Popol Vuh

by Christenson, Allen J.

• ISBN13: 9781903816530
• ISBN10: 190381653X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-03-01
• Publisher: Mantra Books

Summary

"The Popol Vuh is the most important example of Maya literature to have survived the Spanish conquest and is one of the world's greatest accounts of the creation, comparable to the beauty and power of Genesis. It describes the live creative attempts to form beings who could speak intelligently, remember their creators, and offer them appropriate words of reverence. Eventually the virgin daughter of an underworld lord miraculously gave birth to twins who grew to defeat the lords of death, making it possible to populate the earth with humankind." "Most previous translations have relied on Spanish versions rather than the original K'iche-Maya text. The fruit of ten years research, this free translation with extensive notes by a leading scholar of Maya literature and art brings out the richness and elegance of this sublime work of literature, comparable with other great epic, poems of the ancient world such as the Ramayana and Mahabharat of India or the Iliad and Odyssey of Greece."--BOOK JACKET.

Author Biography

Allen Christenson is Assistant Professor Department of Humanities, Classics and Comparative Literature at Brigham Young University.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. 8
Acknowledgments	p. 12
Translator's Preface	p. 14
Introduction
Quiche History	p. 26
Precolumbian Popol Vuh	p. 32
Authors of the Popol Vuh	p. 35
History of the Popol Vuh Manuscript	p. 37
The Poetic Nature of the Popol Vuh	p. 42
Orthography and Pronunciation Guide	p. 52
Popol Vuh Text
Preamble	p. 59
The Primordial World	p. 67
The Creation of the Earth	p. 70
The Creation of the Animals	p. 74
The Fall of the Animals	p. 76
The Creation of the Mud Person	p. 78
The Creation of the Effigies of Carved Wood	p. 80
The Fall of the Effigies of Carved Wood	p. 85
The Pride of Seven Macaw Before the Dawn	p. 91
The Fall of Seven Macaw and His Sons	p. 94
The Defeat of Seven Macaw	p. 97
The Deeds of Zipacna and the Four Hundred Boys	p. 101
The Defeat of Zipacna	p. 105
The Defeat of Cabracan	p. 108
The Tale of the Father of Hunahpu and Xbalanque	p. 112
The Deeds of One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu Above Xibalba	p. 113
The Summons of One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu to Xibalba	p. 119
The Descent of One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu into Xibalba	p. 122
The Maiden Lady Blood and the Tree of One Hunahpu	p. 128
The Ascent of Lady Blood from Xibalba	p. 131
Lady Blood and the Miracle of the Maize	p. 135
Hunahpu and Xbalanque in the House of the Grandmother	p. 140
The Fall of One Batz and One Chouen	p. 145
Hunahpu and Xblanque in the Maizefield	p. 148
Hunahpu and Xbalanque Discover the Gaming Things	p. 152
The Summons of Hunahpu and Xbalanque to Xibalba	p. 154
Hunahpu and Xbalanque Receive the Summons to Xibalba	p. 158
The Descent of Hunahpu and Xbalanque into Xibalba	p. 160
Hunahpu and Xbalanque in the House of Cold	p. 169
Hunahpu and Xbalanque in the House of Jaguars	p. 170
Hunahpu and Xbalanque in the House of Fire	p. 171
Hunahpu and Xbalanque in the House of Bats	p. 172
The Head of Hunahpu is Restored	p. 175
The Deaths of Hunahpu and Xbalanque	p. 177
The Resurrection of Hunahpu and Xbalanque	p. 180
The Summons of Hunahpu and Xbalanque Before the Lords	p. 181
Hunahpu and Xbalanque Dance Before the Lords of Xibalba	p. 182
The Defeat of the Lords of Xibalba	p. 185
The Miraculous Maize of Hunahpu and Xbalanque	p. 187
The Apotheosis of the Sun, Moon, and Stars	p. 190
The Creation of Humanity	p. 192
The Discovery of Maize	p. 193
The First Four Men	p. 196
The Miraculous Vision of the First Men	p. 197
The Gratitude of the First Men	p. 199
The Displeasure of the Gods	p. 200
The Creation of the Mothers of the Quiche Nation	p. 201
The Arrival at Tulan	p. 209
The Progenitors Receive their Gods	p. 211
The Progenitors Leave Tulan	p. 213
The Nations Ask for their Fire	p. 214
The Nations Are Deceived into Offering Themselves	p. 216
The People Gather on the Mountain Chi Pixab	p. 220
Their Suffering on the Mountain Chi Pixab	p. 221
The Progenitors Await the First Dawn	p. 223
The Appearance of the First Dawn	p. 228
Offerings Are Made to the Gods	p. 233
The Sacrificial Killings Begin	p. 238
The Nations Plot to Seduce the Gods	p. 240
The Seduction of Lady Lust and Lady Wailing	p. 242
The Nations Are Defeated by the Painted Robes	p. 245
The Nations Are Humiliated	p. 248
The Nations Are Defeated	p. 251
The Deaths of the Four Progenitors	p. 253
The Sons of the Progenitors Journey to Tulan	p. 256
The Sons Receive Authority to Rule	p. 257
The Migrations of the Quiches	p. 260
The Foundation of Chi Izmachi	p. 262
The Foundation of Cumarcah	p. 266
The Titles of the Cavec Lords	p. 269
The Titles of the Nihaib Lords	p. 271
The Titles of the Ahau Quiche Lords	p. 272
The Titles of the Zaquic Lords	p. 273
The Glory of the Lords of Cumarcah	p. 274
The Victories of Lord Quicab	p. 277
The Quiches Garrison the Conquered Regions	p. 281
The Titles Given to Those Who Were Ennobled	p. 284
The Names of the Gods 'Houses	p. 285
The Prayer of the Lords to their Gods	p. 289
The Generations of Quiche Lords	p. 292
The Dynasty of Cavec Quiche Lords	p. 293
The Great Houses of the Cavec Lords	p. 299
The Dynasty of Nihaib Lords	p. 301
The Great Houses of the Nihaib Lords	p. 302
The Dynasty of Ahau Quiche Lords	p. 303
The Great Houses of the Ahau Quiche Lords	p. 304
The Three Great Stewards as Mothers of the Word	p. 305
Bibliography	p. 306
Index	p. 319
Maps	p. 324
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