Xahkùm
Ak'aaran God of War
"Great Jaguar of the seven stars, give me your strenght, and your wisdom so i may succeed in this hunt"Xahkùm is the Ak'aaran god of war, the hunt, and wildlife. He is said to be one of the most powerful deities of the Ak'aaran pantheon, only being surpassed by Itzcaca, the god of Creation, and Ximal, the god of the Underworld.-Omaren praying to Xahkùm before an upcoming hunt.
Physical Description
Xahkùm is more often than not depicted as a massive jaguar. However, he is also sometimes shown as being a human with a few jaguar/animal features, such as ears, claws, fangs, and a tail. While in his Jaguar form, Xahkùm is said to have fire appear at the tip of his tail and in his eyes when he gets angry.Divine Domains
War
Xahkùm is the Ak'aaran god of war, and as such, all wars within the Ak'aaran Confederation and in the greater Ayoxal region are also fought in his honour, and with his approval. Soldiers pray and sing to him for success in upcoming battles.Hunting and Wildlife
He is also the god of the hunt, and of wildlife more generaly. Hunters pray to him for a successful hunt, and when killing an animal or eating its flesh, ak'aarans must do so with his approval, which they get by prayer. Omiting to pray before a meal is considered a severe affront to Xahkùm, who will shun that person for some amount of time, bringing them bad luck in future hunting and battles they take part in.Divine Symbols & Sigils
Statues
Numerous statues of the Xahkùm's animal and human form can be seen throughout the region, usualy displayed prominently in city squares or at the entrances of temples dedicated to the god's worship. The largest of such statues, the Golden Jaguar is located in the City of Noamarù, at the very top of its massive step-pyramid shaped temple, which is dedicated to Xahkùm and where Xahkum's Legion resides.Effigies/Ixatl
The warriors that make up Xahkùm's Legion get tattooed a specific Ixatl on their shoulder. An ixatl are holy images/effigies of various gods and godesses. In their case, their Ixatl is of a jaguar, or Bahxotl, in the Ak'aaran language. Similarly, these same Ixatl are engraved on the doors of temples dedicated to Xahkùm. Even the stone bricks that make up the gates of the City of Noamarù are engraved with Ixatl of Bahxotl.Constellation
In the skies over the Mahadorian continent, 7 large stars shine brighter than any other, say for Borea: The North Star. These stars have various meanings for the continent's various cultures, but in the Greater Ayoxal region, they are attributed to Xahkùm. In ak'aaran astronomical books, the seven stars are drawn together in the form of a jaguar, and it isn't uncommon for Ak'aaran to adress Xahkùm in their prayers as "Great Jaguar/Beast of the seven stars".Tenets of Faith
A few important rules and tenets are assocciated with Xahkùm. The most widely known and the most important is the respect of nature. Xahkùm understands and accepts the need for humans to sustain themselves, but he also understands and finds revoltion seeing their greed and selfishness, and will punish both severely. Backing out of a far fight is also considered an afront to Xahkùm, and doing so out of cowardness or laziness, especialy if they are a soldier of the Legion, is worthy of permanant exile.
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