Uncommon Folk
The world of folklore is a diverse, thriving mix of ancient traditions, old gods, strange beasts and curious tales.
Every land has their own folk traditions, and while some themes are universal, each has something special about them that makes them unique.
Join stand-up comedian, writer, and folklore PhD candidate Dan Mitchell as he dives into the dark oceans of folk, hoping to find a never before found denizen of the deep. Featuring exclusive interviews with academics, folklorists, scientists, poets, magical practitioners, and many more special guests from around the world, Uncommon Folk hopes to unearth the bones of folklore and resurrect them with incantations long forgotten.
From deep dives to short nuggets, Uncommon Folk will enlighten, enthuse, and entertain the folk community.
Uncommon Folk
Uncommon Folk 31 Days of Winter- Itztlacoliuhqui
Uncover the mysteries of Aztec mythology and decode the transformative journey of Itztlacoliuhqui, the enigmatic god of frost. How did a deity of dawn become a harbinger of winter’s chill? Join us as we unravel this transition, exploring the cosmic clash with the sun god, Tonatiuh , that forever altered Itztlacoliuhqui's role in the celestial hierarchy.
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It's la Coliqui Now. Itza Coliqui is a god of frost in Aztec mythology, but he's more than that. He sort of represents matter in a lifeless state, almost like in stasis, which is something that's very much in tune with the cold weather and the frost. A lot of animals hibernate, a lot of plants sort of just shrink down to under the ground, they lose their leaves and things like that. So it's this sort of lifeless state that nature takes as well. Now, the Nahuatl name, itzla Colique, is usually translated into English as sort of curved obsidian blade. Now, the obsidian blades are very sort of like much associated with Aztec culture, and a curved one in particular. J Richard Andrews says that this is a renowned academic says that this is a mistranslation. The correct interpretation is that everything has become bent by means of coldness or plant killer, frost. Now we can see that, if you see that in a really cold weather, the frost and the wind and all the plants seem to shrivel up and are bent to the cold. So you can absolutely see, um, where that name came from. Now, according to the Aztec calendar, itzalacalique is the lord of the 13 days, and this is Aztec calendar. Now, from one lizard to 13 vulture, now, the preceding 13 days are ruled over by Paticatl and the following 13 by Clatzelotl. Okay, so who is he? Who is this? Itzla Kulikwe.
Speaker 1:Now, the creation of the god appeared in the Aztec myth of creation. Tonitwe, the sun god, demanded obedience and sacrifice from the other gods as often the sort of head gods do before he would move, otherwise he would just stay there. The sun would just burn them. The gods were enraged by this. The other gods were enraged, so the god of dawn and the planet Venus. Tlahuit excuse me a moment.
Speaker 1:Tlahut Kalpantikutli shot an arrow directly at the sun, but it missed. It missed, I mean, obviously, looking up at the sun, you're not going to get the best aim anyway. It missed its mark and the sun throws his own one right back at the morning star and shot the lord of dawn through the head at this moment. It was at this exact point that uh was transformed into the god of obsidian stone and coldness, itzla Kulikwi. Okay, so that is how Itzla Kulikwi became. Now there's an iconography of Itzla Kulikwi depicting a straw broom, a tlachpanoni, in his hand, which symbolises the function of his wintry death deity and how he cleans the way for new life to emerge thereafter. So, once a god of dawn became a god of frost and well matter, lifeless state, so that once again, those the season change of seasons, and how, with his brush, he would brush away the cold eventually and allow new life to come to be.
