Ah Kin

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Earthernware effigy image (an incense burner), Mayan, 12th-14th century
Earthernware effigy image (an incense burner), Mayan, 12th-14th century

In Maya mythology, Ah Kin was the Sun god. An ambivalent god he is feared as the bringer of doubt, but also as a protector against the evils associated with darkness. He is the young suitor of the moon goddess Acna but is also the aged sun in the sky. At night he is carried through the underworld on the shoulders of the god Sucunyum.

Ah Kin is prayed to at sunrise with rituals which include the burning of incense. He is invoked to cure disease and to brings wives to unmarried men. His attributes include a square third eye subtended by a loop, a strong Roman nose, a squint and incisor teeth filed to a T-shape. Other names for this deity include Acan Chob; Chi Chac Chob, Kinich Ahau, and God G.

[edit] References

Michael Jordon, Encyclopedia of Gods, Kyle Cathie Limited, 2002