Classic bat spirit

nature_spirit intermediate Maya single tradition · 1

The Classic bat spirit is depicted as a (leaf-nosed) bat, exhaling unhealthy vapours. In Classic Maya iconography, it is often depicted as a person's nahual or way-spirit bringing disease over an enemy. However, it is rarely, if ever, part of a narrative context, nor does it appear to play the role assigned to it by the Popol Vuh.

When

First attested
200 CE
Attested period
200 – 900
Historical notes
Classic Maya period.

Sources

wikipedia (1)

Source passages

“In Classic Maya iconography, the (leaf-nosed) bat, exhaling unhealthy vapours, is often depicted as a person's nahual or way-spirit bringing disease over an enemy. However, the Classic bat spirit is rarely, if ever, part of a narrative context, nor does it appear to play the role assigned to it by the Popol Vuh.”

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