The title of my blog is Hunawho?. The reason I chose this title is that several names (Hun-Hunahpu, Hunahpu, Vucub-Hunahpu) in the Popol Vuh have "Huna" as part of the name and as a result I am always wondering "Who?" are they talking about. The title also respresents my confusion regarding names in general in the Popol Vuh; whether its remembering who the person is, or confusion about how to pronounce the name.
One aspect of the Popol Vuh that I found interesting was the reading that involved Hunahpu and Xbalanque seeking revenge for their father's deaths. It was easy to understand their frustration and need for vengence and as a result I ended up thinking of them as the good guys, even though they were the ones torturing everyone. It is really confusing as to why the two boys tried so hard to trick the Lords of Xibalba, when in reality they had so much power and magical abilities that they could have just killed the lords. I do not understand why they tricked the lords into asking them to sacrifice them and then bring them back to life, when they could have just killed them in the first place.
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I thought the point in class was interesting that I'm not sure if the boys had enough physical power to trick the Lords. It may go back to the idea about the louse, frog, snake, and bird. The louse had power because he had knowledge not because he was physically dominant over the other animals. Perhaps the Popol Vuh is saying that there is more than one type of power.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I was constantly checking names as well!! But if you read the translation of the names, it made it slightly easier and (in my case) a little more interesting to remember. Did you know that Xbalanque means "little jaguar?" and Vacub-Caquix is "seven macaw." I found that a lot of the characters had animal-related names.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I believe it was necessary for the twins to trick the lords as that is what the lords did to their fathers. Similar to revenge...and then it can be said to teach the lesson "don't do unto others what you would not do unto yourself," or "what goes around comes around." As the Popol Vuh was the creation story for the Mayan people, it can easily be argued that it would be laced with moral education.
In another post I posed the question: "Are unchecked powers dealt with?" The twins definitely have more power than the rest (other than the creators). I wonder why this is, what's the message behind it. Is it okay to see people eye for an eye? I'm not sure. Maybe I'll address it in my paper somehow.
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