In
Aztec mythology
Aztec mythology is the body or collection of myths of the Aztec civilization of Central Mexico. The Aztecs were Nahuatl-speaking groups living in central Mexico and much of their mythology is similar to that of other Mesoamerican cultures. Accordi ...
, a Tzitzimitl (plural Tzitzimimeh ) is a monstrous deity associated with stars. They were depicted as skeletal female figures wearing skirts often with skull and crossbones designs. In postconquest descriptions they are often described as "
demon
A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...
s" or "devils", but this does not necessarily reflect their function in the prehispanic belief system of the Aztecs.
The Tzitzimimeh were female deities, and as such related to fertility, they were associated with the
Cihuateteo
In Aztec mythology, the Cihuateteo (; nci, Cihuātēteoh, in singular ) or "Divine Women", were the malevolent spirits of women who died in childbirth. They were likened to the spirits of male warriors who died in violent conflict, because chi ...
and other female deities such as
Tlaltecuhtli
Tlaltecuhtli (Classical Nahuatl ''Tlāltēuctli'', ) is a pre-Columbian Mesoamerican deity worshipped primarily by the Mexica (Aztec) people. Sometimes referred to as the "earth monster," Tlaltecuhtli's dismembered body was the basis for the worl ...
,
Coatlicue,
Citlalicue and
Cihuacoatl and they were worshipped by midwives and parturient women. The leader of the tzitzimimeh was the goddess
Itzpapalotl who was the ruler of
Tamoanchan
Tamoanchan is a mythical location of origin known to the Mesoamerican cultures of the central Mexican region in the Late Postclassic period. In the mythological traditions and creation accounts of Late Postclassic peoples such as the Aztec, Ta ...
, the paradise where the Tzitzimimeh resided.
The Tzitzimimeh were also associated with the stars and especially the stars that can be seen around the Sun during a solar eclipse. This was interpreted as the Tzitzimimeh attacking the Sun, thus causing the belief that during a
solar eclipse
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of the Earth, totally or partially. Such an alignment occurs during an eclipse season, approximately every six month ...
, the ''tzitzimime'' would descend to the earth and possess men. It was said that if the Tzitzimimeh could not start a bow fire in the empty chest cavity of a sacrificed human at the end of a 52-year calendar round, the fifth sun would end and they would descend to devour the last of men. The Tzitzimimeh were also feared during other ominous periods of the Aztec world, such as during the five unlucky days called Nemontemi which marked an unstable period of the
year count, and during the
New Fire ceremony marking the beginning of a new calendar round; both were periods associated with the fear of change.
The Tzitzimimeh had a double role in Aztec religion: they were protectresses of the feminine and progenitresses of mankind. They were also powerful and dangerous, especially in periods of cosmic instability.
In popular culture
*Tzitzimitl was one of 8 monsters from around the globe to appear as antagonists in the ''
Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!
''Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!'' is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation as the twelfth incarnation of Hanna-Barbera's ''Scooby-Doo'' animated series. In the show, the ''Scooby-Doo'' gang decide to travel during their ...
'' episode titled "Mysteries On The Disorient Express."
*Tzitzimitl is depicted as a high-level demon in the
roguelike
Roguelike (or rogue-like) is a subgenre of role-playing computer games traditionally characterized by a dungeon crawl through procedurally generated levels, turn-based gameplay, grid-based movement, and permanent death of the player characte ...
game ''
Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup
''Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup'' (''DCSS'') is a free and open source roguelike computer game and the community-developed successor to the 1997 roguelike game ''Linley's Dungeon Crawl'', originally programmed by Linley Henzell. It has been identifi ...
''.
*Tzitzimitl is also what the Warlady Skyy Appletini is referred to in the popular webcomic
Erfworld
''Erfworld'' was a story-driven fantasy/comedy webcomic and independently published graphic novel about a master strategy gamer summoned into and stuck inside a wargame running from December 2006 to its abrupt cancellation in October 2019. It f ...
.
*In the tabletop RPG
Pathfinder
Pathfinder may refer to:
Businesses
* Pathfinder Energy Services, a division of Smith International
* Pathfinder Press, a publisher of socialist literature
Computing and information science
* Path Finder, a Macintosh file browser
* Pathfinder (w ...
, the Tzitzimitl are powerful undead creatures associated with outer space.
*Tzitzimitl (anglicized as Tzitzimime) are featured on the
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...
series ''
Victor and Valentino
''Victor and Valentino'' is an American animated television series created by Diego Molano for Cartoon Network. It is produced by Cartoon Network Studios. The series follows the titular duo, two half-brothers staying with their grandmother in the ...
'' as recurring antagonists. In the episode "A New Don", they are depicted as tall black figures with multiple heads, a constellation style texture, and also have the ability to enter a person's body and control them with sunlight being their weakness. They reappear in "Starry Night" where they take over the bodies of Vic and Val's friends and try to glean information about their grandmother from them. In "Carmelita" it is revealed that they can also take over inanimate objects as one took over a car. They also appear to be in league with the series' main antagonist Tez. It is revealed in season 3's episode "Another Don" that prominent character Isabella has been Tzitzimitl in disguise since the beginning of the series.
*The tzitzimimeh are antagonists in ''
Onyx Equinox
''Onyx Equinox'' is a Mexican-American adult animated streaming television series created by Sofia Alexander for Crunchyroll. It is based on the mythologies of Mesoamerica, featuring deities of Aztec, Maya and Zapotec myth, while also making ref ...
'', though they are associated with
Mictecacihuatl. Though mostly highly aggressive and murderous, an allusion to their role in childbirth can be seen when they calm down the still infant goddess.
*Tzitzimilitl are demons that can be summoned by the player in numerous video games of the
Megami Tensei
''Megami Tensei'', marketed internationally as ''Shin Megami Tensei'' (formerly ''Revelations''), is a Japanese media franchise created by Aya Nishitani, Kouji Okada, Kouji "Cozy" Okada, Ginichiro Suzuki, and Kazunari Suzuki. Primarily developed ...
franchise, including
Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse,
Persona 4
released outside of Japan as ''Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4'', is a 2008 role-playing video game by Atlus. It is chronologically the fifth installment in the ''Persona'' series, itself a part of the larger ''Megami Tensei'' franchise, and was ...
and its upgraded version Persona 4 Golden, and the PSP version of
Persona 2: Innocent Sin. They are depicted in
Kazuma Kaneko
Kazuma Kaneko (金子 一馬, ''Kaneko Kazuma'', born September 20, 1964) is a Japanese video game artist and designer for Japanese video game company Atlus. Kaneko is best known for his work in the ''Megami Tensei'' series of video games, actin ...
's artwork as red-robed female figures with countless arms sprouting from their skull, their many hands catching stars from the sky, while their bodies end at a distended belly containing the stars they have devoured.
References
Bibliography
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{{Aztec mythology
Aztec goddesses
Demons
Drought goddesses
Fertility goddesses
Stellar goddesses