NAGUAL


Meaning of NAGUAL in English

or nahual

In some Mesoamerican religions , a personal guardian spirit that resides in an animal.

The person who wishes to find his nagual goes to sleep in an isolated spot, and the animal that appears in a dream or that confronts him when he awakens will thereafter be his guardian spirit. Many modern Mesoamerican Indians believe that the first creature to cross over the ashes spread before a newborn baby becomes the child's nagual. In some areas, nagual refers to the animal into which men with magical powers can transform themselves to do evil.

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia.      Краткая энциклопедия Британика.