[Aztlan] The snake of the Itzamnaaj bird

[Michael Finley]

Thank you for these interesting notes on the Itzamnaaj bird and friends, 
which help clear up a lot of questions.  With some trepidation, I wonder 
if the messenger role of the toad --- as a messenger from the gods --- 
might have to do with the hallucinogenic properties of the toad's 
poison, as there have been suggestions of it use as a hallucinogen in 
Mesoamerica.
(re use of  toad secretions as an hallucinogen,  there's an on-line 
summary at
http://sulcus.berkeley.edu/mcb/165_001/papers/manuscripts/_912.html )

Michael Finley

Karen Bassie wrote:

> <>This posting deals with the snake carried by the Itzamnaaj bird. In 
> the Popol Vuh, the toad and snake that carried the message for the 
> hero twins are called Tamazul and Saqi K'as, respectively. The name of 
> the slow moving Tamazul is derived from the Nahuatl word tamasolli 
> (toad), and the Florentine Codex indicates that the tamasolli is a 
> Bufo marinus (tamacoli). The Florentine Codex describes a lazy 
> messenger as being like this toad. While toads are a staple diet for 
> many animals, the toxicity of its parotid secretion protects the Bufo 
> marinus from most predators. ....