The "Way" of God L: The Princeton Vase Revisited. In those legends in which he is considered the primary creator, he has power over the earth, the underworld, and the sky. Outside of his animal forms are several other images. In this form, he represents the duality of the universe as conceptualized by the Maya. When presenting himself as a human, he did so as an old man with a large nose, square eyes, and generally without teeth. This ritual is symbolic not only of a connection between the priesthood and the ruler, but also a direct connection between Itzamna and the ruler.
Like many of the gods in the Mayan pantheon, Itzamna has multiple different aspects.
In the cycle of Mayan years, one of those years is also supposed to be directly under the purview of him.
God D is described in ancient texts from sculpture and codices as a scribe (ah dzib) or learned person (idzat). By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. ThoughtCo uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. He frequently appeared as four gods called Itzamnas, who encased the world. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Colossal head of Itzamná in a wall at Izamal, Mexico, lithograph after a drawing by Frederick Catherwood. He is often considered to have significant powers when it came to medicine. Nicoletta Maestri holds a Ph.D. in Mesoamerican archaeology with fieldwork experience in Italy, the Near East, and throughout Mesoamerica.
If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source. (See also Bacab.). Created by Moonlight Developments. The Maya death gods, (also Ah puch, Ah Cimih, Ah Cizin, Hun Ahau, Kimi, or Yum Kimil) known by a variety of names, are two basic types of death gods who are respectively represented by the 16th-century Yucatec deities Hunhau and Uacmitun Ahau mentioned by Spanish Bishop Landa.Hunhau is the lord of the Underworld. Itzamna was the Mayan god of creation, Ix Chel was the moon goddess, and Chac was the god of rain and weather who lived at the bottom of cenotes. He is often illustrated as a very old man seated on a throne facing other, subsidiary deities such as God N or L. In his human form, Itzamná is portrayed as an old, wise priest with a hooked nose and large square eyes. Updates? Drawings of Itzamná in sculptures, codexes, and wall paintings illustrate him in several ways. Re-Examination of Spanish Colonial Period Documents Related to Prehistoric Maya History and Mythology. Itzamna, Lizard House In Mayan, itz can mean dew or nectar Name often preceded by ahaulil,or lord Religion and Culture of Itzamna: Maya, Mesoamerica Symbols, Iconography, and Art of Itzamna: Images of Itzamna often contain snakes or mussels and he himself is depicted as an old man with a flower… In drawings of Itzamna in the underworld, God D takes the form of the skeletal representation of crocodiles.
The "Itz" part of his name means a number of things, among them "dew" or "stuff of the clouds" in Quechua; "divination or witchcraft" in Colonial Yucatec; and "foretell or contemplate", in the Nahuatl version of the word. Itzamna: https://www.gods-and-goddesses.com. There are many such gods in the Mayan pantheon, but one of the most famous is the god Itzamna. He is the top god of the Mayan hierarchy of gods, and important representations of him appear at Copan (Altar D), Palenque (House E) and Piedras Negras (Stela 25). Both the caiman and the sacred bird are considered visages of the deity, as are some two-headed serpents. He’s generally considered to have a pleasant demeanor that belied his status as one of the chief gods of the Mayan pantheon. Announcing our NEW encyclopedia for Kids! Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Corrections?
Itzamná was sometimes identified with the remote creator deity Hunab Ku and occasionally with Kinich Ahau, the sun god. Illnesses associated with Itzamná included chills, asthma, and respiratory ailments. Some of the deities discussed below may be alternate versions of him, his children, or even his parents. Like so many other Mayan gods, Itzamna’s precise relationship to the other gods is very hard to determine.
Itzamná is also often represented as a two-headed underwater serpent, a caiman, or a mix of human and caiman characteristics. His name is sometimes prefixed by the Akbal sign, a symbol of blackness and night that at least to a degree associates Itzamná with the moon. According to Maya mythology, Itzamná was part of the supreme power couple, husband to the elder version of the goddess Ix Chel (Goddess O), and together they were parents of all the other gods. Itzamna is one of the primary creator deities of the Mayan pantheon. If he has the portfolio of the other god, one can and should consider sun-based imagery as symbolic of him. Also known as God-D, Itzam-Na. He frequently takes the form of a pleasant old man, a two-headed reptile, or of a sacred bird. In addition to his mythical representations, he was also represented in the Mayan religion by a priest who wore a headdress featuring the sacred bird deity. Taking on many different roles in the Mayan religion, he is a god deeply connected not only with acts of creation, but also with knowledge and healing. Itzamná was also a culture hero who gave humankind writing and the calendar and was patron deity of medicine. Often he is portrayed as an aged man, with the written form of his name including the Ahau for leadership alongside his conventional glyph. This bird often has a two-headed snake in its mouth. He is usually thought of as the inventor of medicine, or at least the deity who brought medication to the people.
Importantly, Itzamna also has some connection to the Mayan world trees. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. In Yucatan, during the Postclassic period, Itzamná was also worshiped as the god of medicine. He is associated with curing, and the disk on his forehead, which sometimes contains the sign for blackness, may represent an obsidian mirror used in divination. Itzamna, principal pre-Columbian Mayan deity, ruler of heaven, day, and night. The moon goddess Ixchel, patron of womanly crafts, was possibly a female manifestation of the god. Hachakyum may be a son, successor, or iteration of Itzamna. The creator deity also has a special role during the coronation of Mayan rulers, with priests wearing his ritual headdress bestowing the official headdress of rulership on the king. He frequently takes the form of a pleasant old man, a two-headed reptile, or of a sacred bird. Some of the most common Itzamna imagery is related to his forms. In other stories, he is the father of Bacab, an important deity related to either the sky or the structure of the world – or, in some cases, four different deities that are responsible for holding up the sky. As the supreme being he has several names, Kukulcan (underwater serpent or feathered snake) or Itzam Cab Ain, the "Itzam Earth Caiman", but archaeologists refer to him prosaically as God D. Itzamná is credited with inventing writing and the sciences and bringing them to the Maya people. He is frequently associated with his wife Ix Chel and the creator deity Hunab Ku, as well as the Bacabs. Itzamna: Majowie God of Creation, pisania i wróżbiarstwo Itzamna (wymawiane Eetz-AM-Nah i czasami orkisz Itzam Na), jest jednym z najważniejszych w Mayan panteonu bogów, stwórcą świata i najwyższego ojca wszechświata, który rządził na podstawie jego wiedzy ezoterycznej, a nie jego siła. Likewise, the bird deity headdress is considered a major part of his iconography. The Bird of Heaven is a more than an associate of Itzamná, it is his counterpart, both a separate entity living alongside Itzamná and sometimes Itzamná himself, transformed. He may or may not have also had some powers over the division of how various aspects of the land worked. By using ThoughtCo, you accept our, Perun, Slavic God of the Sky and Universe, Hunahpu and Xbalanque - The Maya Hero Twins, Ceiba pentandra: The Sacred Tree of the Maya, Quetzalcoatl - Pan-Mesoamerican Feathered Serpent God, Tlaltecuhtli - The Monstrous Aztec Goddess of the Earth, Chaac, the Ancient Mayan God of Rain, Lightning, and Storms, Veles (Volos), Slavic God of Cattle and the Underworld, History of Animal and Plant Domestication. As such, he was represented in a number of different ways, some of which fall under the greater auspices of general Mayan creator deities.
He’s the son of the sunny creator god Hunab Ku, and was heavily involved in the development of Maya culture. Another important form of Itzamna is that of the Bird of Heaven.
Like some of the other Mesoamerican deities, the Itzamnas were associated with the points of the compass and their colors. One common factor linking many mythological pantheons is the presence of a chief sky god. He is the god most closely associated with both science and writing, but he’s also a god that has some clear associations with disease. This is a large bird that bears the words for day and night on its wings and that has a head like a falcon.
He brought agriculture and farming to the masses, and also invented those essential items ‘books’ and ‘writing’.
Omissions? His final form is the form he assumes in the underworld – that of a skeletal crocodile. He frequently appeared as four gods called Itzamnás, who encased the world. Copyright © 2019. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. He is the top god of the Mayan hierarchy of gods, and important representations of him appear at Copan (Altar D), Palenque (House E) and Piedras Negras (Stela 25). Itzamná, (Mayan: “Iguana House”) principal pre-Columbian Mayan deity, ruler of heaven, day, and night. In some tales, he is married to the elderly aspect of Ix Chel.
Ph.D., Anthropology, University of California Riverside, M.A., Anthropology, University of California Riverside. He is considered a force with multiple aspects, combining the earth, heavens, and underworld. He is responsible for teaching humans about science, the calendar, writing, and medicine. Iconographically, Hunhau and Uacmitun Ahau correspond to the Gods A and A'. Itzamná (pronounced Eetz-am-NAH and sometimes spelled Itzam Na), is one of the most important of the Mayan pantheon of gods, the creator of the world and supreme father of the universe who ruled based on his esoteric knowledge, rather than his strength. He wears a tall cylindrical headdress with a beaded mirror, a hat that often resembles a flower with a long outpouring stream. Itzamna.
In the Mayan language, Itzamná means caiman, lizard, or large fish. Itzamná: The Mayan Supreme Being and Father of the Universe. What’s known, though, is that he is closely related to them in some way. An old god, consort of Ix Chel, Itzamna is a principal god of the Mayan scribes. His precise role is unclear, but he is generally pictured in his aspect of the bird as being a creature who dwells either on or within these sacred world trees. It’s entirely possible that the Sun is also a symbol that is connected to Itzamna, though there is some disagreement among scholars whether the Sun Deity Kinich Ahau is just another iteration of Itzamna or if he is an entirely different god. As a primary creator deity, Itzamna has a number of different powers and abilities.
There are two separate months with special ceremonies related to him – one related to writing and the other related to medicine.
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