Understanding the Aztec snake symbol
Snakes are a truly weird species although they may be hated in a few nations and religions as the symbol of death and evil in other nations they may be revered as a sign of god and heaven. So it wasn't extremely surprising that the ancient Aztecs would consider the snake as a powerful creature. In actual fact they revered one such feathered snake as their god, "Quetzalcoatl."
Aztec Snake - The Feathered Serpent
This reverence for the feathered Aztec god was based on genuinely extensive legends concerning the god of life. Though the legends aren't extremely clear, it is evident that he had a tremendous influence on Aztec culture and also the way of life. It is actually definite that there was a ruler named as Quetzalcoatl or the plumed serpent who was a terrific and much revered leader in the year AD 947.
He was also progressive enough to abolish human sacrifice and allow only the future sacrifice of snakes, flowers and small birds! This was more than enough to irritate the local priests. This really is where the stories get vague with community priests then inviting a vengeful god named as Texcatlipoca to help them get rid of Quetzalcoatl. He was lured in breaking his priestly vow of chastity and therefore went into a self imposed exile as penance.
The Aztec revered him as the symbol of death and resurrection and he was later deemed as the patron of priests. The name Quetzalcoatl could be roughly translated to "plumed serpents," "green-feathered-serpent," or "serpent of precious feathers." The main translation of the word is "quetzal," which is a lovely, green Guatemalan bird, and "coatl," meaning serpent. Hence on account of the significance attached to the name later on Aztecs priests and also the Aztec society came to regard the snake as assign of the god.
The concept of a feathered serpent has a complete range of symbolic meaning for the Aztec society and later on it became an integral component of the Aztec drawing and Aztec books. The Aztec snake symbol became sacred and is nevertheless present on Mexican coat of arms. Snake worship was prominent among the Toltec and Aztec periods of prehistoric Mexican civilization. An additional Aztec myth also advocates a half-divine, half-human being who came down to earth to discover and educate humankind ; the Aztecs referred to him as the "feathered serpent," or the reincarnation of the feathered sun who kept the Aztecs alive.
Snakes are a truly weird species although they may be hated in a few nations and religions as the symbol of death and evil in other nations they may be revered as a sign of god and heaven. So it wasn't extremely surprising that the ancient Aztecs would consider the snake as a powerful creature. In actual fact they revered one such feathered snake as their god, "Quetzalcoatl."
Aztec Snake - The Feathered Serpent
This reverence for the feathered Aztec god was based on genuinely extensive legends concerning the god of life. Though the legends aren't extremely clear, it is evident that he had a tremendous influence on Aztec culture and also the way of life. It is actually definite that there was a ruler named as Quetzalcoatl or the plumed serpent who was a terrific and much revered leader in the year AD 947.
He was also progressive enough to abolish human sacrifice and allow only the future sacrifice of snakes, flowers and small birds! This was more than enough to irritate the local priests. This really is where the stories get vague with community priests then inviting a vengeful god named as Texcatlipoca to help them get rid of Quetzalcoatl. He was lured in breaking his priestly vow of chastity and therefore went into a self imposed exile as penance.
The Aztec revered him as the symbol of death and resurrection and he was later deemed as the patron of priests. The name Quetzalcoatl could be roughly translated to "plumed serpents," "green-feathered-serpent," or "serpent of precious feathers." The main translation of the word is "quetzal," which is a lovely, green Guatemalan bird, and "coatl," meaning serpent. Hence on account of the significance attached to the name later on Aztecs priests and also the Aztec society came to regard the snake as assign of the god.
The concept of a feathered serpent has a complete range of symbolic meaning for the Aztec society and later on it became an integral component of the Aztec drawing and Aztec books. The Aztec snake symbol became sacred and is nevertheless present on Mexican coat of arms. Snake worship was prominent among the Toltec and Aztec periods of prehistoric Mexican civilization. An additional Aztec myth also advocates a half-divine, half-human being who came down to earth to discover and educate humankind ; the Aztecs referred to him as the "feathered serpent," or the reincarnation of the feathered sun who kept the Aztecs alive.
About the Author:
The writer is enthusiastic about Aztec history and has a complete webpage featuring the Aztecs. There you can find information about Aztecs which includes aztec snake symbol. For more of Aztec history, see this article.
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