Teyolia
/teːˈjoːl.ja/noun
In Aztec and broader Nahua thought, the teyolia was the vital essence associated with the heart and personal identity.
Did you know?Nahua traditions described the teyolia alongside the tonalli and ihiyotl as one of three vital forces shaping a person’s fate, character, and postmortem destiny.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Uto-Aztecan
PUA
*yol-
“To live or be alive; the reconstructed ancestral root associated with life in Nahuatl-related languages.”
Classical Nahuatl
Nahuatl
yōli
“To live or exist.”
Classical Nahuatl
Nahuatl
yōlia
“To give life or animate; a causative formation related to living.”
16th Century
Nahuatl
teyolia
“The life-giving principle associated with a person, especially with the heart.”
20th–21st Century
English
teyolia
“An English scholarly term for the heart-centered vital essence in Nahua religious thought.”
Explore more surprising origins