My Plant and Animal Neighbors: The Turkey

AztecTurkey God, Excerpted from mrpsmythopedia

"You see, in Mesoamerica (modern day Mexico), the turkey was seen in a whole different way. There, the turkey was no plump, homely bird just waiting for its destiny with your stomach; instead, the turkey was a sacred bird, and in some cases feared. Take for instance the Aztecs, who had a way of taking ordinary animals and turning them into bloodthirsty fearsome gods of blood and sacrifice. Yep. The turkey managed to achieve such heights under the mythology of the Aztecs! Fluffing his feathers and preparing to rain down doom upon the people of the earth was CHALCHIUHTOTLIN (chal-chi-uh-tote-lin), whom the Aztecs reverently called the "Precious Night Turkey..." or "Jade Turkey.

True story. Turkeys have been discovered buried alongside humans in Mesoamerica, in specially prepared tombs and with precise ceremonial honor. They have even been found by themselves on altars, surrounded by sacred objects.

Chalchiuhtotolin, or the “Precious Night Turkey” was a god of plague who ruled thirteen fun-filled days (sarcasm) of the Aztec calendar from 1 Water to 13 Crocodile (the thirteen days before he got to strut his stuff were ruled by Xolotl, the miserable god of misfortune, who, in a surprise twist, was instrumental in the creation of humankind.).

Not much is known about Chalchiuhtotolin, although it was said from translated info that he was "magnificent and terrible to behold."

There is a picture of him in the Codex Borbonias (a special document created by Spanish Catholic priests who tried to record the history and mythology of the Aztec for scholarly purposes!) that is unbelievably odd; Surrounded by seemingly undecipherable symbols, the Turkey Lord is appropriately dressed in a feathery turkey suit adorned with jewels and an emerald-colored feathered head-dress. It's pretty ironic to think that the majestic plague-turkey, who probably saw his fair share of human beings into the underworld through the diseases he spread, was himself plagued out of existence by the Spanish. "

Ozark Mountain Traditions, Excerpted from Vance Randolphs Ozark Superstitions:

Weather Divination

"Some country women believe that chickens are somehow able to tell what the weather is to be for several days in advance.  When chickens or turkeys stand with their backs to the wind, so that their feathers are ruffled, a storm is on the way. If hens spread their tail feathers and oil them conspicuously, it is sure to rain very soon."

Love Charms

Many a mountain girl conceals dried turkey bones about the room in which she meets her lover, or even secretes them in her clothing, in the belief that they will render him more amorous. I once heard some village loafers "greening" a young chap because some turkey bones had been found behind the cushions of his Ford, the supposition being that they had been placed there by women who had ridden with him. 

Mountain girls sometimes carry the beard of a wild turkey gobbler concealed about their clothing. Rose O'Neill, of Day, Missouri, asked a neighbor about this once and was told that "we use it to clean the comb with." Probably the gobbler's beard does make a satisfactory comb cleaner, but there is no doubt whatever that some backwoods damsels regard it as a love charm. 

Thunder Storms

Many turkey hunters claim that loud thunder really does kill young birds in the egg, especially birds that nest on the ground such as turkey, quail, ducks, geese, and the like. They insist that it is the thunder that does the damage, not the lightning or the rain. One veteran hunter says that hen turkeys usually desert their nests about twelve hours after a severe thunderstorm ; he thinks they can tell somehow that the eggs are dead and realize that it's no use to fool with 'em any longer.

Shape-Shifting

I have met elderly folk near Marionville, Missouri, who re- member the doings of Granny Whittaker. On one occasion she asked a neighbor's daughter to hold the Whittaker baby for a few moments, but the little girl refused to touch the infant. "It stinks," she said bluntly. "All right, young lady," cried the Whittaker woman, "you'll suffer for them remarks !" From that day forward the girl had fits, sometimes three or four fits in a single day. The poor child always cried out that she saw "old Granny Whittaker, in the shape of a turkey" just before the attacks came on. The girl's father could see nothing, but he often fired his pistol in the direction of the phantom turkey pointed out by the "fitified" girl. Once old Granny Whittaker lost a finger in some mysterious accident, and the neighbors thought that one of this man's bullets might have somehow struck her hand. The local conjurers and power doctors "sot up spells" against Granny Whittaker for years, but without any visible results. It is said that one famous witch master came all the way from Little Rock, Arkansas, to match magic with the Whittaker witch but accomplished nothing. 

How the Turkey got his beard: A Cherokee Legend, excerpted from: www.firstpeople.us

When the Terrapin won the race from the Rabbit, all the animals wondered and talked about it a great deal, because they had always thought the Terrapin slow, although they knew that he was a warrior and had many conjuring secrets beside.

But the Turkey was not satisfied and told the others there must be some trick about it. Said he, "I know the Terrapin can't run, he can hardly crawl, and I'm going to try him."

So one day the Turkey met the Terrapin coming home from war with a fresh scalp hanging from his neck and dragging on the ground as he traveled. The Turkey laughed at the sight and said: "That scalp don't look right on you. Your neck is too short and low down to wear it that way. Let me show you." The Terrapin agreed and gave the scalp to the Turkey, who fastened it around his neck.

"Now," said the Turkey, "I'll walk a little way and you can see how it looks." So he walked ahead a short distance and then turned and asked the Terrapin how he liked it.

Said the Terrapin, "It looks very nice; it becomes you." "Now I'll fix it in a different way and let you see how it looks," said the Turkey. So he gave the string another pull and walked ahead again.

"O, that looks very nice," said the Terrapin.

But the Turkey kept on walking, and when the Terrapin called to him to bring back the scalp he only walked faster and broke into a run.

Then the Terrapin got out his bow and by his conjuring art shot a number of cane splints into the Turkey's leg to cripple him so that he could not run, which accounts for all the many small bones in the Turkey's leg, that are of no use whatever; but the Terrapin never caught the Turkey, who still wears the scalp from his neck.

Talking Turkey

Speak plainly, get to the point, as in Don't call me until you're ready to talk turkey. This expression allegedly comes from a tale about an Indian and a white man who hunted together and divided the game. When the white man said, "I'll take the turkey and you the buzzard, or you take the buzzard and I the turkey," the Indian replied, "Talk turkey to me." Whether or not this tale had a true basis, the term was recorded in its present meaning by about 1840.

Top 3 photos are my own.

Photo of CHALCHIUHTOTLIN