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Description
Ai Apaec (also known as the Decapitator, Wrinkled Face, the god of the mountains, the snake-belted figure, among many other names), is a god of the Moche civilization from the Andes Mountains in Peru.

Centuries before the Inca Empire was formed, the Moche seemed to have worshipped a god whom little is known about. From what little we could interpret, Ai Apaec was the chief deity of the Mochica, and he seemed to take on numerous forms, ranging from a spider, to a crab or even an octopus. His main form seemed to be a jaguar-fanged man wearing snakes for belts.

Ai Apaec was also named “the decapitator”, due to archeological discoveries of his sacrificed victims, as well as iconography showing him occasionally holding a severed head. He was also seen as the creator god, providing food and water, as well as triumph over enemies.

I have to admit, I really love learning about very obscure myths. I first learned of Ai Apaec from Wayne Barlowe’s novel, The Heart of Hell (which is a sequel to an earlier novel he wrote called God’s Demon). In the novel, Ai Apaec serves as a minor antagonist for the novel, and is still just as feared in Hell as he was in life. He’s a fallen god who saw his people as pathetic, so he wiped them out with plagues and drought, which eventually brought his own downfall and eventual damnation. From then on, he would begin a cult dedicated to himself, and one of the protagonists (Adramalik) just so happens to be unfortunate enough to become his servant. I’d go into more detail, but I’d end up spoiling the whole thing.

As for the design itself, I wasn’t sure what to go with, but the end result is definitely cool. I went with the humanoid form with jaguar fangs, but also added some other symbols as well. I gave him a nose ornament, ear spools, and a headdress that has a small jaguar face, as well as (an attempt at) octopus tentacles. I also gave him crab claws and spider legs, to indicate his other forms, as well as a tumi blade to indicate his role as a decapitator. The design was partially inspired by artist Renzo Gonzalez, who illustrated Ai Apaec on a poster for a heavy metal festival in Peru.

renzogonzalez.com/wp-content/u…

More information about Ai Apaec: www.museolarco.org/en/exhibiti…

travelblog.trip-peru.com/ai-ap…

www.metmuseum.org/art/collecti…

Description
Ai Apaec (also known as the Decapitator, Wrinkled Face, the god of the mountains, the snake-belted figure, among many other names), is a god of the Moche civilization from the Andes Mountains in Peru.

Centuries before the Inca Empire was formed, the Moche seemed to have worshipped a god whom little is known about. From what little we could interpret, Ai Apaec was the chief deity of the Mochica, and he seemed to take on numerous forms, ranging from a spider, to a crab or even an octopus. His main form seemed to be a jaguar-fanged man wearing snakes for belts.

Ai Apaec was also named “the decapitator”, due to archeological discoveries of his sacrificed victims, as well as iconography showing him occasionally holding a severed head. He was also seen as the creator god, providing food and water, as well as triumph over enemies.

I have to admit, I really love learning about very obscure myths. I first learned of Ai Apaec from Wayne Barlowe’s novel, The Heart of Hell (which is a sequel to an earlier novel he wrote called God’s Demon). In the novel, Ai Apaec serves as a minor antagonist for the novel, and is still just as feared in Hell as he was in life. He’s a fallen god who saw his people as pathetic, so he wiped them out with plagues and drought, which eventually brought his own downfall and eventual damnation. From then on, he would begin a cult dedicated to himself, and one of the protagonists (Adramalik) just so happens to be unfortunate enough to become his servant. I’d go into more detail, but I’d end up spoiling the whole thing.

As for the design itself, I wasn’t sure what to go with, but the end result is definitely cool. I went with the humanoid form with jaguar fangs, but also added some other symbols as well. I gave him a nose ornament, ear spools, and a headdress that has a small jaguar face, as well as (an attempt at) octopus tentacles. I also gave him crab claws and spider legs, to indicate his other forms, as well as a tumi blade to indicate his role as a decapitator. The design was partially inspired by artist Renzo Gonzalez, who illustrated Ai Apaec on a poster for a heavy metal festival in Peru.

renzogonzalez.com/wp-content/u…

More information about Ai Apaec: www.museolarco.org/en/exhibiti…

travelblog.trip-peru.com/ai-ap…

www.metmuseum.org/art/collecti…