Queze The Priest

January 20, 2009 - 4:11am — celticmystress

Here we go! My hands hurt lol!

I have a serious intrest in studying ancient cultures, and so I'm going to educate you on the apparel and accessories of ancient priests.

The main carving of his feather headdress is Quetzalcoatl, the great feathered serpant that was mostly the center of their religion, and one of the main deities of the ancient Aztec and Maya.
http://religion.mrugala.net/Ameriques/Quetzalcoatl.jpg

Queze has a LOT of face jewlery, and I'm not quite sure how they attach it, I know this is what the preist of ancient times used, attempting to look godlike and un-earthly.
http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/dvd/aplus/apocalypto/apocalypto3lg.jpg

He has his telling stones in a pouch at his hip, and I kept his tatoo on his right shouldler.
At his ankles are shells and bells, while he dances it sounds like the hiss of a snake. I know the Mohawk indians used them, and I'm sure the Aztecs did too.

The feathers of his headress are made of the feathers of the quetzel bird, hundreds of these birds were killed in order to make one headress. While in air, it looks like a flying serpand (feathered serpant). The bird was greatly honored and respected.
http://www.american.edu/TED/images3/quetzel.jpg

Anything round in this ancient culture was sacred, because it resembled a wheel or calander. They worshipped time, and dressed themselves with anything they could find that was circular in any way. (Their calander is actually more accurate and comlex than the one we use today). I dressed Queze in a lot of circular items.

Preists, when after sacrificing someone to the gods (a winning team of a game was sacrificed, it was a great honor) they would rip out the heart and quickly burn the heart, and smudge themselves with the blood. Queze has a bowl of smoke, imagaine what you like...

I think thats it for my two cents. Thanks for everything. Btw if someone wants to color this for Queze, go ahead, I really cant for fear of hurting it, and really need to get working on some Lightbringer pics.

<3 Myst
Hope you like it!

Concept

January 20, 2009 - 4:35am — lemon

Oh wow, that is amazing!

Oh wow, that is amazing! 8o

I'm a big fan of ancient cultures, as well. Lemon is a very spiritual deer, herself; but in an almost Disneyfied way, and I didn't take from any known cultures. xD She's very quiet and antisocial, and prefers to spend her time talking to birds and forest spirits, and praying to the Gods, rather than interacting with other deer. But this is just amazing, and... wow. 8o

It's kind of funny, since I was listening to "Dulcissima (Cantus Burnus)" by Corvus Corax, when I saw this image. xD The music was rather fitting. I know the culture of the music is different from the culture portrayed here -- but it's just so tribal, Idunno. I'm weird, I guess. xDD

Anyway, GREAT job, as I'm trying (and failing) to say! <3 <3 <3

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Art updates - Lemon's Biography

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_{Avatar by Kohva!}

January 20, 2009 - 4:38am — Terabetha

XD squee OMG this has

XD *squee* OMG this has honestly made my year (day was just not long enough!)
*can't stop smiling because this is so unexpected and awesome*

*collects thoughts* I'm taken aback by how much detail you've put into the picture, and both Queze and I am deeply impressed and honored by the amount of research you've put into every little thing.

*nods approvingly at sculpted abs*
*rolls eyes*
"Thank you gifted human artist, you honor me AND Quetzalcoatl with such amazing a display as this!" *bows*

Your mention of the telling stones reminds me that I need to make a blog for them >_> *has been lazy*
If you wouldn't mind, I'd love to color this so that I can use it in that blog!

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Queze;

~Aztec priest of The Forest~

January 20, 2009 - 6:43am — IoRez

Wow. You continue to amaze

Wow.
You continue to amaze me.

"Fragments fall and reflect the Light. Dust slowly covers my thoughts." - Yorres, Lightbringer

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January 20, 2009 - 7:41am — Fledermaus

This is so amazing! All the

This is so amazing! All the details and the line variations are simply fantastic! Good work =)

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January 20, 2009 - 11:13am — Shulgalaj

great picture, and it's

great picture, and it's wonderful that you give information of the culture too. I am very interested in stuff like that.

//Shulgalaj Forestlover// BIO

Feed Me!

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January 20, 2009 - 3:15pm — Flyra

Oh my Quetzalcoatl. This is

Oh my Quetzalcoatl. This is simply amazing.

Lightcreator

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f l y r a b l o g _{avatar by tinkee, sig by Quamar}

January 20, 2009 - 8:07pm — Fenqua

Damn... so much detail! I

Damn... so much detail! I like the way you inked it, it really looks like an ancient work of art.

Btw, if those Quetzel birds were so honored and respected, why did they kill so many of them just to make a headdress? O.o

To pray is to believe, to believe is to purify one's soul

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To pray is to believe, to believe is to purify one's soul

January 20, 2009 - 9:15pm — celticmystress

@LT: Thanks Lemon! That's

@LT: Thanks Lemon! That's awesome about that song, and I didn't know your little Lemon was so spiritual maybe she'd like to go into the Priest(ess)hood someday! Thanks for the comment!

@Terabetha: I'm so glad you love it! I really had a great time making this one, and sorry about the size XD. Of course you can color it! Those telling bone things sound like a bunch of fun and you can be sure Mystress will ask some questions.
I'm glad I could offer you and your God so much, friend. <3

@Io Rez: I surprize myself sometimes! LOL!

@Fleder: I really went bonkers with the details... XD I had an awesome time with this.
@Shulgalaj: I'm really interested in it too! THanks for the comment!
@Flyra: *blushes* Thanks so much!

@Avani: Thank you for the comment, I do try to keep the culture's "style" in any picture I do that has a theme.
About the bird. It has a lot to do with what they belive. Un-like today when if we respect something we leave it alone and admire it, they would use it and admire it. It's like the Native Americans. They respected deeply all the animals of nature! One of their stories has to do with the Earth being a turtles shell, and the turtle steers it away from crashing into stars and such... and yet we find turtle rattles and turtle-shell baskets and combs. The Aztecs were also not big wasters when it came to sacred animals. They would use EVERYTHING the sacred animal had to offer, and later would pray to the gods for forgiveness if something went wrong. Thank you for the question!!

edit: Thank you everyone! And Terabetha, if you need help with coloring references like "Hmm what color would THAT be?" you can ask me and I'm sure I can find out if I don't already know!!

Proud Founder of The Lightbringers

January 20, 2009 - 10:39pm — lemon

Yep! I gave her a whole set

Yep! I gave her a whole set of beliefs; she is a big believer in reincarnation, destiny, and the spiritual connection of all things (all things are connected via spirit; everything is a part of the whole; etc). She prays to the twin Gods quite often; and also believes in another, seperate diety in the forest. A collection of souls of deer who have died, who look after the living deer. Though death is rare in the forest, if a deer pleases the forest spirits well enough, he or she will join the spirits after death. All other deer are reincarnated after death (as trees, birds, squirrels, or frogs; but only rarely may they again be deer). That's the short version. xD

I guess I actually have taken small pieces from other cultures; namely Buddhism and Native American culture.

She's such a spiritual deer because the forest spirits saved her from death, when she was just a newborn fawn. <3 I think as she grows older, she will gravitate more toward spirituality, and I may eventually make her some sort of bird-priestess. x3

I haven't decided yet why she likes birds so much. o:

I over-think my characters. xDDD

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Art updates - Lemon's Biography

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_{Avatar by Kohva!}

January 21, 2009 - 4:42am — celticmystress

Lemon! That's amazing!! I

Lemon! That's amazing!! I really really like those beliefs, and it would be great to have her in the preistesshood. I really need to make Mystress a page of her own explaining stuff. I might need a little help in doing so XD lol.

Over-thinking is good! I do it alot too, it's just tiring to type all of it out! I appreciate all that you typed to explain to me

edit: Tera--- here are some references for coloring the picture-- thought it might help.

Proud Founder of The Lightbringers

January 21, 2009 - 6:30pm — Terabetha

First off, sorry for not

First off, sorry for not replying, things have been crazy lately!
These are awesome! I've actually already colored most of the picture, but after seeing these, maybe I'll go back and replace some of the gold jewelry with some green *ponders*
Mostly I'm just keeping to Queze's colors, lots of gold, green scales, and some other colors I know the Aztecs used. ^_^
_____________________________________________________________________

Queze;

~Aztec priest of The Forest~

January 21, 2009 - 8:37pm — Terabetha

Just finished uploading the

Just finished uploading the colored version, thanks again!

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Queze;

~Aztec priest of The Forest~

The Endless Forest

Queze The Priest