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Quetzalcoatl ; () () is a Mesoamerican deity whose name comes from the Nahuatl language and means "feathered serpent".〔 The Nahuatl nouns compounded into the proper name "Quetzalcoatl" are: ''quetzalli'', signifying principally "plumage", but also used to refer to the bird—resplendent quetzal—renowned for its colourful feathers, and ''cohuātl'' "snake". Some scholars have interpreted the name as having also a metaphorical meaning of "precious twin" since the word for plumage was also used metaphorically about precious things and ''cohuātl'' has an additional meaning of "twin"〕 The worship of a feathered serpent is first known documented in Teotihuacan in the first century BC or first century AD. That period lies within the Late Preclassic to Early Classic period (400 BC – 600 AD) of Mesoamerican chronology, and veneration of the figure appears to have spread throughout Mesoamerica by the Late Classic (600–900 AD).〔Ringle et al. 1998〕 In the Postclassic period (900–1519 AD), the worship of the feathered serpent deity was based in the primary Mexican religious center of Cholula. It is in this period that the deity is known to have been named "Quetzalcoatl" by his Nahua followers. In the Maya area he was approximately equivalent to Kukulcan and Gukumatz, names that also roughly translate as "feathered serpent" in different Mayan languages. A prominent symbol of the priests of Quetzalcoatl was a symbol known in Nahuatl as a "ehecacozcatl" which translates in to English as a "wind jewel." This talisman was a conch shell cut at the cross-section and was likely worn as a necklace by religious rulers as they have been discovered in burials in archaeological sites throughout Mesoamerica and potentially symbolized patterns witnessed in hurricanes, dust devils, seashells, and whirlpools which were elemental forces that had meaning in the Aztec religious mythology. In codex illustrations depicting Quetzalcoatl and Xolotl they are both depicted wearing an ehecaicozcatl around each of their necks. There has also been at least one major cache of offerings with knives and idols adorned with the symbols of multiple gods, some of which were adorned with wind jewels. In the era following the 16th-century Spanish Conquest, a number of sources were written that conflate Quetzalcoatl with Ce Acatl Topiltzin, a ruler of the mythico-historic city of Tollan. It is a matter of much debate among historians to which degree, or whether at all, these narratives about this legendary Toltec ruler describe historical events.〔Nicholson 2001, Carrasco 1992, Gillespie 1989, Florescano 2002〕 Furthermore, early Spanish sources written by clerics tend to identify the god-ruler Quetzalcoatl of these narratives with either Hernán Cortés or St. Thomas—an identification which is also a source of diversity of opinions about the nature of Quetzalcoatl.〔Lafaye 1987, Townsend 2003, Martínez 1980, Phelan 1970〕 Among the Aztecs, whose beliefs are the best-documented in the historical sources, Quetzalcoatl was related to gods of the wind, of the planet Venus, of the dawn, of merchants and of arts, crafts and knowledge. He was also the patron god of the Aztec priesthood, of learning and knowledge.〔Smith 2001:213〕 Quetzalcoatl was one of several important gods in the Aztec pantheon, along with the gods Tlaloc, Tezcatlipoca and Huitzilopochtli. Two other gods represented by the planet Venus are Quetzalcoatl's ally Tlaloc who is the god of rain, and Quetzalcoatl's twin and psychopomp who is named Xolotl. Animals thought to represent Quetzalcoatl include resplendent quetzals, rattlesnakes (''coatl'' meaning serpent in Nahuatl), crows, and macaws. In his form as Ehecatl he is the wind, and is represented by spider monkeys, ducks, and the wind itself. In his form as the morning star, Venus, he is also depicted as a harpy eagle. In Mazatec legends, the astrologer deity Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, who is also represented by Venus, bears a close relationship with Quetzalcoatl. ==Feathered serpent deity in Mesoamerica== (詳細はウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Quetzalcoatl」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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