By Angie Kounadi (translated by Danae “The Pooka” T.) Good afternoon, Mythologists! Our journey in Inca mythology continues, and today we will talk about the one whose name is so sacred that it must be pronounced without making a single sound... When the world was created by Viracocha, it was full of darkness. From the depths of the Lake Titicaca Viracocha created Inti, the Sun God, and Quilla (or Mama Quilla), the Moon Goddess, bringing thus light to humanity... When Viracocha withdrew from the worldly affairs, Inti took over the duty of watching over humans on behalf of his father. Inti was the Sun God and was considered extremely powerful, but at the same time he was benevolent and generous. However, when mortals angered him with their antics and trouble-making, Inti manifested his discontent throush solar eclipses. In order to appease him, the Incas performed the necessary human sacrifices. Inti was married to the Moon Goddess, the beautiful, silver Quilla, who adorned the sky every night when her husband lay to rest. According to the myth, the first leader and founder of the Inca civilization, Manco Capac, was considered to be Intis son, along with other original Inca ancestors, such as Mama Coya, who was also described as Intis second wife. Therefore, Inca leaders could claim that they descended straight from the gods and thus enhance their role as mediators between gods and common people. Manco Capac himself wore a cloth made of sheet-gold in order to impress the crowds and emphasize his divine origins. However, Inti worship was officialised in the Inca cultural practices only during Wiraqocha Incas government (approx. 1425 CE) or until Pachacuti, 9th ruler of the Incas (1438-1471 CE). As the Inca empire expanded, the Sun worship was incorporated into the religion of the conquered populations and was used as propaganda: Incas descended from the gods and thus they had the divine right to rule. Coricancha temple (“the House of the Sun”) and the sacred area Sacsahuaman in the Inca Capital, Cuzco, were dedicated to Inti and were probably built during Pachacutis reign. There, the most important figure in Inca religion, the High Priest of the Sun (Villac Umu), performed rites to honour Inti, assisted by acllas (or acyllyaconas) - young virgin priestesses. Rites to honour the sun were also performed by priests and priestesses at sacred sites across the empire. The most well-known example is at Machu-Pichu, where a typical “intihuatana”, ie “the column which touches the sun”, which was located at the highest point, was used during the solstices in order to unite in a symbolical manner the sun with the earth with the use of a special cord. Intihuatana was also used for regular astronomical observations of the sun and possibly of other celestial bodies. Other important temples were at Pisac (northeast of Cuzco), Ingapirca (in present-day Ecuador) and at the Island of Sun in the Lake Titicaca, which Inca rulers visited once every year for pilgrimage. Inti was especially worshipped during the festival of Inti Raymi, which was held during the winter solstice in June (at the south hemisphere) and lasted many days. One of the most usual sacrifices to honour Inti was white lamas. Furthermore, food offerings, other animals, even small areas of rural land were dedicated to him. Human sacrifices (including little children) were also carried out on special ceremonial occasions or in times of crisis such as earthquakes or deaths of royal family members. Such ceremonies were performed in order to strengthen the constant succession in the Inca empire. A strange myth tells that an eagle beaten by vultures fell from the sky during a ceremony in Intis honour around 1526 CE. This eagle, according to the myth, foretold the fall of the Inca empire. Indeed, it was around that time that the first signs of deadly smallpox, carried by the Spanish conquistadores from Europe, began to appear in the Inca population. The Inca capital fell into the hands of the Spanish in less than a decade. Inti was depicted in Inca art as a golden statue, solar disk or mask. Gold was associated with the god, since it was believed that the valuable metal was the sweat of the god. The most sacred statue of Inti was kept at the Cuzco shrine. The temple interior was a wonder itself, since it was lined with 700 panels of beaten gold, half a metre in legth, whereas outside of the temple there was a life-sized field of corn with lamas and shepherds, all made from gold and silver. The statue represented Inti as a little, seated boy named Punchao (Morning or Midday Sun). From his head and shoulders sunrays shone, he wore a royal crown, whilst snakes and lions came out of his body. The stomach of the statue was hollow and it was used to store the ashes of previous rulers vital organs. Every day the statue was carried outside the temple and returned inside every night. The statue was carried to a safe place when the Spanish arrived in 1530 CE, but it was finally discovered in 1572 CE and vanished without a trace; it was possibly melt down, like many other Inca artifacts. Intis masks were made from thin beaten gold and had sunrays coming out of the gods head, a common design in the deity masks of ancient pre-columbian civilizations. These sunrays were cut in zig-zag line and sometimes ended in a small face or figure. The most well-known mask was exhibited in the Coricancha Temple at Cuzco. Intis worshippers and the majority of artifacts made in his name are now long lost, but Inti still lives on in many South American cultures. Inti Raymi festival has been revived as a significant yearly event at Cuzco, many national flags (of Uruguay, Peru, and Argentina in the past) have his figure as burning sun, and the currency of Peru was called “inti” in 1980, whereas it is called even today “sol”, meaning “sun” in Spanish. (Sources: Encyclopedia Britannica, Ancient History Encyclopedia, Mythology of South America)
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 11:00:00 +0000
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