Mesoamerican-Mediterranean Bell Distinction

In 'Card Table Blues,' the Mesoamerican-Mediterranean Bell Distinction is a concept which becomes important to the plot at several points.

mesoamerican bells
Mesoamerican bells are closely associated with nature magic, and were considered to be magical imitations of rain and other kinds of water. The ringing of bells is above all associated with vegetation and rain. As a result, it was associated with Tlaloc, god of rain, and Xipe Totec, god of spring, by the Aztecs. However, they also used bells in rituals associated with Quetzalcoatl, an important god not particularly associated with rain or springtime but perhaps associated with the general prosperity of Aztec life, including rain and vegetation. Bells were also associated with birdsong or the beauty of birds in general, as well as the voices of gods. The Purhepecha and Nahua both associated rattlesnakes with bells, and the Purhepecha language, perhaps coincidentally, refers to copper and rattlesnakes as being the same color.

Distinct from their other uses, bells were also a protective spell to be used in warfare. This may have been as a result of their association with rattlesnakes.

examples

 * stalagmite bell socket

mediterranean bells
Mediterranean bells are for driving away evil spirits, inviting good luck and purifying spaces. They are associated with phallic imagery by the Romans, and often placed in the courtyard of a house near the bedroom or the venereum (as you might be able to tell from the similarity to 'venereal,' these rooms were intended for sex). They were also placed at thresholds. They could also be used in rituals, both "domestic" and in sanctuaries and temples.