Lord of the Dead
Taíno · deity · mythic perennial · Recorded classification
Male death-deity; his name links him to the guava (guayaba), the food of the dead. Coaybay, his realm, is guarded by the dog-zemi Opiyelguabirán who chases back escaping souls. Recorded by Pané (chs. 12-13).
Domains
- death and the underworld
- guava and the night
- lord of the dead
Powers
- rule and keep watch over the land of the dead
Epithets
- Maquetaurie Guayaba lord of Coaybay, of the guava (food of the dead)Ramón Pané, Relación acerca de las antigüedades de los indios (c. 1498) (primary)
Sources
- Maquetaurie Guayaba is the Taíno lord of the dead and master of Coaybay, the underworld whose dead emerge at night as bat-shaped opías to eat guavas.: Pané, Ramón. Relación acerca de las antigüedades de los indios, c. 1498, ch. 12. (primary); Stevens-Arroyo, Antonio M. Cave of the Jagua, 1988. (secondary)