Blog Entry

The conception of Blood Moon (Popol Vuh)

[...] And then they [One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu] where sacrificed and buried. They were buried at the Place of Ball Game Sacrifice, as it is called. The head of One Hunahpu was cut off; only his body was buried with his younger brother. "Put his head in the fork of the tree that stands by the road," said One and Seven Death. And when his head was put in the fork of the tree, the tree bore fruit. It would not have had any fruit, had not the head of One Hunahpu been put in the fork of the tree. This is the calabash, as we call it today, or "the skull of One Hunahpu," as it is said. And then One and Seven Death were amazed at the fruit of the tree. The fruit grows out everywhere, and it isn't clear where the head of One Hunahpu is; now it looks just the way the calabashes look. All the Xibalbans see this, when they come to look. The state of the tree loomed larte in their thoughts, because it came about at the same time the head of One Hunahpu was put in the fork. The Xibalbans said among themselves: "No one is to pick the fruit, nor is anyone to go beneath the tree," they said. They restricted themselves; all of Xibalba held back. [...] A maiden heard about it, and here we shall tell of here arrival.

And here is the account of a maiden, the daughter of a lord named Blood Gatherer. And this is when a maiden heard of it, the daughter of a lord. Blood Gatherer is the name of her father, and Blood Moon is the name of the maiden. And when he heard the account of the fruit of the tree, her father retold it. And she was amazed at the account:
"I'm not acquainted with that tree they talk about. '"It's fruit is truly sweet" they say,' I hear," she said.
Next, she went all alone and arrived where the tree stood. It stood at the Place of Ball Game Sacrifice:
"What? Well! What's the fruit of this tree? Shouldn't this tree bear something sweet? They shouldn't die, they shouldn't be wasted. Should I pick one?" said the maiden.
And then the bone spoke; it was here in the fork of the tree: "Why do you want a mere bone, a round thing in the branches of a tree?" said the head of One Hunahpu when it spike to the maiden. "You don't want it," she was told.
"I do want it," said the maiden.
"Very well. Stretch out your right hand here, so I can see it," said the bone.
"Yes," said the maiden. She stretched out her right hand, up there in front of the bone.
And then the bone spit out its saliva, which landed squarely in the hand of the maiden.
And then she looked in her hand, she inspected right away, but the bone's saliva wasn't in her hand.
"It is just a sign I have given you, my saliva, my spittle. This, my head, has nothing on it--just bone, nothing of meat. It's just the same with the head of a great lord: it's just the flesh that makes his face look good. And when he dies, people get frightened by his bones. After that, his son is like his saliva, his spittle, in his being, whether it be the son of a lord or the son of a craftsman, an orator. The father does not disappear, but goes on being fulfilled. Neither dimmed nor destroyed is the face of a lord, a warrior, craftsman, orator. Rather, he will leave his daughters and sons. So it is that I have done likewise through you. Now go up there on the face of the earth; you will not die. Keep the word. So be it," said the head of One and Seven Hunahpu-- they were one mind when they did it.
[...] Right away something was generated in her belly, from the saliva alone, and this was the generation of Hunahpu and Xbalanque.

Popol Vuh (translated by Dennis Tedlock)

Posted on:
2009.05.04 -0500

Tags:
texts