J'ik'al
Tzotzil–Tzeltal · numen · Tzotzil–Tzeltal traditional religion; continuing · Recorded classification
The J'ik'al, 'Black-man,' is a small winged black being who lives in caves and rock clefts, flies abroad by night, and seizes travellers — most often women — to carry off, devour, or breed with. He is associated with bats, whirlwinds, and in modern tellings with aircraft, and multiplies alarmingly upon those he abducts. The subject of a book-length study by Sarah Blaffer, he recurs across Zinacanteco and Chamula narrative as the archetypal predator of the dark.
Domains
- night terror
- abduction predation
Powers
- fly abroad in the dark
- seize and carry off travellers
Epithets
- J'ik'al — the Black-manBlaffer, Sarah C. 1972. The Black-man of Zinacantan. University of Texas Press. (secondary)
Sources
- The Black-man is a winged nocturnal predator of caves who abducts and devours travellers, chiefly women.: Blaffer, Sarah C. 1972. The Black-man of Zinacantan: A Central American Legend. University of Texas Press. (secondary); Laughlin, Robert M. 1977. Of Cabbages and Kings: Tales from Zinacantán. Smithsonian Contributions to Anthropology 23. (primary)