Quetzalcoatl-What does it mean?

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Mohoso

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Was talking to a guy today at my local store getting my pre-order for EQ2.

Turns out he was a GM in San Diego for a while and so on....

He told me that Quetzalcoatl is some sort of Mexican God, (maybe Wargod).

Not sure myself so just curious anyone really know?

Kinda pointless but things like this happen when you get bored at work.

Thank You,

Mohoso
 
Quetzalcoatl The Myth home
The Myth
The Quetzalcoatl Myth is the Great Epic of Mesoamerica. It describes events which took place in the city of Tollan Xicocotitlan (Tula, Hidalgo) in the north of the Valley of Mexico near the end of the Tenth Century. Long thought to be completely mythological, modern research from the 1930s onward has provided a solid factual basis for some of the key events. Much, however, remains wrapped in mystery. All we have to tell us of the legendary Ce Acatl Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl comes from a handful of pre-Columbian sources (perhaps no more than twelve), subsequent Aztec accounts written 500 years later (heavily influenced by Christianity), and the archaeological record (extremely fragmentary). No complete written version of the Myth survived the Spanish Conquest in 1519, with the possible exception of the "Legend of the Suns," a pictorial account much like the Mixtec codices. Although the original text did not survive the book-burnings, we do have an Aztec priest's account of the story which appears to have been the priest's explanation of the pictorial book.

I have attempted to assemble the fragments and versions of the myth into something resembling a coherent whole. For a far more detailed version, I can recommend "History and Mythology of the Aztecs - The Codex Chimalpopoca" translation and commentray by John Bierhorst, which is available from www.amazon.com. But...on to the Myth.
 
Damn you and your good replies Jender!!!! (shakes his fist)

Very cool, thank you for taking the time to explain that to me in detail or somewhat detail.

As Always,

Rock On,

Mohoso
 
Quetzalcoatl is the Aztec name of the feathered serpent god (also known as Kulkulkan -- but if I remember my education on this, Kulkulkan is actually the name used by the Toltecs believed to inhabit the city of Chichen Itza). This is the same serpent-god whose shadow decends the stairs on the great pyramid at Chichen Itza on the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico.

You've all seen this pyramid before... it's extremely famous.

Here's a link:

http://www.sacredsites.com/americas/mexico/chichen_itza.html

ANOTHER interesting side story. Montezuma believed that the Spanish conquistador Cortes, was actually the god Quetzalcoatl. Hopefully I remember this story...

Apparently there was a prophecy that Quetzalcoatl would return to the land on a "giant raft" from across the sea (which is how legend records he had left centuries earlier and had vowed to return). Cortes, it turns out, lands on the just the right day for the prophecy and Montezuma is a superstitious king. The impressiveness of the ships and the spanish armor convince the natives that this is indeed the God spoken of in the prophecy.

The story is pretty interesting because Montezuma does eventually doubt Cortes is Quetzalcoatl and rebels -- his men killing several of Cortes' soldiers. But just after this happens, disease breaks out (owing to the fact that the natives are now exposed to new germs for which they have no immunities) and many get sick and die. This, having never happened before, and occuring *just* after they doubt Cortes' diety and rebel, causes them to believe that they were wrong to doubt him -- that he really is Quetzalcoatl, and that he's now taking his revenge.
 
Squirrelin said:
Quetzalcoatl is the Aztec name of the feathered serpent god (also known as Kulkulkan -- but if I remember my education on this, Kulkulkan is actually the name used by the Toltecs believed to inhabit the city of Chichen Itza). This is the same serpent-god whose shadow decends the stairs on the great pyramid at Chichen Itza on the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico.

You've all seen this pyramid before... it's extremely famous.

Here's a link:

http://www.sacredsites.com/americas/mexico/chichen_itza.html

ANOTHER interesting side story. Montezuma believed that the Spanish conquistador Cortes, was actually the god Quetzalcoatl. Hopefully I remember this story...

Apparently there was a prophecy that Quetzalcoatl would return to the land on a "giant raft" from across the sea (which is how legend records he had left centuries earlier and had vowed to return). Cortes, it turns out, lands on the just the right day for the prophecy and Montezuma is a superstitious king. The impressiveness of the ships and the spanish armor convince the natives that this is indeed the God spoken of in the prophecy.

The story is pretty interesting because Montezuma does eventually doubt Cortes is Quetzalcoatl and rebels -- his men killing several of Cortes' soldiers. But just after this happens, disease breaks out (owing to the fact that the natives are now exposed to new germs for which they have no immunities) and many get sick and die. This, having never happened before, and occuring *just* after they doubt Cortes' diety and rebel, causes them to believe that they were wrong to doubt him -- that he really is Quetzalcoatl, and that he's now taking his revenge.
Click to expand...


Fascinating.
 
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