SMITE: Demigods, Deities and Gods Explained is a column dedicated to introducing prospective players of SMITE to its massive back story of lore. From the Greek to Hindu, each week we’ll look at two characters from a major pantheon and provide a quick recap of their history and in what capacity their digital incarnation will represent on the field of Hi-Rez Studios’ new MOBA.
Lore: The history of Kukulkan is as murky as the flooding Mississippi. Confusion began when an historic figure, likely a priest, received the same name causing stories and tales of the deity to be confused with that of the human. Kukulkan, meaning “feathered serpent”, is closely tied to other such incarnations of local religious beliefs, including the better known, at least now, Quetzalcoatl of Aztec mythology. The development of such a god is not unique to this time period. The Olmec civilization, which pre-dates Aztec and Maya, had their own telling, aptly named The Feathered Serpent.
Modern tellings have Kukulkan born a snake, yet of human parents. His sister took pity and continued to care for him in a cave. It was clear to her that he was the plumed serpent. Unfortunately, a great appetite caused the deity to outgrew his surroundings. Thus Kukulkan fled to the endless and bottomless ocean. However, the act of tearing himself free of the cave caused an earthquake. A feat which he repeats every July to assure to his sister that he’s alive.
The god has been labeled as one of the creators of man. An experiment that was met with disaster the first two attempts. In other areas the he was a Vision Serpent, relaying messages between kings and gods. Kukulkan was revered in the culture around modern day Mexico. Here, Kukulkan ceased being a Vision Serpent or creator and instead symbolized the divinity of the state itself and a sign of mercantile prosperity.
In-Game: Don’t be confused Kukulkan is not, definitely not, Ao Kuang. Sure the models are somewhat similar and they’re both magical range characters, but this guy’s ultimate is a devastating linear attack launched in front of him that deals damage and pushes anyone left standing to the side. Hmm. Actually, he’s a carbon copy of the now old Ao Kuang, whom is currently benched and receiving a full overhaul like his pantheonic brother Sun Wukong.
Kukulkan is an excellent pusher featuring high area damage. Careful, as he’s on the squishy side, yet has a few tricks up his sleeve to enable an escape. Grab magical power and cooldown reduction items like Rod of Tahuti and Chronos’ Pendant to bring the pain. Subsidize with movement boosting or movement debuff items, like Gem of Isolation, depending on your play style. The snowballing Book of Thoth will keep you feeding those skills. As Kukulkan, you’ll live and die by your cooldowns.
Further reading:
- Kukulkan on Wikipedia
- Maya Mythology on Wikipedia
- Popol Vuh (PDF)
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Head over to SMITE: Demigods, Deities and Gods Explained for details on all of the playable characters.