Norse And Aztecs Comparison

While the Aztecs may not have had as detailed of a description of the universe before the world was created as the Norse did, they did have a thorough account of what happened afterwards. According to the Aztecs the history of the world is comprised of five Ages or Suns. Although stories vary, most describe the first four Suns as having been named after, and displaying characteristics of the four elements; earth, air, fire and water. And each of these ages were said to have ended in catastrophe. The Earth Sun ended with violent earthquakes, the Fire Sun ended with rains of molten lava, and raging fires, of which only birds and humans who turned into birds survived, the Air Sun ended with hurricanes and whirlwinds, and finally the Water Sun …show more content…
Both mythologies are polytheistic, and when looking at all of these gods it becomes apparent that in both religions there are few gods that only have one area over which they rule. Most are known primarily for one area but as actually representative of many more. For example, the Norse god Odin is primarily known for being the ruler of the gods, but is also associated with subjects such as war, the sky, and magic. Within the massive number of gods that the Norse and Aztec revere, there are certain types of gods they seem to value more than others. Interestingly this tends to be sky gods. The Aztecs patron and second principle deities, as well as their patron of priests and merchants were all related in some way to the sky. As the patron deity of the Aztecs, one identities Huitzilopochtli was known for was the god of the sun. Tlaloc, the second principle deity, was the rain god, worshiped for his connection to fertility, wealth and food, among other things. And Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent who was the god of wind among other things. For the Norse that meant Odin, the all-father and the sky, Thor, the god of thunder, Frigg, the goddess of rain and fertility, and Tyr, the sky god, and god of …show more content…
Most of the major Aztec gods are described as either wearing a natural or animalistic element, or having it integrated into them. Tlaloc the rain god has a moustache of snakes and a twisted rope headband, Huitzilopochtli wore a hummingbird’s head as a helmet and held a xiuhcoatl (fire snake) as a weapon, and Coatlicyue wore a snake skirt and a necklace of human hands and hearts. Most significant is probably the god Quetzalcoatl who in addition to wearing a necklace made of the cross-section of a conch shell, was described as a feathered serpent. A quetzal is a bird that has long green tail feathers, and coatl means snake. Loki, the Norse trickster god, on the other hand could actually shift into an animal, and one of his children Fenrir, was actually a wolf. In a completely different direction, the Norse goddess of the underworld Hel was described as having the upper half of her body alive and well, while to lower half was black, dead, and smelled of rotten