Keeping it real wit Frizzy Lizzy

Hi dear friends and followers. Today is Frizzy Lizzy day, take five, relax and enjoy a good read

I've been a newlywed twice more than I hoped that I would be. I've committed serial monogamy a total of three times, each time hoping against hope that it would be the one that would take me from here to hereafter, but it just never worked out that way.

Each time that I said “I do,” I was hoping to also have a new circle of friends with whom to share things like supper, shopping, holidays, work stories, even maybe vacation together! I've heard of others doing that, so why not my “forever love” and I?

Well, the first time I was married it just never happened because I was not in my element. We were living 3 kilometers from his mother and siblings and he passed a lot of his time down there. He was there more than I thought healthy because I almost had to make reservations to meet him after work at our house! The notion of having a circle of friends just was not in his mind.

So after 10 years of being married to Henry VIII's 20th Century reincarnation (I say that for reasons I might explain some other time) I filed for divorce and was on my own again. Then I met my second ex, Frank.

I figured that being with Frank would be a different life from the one I had left, and it was. We worked in the same building, knew some of the same people, had some work knowledge in common, and we both enjoyed socializing with a certain group of people outside of work hours. We were able to have lunch some days with a couple with whom we became rather close, and I liked that a lot.

When we first went to the campground, Frank and I were not yet married. We shared a caravan trailer with Frank's mom, Catharine. She was a wonderful woman in every way and a joy to know but she did let us know from time-to-time that we were not fully benefiting from marriage. She and Frank also had some friends including a couple, Tommy P and his wife, Peggy.

Talk about opposites! This pair must have gotten together in a lottery! Peggy was as pretty as the lilacs in June with a sunny personality and the most infectious laugh I have ever heard! She was a prize as a friend, companion, and I felt sure that Tommy saw her as the perfect wife.

Tommy was her polar opposite. He was tall, skinny, noisy, abrasive, difficult, and a sight to see. He was mostly bald with a few hairs on top of a suntanned head that resembled a ripe coconut more than a cranium. Aside from having a loud mouth, he was missing most of his teeth. I have no idea of how he lost them but they were gone and no dentures or bridgework to close the gap. And he sold used cars for work. Get the picture?

When we did get together, Frank was able to handle Tommy's boisterous ways very well. He didn't pay a lot of attention to Tommy when he was being loud or acting like a show-off or playing the fool. Nancy and I appreciated that.

So it was one Saturday in June of 1985 when Frank and I wanted to surprise his mom by going out with Tommy and Peggy and returning with a marriage certificate. I don't recall the exact date, but we did. Tommy volunteered to drive us to the marriage commissioner's office but first we went to a restaurant for a few stiff drinks. That was Tommy's way: everything goes better with vodka.

So we were married in the basement of the court house in a small town in Virginia and we got the certificate to prove it, and Tommy and Peggy were our witnesses. Mama was so surprised when we returned with that piece of paper! She gave us a wedding gift of whatever she had in her wallet, God rest her soul.

Anyway, we hung with Tommy and Peggy and frequently went out with them in their boat to marinas and restaurants for supper or Sunday brunch, always to a place that served liquor. That was Tommy's way. Frank was really cool and never even raised his voice to Tommy when he was playing the fool or making Frank the butt of some “I'm better than you because ______ “ joke.

Things must have been OK with Frank because in September of that year we made plans to go on vacation with Tommy and Peggy for 2 weeks in Fort Lauderdale the following February. Tommy called the Bahia Cabana Motel and made the reservation and we began to count the days.

The time came for us to drive to Florida to meet Peggy and Tommy who were already there. It was 21 hours driving but it was worth every minute of it. When we left our home in the Washington, DC suburbs it was snowing and the temperature was -12C. We arrived on a day of sunny skies and 23C. And Tommy was being Tommy: loud, obnoxious, and full of himself and vodka. I felt sorry for poor Peggy.

Before we left, Frank had a business acquaintance who had a condo in Fort Lauderdale, so he asked him where he thought they served the best seafood. He got the name and address of a place in the town of Davie, Florida. As we had never been in Florida before, the location meant nothing to us. It was just a place on a map.

So we get in Tommy's car and go to this seafood place on Highway 441 in Davie.

We arrived at the address and it was a large shack on stilts over a canal that might have had alligators in it. Two skiffs were tied-up outside and there was a fair crowd having supper.

The server showed us to a table and someone came over and asked us if we wanted a drink. Naturally Tommy ordered first and loudly asked for a Bloody Mary with a double shot of vodka. The table server told him that there was only beer and wine available, no liquor. Tommy went crazy.

He proceeded to yell about what kind of shithouse place was this restaurant that they only served beer and wine; about how this was south Florida and everyplace served vodka, and how pissed-off he was about the lack of hard liquor.

Peggy and I wanted to hide under the table, but we were able to calm him long enough for him to order a Budweiser and for the poor, beleaguered table server to get the drinks and give us a menu. Than the fun really began.

Frank ordered the linguine ristorante for both of us. It was a huge platter of pasta with every kind of shellfish one could find in Florida under home made marinara sauce. Tommy ordered the surf and turf, but asked if the steak that came with it was cold-aged filet mignon. When he found out that they served a New York strip steak, he went off like a Roman candle, exploding at the poor table server about why they could not legally call it a surf and turf.

Suddenly a rather large man in black trousers and a white sport shirt appeared and asked what was all the commotion. He gently moved the server out of the way and leaned his face right into Tommy's. He asked again about all of the noise and yelling. Tommy gulped hard and his eyes got very large as he pulled his head away from this guy who was undoubtedly the bouncer. And this guy would have loved to bounce Tommy. For all I know, he was ready to take him outside and put his sorry ass in that canal as a snack for the alligators.

The supper order went in. Tommy's rare steak was done just fine and Peggy enjoyed hers, too. Frank and I demolished a mountain of pasta and shellfish, all the time enjoying a conversation at reasonable tones. For Peggy and I it was a nod and a wink and a pleasant night after “Bubba” restored order. For Tommy it was a bruised ego and maybe being thankful that he wasn't in that canal after all.

Other things took place on that vacation that I might talk about later but that was one strike against sharing vacation time with anyone ever again.

Thank you very much again, dear friends, for visiting my blog. Please share your thoughts with us, if you will. have a great Week.

✿ ڰۣ❤In Loving Light from the Fairy Lady❤ڰۣ✿

Aztec Poetry

Aztec Poetry

HI dear friends and followers

I was fortunate in finding some Aztec poetry. I'm sure that more must exist but it has not yet been placed on th eweb where I can find it. It must be in a university library, waiting for me in the stacks, in volumes and shards and fragments of a once-powerful civilization. This poetry deals with life, both here and hereafter, and how one might gain passage there. There was nothing very militaristic about this society, was there?

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The earth shakes: the Mexica [Aztec] begins his song:

He makes the Eagles and Ocelots dance with him!

Come to see the Huexotzinca:

On the dais of the Eagle he shouts out,

Loudly cries the Mexica.

The battlefield is the place: where one toasts the divine liquor in war,

where are stained red the divine eagles,

where the tigers howl,

where all kinds of precious stones rain from ornaments,

where wave headdresses rich with fine plumes,

where princes are smashed to bits.

There is nothing like death in war,

nothing like the flowery death

so precious to Him who gives life:

far off I see it: my heart yearns for it!

And they called it Teotihulcan

because it was the place

where the lords were buried.

Thus they said:

'When we die,

truly we die not,

because we will live, we will rise,

we will continue living, we will awaken

This will make us happy.'

Thus the dead one was directed,

when he died:

'Awaken, already the sky is rosy,

already dawn has come,

already sing the flame-coloured guans,

the fire-coloured swallows,

already the butterflies fly.' 

Thus the old ones said

that who has died has become a god,

they said: 'He has been made a god there,

meaning 'He has died.'

Even jade is shattered,

Even gold is crushed,

Even quetzal plume are torn . . .

One does not live forever on this earth:

We endure only for an instant!

Will flowers be carried to the Kingdom of Death:

Is it true that we are going, we are going?

Where are we going, ay, where are we going?

Will we be dead there or will we live yet?

Does one exist again?

Perhaps we will live a second time?

Thy heart knows:

Just once do we live!.

Like a quetzal plume, a fragrant flower, 

friendship sparkles:

like heron plumes, it weaves itself into finery.

Our song is a bird calling out like a jingle:

how beautiful you make it sound!

Here, among flowers that enclose us,

among flowery boughs you are singing.

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All the earth is a grave and nothing escapes it, nothing is so perfect 

that it does not descend to its tomb. Rivers, rivulets, fountains and 

waters flow, but never return to their joyful beginnings; anxiously 

they hasten on the vast realms of the rain god. As they widen their

banks, they also fashion the sad urn of their burial.

Filled are the bowels of the earth with pestilential dust once flesh and bone, 

once animate bodies of man who sat upon thrones, decided cases, presided in 

council, commanded armies, conquered provinces, possessed treasure, destroyed 

temples, exulted in their pride, majesty, fortune, praise and power. Vanished 

are these glories, just as the fearful smoke vanishes that belches forth from 

the infernal fires of Popocatepetl. Nothing recalls them but the written page.

HUNGRY-COYOTE (NEZAHUALCOYOTL)
King of Texcoco (1431-72)

Thank you very much again, dear friends, for visiting my blog. Please share your thoughts with us, if you will. have a great Week.

✿ ڰۣ❤In Loving Light from the Fairy Lady❤ڰۣ✿

The Priest and the Rag Picker

The Priest and the Rag Picker

Hi dear friends and followers.
I know that there are more myths and legends of the Aztec People to be found but without an exhaustive effort and in-depth research, I will not be able to find them. Not being a full-time anthropologist or researcher into the ancient literature of anyone, including the Aztecs, leaves me rather limited in terms of how much material I can present for your enjoyment.

With that said, I present to you the last of the "easy finds" of Aztec legends, The Story of the Priest and the Rag Picker
This legend was shared with us by Andrea López Delgado.

Once a Nahua (Aztec) rag-picker happened to discover a painted book near the Temple of Huitzilpochtli, where he worked his trade. He brought it to a priest and asked him what the glyphs said. It turned out the book told of a magical casket hidden inside the ninety-third step of the pyramid. 

So the rag-picker and the priest agreed to split the treasure they found, and counted the stairs of the pyramid until they got to 93. When they pried up the stone, there was the casket, bound in a silver chain. Inside it were wonderful things: a magical rattle and drumstick, a mirror that could show the future, a magic wand, an almanac and a book of sorcery.

The priest said, "These are sacred things. You don't know how to use any of them, so they're no use to you. But since I know how to use them, they are valuable to me. Why don't I give you three hundred pieces of gold for your half of the treasure."

So the rag-picker agreed to that, but while the priest was counting out the money, he hit him in the back of the head with the magic wand and killed him. "See, it's not so hard to use these things." So he threw the priest's body in the lake, kept the money and the treasures and began trying to study the sacred artifacts. 

But it didn't go well. The rag-picker didn't know what he was doing. He couldn't read the almanac. He looked into the future and saw things he didn't understand. He shook the rattle and the noises frightened him. And he couldn't sleep, because strange spirits disturbed him constantly. "A curse on these things! They are bringing me nothing but grief." 

So the rag-picker packed them back up in the casket and threw them into the lake. But no sooner did he do that then the priest jumped up out of the lake and caught the casket in his hands. He was alive again! The priest took out the magic wand and hit the rag-picker with it and killed him instantly. And from then on the priest carried the sacred items with him, where they never did any more harm to anyone.

Thank you very much again, dear friends, for visiting my blog. Please share your thoughts with us, if you will. have a great Week.

✿ ڰۣ❤In Loving Light from the Fairy Lady❤ڰۣ✿

The Birth of Huitzilopochtli, Patron God of the Aztecs

Hi dear friends and followers

Today I was most fortunate to find an excerpt from an epic poem of the Aztec People, about the birth of their Sun god, Huitzilopochtli. Everything that follows this paragraph is taken from the work cited and is not mine. It is the intellectual property of one M. Leon-Portilla. I thought about including pictures with this work but I felt it best to not "gild the lily," as it were. I hope that you find this nugget as enjoyable to read as I did.

From Leon-Portilla, ed., Native Mesoamerican Spirituality, New York: Paulist Press, 1980.

The Birth of Huitzilopochtli, Patron God of the Aztecs

This is a teocuitatl, "divine song," a sort of epic poem in which the birth of Huitzilopochtli is recalled. The portentous patron god of the Aztecs was the son of Coatlicue, "she of the skirt of serpents," a title of the Mother goddess. This text has been the object of various forms of interpretation.

According to some researchers, the myth has to do with an astral primeval confrontation. Huitzilopochtli is the Sun who is born from Cuatlicue, the earth. His sister, Coyolxauhqui, the moon incites her four hundred brothers, the innumerable stars, to attack the Sun. In the astral struggle the moon and the four hundred stars are defeated.

The triumph of the Sun, the patron god of the Aztecs, anticipates the destiny of the latter. This idea leads to a different or complementary interpretation. If the destiny of Huitzilopochtli has been to defeat his enemies and to deprive them of their possessions, the Aztec people, by siding with their patron God, will become "the people of the Sun," those chosen to impose their rule on many other nations in the four quadrants of the universe.

The Aztecs greatly revered Huitzilopochtli; they knew his origin, his beginning, was in this manner:

In Coatepec, on the way to Tula,

there was living,

there dwelt a woman

by the name of Coatlicue.

She was mother of the four hundred gods of the south

and their sister

by name Coyolxauhqui.

And this Coatlicue did penance there,

she swept, it was her task to sweep,

thus she did penance

in Coatepec, the Mountain of the Serpent.

And one day,

when Coatlicue was sweeping,

there fell on her some plumage,

a ball of fine feathers.

Immediately Coatlicue picked them up

and put them in her bosom.

When she finished sweeping,

she looked for the feathers

she had put in her bosom,

but she found nothing there.

At that moment Coatlicue was with child.

The four hundred gods of the south,

seeing their mother was with child,

were very annoyed and said:

"Who has done this to you?

Who has made you with child?

This insults us, dishonors us."

And their sister Coyolxauhqui

said to them:

"My brothers, she has dishonored us,

we must kill our mother,

the wicked woman who is now with child.

Who gave her what she carries in her womb?"

When Coatlicue learned of this,

she was very frightened,

she was very sad.

But her son Huitzilopochtli, in her womb,

comforted her, said to her:

"Do not be afraid,

I know what I must do."

Coatlicue, having heard

the words of her son,

was consoled,

her heart was quiet,

she felt at peace.

But meanwhile the four hundred gods of the south

came together to take a decision,

and together they decided

to kill their mother,

because she had disgraced them.

They were very angry,

they were very agitated,

as if the heart had gone out of them.

Coyolxauhqui incited them,

she inflamed the anger of her brothers,

so that they should kill her mother.

And the four hundred gods

made ready,

they attired themselves as for war.

And those four hundred gods of the south

were like captains;

they twisted and bound up their hair

as warriors arrange their long hair.

But one of them called Cuahuitlicac

broke his word.

What the four hundred said,

he went immediately to tell,

he went and revealed it to Huitzilopochtli.

And Huitzilopochtli replied to him:

"Take care, be watchful,

my uncle, for I know well what I must do."

And when finally they came to an agreement,

the four hundred gods were determined to kill,

to do away with their mother;

then they began to prepare,

Coyolxauhqui directing them.

They were very robust, well equipped,

adorned as for war,

they distributed among themselves their paper garb,

the anecuyotl [the girdle], the nettles,

the streamers of colored paper;

they tied little bells on the calves of their legs,

the bells called oyohualli.

Their arrows had barbed points.

Then they began to move,

they went in order, in line,

in orderly squadrons,

Coyolxauhqui led them.

But Cuahuitlicac went immediately up onto the mountain,

so as to speak from there to Huitzilopochtli;

he said to him:

"Now they are coming."

Huitzilopochtli replied to him:

"Look carefully which way they are coming."

Then Cuahuitlicac said:

"Now they are coming through Tzompantitlan."

And again Huitzilopochtli said to him:

"Where are they coming now?"

Cuahuitlicac replied to him:

"Now they are coming through Coaxalpan."

And once more Huitzilopochtli asked Cuahuitlicac:

"Look carefully which way they are coming."

Immediately Cuahuitlicac answered him:

"Now they are coming up the side of the mountain."

And yet again Huitzilopochtli said to him:

"Look carefully which way they are coming."

Then Cuahuitlicac said to him:

"Now they are on the top, they are here,

Coyolxauhqui is leading them."

At that moment Huitzilopochtli was born,

he put on his gear,

his shield of eagle feathers,

his darts, his blue dart-thrower.

He painted his face

with diagonal stripes,

in the color called "child's paint."

On his head he arranged fine plumage,

he put on his earplugs.

And on his left foot, which was withered,

he wore a sandal covered with feathers,

and his legs and his arms

were painted blue.

And the so-called Tochancalqui

set fire to the serpent of candlewood,

the one called Xiuhcoatl

that obeyed Huitzilopochtli.

With the serpent of fire he struck Coyolxauhqui,

he cut off her head,

and left it lying there

on the slope of Coatepetl.

The body of Coyolxauhqui

went rolling down the hill,

it fell to pieces,

in different places fell her hands,

her legs, her body.

Then Huitzilopochtli was proud,

he pursued the four hundred gods of the south,

he chased them, drove them off

the top of Coatepetl, the mountain of the snake.

And when he followed them

down to the foot of the mountain,

he pursued them, he chased them like rabbits,

all around the mountain.

He made them run around it four times.

In vain they tried to rally against him,

in vain they turned to attack him,

rattling their bells

and clashing their shields.

Nothing could they do,

nothing could they gain,

with nothing could they defend themselves.

Huitzilopochtli chased them, he drove them away,

he humbled them, he destroyed them, he annihilated them.

Even then he did not leave them,

but continued to pursue them,

and they begged him repeatedly, they said to him:

"It is enough!"

But Huitzilopochtli was not satisfied,

with force he pushed against them,

he pursued them.

Only a very few were able to escape him,

escape from his reach.

They went toward the south,

and because they went toward the south,

they are called gods of the south.

And when Huitzilopochtli had killed them,

when he had given vent to his wrath,

he stripped off their gear ,

their ornaments, their anecuyotl;

he put them on, he took possession of them,

he introduced them into his destiny,

he made them his own insignia.1

And this Huitzilopochtli, as they say,

was a prodigy,

because only from fine plumage,

which fell into the womb of his mother, Coatlicue,

was he conceived,

he never had any father.

The Aztecs venerated him,

they made sacrifices to him,

honored and served him.

And Huitzilopochtli rewarded

those who did this.

And his cult came from there,

from Coatepec, the Mountain of the Serpent,

as it was practiced from most ancient times.2

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1 The meaning of these last lines is particularly eloquent. When Huitzilopochtli defeated and killed his brothers, he took possession of their insignia and attributes and he introduced them into his own destiny. For the Aztecs this was an anticipation of their own future. They too had to take possession of the riches of others to introduce them into their own destiny.

2 Florentine Codex, book 3, chapter I. Translation by M. Leon-Portilla.

Thank you very much again, dear friends, for visiting my blog. Please share your thoughts with us, if you will. have a great Week.

✿ ڰۣ❤In Loving Light from the Fairy Lady❤ڰۣ✿

The Five Suns

The Five Suns

Hi dear friends and followers.

I have been asked to research the myths and legends of the Natives of Central and South America. I am pleased to take this request and I will do my best to fill it.

It's too easy to get off-track when taking on a subject as large as the legennds and myths of indigenous peoples spread over an area as large as Central and South America. Many people have heard of the Aztec, the Maya, and the Inca. These recent occupants of that part of the world accoount for little of its population. As it was in North America, there are many tribes spread out over a land area as large as that which extends from Mexico in the north to Chile in the south.

I will look into the myths and legends of the indigenous peoples of each nation, starting with Northern Mexico, from its ancient inhabitants to those who were there when the first Europeans found them. From there I will go south towards Chile. I have no idea of how much material I will find to share with you but I will do my best to give you something new to consider.

The Olmec People

It appears to me that the most ancient of all Mexican peoples are the Olmec. Evidence of of thier civilization goes back to about 2600 B.C.E. They flourished from then to about 1400 B.C.E. and were an influence upon the Mayans and Aztecs who followed. I found no source for their myths and legends, however, if you are interested in learning more about this ancient people, here is a link to a blog that seems to be good at aggregating information about them: http://alternativearchaeology.jigsy.com/olmec

The Five Suns
We are presently in the period of the fifth sun, but what were were the earlier periods like?

The first of the five suns was the Sun of the Ocelot. At that time the world was shrouded in darkness and humans lived by animal instinct alone, without the benefit of reason. Lacking thought, they were eventually all eaten by ocelots. The second sun was the Sun of Air, a world of spirits and transparent beings that may return some day. But the humans of this time did not understand the necessary principles to be redeemed from their sins and the gods changed them all into monkeys.

The third was the Sun of Fire. During this period, people were ignorant of the gods. All the rivers dried up and all creatures were killed by roaring flames, with the exception of the birds, who flew to safety. The fourth sun was the Sun of Water, Tlaloc, the rain god, who destroyed all the people in a flood.

The fifth is our own period. This is the sun where the other four principles, animal energy, air, fire, and water, are combined and in balance. We cannot take it for granted that this sun will last forever; our continued existence is dependent upon following the "ladder of redemption" that is contained in the Aztec calendar and observing rituals. If the gods are again ignored, then this sun too will die and all of us with it.

Tata and Nena

During the era of the fourth sun, the Sun of Water, the people grew very wicked and ignored the worship of the gods. The gods became angry and Tlaloc, the god of rains, announced that he was going to destroy the world with a flood. However, Tlaloc was fond of a devout couple, Tata and Nena, and he warned them of the flood. He instructed them to hollow out a great log and take two ears of corn-one for each of them-and eat nothing more.

So Tata and Nena entered the tree trunk with the two ears of corn, and it began to rain. When the rains subsided and Tata and Nena's log landed on dry land, they were so happy that they caught a fish and ate it, contrary to the orders of Tlaloc. It was only after their stomachs were full that they remembered Tlaloc's command.

Tlaloc then appeared to them and said, "This is how I am repaid for saving your lives?" They were then changed into dogs. It was at this point, where even the most righteous people were disobedient, that the gods destroyed the world, ushering in the present era of the Fifth Sun.

Quetzalcoatl - Feathered serpent deity in Mesoamerica

A feathered serpent deity has been worshiped by many different ethno-political groups in Mesoamerican history. The existence of such worship can be seen through studies of iconography of different Mesoamerican cultures, in which serpent motifs are frequent. On the basis of the different symbolic systems used in portrayals of the feathered serpent deity in different cultures and periods, scholars have interpreted the religious and symbolic meaning of the feathered serpent deity in Mesoamerican cultures.

The earliest iconographic depiction of the deity is believed to be found on Stela 19 at the Olmec site of La Venta, depicting a serpent rising up behind a person probably engaged in a shamanic ritual. This depiction is believed to have been made around 900 BC. Although probably not exactly a depiction of the same feathered serpent deity worshipped in classic and post-classic periods, it shows the continuity of symbolism of feathered snakes in Mesoamerica from the formative period and on, for example in comparison to the Mayan Vision Serpent shown below.

The first culture to use the symbol of a feathered serpent as an important religious and political symbol was Teotihuacan. At temples such as the aptly named "Quetzalcoatl temple" in the Ciudadela complex, feathered serpents figure prominently and alternate with a different kind of serpent head. The earliest depictions of the feathered serpent deity were fully zoomorphic, depicting the serpent as an actual snake, but already among the Classic Maya the deity began acquiring human features.
Myths of Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca

In the days of Quetzalcoatl there was abundance of everything necessary for subsistence. The maize was plentiful, the calabashes were as thick as one's arm, and cotton grew in all colours without having to be dyed. A variety of birds of rich plumage filled the air with their songs, and gold, silver, and precious stones were abundant. In the reign of Quetzalcoad there was peace and plenty for all men.

But this blissful state was too fortunate, too happy to endure. Envious of the calm enjoyment of the god and his people the Toltecs, three wicked "necromancers" plotted their downfall. The reference is of course to the gods of the invading Nahua tribes, the deities Huitzilopochtli, Titlacahuan or Tezcatlipoca, and Tlacahuepan. These laid evil enchantments upon the city of Tollan, and Tezcatlipoca in particular took the lead in these envious conspiracies. Disguised as an aged man with white hair, he presented himself at the palace of Quetzalcoatl, where he said to the pages. in-waiting: "Pray present me to your master the king I desire to speak with him."

The pages advised him to retire, as Quetzalcoatl was indisposed and could see no one. He requested them, however, to tell the god that he was waiting outside. They did so, and procured his admittance.

On entering the chamber of Quetzalcoad the wily Tezcatlipoca simulated much sympathy with the suffering god-king. "How are you, my son?" he asked. "I have brought you a drug which you should drink, and which will put an end to the course of your malady."

"You are welcome, old man," replied Quetzalcoad.

I have known for many days that you would come. I am exceedingly indisposed. The malady affects my entire system, and I can use neither my hands nor feet."

Tezcatlipoca assured him that if he partook of the medicine which he had brought him he would immediately experience a great improvement in health. Quetzalcoatl drank the potion, and at once felt much revived. The cunning Tezcatlipoca pressed another and still another cup of the potion upon him, and as it was nothing but pulque, the wine of the country, he speedily became intoxicated, and was as wax in the hands of his adversary.

The Departure of Quetzalcoatl

The Toltecs were so tormented by the enchantments of Tezcatlipoca that it was soon apparent to them that their fortunes were on the wane and that the end of their empire was at hand. Quetzalcoatl, chagrined at the turn things had taken, resolved to quit Tollan and go to the country of Tlapallan, whence he had come on his civilising mission to Mexico. He burned all the houses which he had built, and buried his treasure of gold and precious stones in the deep valleys between the mountains. He changed the cacao-trees into mezquites, and he ordered all the birds of rich plumage and song to quit the valley of Anahuac and to follow him to a distance of more than a hundred leagues. On the road from Tollan he discovered a great tree at a point called Quauhtitlan. There he rested, and requested his pages to hand him a mirror. Regarding himself in the polished surface, he exclaimed, "I am old," and from that circumstance the spot was named Huehuequauhtitlan (Old Quauhtitlan). Proceeding on his way accompanied by musicians who played the flute, he walked until fatigue arrested his steps, and he seated himself upon a stone, on which he left the imprint of his hands. This place is called Temacpalco (The Impress of the Hands). At Coaapan he was met by the Nahua gods, who were inimical to him and to the Toltecs.

"Where do you go? they asked him. "Why do you leave your capital?

"I go to Tlapallan," replied Quetzalcoatl, "whence I came."

"For what reason?" persisted the enchanters.

My father the Sun has called me thence," replied Quetzalcoatl.

"Go, then, happily," they said, "but leave us the secret of your art, the secret of founding in silver, of working in precious stones and woods, of painting, and of feather-working, and other matters."

But Quetzalcoatl refused, and cast all his treasures into the fountain of Cozcaapa (Water of Precious Stones). At Cochtan he was met by another enchanter, who asked him whither he was bound, and on learning his destination proffered him a draught of wine. On tasting the vintage Quetzalcoatl was overcome with sleep. Continuing his journey in the morning, the god passed between a volcano and the Sierra Nevada (Mountain of Snow), where all the pages who accompanied him died of cold. He regretted this misfortune exceedingly, and wept, lamenting their fate with most bitter tears and mournful songs. On reaching the summit of Mount Poyauhtecatl he slid to the base. Arriving at the sea-shore, he embarked upon a raft of serpents, and was wafted away toward the land of Tlapallan.

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✿ ڰۣ❤In Loving Light from the Fairy Lady❤ڰۣ✿