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were attributed three heads, because, like the 

 Trimurti of the Hindoos, he contained three 

 persons, who formed only one divinity ■ others 

 bore the emblems of Chia, the wife of Bochica, 

 Isis, or the Moon ; others were covered with 

 masks resembling frogs, in allusion to the first 

 sign of the year, ata ; finally others represented 

 the monster Fomagata, the symbol of evil, 

 figured with one eye, four ears, and a long tail. 

 This Fomagata, whose name in the Chibcha 

 language signifies^re, or melted matter in a state 

 of ebullition, was considered as an evil spirit. 

 He travelled through the air, between Tunja 

 and Sogamozo, and transformed men into ser- 

 pents, lizards, and tigers. According to other 

 traditions Fomagata was originally a cruel 

 prince, whom, to secure the succession to his 

 brother Tusatua; Bochica caused to be treated 

 on the night of his nuptials, as Uranus had been 

 by Saturn. We are ignorant what constellation 

 bears the name of this phantom ; but Mr. Du- 

 quesne thinks, that the Indians attach to it the 

 confused remembrance of the appearance of a 

 comet. When the procession, which reminds us 

 of the astrological processions of the Chinese*, and 

 that of the feast of Isis, had reached the ex- 

 tremity of the suna, the victim was tied to the 

 column we have already mentioned, a cloud of 



* Souciet, torn, iii, p. 33. 



