![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wind_of_heavenPlayer Information
» Name: Ardruna
» Date of Birth: 09/30/1984
» Journal:![[insanejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/ij-userinfo.gif)
mirisa_ardruna
» Contact: AIM: Mirisa Erato, email: ardruna@gmail.com
Deity Information
» Pantheon: Mayan
» Deity: Quetzalcoatl
» Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quetzalcoatl, http://www.crystalinks.com/quetzalcoatl.html, http://www.pantheon.org/articles/q/quetzalcoatl.html, http://www.azteccalendar.com/god/Quetzalcoatl.html, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/487168/Quetzalcoatl, http://www.sacred-texts.com/etc/omw/omw82.htm
Gods, goddesses and mythology, Vol. 11
» Divine Family: {mother & father} Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl (likely fathers) and possibly the virgin Coatlicue as mother, with Itzlti as his earthly mother, possibly a son of Xochiquetzal and Mixcoatl; {spouse} N/A; {siblings} twin brother Xolotl, half-brothers Huitzilopochtli, Xipe Totec and Tezcatlipoca, sister Quetzalpetlatl; {children} none
» Mythology: Quetzalcoatl was the feathered-serpent sky-god whose cult was found throughout Mesoamerica (but especially among the Mayans, Aztecs and Toltecs), sometimes under other names, such as Kukulcan and Gucumatz, and also referred to as the “Precious Twin” among the Nahua. He is represented by the planet Venus as the Morning Star, and held domain over a number of areas: creation, wind, water, sky, light, craftsmanship, intelligence, self-reflection, learning, culture, civilization, corn, fertility, rebirth and resurrection, internal politics, and the priesthood. He also served as a priestly ruler and culture-hero in the city of Tula (Tollan, in some languages), and is credited with the creation of humanity and the calendar.
Quetzalcoatl was known to take on many forms, though his most famous is that of the huge, dragon-like feathered serpent. However, he also was known to take on different animal and anthropomorphic forms, and also that of the wind god, Ehecatl, as one of his aspects or masks. In the Twenty Signs of Ritual, he is connected with II, that of Wind, with images of the feathered serpent accompanied by the image of a seated, armed ruler and the hieroglyph for the day sign 9 Wind. In the Aztec calendar, he was associated with the year referred to as Ce Acatl (One Reed)--a name sometimes given to the god himself, and, coincidentally, corresponding to the year 1519 in the Gregorian calendar. Furthermore, the date 9 Wind is known to be associated with fertility, Venus and war among the Maya and frequently occurs in relation to Quetzalcoatl in other Mesoamerican cultures. For that matter, the bird-and-snake motif was one of the most ancient in Mesoamerica as a conjoined expression of the lowly and high, the sacred and profane, and the sexual and spiritual embodied as one, and Quetzalcoatl directly evokes this dual notion.
Particularly among Aztec culture, as both a god of vegetation (the swaying green crops in the field were considered evocative of the green feathers the serpent-god bore) and the sky, he was believed to assist with farming and the fertility of the land, but also could bring his destructive wrath upon humanity with tornadoes and storms.
At various points, he was believed to be reborn as, or at least take on the shape of, a mortal man, and in his human-shaped forms, was sometimes depicted as being very fair-skinned, almost a glowing white, unlike the native Mesoamericans. He is sometimes referred to as a “Shining One” at least partly because of this.
Of course, it was Quetzalcoatl who was believed to have created humankind in the first place. One day, while crossing the countryside from west to east, he encountered Mictlantecuhtli, the Lord of the Land of the Dead, and asked him for the “precious bones” that belonged to his dead and buried father. In some versions, these “precious bones” were created from a substance called manioc, which was a corn product (hence tying him in with maize and agriculture). Mictlantecuhtli asked Quetzalcoatl what he intended to do with them, and he replied that the gods were worried who was going to live on earth. The Lord of the Dead Lands then gave Quetzalcoatl a conch to blow and instructed him to carry the bones four times around a jade circle. Unfortunately, the shell was blocked. So, Quetzalcoatl summoned worms to work their way through the blockage, and then a swarm of bees to complete the process as they forced their way through it. Now that it was clear, Quetzalcoatl blew the horn, and Mictlantecuhtli told him to go ahead and take the bones. Secretly, however, the Lord of the Dead Lands told his servants to order Quetzalcoatl to leave them where they were in Mictlan (the underworld). Fortunately, Quetzalcoatl's nahual (animal double) overheard the plot, and advised him to simply pretend to leave the bones behind, which he did. But, instead, he snuck back around and stole them, holding the male bones on one side and the female bones on the other, carefully wrapped up. Mictlantecuhtli was furious, and told his servants to dig a pit, which Quetzalcoatl stumbled into. He was attacked by the Quail servants of Mictlantecuhtli and fainted from the pain, and the Quails pecked and tore at the bones as much as they did Quetzalcoatl.
When he woke up and saw the ruined bones, Quetzalcoatl wept and asked his nahual what to do. The nahual advised him to just let it be as there was nothing they could do. So, Quetzalcoatl gathered the remaining bits of bone and wrapped them in a bundle. He took them to the home of the goddess Cihuacoatl (Woman Snake), and she ground them up into a jade bowl. Ritually, Quetzalcoatl took a knife and made cuts to his earlobes, calves, and tongue. As particular penance for his near-failure to recover the bones, he also inflicted a wound to his penis (a penance that would continue to be used by Toltec priests). He sprinkled the blood from all these wounds over the bonemeal, and from the mixture, produced the first humans.
Much, much later, around 900 A.D., Quetzalcoatl returned to earth, born of Itztli and an unknown father. (In the era following the Spanish invasion of the 16th century, Quetzalcoatl was conflated with Ce Acatl Topiltzin, said to rule the city of Tollan, but scholars debate how much is legend and how much is history) He traveled to the city of Tula as a great culture-bringer. He taught them to smelt silver, set precious stones, stonecraft to create buildings and statues alike, textiles like cotton, feather-work, dancing, painting, writing and keeping the solar and lunar calendars. Prosperity abounded in his presence, as he had even managed to bring back maize to the people after it had been locked deep in a mountain. In return, they made him their spiritual leader. He lived in a silver house: the chamber to the east was of gold, the chamber to the west was set with stones of precious green--emeralds and turquoises and nephrite stones, the chamber to the south was set with coloured sea-shells, and the chamber to the north was set with jasper. It was thatched with the feathers of bright-plumaged birds. They made sacrifices to him of bread, flowers and perfume, but not human sacrifice, as Quetzalcoatl had forbidden such barbarism.
Despite this, all was not well. Tezcatlipoca had become jealous of Quetzalcoatl and angry about the sudden lack of blood sacrifice, and began to conspire against him. Having won favor with the local king's daughter, Tezcatlipoca broke into the holy temple and installed a mirror there. Although he was good and spiritually perfect in Tula, in this instance, Quetzalcoatl was not handsome, and gaped at his reflection in horror. Tezcatlipoca and his minions immediately offered to help by giving him a makeover, and, in the process, managed to get Quetzalcoatl exceedingly drunk. In his stupor, he was easily tricked into falling into bed with his sister Quetzalpetlatl, who was also a holy priestess. When he eventually recovered and realized what he had done, Quetzalcoatl fell into deep self-loathing and began his penitence. He locked himself in a stone tomb, and four days later came out and left Tula on a raft woven of snakes.
In some versions, he remained as ruler just long enough for Tezcatlipoca to turn Quetzalcoatl's gifts against the people, and with his people dead, Quetzalcoatl burned his palaces, turned the trees to brushwood and told all the birds to leave before abandoning the city himself.
Still, even having left the settlement, he could not escape the weight of his guilt, and ultimately threw himself alive onto a pyre. Despite his sins, his heart had remained largely pure, and became brilliantly incandescent, rising up into the heavens to become the planet Venus. Meanwhile, his ashes also rose up, and every kind of precious bird in every color could be seen among the smoke and flames. The bright new star appeared in the heavens at daybreak, and thus he earned the title of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, or "Lord of the Star of the Dawn." In some versions, his twin brother Xolotl was so distressed upon Quetzalcoatl's death, that he threw himself into the very same pyre, and when all was burned away, became Venus as the Evening Star, and thus the twins were never far apart.
Many believed that Quetzalcoatl would again return to usher in an era of peace and light, whether by rumors of the god's own proclamation, or simply a hope in returning to the prosperity under him. When Cortes arrived in the year tied to the feathered-serpent god and bearing messages of peace, some believed it was Quetzalcoatl returned. However, many of the accounts that tie Cortes with the return of the god are of Spanish origin, rather than Mesoamerican. Members of the Franciscan order who came to the region noted that there seemed to be certain Christian elements in the local religious practices, and thusly assumed the area had already been evangelized, possibly by Saint Thomas, said to have "preached beyond the Ganges." Saint Thomas himself also became tied to Quetzalcoatl, possibly one and the same as the great priestly "culture-bringer." Some accounts of Mormonism, noting the parallels between the two, equate Quetzalcoatl as Jesus Christ and consider them to be literally the same figure.
Character Information
» Played By: Leif Stacey
» Journal:wind_of_heaven
» Current Name: Leocadio Milagro Aquino Elizondo
» Birthdate: 09/09/1976
» Height: 6'4”
» Distinguishing Marks: Has a Prince Albert. Also has a handful of scars primarily concentrated on his legs and arms as a result of self-mortification rituals.
» Family: {mother & father} Maria and Joaquin; {marital status/spouse} Single, N/A; {siblings} twin brother Mateo; {children} a few illegitimate children that were given up for adoption at birth, and several more through sperm donation; {pets} none
» Occupation: Priest
» Currently Residing In: Omaha, NE
» Ability: He has a pair of wings that he as able to manifest and demanifest at will, which are strong enough to carry him in flight, if he chooses. He can summon wind at will—anything from light breezes to hurricane-force. He also is very potently fertile, with an almost-guaranteed chance of his semen impregnating an ovulating woman.
» History: This is his second return to earth.
He was reborn in Spain in 1483, and became an integral part of the company of Cortes. The belief that Quetzalcoatl had returned in 1519 wasn't incorrect; it just happened to be attributed to the wrong man.
In 1976, he was reborn again, for the most recent time, in Guatemala. His family seemed like a normal, average-enough family. His mother was expecting twin boys, and, after the first was born normally, with the same dark hair, eyes and skin as his parents, imagine their surprise when the second twin emerged as pale as could be. At first, they thought perhaps he was born with albinism, but genetic tests came back negative. And then came the wings—two great beautiful wings with shimmering feathers that unfurled suddenly from the baby's shoulders and wrapped around him like a blanket, only to disappear a moment later, leaving only two perfect feathers behind as proof they were there. The doctors couldn't explain the phenomenon, nor could anyone else, even after one of the feathers was thoroughly tested and examined, and yet showed no conclusive results to explain anything. Initially, the children's father had concerns that the child indicated that his wife's fidelity was in question, although she insisted she had never once strayed. The boys' mother, a devoutly Catholic woman, believed it a miracle—a sign direct from God that her son was chosen for some great purpose. Because of his fairness, she granted her son the name Leocadio, followed by “Milagro,” for “miracle.”
Word soon spread of his unusual birth, and people came from all over to see the angel-faced “miracle child,” everyone from academic and medical experts to religious scholars to tabloid reporters to religious pilgrims to the merely curious and supportive. Many left gifts and offerings. Determined that their children, especially one so obviously gifted, should have the best possible opportunities in life, the boys' parents used the extra money to immigrate to the United States in 1982, and they settled in Arizona. It didn't take long for Leocadio to attract curious attention, being a seemingly-Caucasian boy with such an obviously Hispanic name. He soon began to go simply by “Leo” among his peers in an effort to fit in better, and his brother quickly followed suit, shortening his name to Mat.
Not all of the media attention followed them into their new homeland, and the twin boys were able to live a mostly normal life, punctuated mostly by tabloid follow-ups and many a curious look and question as to whether or not Leocadio was adopted. Few believed that he wasn’t, but that didn’t matter. The boys were as close as any two brothers could be in their youth, despite their differences of appearance. As for Leocadio’s wings, they had not been seen since the day of his birth, and did not appear again until he was nine years old.
Although charming and outgoing, not to mention tall for his age and very comely, Leocadio had always been rather bookish, taking both his academic and religious studies (his mother had insisted on raising them as strictly and devoutly Catholic as her upbringing had been) very seriously. Sadly, even he was not immune from schoolyard bullying. At first, he tried to ignore the various taunts, with Mateo rising to his defense, but that did not stop them. Although the boy had always been firm about keeping his temper in check, even he could only take so much. It was then that the wings reappeared, bursting forth from his shoulders and tearing the shirt from his body in the process. He turned them with the look of an avenging angel, and raised his hand to strike back, though he never got the chance. His tormentors fled in terror and never troubled him again.
Once again, with the reappearance of his wings, Leocadio found himself the center of attention among his schoolmates and the members of the community. Many were frightened of him, but any who dared to actually insult him with the usual array of epithets ("freak" being the most common), soon discovered that the boy was no placid angel, and more than willing to fight back, often with wings bursting forth from his shoulders in the process. Others still did their best to try and ingratiate themselves to him, fawning over him and offering to carry out whatever whims he came up with. This began to try the bonds between the twins, as Mateo was no longer needed to defend his brother from threats, and too often forgotten in the swirl of attention surrounding Leocadio. Their mother continued to remind Leocadio that surely God had some great purpose for him, or he would not have been born the way he was. Leocadio believed her, but could not figure out what that purpose was, or why he bore his wings. He did not believe it was because of the angels, although he did find he had an endless fascination with the heavens, but the real answer eluded him.
As Leocadio grew older, his popularity continued to increase. Not only had the boy become even more heartbreakingly beautiful, but he had gained mastery over when his wings appeared. Though few knew about it, he was also learning to fly with them. He was learning to fly in more conventional ways as well, and would earn his pilot's license by the age of nineteen. He continued searching for the meaning of his wings, but he found nothing in angel lore that seemed quite right. Knowing he was no angel, he still did his best to excel in school and his extracurriculars. He was voted the student body president in high school, as well as king for both Homecoming and Prom. He led a handful of art and science organizations, and was actively involved in church and faith-related activities, singing in the choir and serving as an altar boy both. But this didn't mean he was well-behaved all the time. He was often invited to parties (to which he did insist upon bringing Mateo, even if he was the only one asked to come). At one in particular, at the age of 15, one of the older boys had brought alcohol, and Leocadio found himself being pressured to drink. Although he refused at first, peer pressure being what it was, not only did he end up drinking, but he wound up consuming more than anyone else there. The rest of the night was a blur to him, but Mateo filled his brother in on the details the next day: there had been carousing, some vandalism, and to the impressed delight of nearly everyone there, Leocadio had ended up having sex with no fewer than six different girls. Leocadio was shocked and embarrassed, and more than a little distressed when, some weeks later, he learned that all the girls he'd been with had become pregnant. Some had their pregnancies terminated, either through miscarriage or by choice, and the ones that carried their children to term quietly gave them up for adoption. Leocadio never got the chance to see his offspring, a fact that still gave him twinges of guilt into adulthood.
Even with this night behind him, Leocadio went on to graduate high school in the top 3% of his class. Of course, as graduation parties tend to be, a few of those he attended got a little out of hand, and Leocadio got drunk at more than one. After one particularly wild party, he discovered he'd gotten a piercing, though it would be one that few would see, seeing as it was a Prince Albert. Rumors also reached him some time later that he might have impregnated at least one other girl, though he was never able to find out if those rumors were true or not.
He went on to attend a Catholic college, studying Classics and Religious Studies, and continued to be involved in religious activities and began to seriously consider joining the clergy. In the summer after his sophomore year, he went on a month-long mission trip that took him through Peru, Honduras and Mexico. While there, he found himself literally face-to-face with the image of the winged serpent, and things began making sense to him in ways they never had before. He heavily researched into the legends, and soon realized the implications, why he had wings, and why it seemed that every girl he had relations with seemed to walk away carrying his child: He was Quetzalcoatl. He began at last to understand his fascination with the skies and the glorious purpose with which he had been burdened.
It was true that this realization made him ask certain questions of his faith, but ultimately, he decided that surely some power greater than himself had sent him to live on earth as a human, and if that power was anything, why not God Almighty? He did find the idea that he might have been a saint or even Jesus to be uproariously laughable, though. And he did have to do some thinking about his career path. On one hand, he had strongly considered the possibility of becoming a professional pilot. On the other was the call of the Church. In the end, the Church won, if only because he could more easily and broadly spread his wisdom and influence to the world through a parish than as a busy pilot, and he ultimately entered the seminary. Upon taking his vows, he ended up moving to the Midwest, taking a job in a parish in Omaha.
With study and discipline, the priesthood suited Leocadio well, and once settled into having a flock to call his own, he soon became a popular leader in his Church community. Of course, being a priest hadn't stopped women from desiring him, but, with his vows, he gently dissuaded them. However, he did find himself in an interesting predicament when one of his parishioners confessed to having difficulty starting a family. He decided to aid the woman himself. Although his vows prohibited him from having direct relations with her, there was nothing that said he couldn't supply the seed to take care of the job. He'd done some sperm donation in college, after all, to supplement his scholarship money, but hadn't been called in for some time. So, he offered her an "off-the-record" donation, and, sure enough, it did work. Leocadio would make a handful of similar donations as the years passed.
While his methods and teachings aren't always the most orthodox, Leocadio is steadily working his popularity and knack for politicking within the Church hierarchy. He hopes to at some point become a Cardinal, and, with luck, Pope someday in the far future.
» Personality: Probably the most important part of Quetzalcoatl is his self-control and adherence to his higher nature. As long as he remains in firm control of his desires and intentions, all his best qualities come out: kindness, studiousness, patience, humor, generosity, benevolence, creativity and the like. He is a warm and magnanimous man who does not consider himself above the call to serve others. He will never turn away someone seeking his aid if he can help it and does what he can to provide for and assist the less-fortunate.
He's decidedly a perfectionist, demanding the best of himself and from those around him. Although he generally will extol the virtue of patience and taking the time to get something just right, he expects the end result to be no less than impeccable. Although largely merciful toward others, when he makes mistakes, he takes them very hard and can be very self-punishing. He has been known to occasionally resort to self-mortification to satisfy the need for punitive measures and has the scars to prove it. Failing that, he most often espouses a "scorched earth" policy in handling things that go wrong: rather than trying to make lemonade from lemons, he'd rather destroy everything and start all over again from the beginning. He is diligent about always striving so that he never makes mistakes in the first place whenever possible, usually through discipline, prayers and meditations.
Mistakes are most likely to occur when his higher reasoning is compromised in some way. It's why he has learned to studiously avoid intoxication or anything else that could cloud his judgment, because he knows he is exceedingly prone to doing Stupid Things in those kinds of situations. In the absence of his higher nature, he becomes an unpredictable, unreasonable, violent, moody, over-sexed creature with little regard for anyone else. While remorseless at the time, by the time he's able to reassert control over his behavior, he is always guilt-stricken by the things he's done. While he can sometimes come off as being a bit holier-than-thou, he knows that he's definitely no angel, and does his best to not cast the first proverbial stones.
Aside from the darker base nature lurking underneath, he considers himself a highly-civilized man. Although he has a distinct distaste for fighting, he won't walk away from one if that's what it takes to resolve something. While his leads a fairly simple life, he does appreciate and enjoy the finer things the world has to offer. He enjoys cultural pursuits, including art, literature, poetry, music, theatre and dance, and is reasonable skilled and accomplished in all of those fields. He also is a man of reason and enjoys science, and works to maintain a careful balance of faith and scientific truth. While he does not allow scientific progress to rob him of his faith, neither does he adhere to religious dogma so strongly that he rejects scientific progress without at least a careful and thorough examination of it first. It also annoys him profoundly when religious texts are taken out of context; he believes that nothing exists in a vacuum and must be recognized as a product of its time, however timeless it might be.
His faith is a complex thing. Although he was raised from birth to follow the traditions and tenets of the Catholic Church, he has always favored open interpretations of religious teachings, and understands that certain ideas need to evolve as human society and technology evolve. He recognizes that he was once a god himself, but notes that God only declared that man should put no other gods before Him--not that there were no other gods at all. He also finds it HILARIOUS whenever someone tries to equate him with Jesus, and says that's expressly not true. As a priest and a tender of his flock of faithful, he likes to make people question and think about their faith in different ways and understand the reasoning behind the teachings, rather than just blindly following whatever is said, as he believes that the truth will become clearer that way and, in turn, the faith stronger. In regard to his own behavior and vows, he again tends to follow an open interpretation, believing that most "grey area" actions are permissible when not expressly forbidden. For instance, although he is bound to a vow of celibacy, he has few qualms about helping women trying to conceive a child by offering "off-the-record" donation to take to the privacy of their homes, knowing that the seed would not be wasted by his efforts, nor any actual unseemly conduct between him and the women he helped. Nor is he above things like the occasional display of his wings during a service for theatrical emphasis. But such things are always done for a deliberate purpose of some kind.
» Other Notes: Is fluent in Spanish and English, also knows Greek, Latin, Hebrew and some Nahuatl and Quechua. He can read Mayan glyphs.
Although he generally ignores his sexual desires, he is decidedly heterosexual, no higher than a 1 on the Kinsey scale.
» Sample Journal: I was re-reading Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness recently. Just something to do on a whim. I still find it fascinating how well Conrad combines his religious metaphors and symbols throughout the book. Of course, by and large, the symbolism is distinctly Christian. Mr. Kurtz can easily be taken as a symbolic representative of Satan and the voyage into the jungle as a descent into Hell, but there are also echoes of the Greeks and Norse and the like as well. And, really, that's how an allegory should work: it should be something recognizable across cultures and consciousnesses. After all, if a one-time Mayan god can be a man of faith in a different religion, why not be able to combine cultural references into a work of fiction? That's the way life works, and sometimes, truth is stranger than fiction.
» Sample Log: "Father Leo?"
Leocadio glanced up at the woman who had come to see him after the service and greeted her with a smile.
"Yes, of course. What can I do for you, Elizabeth?" he asked. The woman blushed faintly and shifted awkwardly.
"Well... I was hoping I could ask you to... intercede some prayers for my husband and I. We've been married ten years now, and we've been wanting to start a family, but it just seems like nothing is working, and we just can't afford some of the treatment options. And I thought, maybe if the Almighty might be able to do something, it wouldn't hurt to ask...?" she explained.
"Of course, I will pray for you," he said, and drummed his fingers thoughtfully. "Now... you say you've tried everything thus far?"
"Everything we can afford," she said with a nod. Leocadio tapped a finger, his expression pensive.
"Have you considered donors?" he suggested.
"Well, we've thought about it, but... they're out of our price range," she admitted.
Leocadio paused, and then looked back up.
"With the permission of you and your husband, of course, I may be able to offer something more than just prayers," he said. Elizabeth met his face hopefully.
"We'll try anything," she said.
"...I would be willing to offer a donation, off-the-record, naturally. Just one neighbor assisting another. Now, how close are you to your optimal time to try?" he asked. She blushed.
"Actually... soon. Right about now. A couple days, maybe," she said softly. He could see a faint swirl of hope and lust in her eyes. "Would you...?"
He chuckled and shook his head.
"No vows would be broken by either of us. Just something to take home and see if it might work. You're out nothing but time and effort," he assured her.
"Of... of course. It can't hurt to try," she agreed, though he didn't miss the flash of disappointment.
"All right. Wait here, and I'll return shortly. I suggest using the time to make a few intercessions of your own," he said, and stepped out of the room. He returned some twenty minutes later with a bag containing a jar. Elizabeth gave him a questioning look. "The donation is here. Assuming your husband agrees, of course, I'm sure you're aware of what to do."
"And this will give us a child?" she asked wonderingly, taking it from him.
"God willing," he said with a smile.
» Name: Ardruna
» Date of Birth: 09/30/1984
» Journal:
mirisa_ardruna» Contact: AIM: Mirisa Erato, email: ardruna@gmail.com
Deity Information
» Pantheon: Mayan
» Deity: Quetzalcoatl
» Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quetzalcoatl, http://www.crystalinks.com/quetzalcoatl.html, http://www.pantheon.org/articles/q/quetzalcoatl.html, http://www.azteccalendar.com/god/Quetzalcoatl.html, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/487168/Quetzalcoatl, http://www.sacred-texts.com/etc/omw/omw82.htm
Gods, goddesses and mythology, Vol. 11
» Divine Family: {mother & father} Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl (likely fathers) and possibly the virgin Coatlicue as mother, with Itzlti as his earthly mother, possibly a son of Xochiquetzal and Mixcoatl; {spouse} N/A; {siblings} twin brother Xolotl, half-brothers Huitzilopochtli, Xipe Totec and Tezcatlipoca, sister Quetzalpetlatl; {children} none
» Mythology: Quetzalcoatl was the feathered-serpent sky-god whose cult was found throughout Mesoamerica (but especially among the Mayans, Aztecs and Toltecs), sometimes under other names, such as Kukulcan and Gucumatz, and also referred to as the “Precious Twin” among the Nahua. He is represented by the planet Venus as the Morning Star, and held domain over a number of areas: creation, wind, water, sky, light, craftsmanship, intelligence, self-reflection, learning, culture, civilization, corn, fertility, rebirth and resurrection, internal politics, and the priesthood. He also served as a priestly ruler and culture-hero in the city of Tula (Tollan, in some languages), and is credited with the creation of humanity and the calendar.
Quetzalcoatl was known to take on many forms, though his most famous is that of the huge, dragon-like feathered serpent. However, he also was known to take on different animal and anthropomorphic forms, and also that of the wind god, Ehecatl, as one of his aspects or masks. In the Twenty Signs of Ritual, he is connected with II, that of Wind, with images of the feathered serpent accompanied by the image of a seated, armed ruler and the hieroglyph for the day sign 9 Wind. In the Aztec calendar, he was associated with the year referred to as Ce Acatl (One Reed)--a name sometimes given to the god himself, and, coincidentally, corresponding to the year 1519 in the Gregorian calendar. Furthermore, the date 9 Wind is known to be associated with fertility, Venus and war among the Maya and frequently occurs in relation to Quetzalcoatl in other Mesoamerican cultures. For that matter, the bird-and-snake motif was one of the most ancient in Mesoamerica as a conjoined expression of the lowly and high, the sacred and profane, and the sexual and spiritual embodied as one, and Quetzalcoatl directly evokes this dual notion.
Particularly among Aztec culture, as both a god of vegetation (the swaying green crops in the field were considered evocative of the green feathers the serpent-god bore) and the sky, he was believed to assist with farming and the fertility of the land, but also could bring his destructive wrath upon humanity with tornadoes and storms.
At various points, he was believed to be reborn as, or at least take on the shape of, a mortal man, and in his human-shaped forms, was sometimes depicted as being very fair-skinned, almost a glowing white, unlike the native Mesoamericans. He is sometimes referred to as a “Shining One” at least partly because of this.
Of course, it was Quetzalcoatl who was believed to have created humankind in the first place. One day, while crossing the countryside from west to east, he encountered Mictlantecuhtli, the Lord of the Land of the Dead, and asked him for the “precious bones” that belonged to his dead and buried father. In some versions, these “precious bones” were created from a substance called manioc, which was a corn product (hence tying him in with maize and agriculture). Mictlantecuhtli asked Quetzalcoatl what he intended to do with them, and he replied that the gods were worried who was going to live on earth. The Lord of the Dead Lands then gave Quetzalcoatl a conch to blow and instructed him to carry the bones four times around a jade circle. Unfortunately, the shell was blocked. So, Quetzalcoatl summoned worms to work their way through the blockage, and then a swarm of bees to complete the process as they forced their way through it. Now that it was clear, Quetzalcoatl blew the horn, and Mictlantecuhtli told him to go ahead and take the bones. Secretly, however, the Lord of the Dead Lands told his servants to order Quetzalcoatl to leave them where they were in Mictlan (the underworld). Fortunately, Quetzalcoatl's nahual (animal double) overheard the plot, and advised him to simply pretend to leave the bones behind, which he did. But, instead, he snuck back around and stole them, holding the male bones on one side and the female bones on the other, carefully wrapped up. Mictlantecuhtli was furious, and told his servants to dig a pit, which Quetzalcoatl stumbled into. He was attacked by the Quail servants of Mictlantecuhtli and fainted from the pain, and the Quails pecked and tore at the bones as much as they did Quetzalcoatl.
When he woke up and saw the ruined bones, Quetzalcoatl wept and asked his nahual what to do. The nahual advised him to just let it be as there was nothing they could do. So, Quetzalcoatl gathered the remaining bits of bone and wrapped them in a bundle. He took them to the home of the goddess Cihuacoatl (Woman Snake), and she ground them up into a jade bowl. Ritually, Quetzalcoatl took a knife and made cuts to his earlobes, calves, and tongue. As particular penance for his near-failure to recover the bones, he also inflicted a wound to his penis (a penance that would continue to be used by Toltec priests). He sprinkled the blood from all these wounds over the bonemeal, and from the mixture, produced the first humans.
Much, much later, around 900 A.D., Quetzalcoatl returned to earth, born of Itztli and an unknown father. (In the era following the Spanish invasion of the 16th century, Quetzalcoatl was conflated with Ce Acatl Topiltzin, said to rule the city of Tollan, but scholars debate how much is legend and how much is history) He traveled to the city of Tula as a great culture-bringer. He taught them to smelt silver, set precious stones, stonecraft to create buildings and statues alike, textiles like cotton, feather-work, dancing, painting, writing and keeping the solar and lunar calendars. Prosperity abounded in his presence, as he had even managed to bring back maize to the people after it had been locked deep in a mountain. In return, they made him their spiritual leader. He lived in a silver house: the chamber to the east was of gold, the chamber to the west was set with stones of precious green--emeralds and turquoises and nephrite stones, the chamber to the south was set with coloured sea-shells, and the chamber to the north was set with jasper. It was thatched with the feathers of bright-plumaged birds. They made sacrifices to him of bread, flowers and perfume, but not human sacrifice, as Quetzalcoatl had forbidden such barbarism.
Despite this, all was not well. Tezcatlipoca had become jealous of Quetzalcoatl and angry about the sudden lack of blood sacrifice, and began to conspire against him. Having won favor with the local king's daughter, Tezcatlipoca broke into the holy temple and installed a mirror there. Although he was good and spiritually perfect in Tula, in this instance, Quetzalcoatl was not handsome, and gaped at his reflection in horror. Tezcatlipoca and his minions immediately offered to help by giving him a makeover, and, in the process, managed to get Quetzalcoatl exceedingly drunk. In his stupor, he was easily tricked into falling into bed with his sister Quetzalpetlatl, who was also a holy priestess. When he eventually recovered and realized what he had done, Quetzalcoatl fell into deep self-loathing and began his penitence. He locked himself in a stone tomb, and four days later came out and left Tula on a raft woven of snakes.
In some versions, he remained as ruler just long enough for Tezcatlipoca to turn Quetzalcoatl's gifts against the people, and with his people dead, Quetzalcoatl burned his palaces, turned the trees to brushwood and told all the birds to leave before abandoning the city himself.
Still, even having left the settlement, he could not escape the weight of his guilt, and ultimately threw himself alive onto a pyre. Despite his sins, his heart had remained largely pure, and became brilliantly incandescent, rising up into the heavens to become the planet Venus. Meanwhile, his ashes also rose up, and every kind of precious bird in every color could be seen among the smoke and flames. The bright new star appeared in the heavens at daybreak, and thus he earned the title of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, or "Lord of the Star of the Dawn." In some versions, his twin brother Xolotl was so distressed upon Quetzalcoatl's death, that he threw himself into the very same pyre, and when all was burned away, became Venus as the Evening Star, and thus the twins were never far apart.
Many believed that Quetzalcoatl would again return to usher in an era of peace and light, whether by rumors of the god's own proclamation, or simply a hope in returning to the prosperity under him. When Cortes arrived in the year tied to the feathered-serpent god and bearing messages of peace, some believed it was Quetzalcoatl returned. However, many of the accounts that tie Cortes with the return of the god are of Spanish origin, rather than Mesoamerican. Members of the Franciscan order who came to the region noted that there seemed to be certain Christian elements in the local religious practices, and thusly assumed the area had already been evangelized, possibly by Saint Thomas, said to have "preached beyond the Ganges." Saint Thomas himself also became tied to Quetzalcoatl, possibly one and the same as the great priestly "culture-bringer." Some accounts of Mormonism, noting the parallels between the two, equate Quetzalcoatl as Jesus Christ and consider them to be literally the same figure.
Character Information
» Played By: Leif Stacey
» Journal:
wind_of_heaven» Current Name: Leocadio Milagro Aquino Elizondo
» Birthdate: 09/09/1976
» Height: 6'4”
» Distinguishing Marks: Has a Prince Albert. Also has a handful of scars primarily concentrated on his legs and arms as a result of self-mortification rituals.
» Family: {mother & father} Maria and Joaquin; {marital status/spouse} Single, N/A; {siblings} twin brother Mateo; {children} a few illegitimate children that were given up for adoption at birth, and several more through sperm donation; {pets} none
» Occupation: Priest
» Currently Residing In: Omaha, NE
» Ability: He has a pair of wings that he as able to manifest and demanifest at will, which are strong enough to carry him in flight, if he chooses. He can summon wind at will—anything from light breezes to hurricane-force. He also is very potently fertile, with an almost-guaranteed chance of his semen impregnating an ovulating woman.
» History: This is his second return to earth.
He was reborn in Spain in 1483, and became an integral part of the company of Cortes. The belief that Quetzalcoatl had returned in 1519 wasn't incorrect; it just happened to be attributed to the wrong man.
In 1976, he was reborn again, for the most recent time, in Guatemala. His family seemed like a normal, average-enough family. His mother was expecting twin boys, and, after the first was born normally, with the same dark hair, eyes and skin as his parents, imagine their surprise when the second twin emerged as pale as could be. At first, they thought perhaps he was born with albinism, but genetic tests came back negative. And then came the wings—two great beautiful wings with shimmering feathers that unfurled suddenly from the baby's shoulders and wrapped around him like a blanket, only to disappear a moment later, leaving only two perfect feathers behind as proof they were there. The doctors couldn't explain the phenomenon, nor could anyone else, even after one of the feathers was thoroughly tested and examined, and yet showed no conclusive results to explain anything. Initially, the children's father had concerns that the child indicated that his wife's fidelity was in question, although she insisted she had never once strayed. The boys' mother, a devoutly Catholic woman, believed it a miracle—a sign direct from God that her son was chosen for some great purpose. Because of his fairness, she granted her son the name Leocadio, followed by “Milagro,” for “miracle.”
Word soon spread of his unusual birth, and people came from all over to see the angel-faced “miracle child,” everyone from academic and medical experts to religious scholars to tabloid reporters to religious pilgrims to the merely curious and supportive. Many left gifts and offerings. Determined that their children, especially one so obviously gifted, should have the best possible opportunities in life, the boys' parents used the extra money to immigrate to the United States in 1982, and they settled in Arizona. It didn't take long for Leocadio to attract curious attention, being a seemingly-Caucasian boy with such an obviously Hispanic name. He soon began to go simply by “Leo” among his peers in an effort to fit in better, and his brother quickly followed suit, shortening his name to Mat.
Not all of the media attention followed them into their new homeland, and the twin boys were able to live a mostly normal life, punctuated mostly by tabloid follow-ups and many a curious look and question as to whether or not Leocadio was adopted. Few believed that he wasn’t, but that didn’t matter. The boys were as close as any two brothers could be in their youth, despite their differences of appearance. As for Leocadio’s wings, they had not been seen since the day of his birth, and did not appear again until he was nine years old.
Although charming and outgoing, not to mention tall for his age and very comely, Leocadio had always been rather bookish, taking both his academic and religious studies (his mother had insisted on raising them as strictly and devoutly Catholic as her upbringing had been) very seriously. Sadly, even he was not immune from schoolyard bullying. At first, he tried to ignore the various taunts, with Mateo rising to his defense, but that did not stop them. Although the boy had always been firm about keeping his temper in check, even he could only take so much. It was then that the wings reappeared, bursting forth from his shoulders and tearing the shirt from his body in the process. He turned them with the look of an avenging angel, and raised his hand to strike back, though he never got the chance. His tormentors fled in terror and never troubled him again.
Once again, with the reappearance of his wings, Leocadio found himself the center of attention among his schoolmates and the members of the community. Many were frightened of him, but any who dared to actually insult him with the usual array of epithets ("freak" being the most common), soon discovered that the boy was no placid angel, and more than willing to fight back, often with wings bursting forth from his shoulders in the process. Others still did their best to try and ingratiate themselves to him, fawning over him and offering to carry out whatever whims he came up with. This began to try the bonds between the twins, as Mateo was no longer needed to defend his brother from threats, and too often forgotten in the swirl of attention surrounding Leocadio. Their mother continued to remind Leocadio that surely God had some great purpose for him, or he would not have been born the way he was. Leocadio believed her, but could not figure out what that purpose was, or why he bore his wings. He did not believe it was because of the angels, although he did find he had an endless fascination with the heavens, but the real answer eluded him.
As Leocadio grew older, his popularity continued to increase. Not only had the boy become even more heartbreakingly beautiful, but he had gained mastery over when his wings appeared. Though few knew about it, he was also learning to fly with them. He was learning to fly in more conventional ways as well, and would earn his pilot's license by the age of nineteen. He continued searching for the meaning of his wings, but he found nothing in angel lore that seemed quite right. Knowing he was no angel, he still did his best to excel in school and his extracurriculars. He was voted the student body president in high school, as well as king for both Homecoming and Prom. He led a handful of art and science organizations, and was actively involved in church and faith-related activities, singing in the choir and serving as an altar boy both. But this didn't mean he was well-behaved all the time. He was often invited to parties (to which he did insist upon bringing Mateo, even if he was the only one asked to come). At one in particular, at the age of 15, one of the older boys had brought alcohol, and Leocadio found himself being pressured to drink. Although he refused at first, peer pressure being what it was, not only did he end up drinking, but he wound up consuming more than anyone else there. The rest of the night was a blur to him, but Mateo filled his brother in on the details the next day: there had been carousing, some vandalism, and to the impressed delight of nearly everyone there, Leocadio had ended up having sex with no fewer than six different girls. Leocadio was shocked and embarrassed, and more than a little distressed when, some weeks later, he learned that all the girls he'd been with had become pregnant. Some had their pregnancies terminated, either through miscarriage or by choice, and the ones that carried their children to term quietly gave them up for adoption. Leocadio never got the chance to see his offspring, a fact that still gave him twinges of guilt into adulthood.
Even with this night behind him, Leocadio went on to graduate high school in the top 3% of his class. Of course, as graduation parties tend to be, a few of those he attended got a little out of hand, and Leocadio got drunk at more than one. After one particularly wild party, he discovered he'd gotten a piercing, though it would be one that few would see, seeing as it was a Prince Albert. Rumors also reached him some time later that he might have impregnated at least one other girl, though he was never able to find out if those rumors were true or not.
He went on to attend a Catholic college, studying Classics and Religious Studies, and continued to be involved in religious activities and began to seriously consider joining the clergy. In the summer after his sophomore year, he went on a month-long mission trip that took him through Peru, Honduras and Mexico. While there, he found himself literally face-to-face with the image of the winged serpent, and things began making sense to him in ways they never had before. He heavily researched into the legends, and soon realized the implications, why he had wings, and why it seemed that every girl he had relations with seemed to walk away carrying his child: He was Quetzalcoatl. He began at last to understand his fascination with the skies and the glorious purpose with which he had been burdened.
It was true that this realization made him ask certain questions of his faith, but ultimately, he decided that surely some power greater than himself had sent him to live on earth as a human, and if that power was anything, why not God Almighty? He did find the idea that he might have been a saint or even Jesus to be uproariously laughable, though. And he did have to do some thinking about his career path. On one hand, he had strongly considered the possibility of becoming a professional pilot. On the other was the call of the Church. In the end, the Church won, if only because he could more easily and broadly spread his wisdom and influence to the world through a parish than as a busy pilot, and he ultimately entered the seminary. Upon taking his vows, he ended up moving to the Midwest, taking a job in a parish in Omaha.
With study and discipline, the priesthood suited Leocadio well, and once settled into having a flock to call his own, he soon became a popular leader in his Church community. Of course, being a priest hadn't stopped women from desiring him, but, with his vows, he gently dissuaded them. However, he did find himself in an interesting predicament when one of his parishioners confessed to having difficulty starting a family. He decided to aid the woman himself. Although his vows prohibited him from having direct relations with her, there was nothing that said he couldn't supply the seed to take care of the job. He'd done some sperm donation in college, after all, to supplement his scholarship money, but hadn't been called in for some time. So, he offered her an "off-the-record" donation, and, sure enough, it did work. Leocadio would make a handful of similar donations as the years passed.
While his methods and teachings aren't always the most orthodox, Leocadio is steadily working his popularity and knack for politicking within the Church hierarchy. He hopes to at some point become a Cardinal, and, with luck, Pope someday in the far future.
» Personality: Probably the most important part of Quetzalcoatl is his self-control and adherence to his higher nature. As long as he remains in firm control of his desires and intentions, all his best qualities come out: kindness, studiousness, patience, humor, generosity, benevolence, creativity and the like. He is a warm and magnanimous man who does not consider himself above the call to serve others. He will never turn away someone seeking his aid if he can help it and does what he can to provide for and assist the less-fortunate.
He's decidedly a perfectionist, demanding the best of himself and from those around him. Although he generally will extol the virtue of patience and taking the time to get something just right, he expects the end result to be no less than impeccable. Although largely merciful toward others, when he makes mistakes, he takes them very hard and can be very self-punishing. He has been known to occasionally resort to self-mortification to satisfy the need for punitive measures and has the scars to prove it. Failing that, he most often espouses a "scorched earth" policy in handling things that go wrong: rather than trying to make lemonade from lemons, he'd rather destroy everything and start all over again from the beginning. He is diligent about always striving so that he never makes mistakes in the first place whenever possible, usually through discipline, prayers and meditations.
Mistakes are most likely to occur when his higher reasoning is compromised in some way. It's why he has learned to studiously avoid intoxication or anything else that could cloud his judgment, because he knows he is exceedingly prone to doing Stupid Things in those kinds of situations. In the absence of his higher nature, he becomes an unpredictable, unreasonable, violent, moody, over-sexed creature with little regard for anyone else. While remorseless at the time, by the time he's able to reassert control over his behavior, he is always guilt-stricken by the things he's done. While he can sometimes come off as being a bit holier-than-thou, he knows that he's definitely no angel, and does his best to not cast the first proverbial stones.
Aside from the darker base nature lurking underneath, he considers himself a highly-civilized man. Although he has a distinct distaste for fighting, he won't walk away from one if that's what it takes to resolve something. While his leads a fairly simple life, he does appreciate and enjoy the finer things the world has to offer. He enjoys cultural pursuits, including art, literature, poetry, music, theatre and dance, and is reasonable skilled and accomplished in all of those fields. He also is a man of reason and enjoys science, and works to maintain a careful balance of faith and scientific truth. While he does not allow scientific progress to rob him of his faith, neither does he adhere to religious dogma so strongly that he rejects scientific progress without at least a careful and thorough examination of it first. It also annoys him profoundly when religious texts are taken out of context; he believes that nothing exists in a vacuum and must be recognized as a product of its time, however timeless it might be.
His faith is a complex thing. Although he was raised from birth to follow the traditions and tenets of the Catholic Church, he has always favored open interpretations of religious teachings, and understands that certain ideas need to evolve as human society and technology evolve. He recognizes that he was once a god himself, but notes that God only declared that man should put no other gods before Him--not that there were no other gods at all. He also finds it HILARIOUS whenever someone tries to equate him with Jesus, and says that's expressly not true. As a priest and a tender of his flock of faithful, he likes to make people question and think about their faith in different ways and understand the reasoning behind the teachings, rather than just blindly following whatever is said, as he believes that the truth will become clearer that way and, in turn, the faith stronger. In regard to his own behavior and vows, he again tends to follow an open interpretation, believing that most "grey area" actions are permissible when not expressly forbidden. For instance, although he is bound to a vow of celibacy, he has few qualms about helping women trying to conceive a child by offering "off-the-record" donation to take to the privacy of their homes, knowing that the seed would not be wasted by his efforts, nor any actual unseemly conduct between him and the women he helped. Nor is he above things like the occasional display of his wings during a service for theatrical emphasis. But such things are always done for a deliberate purpose of some kind.
» Other Notes: Is fluent in Spanish and English, also knows Greek, Latin, Hebrew and some Nahuatl and Quechua. He can read Mayan glyphs.
Although he generally ignores his sexual desires, he is decidedly heterosexual, no higher than a 1 on the Kinsey scale.
» Sample Journal: I was re-reading Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness recently. Just something to do on a whim. I still find it fascinating how well Conrad combines his religious metaphors and symbols throughout the book. Of course, by and large, the symbolism is distinctly Christian. Mr. Kurtz can easily be taken as a symbolic representative of Satan and the voyage into the jungle as a descent into Hell, but there are also echoes of the Greeks and Norse and the like as well. And, really, that's how an allegory should work: it should be something recognizable across cultures and consciousnesses. After all, if a one-time Mayan god can be a man of faith in a different religion, why not be able to combine cultural references into a work of fiction? That's the way life works, and sometimes, truth is stranger than fiction.
» Sample Log: "Father Leo?"
Leocadio glanced up at the woman who had come to see him after the service and greeted her with a smile.
"Yes, of course. What can I do for you, Elizabeth?" he asked. The woman blushed faintly and shifted awkwardly.
"Well... I was hoping I could ask you to... intercede some prayers for my husband and I. We've been married ten years now, and we've been wanting to start a family, but it just seems like nothing is working, and we just can't afford some of the treatment options. And I thought, maybe if the Almighty might be able to do something, it wouldn't hurt to ask...?" she explained.
"Of course, I will pray for you," he said, and drummed his fingers thoughtfully. "Now... you say you've tried everything thus far?"
"Everything we can afford," she said with a nod. Leocadio tapped a finger, his expression pensive.
"Have you considered donors?" he suggested.
"Well, we've thought about it, but... they're out of our price range," she admitted.
Leocadio paused, and then looked back up.
"With the permission of you and your husband, of course, I may be able to offer something more than just prayers," he said. Elizabeth met his face hopefully.
"We'll try anything," she said.
"...I would be willing to offer a donation, off-the-record, naturally. Just one neighbor assisting another. Now, how close are you to your optimal time to try?" he asked. She blushed.
"Actually... soon. Right about now. A couple days, maybe," she said softly. He could see a faint swirl of hope and lust in her eyes. "Would you...?"
He chuckled and shook his head.
"No vows would be broken by either of us. Just something to take home and see if it might work. You're out nothing but time and effort," he assured her.
"Of... of course. It can't hurt to try," she agreed, though he didn't miss the flash of disappointment.
"All right. Wait here, and I'll return shortly. I suggest using the time to make a few intercessions of your own," he said, and stepped out of the room. He returned some twenty minutes later with a bag containing a jar. Elizabeth gave him a questioning look. "The donation is here. Assuming your husband agrees, of course, I'm sure you're aware of what to do."
"And this will give us a child?" she asked wonderingly, taking it from him.
"God willing," he said with a smile.
