Coatlicue

Greyhawk Divinity

Coatlicue
Names and titles
Title(s):	The Serpent-Skirted, Snake Woman, the Hungry Woman
General information
Portfolio:	Birth, death, earth
Home:	A parallel Material Plane
Alignment:	Neutral
Gender:	Female
Superior:	Ometeotl
Rules items
Domains:	Animal, Death, Earth, Plant
Divine rank:	Intermediate

Coatlicue is the Olman goddess of the earth from which all life arises, and also of the earth in which the dead are buried. She is the patron of mothers and fathers, but also of barren rocks and deep caves, revered by miners and those who mourn.

Description

Coatlicue is normally depicted as a woman wearing a necklace of severed hands and a skirt made of living, writhing serpents. Sometimes she has a serpent's head as well.

Relationships

Coatlicue is the mother of a god of war, Huitzilopochtli, along with countless other children.

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. As goddess of the earth and caves, Coatlicue would seem to belong to the world below.

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, while the FAQ for that book (originally available on the TSR website) suggests they still dwell there.

Dogma

Coatlicue's priests teach that the earth is like a womb from which all things emerge, and the grave to which they return. They teach that the land is not a thing that can be owned, only used for a while before it must lay fallow for a time.

Worshipers

An alabaster statuette of Coatlicue was discovered in the ruins of Tamoachan.

Clergy

Clerics of Coatlicue are tasked with determining where best to plant crops or hunt, and to determine when the local land can no longer support one, the other, or both.

As with most Olman priests, priests of Coatlicue 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.

Coatlicue's favored weapon is the pick.

Temples

Temples to Coatlicue are often caves, or else they are built to be reminiscent of caves.

Rituals

Prayers to Coatlicue ask for abundant crops, the birth of children, or hidden treasures of the earth. Clerics of Coatlicue celebrate births and act as midwives. They preside over ceremonies involving beginnings, such as planting crops and opening mines. They also preside over burials of the dead.

Myths and legends

The Hungry Woman

In the world of the gods, there was a woman who was constantly hungry. She was so hungry mouths grew on her wrists, elbows, knees, and ankles. She wept from hunger, but the gods could never feed her enough to satisfy her, so Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca took her down to the endless waters below, lying her down, and created a world from her. They made forests from her hair, lakes form her eyes, and mountains from her shoulders. And yet still she hungers; whenever anything dies, she eats it. Whenever Tlaloc sends rain, she drinks. She has mouths everywhere.

The birth of Huitzilopochtli

Coatlicue was somehow impregnated by a feather. Her eldest daughter, Coyolxauhqui, told her countless brothers and sisters that they had to kill their mother before she gave birth. As they walked toward their mother, drawing their knives, Huitzilopochtli emerged from his mother's womb, fully grown and dressed for battle. He slew Coyolxauhqui and killed or routed his other siblings.

Creative origins

In Aztec mythology, Coatlicue is also the mother of Quetzalcoatl.

References

Bibliography

• Johnson, Harold, and Jeff R. Leason. The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1980. Page 16.
• Schwartz, David. "Aztec Mythos III." Dragon #356. 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.

Topic	Type	Description	Product	Page/Card/Image
Coatlicue	Deity		C1 The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan	16
Coatlicue	Deity		Lost Tomaochan: The Hidden Shrine of Lubaatum	22