Ahuizotl (mythology)
Aztec mythological creature / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The ahuizotl (from the Classical Nahuatl: āhuitzotl for "spiny aquatic thing", a.k.a. "water dog") is a legendary creature in Aztec mythology.[2] It is said to lure people to their deaths.[3] The creature was taken as an emblem by the ruler of the same name, and was said to be a "friend of the rain gods".[4] The ahuizotl is most likely a water opossum, which possesses dexterous hands "like a raccoon's or a monkey's", as well as a prehensile tail (the hand most likely represents this prehensile nature), waterproof marbled black and grey fur, and small pointed ears.
Similar entities | Nguruvilu, Kelpie, Underwater panther, Iemisch |
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Folklore | Legendary creature |
Other name(s) | Water Dog |
Country | Mexico |
Region | Lake Texcoco[1] |
The conquistador Hernán Cortés once reported to the King of Castile that one of his men had been killed by an ahuizotl.[1]
The name of the revolutionary anti-porfirist periodical El Hijo del Ahuizote (The Son of the Ahuizote) is in reference to the ahuízotl.