Xolotl
/ʃoːˈloːtɬ/noun
Xolotl is an Aztec deity associated with lightning, fire, death, transformation, and the evening star.
Did you know?Xolotl was linked to the planet Venus as the evening star and was portrayed as a canine or skeletal figure guiding the dead through the underworld.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian period
Nahuatl
xōlōtl
“The Classical Nahuatl name of a deity associated with monstrosity, transformation, death, and the evening star; its exact lexical derivation is uncertain.”
15th–16th Century
Classical Nahuatl
Xōlōtl
“A prominent deity in Central Mexican religious tradition, often represented in canine or deformed human form.”
16th Century
Spanish
Xolotl
“Spanish colonial writers transcribed the Nahuatl divine name as Xolotl.”
19th Century
English
Xolotl
“The name entered English-language writing on Aztec religion, mythology, and Mesoamerican history.”
Modern English
English
Xolotl
“A proper name used for the Aztec deity and, by extension, in discussions of transformation, death, dogs, and Venus.”
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