Happy Dia de los Muertos dear readers, I’m Lyon, you might know me as the wolf that hangs around the Team+ discord, one of the VTT devs on a few Pathfinder Infinite products, or from my writing on Oceans Unleashed or Player Core 2 Expanded on PFI. Today I wanted to voice a lot of recent thoughts I’ve had regarding the Tzitzimitl, and at the same time share a bit of my culture.
When it was announced that Monster Core 2 was releasing, one of the first thoughts that came to my mind was how further creature categories would be reinterpreted in the remaster. With many being redone (such as the Rakshasa and Naga) and the announcement that others (like the Asura and Golem) would receive similar treatment, one of the places my mind jumped to first was the Tzitzimitl, especially as it was on the promotional cover art! The Tzitzimitl as a figure has long been depicted as an apocalyptic figure and Pathfinder was no stranger to that, having a pretty consistent depiction of an undead horror that would bring destruction in its wake. As I understand, however, the Tzitzimitl’s history is a bit more complicated than that. With Dia de los Muertos and the release of the book being so close, I wanted to take a moment to take a second look at the Tzitzimitl and share a different take on her.
History of the Tzitzimitl
I first want to preface that I am not a historian nor an authority on this subject, and while I tried to do my research and use what I had of my lived experience, I ask that you take my brief overview of the Tzitzimitl with a grain of salt.If you are someone more versed in the subject in me, I’d love to read your own perspective on this! With that being said, as I understand it, the Tzitzimitl underwent a change that demonized it in the colonial era. Like many figures in Mesoamerican myths, it was recontextualized into the Catholic mold of good versus evil, with the Tzitzimitl changed to be on the side of Satan. The Tzitzimitl wasn’t solely a benevolent figure before, but it was one that could cure diseases as easily as it could inflict them. The Tzitzimitl’s association with pregnancy and motherhood was also lost during this transition. They originally had an association with the souls of women who died during childbirth, and were said to have been invoked by people in labor and midwives to ensure a healthy birth. The change from this to apocalyptic bringer of the end is obviously stark, and the latter would become the predominant one and still is today. In modern media, the only depiction of the Tzitzimitl that I can think of that even utilizes her as a maternal figure is her depiction in the Shin Megami Tensei series (though obviously a bit more stylized than Pathfinder’s depiction).
A Reinterpretation of Pathfinder’s Tzitzimitl
With that being said, below is an alternate statblock to the Tzitzimitl that instead fits her into the role of the Psychopomp rather than apocalyptic undead while trying to stay true to the general Lost Omens lore. I don’t claim that this is an inherently more accurate depiction, perhaps you could argue that this may swing too far in the opposite direction of making her a solely benevolent figure, but it is a reinterpretation that I at least enjoyed writing. This is also not to condemn anyone, including Paizo, for liking the current depiction of the Tzitzimitl, but rather to express a side of the figure that I’ve seen very rarely represented even when she does appear.
Tzitzimitl
Though these towering psychopomps often strike fear into the hearts of mortals who see them, these imposing servitors are cosmic embodiments of life and death. They represent the beginnings of new lives, and are invoked by expecting parents for aid in the safe delivery of new life. At the same time these psychopomps possess the awe striking power of finality, capable of draining the life of a being as easily as they can bring it out. Though their power is rarely seen, the tzitzimitl serve as a bastion of the Boneyard and the bringers of the end, said to be the ones who will aid in the ushering of the destruction of the universe when the time has come so that the next cycle may be built in its place.
The Tzitzimitl are most commonly associated with Pharasma and Atropos, and are known for specifically protecting the souls of those who died during childbirth or children who died prematurely on the river of souls. While new shades growing to become tzitzimitl are rare, it is notably common amongst mothers, which lends to the tzitzimitl’s typically feminine appearance. They also share a distinct relationship with Cihua Coatl, The War Children being seen as the director of these powerful guardians, invoking them to heal and rallying them for warfare when it is deemed necessary.
The Spirit of Remembrance and Embracing Indigenous Culture
Part of the reason I felt this was a good time to write about this now is that Dia de los Muertos has become associated with anti-colonialism in the modern era. Though the holiday is not solely indigenous, being syncretic between Catholic and indigenous beliefs that are everywhere in its celebration (including the day, which is taken from Allhallowstide), for a long time and even today the holiday is still shunned for being a “pagan ritual” or even satanic! (Something I have had the displeasure of hearing!). As I understand it, the holiday only made it into mainstream acceptance in the last 80 years, which seems to have been jumpstarted by the Chicano movement in the United States, and then traveled southward. While remembrance is often associated with the family, it’s also been used as a political tool as a reminder of those whose lives were taken by injustices. With the current state of the world, its message has only gotten more relevant. Embracing, recontextualizing, and passing on our indigenous heritage has also been a large part of that. Researching and reimagining the Tzitzimitl’s depiction was to me, a very small but meaningful expression of that.
A Celebration of the Dead
When reading on the Tzitzimitl and its change in role, one of the things that stood out to me was how a figure of life and death was changed into something to be feared. This is anecdotal but in my mind this is reflective of a lot of the differences in the way the concept of death differed between the two cultures. The spirit of celebration of the dead doesn’t stop and end at Dia de los Muertos but is permeated throughout life. I’ve never been to a funeral outside of my family, but having heard from others, there is a stark contrast in how they seem to be handled. For us, funerals are followed by a party with loud music, food, and festivities, usually of favorites of the recently deceased. The celebrant attitude persists after as well, my family’s never been one to stray away from talking about people we’ve lost, and it’s really cathartic to be able to talk and joke about those who are gone. That’s not to say that there is no grief or crying, but the difference with the grim finality I commonly see in a lot of others’ way of treating death, at least to me, makes it easy to see why a figure like the Tzitzimitl would go from one who was worshiped to one who was feared.
My Personal Dia de los Muertos
While on the topic of Tzitzimitl and Dia de los Muertos, I also figure this could be a good time to talk about my own family’s celebration of the holiday. The ofrenda (altar) is usually set up in early to mid October (although this year admittedly it was put together a little late, only about a week ago) and is left out till about mid November. At least for the more grand altar (the one you’d normally see in images when looking up Dia de los Muertos), I personally usually keep a small set of pictures set out year round which are then moved to the ofrenda during the season. The last week of October is usually the busiest though, as it’s filled with both gathering everything to make a big pot of tamales and to prepare for the fiambre (a communally picked at salad made of varying ingredients; though we don’t have one this year because of hard times). Times are also always a bit hectic with getting the flor de muerto for the ofrenda, needing one that both looks nice and will stay blooming for long enough to spread the petals the day of. The day we celebrate is on the first of November, which seems to be standard in Guatemala, though from others I’ve heard it is celebrated on the second. Regardless, the day itself is always the most lively, we usually don’t do big gatherings but it is a great time of eating food and sharing memories, typically lasting up until midnight.
Closing Thoughts
To conclude, all of this was a chance for me to challenge myself to write something close to my home and heritage and express it in a world that has become increasingly grim to live in. Remembering, celebrating, and sharing is a small way in which I hope to ignite others’ desire to do so as well, even if it is only a small number. Regardless of where you come from, I encourage and invite you to think about and talk about someone who you’ve lost, and to think about and remember the many people today that have lost their lives to the many injustices going on about the world right now. It can be hard to find joy during these hard times, but the simple act of creating and sharing is something that has brought me some of it.