Visualizing the Sacred: Cosmic Visions, Regionalism, and the Art of the Mississippian World (Linda Schele Series in Maya and Pre-Columbian Studies)

by George E. Lankford

On the cultural side there is the fact that spirits/deities have what could be considered overlapping domains. For instance, life, birth, and fertility are shared in certain ways among the spider, Birdman, Earthmother, and even the serpent.