Amaru- Inca DragonDragon"Great Serpent"
Also known as: Katari
Description
A colossal double-headed serpent that moved through underground rivers and, when it rose during storms, became the rainbow. One head drew water from the earth while the other released it as rain. Inca nobles claimed its name as a title of transformative power.
Mythology & Lore
The Great Serpent
The Amaru moved through the subterranean channels where water flowed beneath the Andes. Its body was the river itself: the sinuous course cutting through mountain valleys, the hidden spring surfacing where no one expected.
When the Amaru rose during storms, it became the rainbow. The great serpent's body arced from horizon to horizon, drawing water upward and releasing it again as rain. The rainbow was both beautiful and feared. K'uychi, the rainbow spirit, was venerated, but pregnant women avoided looking directly at rainbows lest the serpent's power harm their unborn children.
Between the Worlds
The Amaru's body bridged the three realms of Inca cosmology. Its serpentine form moved through Ukhu Pacha's subterranean passages, emerged onto the surface of Kay Pacha, and arced upward toward Hanan Pacha as the rainbow. One head drew water from underground aquifers while the other released it into the sky. Stone carvers at Tiwanaku and Inca sites depicted the two heads on temple walls and ceramics. The creature belonged to the upper and lower worlds at once.
The serpent's image carried such potency that Inca nobles bore its name. Túpac Amaru, the last independent Sapa Inca, was executed by the Spanish in 1572 bearing that title.