Jaguar

Myths, folklore, and symbolism
Jaguar Among American Indians, particularly those of Central America, it is a chthonic being related to the powers of the moon and to the hidden secrets of the earth; for this reason it is sometimes also a psychopomp (spirit guide). The twilight of evening is pictorially represented as the sun being swallowed by a giant jaguar. The jaguar, however, is also associated with the sun during the nocturnal movement of the stars. The jaguar is said to be the lord of the mountain ranges, the wild animals, the echo, and the drum call; it is called "heart of the mountain". Often it is symbolically contrasted to the eagle (which is associated with the sky and the sun). Among the Indians of South America is found the legend of a four-eyed jaguar, perhaps a symbol of the profound wisdom of chthonic powers. (Herder)