba, Hun Came and Vucub Caquix. His sons avenged his death.
- Hunab Ku
- 'Sole God', identical with Itzamna as the highest Yucatec god; or a more abstract upper god.
- Hun-Ahpu *PV*
- One of the Maya Hero Twins.
- Hunahpu-Gutch *PV*
- One of the thirteen creator gods who helped create humanity.
- Hunahpu Utiu *PV*
- One of the thirteen creator gods who helped create humanity.
- Hun-Ixim
- 'One-Maize', a reading of the name glyph of the Classic Tonsured Maize God
- Hun-nal-ye
- A now obsolete reading of the name glyph of the Classic Tonsured Maize God
- Huracan *PV*
- 'One-Leg', one of three lightning gods together called 'Heart of the Sky', and acting as world creators.
I
- Itzamna
- The founder of the Maya culture, he taught his people to grow maize and cacao, as well as writing, calendars, and medicine. Once mentioned as the father of the Bacabs. Connected to Kinich Ahau and Hunab Ku.
- Itzananohk'u
- A patron god of the Lacandon people.
- Ixbalanque > Xbalanque
- Ixchel *L* [goddess O]
- Jaguar goddess of midwifery and medicine.
- Ixmucane *PV*
- One of the thirteen creator gods who helped create humanity, grandmother of the Hero Twins. See Maya religion.
- Ixpiyacoc *PV*
- A creator god who helped create humanity. Twelve other gods were also involved in creating humanity. See Maya religion.
- Ixtab *L*
- The goddess of suicide.
- Ixazaluoh
- The goddess of water and weaving.
K
- Kauil (Kawil, K'awiil)
- Assumed to have been the Classic name of god K (Bolon Dzacab). Title attested for Itzamna, Uaxac Yol, and Amaite Ku; family name; probably not meaning 'food', but 'powerful'.
- Kinich Ahau *L*
- The solar deity.
- Kinich Kakmo
- A solar deity represented by a macaw, patron of Izamal (Yucatan).
- Kukulkán
- 'Plumed Serpent', Yucatec name for a Mesoamerican deity and hero, called Q'uq'umatz among the Quiché Mayas and Quetzalcoatl among the Aztecs.
O
- Oxlahuntiku *CHB*
- 'Thirteen Gods', possibly sky gods, opposed to Bolontiku. Mentioned in an eschatological passage.
Q
- Qaholom *PV*
- One of the second set of creator gods.
- Q'uq'umatz *PV*
- Feathered Snake god and creator. The depiction of the feathered serpent deity is present in other cultures of Mesoamerica. Q'uq'umatz of the K'iche' Maya is closely related to the god Kukulkan of Yucatán and to Quetzalcoatl of the Aztecs.
T
- Tepeu *PV*
- A sky god and one of the creator deities who participated in all three attempts at creating humanity.
- Tohil *PV*
- Tohil was a patron deity of the K'iche'. There was a great temple to him at their ancient capital of Q'umarkaj.
V
- Votan
- legendary ancestral deity, Chiapas.
- Vucub-Caquix *PV*
- Bird demon, severs arm of Hero Twin, wife is Chimalmat, sons are the demonic giants Cabrakan and Zipacna.
X
- Xaman Ek
- God of travelers and merchants, who gave offerings to him on the side of roads while traveling.
- Xbalanque *PV* [god CH]
- War Twin, one of the Hero Twins, companion to Hunahpu
- Xmucane and Xpiayoc *PV*
- A creator god couple which helped create the first humans. They are also the parents of Hun Hunahpu and Vucub Hunahpu. They were called Grandmother of Day, Grandmother of Light and Bearer twice over, begetter twice over and given the titles midwife and matchmaker.
Y
- Yaluk
- One of four Mopan 'Grandfathers' of the earth and chief lightning god.
- Yum Kaax
- God of the woods, of wild nature, and of the hunt; invoked before carving out a maize field from the wilderness.
Z
Notes
References
- Knowlton, Timothy W., Maya Creation Myths: Words and Worlds of the Chilam Balam. University Press of Colorado, Boulder 2010.
- Taube, Karl, The Major Gods of Ancient Yucatán. Dumbarton Oaks, Washington 1992.
Bibliography
- J.E.S. Thompson, Maya History and Religion. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman 1970.