Camazotz (카마소츠)

DeityGuatemala · Central AmericaMythFear 7/10

Description

Terrifying bat god from the Maya Popol Vuh who rules Xibalba's House of Bats. Decapitated the hero twin Hunahpu with his razor-sharp snout. Associated with night, death, and sacrifice. Modern interpretations link him to vampire bat species native to Central America

The Legend

Camazotz is a bat spirit that appears in the Maya mythology's 'Popol Vuh', described as a being that serves the lords of the underworld. Camazotz means 'death bat' in the Kʼicheʼ language. The Maya hero twins, Hunahpu and Xbalanque, encounter Camazotz during their trials in the underworld of Xibalba. The twins had to spend a night in the bat's house, and they had to hide their bodies in their guns to defend themselves. When Hunahpu peeked out from the gun to check if the sun had risen, Camazotz immediately snatched his head and took it to the park, hanging it up as a ball for the gods to use in their next ball game.

In Popular Culture

Camazotz has appeared several times in modern popular culture. In the 1962 American author Madeleine L'Engle's young adult science fantasy novel 'A Wrinkle in Time', Camazotz is depicted as a 'dark planet' ruled by an intangible brain with powerful telepathic abilities known as 'IT'. In the role-playing game 'Dungeons & Dragons', Camazotz appears as a bat and evil god in the Greyhawk campaign setting. In the fifth season of the American TV series 'Stranger Things', the character Holly Wheeler refers to the evil dimension where she and Max Mayfield are trapped as 'Camazotz'. In the graphic novel 'Kingdom Kong', Camazotz is portrayed as a bat-like titan that commands an army of dragon-like bat creatures. In 'Fate/Grand Order', Camazotz appears as a major antagonist in 'Lostbelt Seven—The Journey of the Golden Tree: Nahui Mictlan'.

This article is based on the Wikipedia article "Camazotz" (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikipedia