5:4 - Anubis (Mythology) vs. Quetzalcoatl

[UMPIRE]

SEASON 5, ROUND 4

Anubis (Mythology)

Slot: The Team's Deity
Season Wins: 1
Season Losses: 1
Fantasy Team Page
Read more about Anubis (Mythology) at Wikipedia
Official Site: Public Domain

Quetzalcoatl

Slot: The Team's Deity
Season Wins: 1
Season Losses: 1
Fantasy Team Page
Read more about Quetzalcoatl at Wikipedia
Official Site: Public Domain

Battle Terrain
Deities: Followers Battle

[Peypeypeypey]

This is actually a fascinating one that I would invite some discussion in, because looking into it is both somewhat hard and very interesting. From what I can tell, per Wikipedia, the Mesoamerican empire at its height was likely a good bit bigger than the Egyptian empire (up to 7 million in Mesoamerica, compared to 3 million in Egypt), but I've found a lot of contradictory information there, and I haven't found a concrete number for the height of the Egyptian empire. Is there a set number of people fighting here? Like a squad of 20? Because Quetzalcoatl (or a variation therein) existed in a bunch of different culture's myths from what I can see, so that complicates things. 

The Egyptians have a distinct advantage in the form of cavalry. Horses aren't native to North America, and post-Colombus Mesoamericans largely stopped worshipping Quetzalcoatl, so the Aztecs, Mayans, and other Mesoamerican cultures would be at a distinct disadvantage there. For ranged weaponry, both groups sport bows and arrows, and the Aztecs also have Atlatls, which have less range but were far easier to produce. Aztecs favored short spears which could be used with the atlatl, and also used clubs and swords made with obsidian. Egyptians, on the other hand, used longer spears, although from what I could tell arrows were favored in general, as both their cavalry and their infantry seemed to use a lot of arrows. One area where the Mesoamericans have a big advantage is that the Egyptians didn't use armor at all, and those obsidian spears and clubs would decimate exposed flesh. Both groups had shields that seem to be of roughly the same make, but the Aztecs also used armor in combat, and while the make of the armor didn't seem to be especially great, it would still be a massive boost for them in this matchup.

In my eyes this comes down to the logistics of the fight itself. Both Anubis and Quetzalcoatl seem to be relatively ubiquitous Gods in their respective cultures, but I'm not sure if this match-up is meant to imply people who are specifically devout to those individual Gods or not. If so, a lot of older religions didn't necessarily have people favoring one specific God, but rather paying tribute to various Gods based on their activities, so I'm not really sure how to judge this. An all-out war between Mesoamerica and Egypt would be awesome to see, and hard to call honestly. While Egypt is bigger and has more centralized power than any individual Mesoamerican empire, the Aztecs and Mayans alone both controlled massive, advanced civilizations with large militaries. If it's a squad of these soldiers fighting then it really depends on their make-up. How much cavalry does Egypt get? This one is really hard for me to call because, again, the worship of these two Gods is so common in their respective regions that it's hard to say who exactly qualifies as "their followers," and even then, it's unclear who exactly would get to participate in this battle. However, assuming the battle is at all representative of population size, and considering their armor, skill at ranged combat, and obsidian weaponry, I would give the edge to my main man Quetzalcoatl

[Bergy_Berg]

1 hour ago, Peypeypeypey said:

considering their armor, skill at ranged combat, and obsidian weaponry, I would give the edge to my main man Quetzalcoatl

I have to pick at some of this statement.

The armor point is dubious, Aztecs wore a fabric armor that was apparently fairly effective. But at the time of the 18th Dynasty, around 1550 BC, the Egyptians had begun to wear armor as well.

The atlatl or spear-thrower was replaced in the Old World by the superior bow and arrow, which as you mention has more range but is also easier to use. The ubiquitous use of the bow amongst armies over millennia instead of the spear-thrower speaks to its superior design.

Obsidian weaponry is not an advantage. It is inferior to iron, which the Ancient Egyptians had access to. The Khopesh is a better weapon than any obsidian sword or club. I would take an iron tipped spear and a shield for my army over anything made of obsidian.

 

And then there's the chariot, which any follower of Quetzalcoatl would have no experience against. It would break the army with ease.

1 hour ago, Peypeypeypey said:

Because Quetzalcoatl (or a variation therein) existed in a bunch of different culture's myths from what I can see, so that complicates things.

This is an interesting point. To the Aztec, it appears he was a God of light, justice, mercy, and wind. To the Maya, historians disagree about whether an analogous God was connected to war or to fertility and political structures.

Meanwhile, Anubis has no connection to warfare as far as I can tell. He did defeat the God Set in a fight, but I don't think that's worth much here.

To sum up: If it's just ancient armies fighting I give this to the Egyptians. If it's 2 similar armies under the guidance of their deities I imagine Quetzalcoatl has an advantage.

[Bergy_Berg]

I still haven't made up my mind on this match.

[UMPIRE]

Match Final Results

Anubis (Mythology): 8
Quetzalcoatl: 7

[Peypeypeypey]

1 hour ago, UMPIRE said:

Match Final Results

Anubis (Mythology): 8
Quetzalcoatl: 7

Man, I was looking forward to a discussion on this one too