Huehuecoyotl in Coria Viridis | World Anvil
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Huehuecoyotl

In mythology, Huehuecóyotl (from huēhueh [ˈweːweʔ] "very old" (literally, "old old") and coyōtl [ˈkojoːt͡ɬ] "coyote" in Nahuatl) is the auspicious Pre-Merge god of music, dance, mischief, and song. He is the patron of uninhibited sexuality and rules over the day sign in the calendar named cuetzpallin (lizard) and the fourth trecena Xochitl ("flower" in Nahuatl).   Stories characterized Huehuecóyotl as a benign prankster, whose tricks were often played on other gods or even humans, but tended to backfire and cause more trouble for himself than for the intended victims. A great party-giver, he also was alleged to create wars among humans to relieve his boredom. He was a part of the Tezcatlipoca (Smoky Mirror) family of the gods and inherited their shapeshifting powers.   Those who had indications of evil fates from other gods would sometimes appeal to Huehuecóyotl to mitigate or reverse their fates. Huehuecóyotl shares many characteristics with the trickster Coyote, including storytelling and choral singing.   Like all deities, Huehuecóyotl was dualistic in his exercise of good and evil and was perceived as a balanced god. Depictions of his dark side include a coyote appearance (non-human) with black or yellow feathers, as opposed to the customary green feathers.   He was the only friend of Xolotl " target="_blank">Xolotl (god of twins, sickness, and deformity) and accompanied the dead to Mictlan, the underworld. Their association was born from the canine nature of both gods.   He is also the god of deception.   Day sign Xochitl Huehuecóyotl (or Ueuecoyotl) is depicted as a dancing coyote with human hands and feet, accompanied by a human drummer. The name "very old coyote" conveyed positive meanings; coyotes were a symbol of astuteness, worldly wisdom, pragmatism, male beauty, and youthfulness. The prefix "huehue", which in Nahuatl means "very old", was attached to gods in mythology that were revered for their old age, wisdom, philosophical insights, and connections to the divine. Although Huehuecóyotl often appears in stories as male, he can change gender much like many of the offspring of Tezcatlipoca can. He also can be associated with indulgence, male sexuality, good luck, and story-telling. One of his prominent female lovers was Temazcalteci (also Temaxcaltechi), the goddess of bathing and sweat baths (temazcalli), also known as a sauna. Another was Xochiquetzal, the goddess of love, beauty, female sexuality, prostitutes, flowers, and young mothers.   In most depictions of Huehuecóyotl, he is followed by a human drummer or groups of humans that appear to be friendly to him (as opposed to worshiping), which is exceptional in Mesoam culture.   The fourth day of the thirteen-day week belonged to Huehuecóyotl.

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