MYTH-601 Lessons

In addition to the still present murals, the Mythology classroom bears a single book stand in the front of the classroom. Upon it, an ancient manuscript sits, cracked open to a nondescript page. The lighting in the Mythology room is even dimmer than normal, lit only by witchlight today, likely due to the presence of the ancient book; trust the Ancient Runes professor to bring musty old tomes into any situation. No one dares to touch the book, instead peering at it and at the shadowy murals instead. As the clock tolls the hour, students are still examining them as Professor Wessex strolls leisurely, though authoritatively, into the classroom.

Introduction
Hello students, this will be your final lesson at Hogwarts on the mythical Maya. Last week, much of the description of the various characters in the myths was discussed. Today, bearing that information in mind, we will be going over many stories central to the beliefs, values, and culture of Maya civilization. We will be unraveling many of the intertwined stories found in the most celebrated mythological collections of the Maya, such as the Popol Vuh and the Chilam Balam. Without further ado, we will begin.

The Book of the People
While it may be difficult to believe, the book you see before you is the earliest known copy of the aforementioned text, the Popol Vuh. No, put your hands down. I’m aware of the questions this raises. All in due time.

Also known by many other names, such as the Book of Community, and the Book of Council, the Popol Vuh contains the primary mythology of the Maya people. It weaves together over half a dozen stories regarding the formation of Maya history and tradition. Therefore, the Popol Vuh does not go in order chronologically and there are no original boundaries to discern where one tale ends and another begins. Because of this, there are multiple contemporary conflicting opinions on how the tales should be broken up. When reprinted in English (or other modern languages), many simply break up the tales into chunks, separating the interwoven plotlines into distinct stories, despite the fact that many of these tales were said to occur at overlapping times. However, these retellings usually do not endeavor to go in order, and often introduce the youngest generation (the hero twins) first, before going back in time to speak of their father and uncle.

Now, to address the burning questions that the more observant of you have. If you have studied even a small selection of ancient texts -- whether in the Room of Runes or elsewhere -- you would likely note that this text is incongruous with written material from 1000 B.C.E. It appears far too young. More glaringly, this book appears to be written in Latin, not in the heavily illustrated Maya glyphs those of you from Ancient Studies will have seen. The reasons for this are simple: this book is written in Latin, and was transcribed from oral accounts of Maya natives by Catholic priests in circa 1550 C.E. All of the myths included in this book were originally passed down from generation to generation until such time as the missionaries attempted to record them.

With the fact that no insignificant amount of wizarding criminals and other magical persons of looser morals traveled to the New World upon its discovery, the Americas were not exactly a well-governed place during its youth. Of course, magical people and Muggles still kept themselves separate, but when curious magic users heard tell of ancient myths of magic, gods, and creatures, they did not hesitate to liberate the manuscript from its original Muggle owners. As we do not know these persons’ identity, we cannot be sure what their intentions were -- protecting the secrets of wizardkind, taking back what was “ours” from Muggles, or even simple greed -- but regardless, the text is now in magical hands because of them. Somewhere along the line, it was thoughtfully placed under spells to keep the book safe from the passage of time and the elements, and so it sits here today on loan from Mesoamerican Museum of Magic. While we do not have time to go over every nuance of all the myths of the ancient Popol Vuh, I will be going over the most famous and fundamental.

People of the Corn
While this story normally picks up at the end of the Popol Vuh, it deals with the creation of the original humans and therefore will be discussed first today. There were, in fact, multiple attempts to create human life by Kukulkan and Tepeu, as you will see shortly.

Originally, only animals walked the earth, and this was considered the first attempt to create life. However, the gods were not content with the simple animals, as they were neither intelligent enough or able to praise the gods for their creation. The second attempt was to make humans out of mud, but they soon washed away and became deformed. As a third attempt, humans were created with wood, but these too were imperfect,  and worse, unworthy. They were unwilling to worship their creators or show proper reverence, and therefore were washed away by a supernatural flood made of sticky resin -- though those few that survived took the form of monkeys. Finally, the last attempt was made out of corn, or maize dough, specifically, and it was a triumph. From these four corn-people, the rest of human civilization was birthed.

Original Twins, the Ball Game, and the Underworld
Not long after creation of humankind, two very powerful twins appeared, Hun Hunahpu and Vucub Hunahpu.¹ These two men were excellent at the native ball game. They played all day and night, and their constant shaking kept the lords of the underworld awake, tormenting them. To solve the problem, the gods and lords there invited the twins to play a game against them to prove their prowess. In their pride, the twins bade farewell to their family and traveled to the underworld to challenge the gods there. However, the gods had dastardly plans for them.

Their travels to the Xibalba contained many obstacles, blocked by three rivers: one of scorpions, one of blood, and one of pus. However, the two brothers overcame these obstacles and arrived at Xibalba. Upon their arrival, they were subjected to more obstacles, in the form of tricks. First, they were duped into respectfully addressing mere wooden imitations of the gods. Then, they were tricked into sitting on white-hot benches which actually served as a way to fry food. Finally, they were imprisoned in what is called the “House of Gloom” in which they were challenged to keep a light going all night with scarce resources and impossible odds. All of these various failed feats contributed to the embarrassment of the pair of brothers. While it may seem an inconsequential thing to us, to those of Maya culture, ridicule was considered the worst punishment, and the pair were killed for their shame and dishonor. Their heads were hung on a tree until such time that one of the heads spit into the hand of a young maiden daughter of the gods of the underworld, who promptly became pregnant with another set of twins and fled Xibalba to the mortal world in order to keep them safe -- and it is there that a new chapter to the story begins.

Vucub Caquix and His Monstrous Children
Hunahpu and Xbalanque, also known as the “hero twins” were the second generation of twins in the same family (born from the spit of Hunahpu), and featured in the majority of Maya myths. They were often the protagonists in stories, defeating the odds and monstrous creatures alike. One such example lies in the story of Vucub Caquix. The prideful macaw claimed that he himself was the Sun because his bejeweled eyes and teeth shone so brightly. In short, his excessive vanity and pride was bothering the gods, particularly Tepeu, and the twins were given the task of killing him.

Hatching a plan, the hero twins broke Vucub Caquix’s jaw with a pellet gun for hunting and followed him to his home. With the help of two wise men, they plucked the bird’s eyes and teeth and replaced them with maize. Without his gems, the monster died of shame, similar to the fate of the original twins. However, this was not the end. Vucub Caquix had two sons, both of whom had inherited his arrogance in equal share. The first was Zipacna, who claimed to be able to create mountains, and the other, Cabrakan was capable of tearing them down.

First, they tracked Zipacna, also called Alligator. Zipacna had recently killed 400 young men by bringing down the roof of a great house on them, and the hero twins resolved to set things right. They lured him out to the foot of a large mountain and told him to search for food there, where they had buried a giant crab in a crevice in the ground. When Zipacna took the bait and ate the crab, he unwittingly caused the mountain to fall over onto him. Crushed by the mountain and unable to free himself, he turned to stone, in an interesting fate for a creature said to be able to create mountains.

Vucub Caquix’s younger son was more difficult to entrap. Cabrakan, also known as “Two Legs,” was a mighty creature who was capable of causing earthquakes and bringing down mountains with a single stomp. The pair of brothers began a trap to ensnare him. They approached Cabrakan, telling him they had only recently stumbled upon the highest mountain they had ever seen, one they were sure even he could not topple down. Rising to the challenge, Cabrakan immediately claimed no mountain could withstand him, and insisted the twins lead him to it so that he could show them.

The trio then headed off, traveling to this mountain. However, the journey was long, and they needed to stop for food. Being excellent hunters, Hunahpu and Xbalanque said they would catch dinner for them, shooting birds out of the sky and roasting them. However, they made special preparations to the bird they cooked for Cabrakan. They filled it with a chunk of earth and enchanted it to harm the son of Vucub Caquix. When Cabrakan ate the bird and then attempted to finish the walk to the mountain, he found that something was weighing him down to the point where he could barely stand. The once mighty, enormous creature could now barely stand.

The twins then pointed to the mountain, indicating the time to prove himself was at hand, but Cabrakan refused, stated he did not feel well. At this sign that their plan had worked, the twins quickly worked to overpower him and buried him beneath the earth. While some renditions of this tale say that the monstrous Cabrakan died here, others state that he still lies sleeping under that mountain and causes tremors in the earth whenever he stirs.

The Descent and Ascent of the Hero Twins
Unfortunately, we only have time for one more tale from the Popol Vuh today. However, it is a fitting place to end, as you will see. Our last tale picks up the story of the Hero Twins. After their defeat of Vucub Caquix and his two sons at the request of the gods, they gained considerable prestige among the gods and enjoy a fruitful life. Like their father and uncle (Hun Hunahpu and Vucub Hunahpu), they were excellent ball players, and were therefore challenged to a match by the lords of the underworld.

Having learned from their forebears’ mistakes, they planned to scout ahead. Plucking a hair from his head, Hunahpu transformed it into a mosquito and sent it ahead, who then reported back to them in detail. Not only did he give information about the tricks and traps that awaited them, but also provided the names of each of the lords of the underworld -- a very powerful thing. Because of this, they did not suffer the same humiliation as Hun Hunahpu and Vucub Hunahpu. They refused to speak to the wooden mannequins and they avoided sitting on the hot bench. They also knew that the challenges they were to face in the various “houses” are impossible for mortals and devised methods of outwitting the lords of Xibalba. In the House of Gloom, when they kept torches lit all night, tricking the lords by sticking the red feathers of a macaw in the ends of the torches.

Next, they were brought to the House of Razors, the House of Jaguars, the House of Cold, the House of Fire, and the House of Bats. In each one, they outwitted the challenges before them until finally, they were allowed to play the ballgame that the lords of the underworld had originally challenged them to. During the game, the twins kicked the ball over to a rabbit and the gods of the underworld mistook the rabbit for the ball and chased after it. While the lords were away chasing the non-existent ball (as the rabbit had hidden it), they switched the ball for a squash, similar to what had grown on the tree where their father’s head had hung. When the lords of the underworld came back from their search, they assumed this was the ball, and kicked it mightily, shattering it into many goopy pieces. Without a ball, the gods were forced to concede. The hero twins had won.

However, this was not the end, while celebrating their victory in Xibalba, the twins came upon two prophets and asked them of their fate. The prophets replied that despite the fact that Hun Hunahpu and Vucub Hunahpu had passed all the tests, they were still destined to die, but that this death was all part of a larger plan. Taking this information to heart, the twins met once more with the gods of the underworld. The gods challenged them once more, telling them to jump over a fiery oven four times. Knowing what they must do, the twins did not even try to jump over the oven, instead jumping right in. The gods of the underworld gleefully scattered their burnt remains in a river. However, instead of being swept away, their ashes instead formed into catfish, and then from there into the form of humans.

The twins then went back to the great court of the underworld, posing as vagrants and claiming to be able to entertain the gods. First, they killed a dog, but quickly brought it back to life. Next, the lords of the underworld, interested, demanded a better trick and so Xbalanque feigned killing Hunahpu, and then brought him back to life. Impressed by their feats, Ah Puch insisted he be killed and brought back to life, willingly giving himself over. The twins happily acted out part of his request… but only part. In anger, the remaining gods insisted to know why the trick did not work this time, and the twins unveiled themselves. They stated that they hadfinally avenged their father and uncle’s deaths and claimed to be able to kill the rest of the gods of the underworld if they did not cooperate. The twins insisted that they give up some of their powers and accept lesser offerings from the world of the living, and the gods agreed, fearing for their lives. Having fulfilled their destiny, and having cheated death, they performed one last feat; the two then ascended into the sky to become the Sun and the Moon, living on forevermore.  

Magic in the Maya Civilization
As I said before, tales from the Popol Vuh were passed down through many generations, acquiring more and more detail as they went. While this detail makes for long retellings, it does one exceptionally beneficial thing for those studying mythology and ancient civilizations: it captures their perceptions, culture, and common magical practices of the era. While this topic was rather thoroughly covered in Ancient Studies last year, the myths discussed today give some interesting looks at magical practices that were commonplace enough to be documented in their myths.

Transfiguration
We see many examples of transfiguration woven throughout all Maya myths, particularly in the stories of the Hero Twins. Many scholars believe that they were, in fact, great transfigurists. However, it is possible that all of these transfiguratory feats were not originally attributed to them, but as new generations retold the story, they included new feats and essentially the twins ended up “collecting” transfiguratory accomplishments.

Still, there are many excellent examples of transfiguration, the first of which being when Hunahpu transfigured one of his hairs into a mosquito to find information. Additionally, the twins’ ability to cheat death towards the end of the story is also interesting. It is largely believed that instead of actually dying and coming back to life, the men in fact used their last strength to transform into their animagi form, in this case, a pair of catfish. As we discussed last week, Nagual were not uncommon at all, and owing to the fact that the twins showed significant ability in other branches of transfiguration, it is certainly plausible.

Finally, we have the twin’s final trick in which they kill, then resurrect a number of creatures. While “killing” Hunahpu was likely no more than an illusion, it is very possible that they did indeed kill a dog and then “bring it back to life” via transforming something into what appeared to be a living dog. Remember, while we are aware of the five principle exceptions, ancient cultures were not, and a transfigured dog would look just as lively as a real one.

Curses
Additionally, there are a few examples of defensive and offensive spells mentioned in the myths, though one is quite subtle. While this was not explicitly stated, the twins were said to be excellent hunters and to hunt solely with their pellet guns. Indeed, they rely on them quite a bit, and it is with their pellet guns that they are able to take down the mighty Vucub Caquix. These pellet guns might be better imagined as blowguns, which would have been made out of wood native to the area. Many experts have pointed to the similarities between the modern wand and the construction and use of the twin’s long, thin, wooden implements and wondered if, perhaps, instead of darts or pellets, that curses may have fired out of them.

There is also the mention of the twins enchanting the earth in the ill-fated bird they fed to Cabrakan to weaken him. Many modern scholars believe this was a simple case of poisoning, while others indicate that the fact that some accounts specifically note that a magic spell was placed on the earth to mean that some sort of weight-increasing magic was used.

Wise Men and Prophets
Finally, we have a few scattered mentions of two magical professions: wise men, and prophets. The wise men who pretended to help Vucub Caquix while in fact helping the Hero Twins were not looked upon with any suspicion by the macaw, indicating that medical procedures were usually carried out by magical healers who likely used a mixture of magical and mundane procedures.

Secondly, we have the appearance of the two prophets in the underworld. Firstly, the fact that these mortals were able to make it to the underworld is an achievement in and of itself, speaking to their resourcefulness, and likely and reliance on magic to arrive. More importantly, though, is how those prophets are treated by the myth and by the twins in the story. The ill-fated men do not blink an eye when their future is divined and they are told they are going to die. This certainly points to the fact there were popular forms of divination that were very well-respected.

Closing
That wrap-up is quite enough for today. There is much information there for you to process, even though I have done some of the more difficult analytical work and broken down magical practices that we can take from these stories instead of requiring you to do so, as you did in your assignments for Lesson Five. Instead of piecing out the magical practices, there is a quiz on general information and an essay exploring the two-sided topic of humility and pride in Maya and Mesoamerican culture.

Footnotes

1. In Maya culture, the birth of twins was a very auspicious and powerful phenomena; twins were seen as supernatural in some way, and both revered and feared. This was reflected in their mythology and continued until their decimation by the Spanish. The birth of two or more children at the same time was both a very prestigious and very cautious event, as it was believed the children would have immense power to both create and destroy.

Original lesson written by Professor Venita Wessex
Image credits here, here, here, here, and here