Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun An animal form which a person may take.
  • noun A person who is able to take an animal form.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Spanish nahual, from Nahuatl nahualli ("sorcerer, spirit, animal form a person may take").

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Examples

  • Dating back to pre-Hispanic times, the nahual is a shape shifter who switches between human and animal forms and is often characterized as a shaman.

    Uncovering Tonala's history at the National Ceramic Museum 2006

  • Dating back to pre-Hispanic times, the nahual is a shape shifter who switches between human and animal forms and is often characterized as a shaman.

    Uncovering Tonala's history at the National Ceramic Museum 2006

  • El Pachuco also shows us his Aztec origin when he becomes the nahual or the "other self" who comforts Henry during his stay in solitary confinement.

    Luis Valdez 2010

  • The poets of the obituaries proposed his soul was twinned with the great matador's like a nahual and argued the denouement was fitting:

    Carlos The Impossible (Part 2) JTK Belle 2010

  • The nahual can assume any form, and most others are two-formed, meaning they can be either human or some sort of animal.

    Reviews of fantasy and science fiction books Kristen 2009

  • Yes, there was one vampire and I am started to get a bit tired of vampires at this point, especially since I was never a big fan of them in the first place, but this supernatural world also contains kelpies, selkies, gnomes, djinn, nahual, a barghest, and nagas.

    Archive 2009-10-01 Kristen 2009

  • The nahual can assume any form, and most others are two-formed, meaning they can be either human or some sort of animal.

    Archive 2009-10-01 Kristen 2009

  • Yes, there was one vampire and I am started to get a bit tired of vampires at this point, especially since I was never a big fan of them in the first place, but this supernatural world also contains kelpies, selkies, gnomes, djinn, nahual, a barghest, and nagas.

    Reviews of fantasy and science fiction books Kristen 2009

  • Tonalá potters customarily depict the nahual as a large cat with a smiling face.

    Uncovering Tonala's history at the National Ceramic Museum 2006

  • Of particular note are the decorative details, as both artisans have embellished their work with painted symbols that are characteristic of Tonalá pottery - the nahual and the flor de Tonalá.

    Uncovering Tonala's history at the National Ceramic Museum 2006

Comments

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  • If you should be born a narwhal

    And find it won’t suit you at all,

    Apply to a shaman

    To make you a cayman

    Or other exotic nahual.

    July 10, 2018