Tonatiuh
| Tonatiuh | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Portfolio: | Sun, misfortune |
| Home: | A parallel Material Plane |
| Alignment: | Neutral evil |
| Gender: | Male |
| Superior: | Ometeotl |
| Rules items | |
| Domains: | Destruction, Evil, Sun, War |
| Divine rank: | Intermediate |
Tonatiuh is the fifth and current Olman sun god. His symbol is a solar face.
Tonatiuh also has a lesser aspect and previous incarnation, Nanahuatl, who is the god of misfortune (including poverty, disease, and earthquakes).
Description
Tonatiuh is depicted with a face that blazes like the sun, obscuring the rest of his body with his light. As Nanahuatl he is depicted as a wretched-looking dwarf.
Relationships
Tonatiuh slew Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, a war god known as the Morningstar. Tonatiuh's herald is a pit fiend. His allies are salamanders, known as xiuhcoatl, "fire serpents" in the Olman language.
Realm
According to Legends & Lore (1990), the Aztecs, whose gods are often also Olman gods, believe in a "world above" and a "world below." The world below is the home of the dead. Tonatiuh travels between these two realms, entering the underworld every night and traveling across the World Above every day.
In Deities & Demigods (1980), all Central American deities dwell on a parallel Material Plane. In The Scarlet Brotherhood (1999), the Olman deities were originally worshipped on another prime material plane[1], while the FAQ for that book (originally available on the TSR website)[2] suggests they still dwell there.
Dogma
Tonatiuh is cruel and demanding, refusing to travel across the sky unless he is continually fed with the hearts and blood of humans and deities alike. He teaches his followers that happiness and success in life come only with pain and toil. His worshipers are bid to test their own limits.
Worshipers
Tonatiuh was worshiped on the Isle of Dread, where a stone disc portrays him holding court next to Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl. There was also an unnamed sun god depicted in the ruins of Tamoachan.
In some Olman communities, Tonatiuh's role as the defeater of darkness may be subsumed by other deities.
Clergy
Clerics of Tonatiuh may channel positive energy even if they are evil. They perform many precise rituals throughout the day to appease and give strength to their patron. They believe that if these rituals are not performed, the sun will not be able to rise, and the monsters of darkness will claim the world. Tonatiuh expects his clerics to oppose the monstrous creatures of the dark, just as he does in his nightly journey through the underworld.
As with most Olman priests, priests of Tonatiuh must choose a direction to pray to at the beginning of their careers. Clerics of the east wear red, clerics of the south wear yellow, clerics of the west wear black, and clerics of the north wear white.
Tlaloc's favored weapon is the shortbow.
Temples
Tonatiuh's temples are built on top of step pyramids, typically alongside temples of Tlaloc. The altars of Tonatiuh's temples are stained with blood.
Rituals
Tonatiuh demands that the hearts of captured warriors are sacrificed to him on most days in order to give him the strength he needs to make his daily journey across the sky. Soldiers pierce themselves and scatter their blood as a sacrifice for Tonatiuh in the hope that he will grant them strength in battle.
Prayers to Tonatiuh are uttered every sunset. Prayers to Tonatiuh are also spoken begging him for mercy when the sun becomes too hot or other misfortunes strike.
Myths and legends
The Fifth Sun
After the time of Chalchihuitlicue had passed and it was time to choose a new sun to shine in the sky, every god said "Not it!" By default, then, the burden went to the smallest and weakest of the divine host, who could not refuse when the others bullied him into it. "Fear not, Nanahuatl," said the other gods, calling the dwarf god by the name he had at the time. "You may be weak and impoverished now, but as the sun you will be... glorious." This was cold comfort for Nanahuatl, who knew that dragging the sun across the sky for centuries would be difficult, dangerous work, and defeating the creatures of the underworld every night would be just as risky. Still, he had no choice, so Nanahuatl, the unfortunate god of misfortune, threw himself into a bonfire, and so, as his body was consumed completely by the flames, ended up in the underworld.
The following morning, the god who had been Nanahuatl, but who was now Tonatiuh, emerged over the eastern horizon... and then stopped. He refused to rise until the gods that had bullied him into becoming the new sun agreed to give him their hearts to eat. Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli fired an arrow at Tonatiuh, but Tonatiuh dodged and shot his attacker with his own flaming dart. Seeing now that Tonatiuh had become too powerful to resist. One by one, they sacrificed their lives, sending their hearts to be consumed by the ravenous sun god. Finally satiated, Tonatiuh continued his journey across the sky. Ever since, Tonatiuh has demanded sacrifices every day from his mortal followers, or one day the sun will no longer rise.
External links
- Tonatiuh on Wikipedia (historical Azetc deity)
References
Notes
Citations
- ↑ The Scarlet Brotherhood (1999), p.42.
- ↑ Scarlet Brotherhood FAQ, archived from the original. Retrieved, 30 Sep 2021
Bibliography
- Johnson, Harold, and Jeff R. Leason. The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1980.
- Leati, Tito. "City of Broken Idols." Dungeon #145. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2007.
- Schwartz, David. "Aztec Mythos IV." Dragon #358. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2007.
Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index
The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index (EGI) is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, continued by numerous other fans. The EGI article has a list of sources, product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.
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