FIRE AS AN AGENT IN HUMAN CULTURE 127 



cross over a gold plaque that covered almost all its surface. In the 

 right hand he carried a sort of scepter having a round plaque of gold 

 pierced with a hole in the center and surmounted by two globes of 

 different sizes, the smaller supporting a pointed object. They called 

 this scepter Tlachieloni, which means lorgnette, because by means of 

 this object one could hide his face, yet seeing through the center of 

 the plaque of goid.^^ 



The following prayer to the god of fire, written down in Nahuatl by 

 Sahagun, is valuable for its literary quality and the insight it gives 

 into the philosophy and theology of the Mexicans: 



"You, Lord, who are the father and mother of gods and the most 

 ancient divinity, know that comes here yo'or vassal, your slave; weep- 

 ing, he approaches with great sadness; he comes plunged in grief, 

 because he recognizes that he is plunged in error, having slipped over 

 some wicked sins and some grave dehnquencies which merit death; 

 he comes, on account of this, very heavy and oppressed. Our god 

 of pity, who art the sustainer and defender of all, receive in penitence 

 and relieve in his anguish your serf and vassal." ^^ 



The Hopi Pueblo Indians represent in several ceremonies a being 

 painted black and spotted with red, a fearsome being called Shula- 

 witsi, the fire cachina. This being has not the status of a lire god as 

 the Mexican fire god, since the Mexican cult was more advanced 

 than the Hopi. It is more than possible that Shulawitsi is the Mex- 

 ican Xiuhtecutli incorporated into the Hopi pantheon. Shulawitsi 

 as prototype of Xiuhtecutli can not be advanced with confidence, 

 the tendency being to regard these as cognate deities in the same 

 racial stock. 



The Navaho Hastsezini, god of fire, appears to be affiliated with 

 the Hopi fire god. He is also black, and his offering is a cigarette.®^ 



Less-developed fire gods are found among most of the American 

 Indian tribes. The Manitous of the Algonkians are examples of this 

 class. Still farther down in the scale appear to be the mythological 

 beings who jealoidy kept fire away from man, furnishing the mate- 

 rial for the numerous theft episodes in the fire myths. Others may 

 be seen in the beings who gave fire to man. 



Some insight may be gained of Aino ideas of the fire god from the 

 following, care being taken to observe the mingling of two theologies: 



" The deity who is generally looked upon as standing next in order 

 to the goddess of the sun is the goddess of fire. She is conceived of 

 as being both useful and awful; useful, inasmuch as she warms the 

 body, heals it when ill, and cooks its food; awful, inasmuch as she 



» Bernardino do Sahagun, Book 1, ch. 13, London, 1830, pp. 29-30, 

 M Idem, p. 24. 



"Washington Matthews. The Treatment of Ailing Gods, Journ. Amer Folk-Lore, vol 32, 1901, 

 pp. 20-23. 



