Cihuateteo

Ringkasan

Dalam mitologi Aztec, Cihuateteo ('Perempuan Ilahi') adalah roh perempuan yang meninggal saat melahirkan; di bumi mereka dianggap iblis malam yang menghantui persimpangan jalan.

In Aztec mythology the Cihuateteo ('Divine Women') were the spirits of women who died in childbirth; on earth they were considered demons of the night who haunted crossroads.

Kisah dan tradisi

Cihuateteo adalah roh perempuan yang meninggal saat melahirkan. Mereka disamakan dengan roh prajurit pria yang gugur dalam pertempuran, karena melahirkan secara konseptual setara dengan perang dalam budaya Aztec. Perempuan yang bersalin dikatakan menangkap roh bayinya seperti prajurit menangkap lawan, dan roh-roh ini dikaitkan dengan barat, tempat matahari terbenam. Mereka tinggal di Cihuatlampa, 'tempat para perempuan', di barat. Setiap hari mereka menuntun matahari dari tengah hari hingga terbenam, dibantu roh prajurit pria, dan kehormatan itu tidak diberikan kepada orang mati lainnya. Pada lima hari tertentu dalam kalender, yaitu 1 Rusa, 1 Hujan, 1 Monyet, 1 Rumah, dan 1 Elang, mereka turun ke bumi. Di bumi mereka dianggap iblis malam dan sering menghantui persimpangan jalan. Mereka dipercaya mencuri anak, menimbulkan kegilaan dan kejang, serta membujuk pria berzina, dan tempat ibadah di tepi jalan sering didirikan untuk menenangkan mereka. Sumber lain menyebut mereka menimpakan penyakit pada bayi, memasuki tubuh orang lemah, dan dipersembahkan roti berbentuk kupu-kupu; orang tua menjaga anak tetap di rumah pada hari pengaruh mereka kuat. Jasad perempuan yang meninggal saat melahirkan diyakini memiliki kekuatan dan sihir khusus, sehingga dijaga ketat dari prajurit pria yang mengincar jari tengah kiri dan rambutnya sebagai relikui. Dalam seni Aztec mereka digambarkan sebagai sosok menakutkan dengan kepalan bercakar, gigi menyeringai, dan sikap agresif, sering berambut jingga acak-acakan dan berok bersabuk ular; sumber lain menyebut wajah mereka putih pucat seperti mayat.

The Cihuateteo were the spirits of women who died in childbirth. They were compared with male warriors who died in violent conflict, since Aztec culture treated childbirth as the conceptual equivalent of battle. In tradition a laboring mother seized her baby's spirit much as a warrior takes an opponent, and these spirits are associated with the west, where the sun sets. They lived in Cihuatlampa, the 'place of women', in the west. Each day they guided the sun from noon until sunset, aided by the spirits of male warriors, an honor not given to other dead. On five specific calendar days, 1 Deer, 1 Rain, 1 Monkey, 1 House, and 1 Eagle, they descended to earth. On earth they were considered demons of the night and often haunted crossroads. People believed they stole children, caused madness and seizures, and led men into adultery, and roadside shrines were often built to appease them. Another source says they afflicted infants with disease, entered the bodies of weakly people, and were offered loaves of bread shaped like butterflies; parents kept children indoors on the days their influence was strong. The body of a woman who died in childbirth was believed to have special powers and magic, and was guarded closely against male warriors who wanted her left middle finger and hair as relics. In Aztec art they are shown as fearsome figures with clawed fists, bared teeth, and aggressive poses, often with unkempt orange hair and skirts with snake belts; another source describes their faces as a dead white.

Konteks budaya

Melahirkan dipandang setara dengan pertempuran dalam budaya Aztec, sehingga perempuan yang meninggal saat bersalin dihormati setara prajurit yang gugur.

Childbirth was conceptually equivalent to battle in Aztec culture, so women who died in childbirth were honored like warriors who fell in battle.

Fakta utama

Budaya / Culture: Tradisi Aztek (Mexica)
Kawasan / Region: Mesoamerika & Karibia
Klasifikasi / Classification: Spirit
Habitat: Fields
Kemampuan / Abilities: Mencuri anak dan menimbulkan kegilaan, Memasuki tubuh orang lemah, Menuntun matahari

Nama lain / Alternate names

Divine Women, Ciuapipiltin

Tahukah kamu? / Did you know?

Jari tengah kiri dan rambut jasad perempuan yang meninggal saat melahirkan dianggap relikui yang sangat ampuh bagi prajurit.

The left middle finger and the hair of a woman who died in childbirth were believed to be especially potent relics for warriors.