Xolotl (Aztec god)

This is a story about a god named Xolotl. Xolotl had a very special secret. He could change his shape. Long, long ago, the world was very dark. So dark and quiet. There was no sun to make it warm. There was no sun to make it bright. All the gods gathered around a giant, glowing fire. They wanted to bring light to the world. They all knew what they had to do, but Xolotl was a little bit scared. This is the story of how they created the sun. It is called the Legend of the Fifth Sun.

To make the sun move, the gods had to be very brave. They had to leap into the great fire to give the sun their energy. One by one, they jumped in, and the sky began to glow. A little bit of light came to the world. When it was Xolotl's turn, his feet felt wobbly. He did not want to jump. So, Xolotl played a game of hide-and-seek. Whoosh. He turned himself into a tall, spiky maguey plant. The gods found him. Poof. He jumped into the water and became a slippery, smiley axolotl. He wiggled his feathery gills. It was a fun game, but the sun was not moving.

His brother, Quetzalcoatl, found him in the water. He told Xolotl that everyone needed his help to make the world bright and happy. Xolotl knew his brother was right. He took a deep breath and felt very brave. He gave his energy to the sun. With one last big push from everyone, the sun sailed into the sky. The world was filled with light for the very first time. Now, Xolotl has a very important job. He is the evening star. Every night, he guides the sun safely to its resting place so it can be ready for a brand new day.