Brothers Saving the Day

The Hero Twins

   

 Today I am going to be talking about Popol Vuh, by Allen J. Christenson. The original Maya text was translated by Francisco Ximénez, who was one of the only people who could read the translated text in the original Popol Vuh. Some of the key characters you will learn about are the two brothers, Hunahpu and Xbalanque, who join together in order to protect others from the evil. As seen here, "THEN they began again to accomplish their deeds, to manifest themselves before the face of their grandmother and before the face of their mother" (Christenson 148).The brothers knew they that their older brothers were not as good at heart as them, so it was their goal to do everything for their mother and grandmother.

Video on the Hero Twins

The hero twins, also known as Hunahpu and Xbalanque, were given multiple tests by the Xibalban, in an attempt to try and kill the hero twins. The twins beat multiple challenges put on by the Xibalban, but were ultimately killed by being tricked into an oven. As seen here, "Then they turned to face one another, spread out their arms and together they went into the pit oven. Thus both of them died there" (Christenson 179). Although the Xibalban thought they killed the boys, their bones were dropped in a river, only for them to reappear under a new identity and still be the same hero twins. They looked like fish at first, but soon looked like real people as orphans. The Xibalban were so captivated with the boys with their dancing that they asked them to come and dance for them. The hero twins demonstrated how they could destroy things and revive them, all in a trick in order to kill the lords. As seen here, "He was dead then, this One Death. Next they seized Seven Death. But they didn't revive them" (Christenson 185). The twins chose not to revive the lords, and by doing so, they had finally beaten the Xibalban. With their victory, they went to go retrieve their fathers remains and became the hero twins once again. 

The Hero Twins Playing Ball

Some of the actions taken after the hero twins won influenced the Maya people to settle there. One main reason was the maize that was planted and grown by their grandmother. The crop had died and had been revitalized after the oven incident seen here, "They had sprouted, but then they dried up when they were burned in the pit oven. Then the ears of maize had sprouted once again, and the grandmother rejoiced when the maize sprouted a second time" (Christenson 188). The maize was a sign for the Maya to settle as it was in a place where crops could be grown very easily. It was also known as the Center Harvest spot and would be watched over by the hero twins.

Works Cited

Christenson, Allen J. Popol Vuh. O Books, 2004.

“Maya Hero Twins.” History, 25 May 2017, https://www.historyonthenet.com/maya-hero-twins.