Feathered Serpent: Discover the “true story” of the god K’uk’ulkan, from Black Panther 2

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever After opened in theaters last week, bringing with it a huge cultural load. This is because, in addition to the already known wakandathe film also featured the fantastic Talocansubmerged civilization commanded by DatingO Submarine Prince🇧🇷

Introduced in the comics Marvel in mid-1939, Dating takes on the role of villain in the new film of the franchise. For residents of Talocancity inspired by pre-Columbian civilizations, however, the character is a powerful leader, considered the reincarnation of Kukulkanalso known as K’uk’ulkan, a Mesoamerican deity. But in the end, who was it? Kukulkan🇧🇷

First of all, it is interesting to point out that Mesoamerican chronology is divided into several periods, and one of the first appearances of Kukulkan date of the so-called Classic Period. At the time, the deity was known as Waxaklahun Ubah Kana War Serpent🇧🇷

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Mighty, the cult of Kukulkan it crossed the barriers of the Classic Period and linguistic divisions and reached Chichen Itza (the current Mexican state of Yucatán). Directly associated with Itza in the north of the Yucatan Peninsula, Kukulkan means, in the Mayan Yucatec language, “feathered snake” — hence the direct connection with representations of the deity known as the Feathered Serpent🇧🇷

It was even in Chichen Itza that Kukulkan ceased to represent Vision Serpent, messenger between the gods and the king, and became known as the deity of the territory. Times later, Kukulkan it was also presented to the Spanish colonizers, through the high priests of the cult of divinity – considered the patriarchs of the family and the most powerful men in the cities.

Legends of K’uk’ulkan

According to the book Handbook of Mesoamerican Mythology (or Handbook of Mesoamerican Mythologyin free translation), by the authors Kay Almere Read and Jason Gonzálezthere are several legends about Kukulkan in modern Yucatan folklore. In a certain story, for example, the deity is described as a boy who, born as a feathered snake, is raised by his sister inside a cave.

When he becomes an adult and no longer fits in the place where he grew up, however, Kukulkan flies out to sea, generating a tidal wave as it falls into the water. Since then, according to the authors, the deity creates tremors in the seas every year in the month of July, so that his sister knows that he is still alive.

Already in tales described by the book Leyendas y consejas del antiguo Yucatán 🇧🇷Legends and advice from ancient Yucatan), in Ermilo Abreu Gomez🇧🇷 Kukulkan uses its ability to fly to try to talk to the Sun🇧🇷 Proud, the star ends up burning the tongue of the winged serpent. In a second legend, the deity always accompanies Chaacthe god of rain, predicting storms and cleaning the planet by creating the winds while moving his enormous tail.

In the tales of the Lacandon Maya of Chiapas, also described by Read and Gonzalez🇧🇷 Kukulkan is a monstrous winged snake, which, despite being evil, is the main companion of the god Sun🇧🇷 Accustomed to destroying everything he finds, the deity meets a kind boy who gives him food during the fateful journey of Kukulkan between life and death. Moved by the charity of the human, the feathered serpent returns to the earthly world and, alongside the boy, builds his own country.