Tlazolteotl: Goddess Of Witches

Tlazolteotl is the name given to the Aztec goddess of filth. She is a patroness of adulterers. She is a mother earth goddess associated with the moon. Mother of Centeotl – a maize god. She is considered the protector of the midwives, fortune tellers, and doctor women. However, other sources say that she is simply the Goddess of Witches. The depictions of her are identical to the stereotypical European depiction of witches with pointed hats and broomsticks. She exists in four different guises: four sisters that represent the different stages of life. As a young woman (Xocutzin) she is a temptress and care free. In her second, she is a destructive goddess of uncertainty. In the middle age (Tlaco) she is a powerful goddess able to consume human sin. Her final form – a terrifying hag (Tiacapan) preys upon innocent youths, and is a force of destruction.

That being said she embodies those exact characteristics of debauchery, vice, sin, and debauchery. But with every evil there is good. She is also a goddess of purification and it is her duty to forgive those who have sinned. In Aztec law the punishment for adultery was death. However, if the offender confessed his sins to this goddess then that law could not be followed through. The only catch to this was that each person was only allowed one confession in their lifetime. According to Aztec belief, it was she who inspires the unlawful sins of love and who also forgives for the sexual misdeeds in question. She is said to be responsible for sexually transmitted infections and this was thought to be afflicted to people if they indulged in forbidden love. On a physical and moral level, this was considered incredibly unclean; however, it could be cured through a rite of purification via a steam bath or by calling upon the goddess