Hun-Hunahpu
Encyclopedia
According to the Popol Vuh
, Hun-Hunahpu 'One-Hunahpu' (a calendrical name) is the father of the Maya hero twins
, Hunahpu and Xbalanque. As their shared calendrical day name suggests, Hun-Hunahpu is first and foremost the father of Hunahpu. He is also stated to be the father of the twins' half-brothers, the patrons of the artisans and writers, Hun-Chowen and Hun-Batz (see Howler Monkey Gods
). Hun-Hunahpu 'One-Hunahpu' is paired with his brother, Vucub-Hunahpu 'Seven-Hunahpu'. The brothers were tricked in the Dark House by the lords of the Underworld (Xibalba
) and sacrificed. Hun-Hunahpu's head was suspended in a trophy tree and changed to a calabash
. Its spittle (i.e., the juice of the calabash) impregnated a daughter of one of the lords of Xibalba, Xquic
. She fled the underworld and conceived the Twins. After defeating the lords of the Underworld, the Twins recovered the remains of their father and father's brother, but could not resuscitate them.
. In this theory, the scene of the Tonsured Maize God rising from a turtle carapace (the 'tomb' of the earth) is interpreted as Hun-Hunahpu resurrected, and the flanking Hero Twins assisting him are accordingly taken to be the maize deity's sons. In consequence of this view, Hun-Hunahpu is often referred to as a 'maize deity', and the maize deity as a 'first father'. In support of the Maize Deity theory, reference is often made to a pottery scene showing a cacao tree assimilated to the Tonsured Maize God, and having a trophy head suspended among its branches. The trophy head is taken to be that of Hun-Hunahpu, and the head of the Tonsured Maize God as its transformation.
The identification of Hun-Hunahpu with the Classic Mayan Maize Deity has become popular, but is still to be treated as a theory in need of corroboration. It remains problematic that the hieroglyphic name of the Tonsured Maize God (although including the prefix 'One') is not recognizable as that of Hun-Hunahpu. Moreover, the tree with the suspended trophy head in it is not a calabash tree, as in the Popol Vuh, but a personified cacao tree.
Popol Vuh
Popol Vuh is a corpus of mytho-historical narratives of the Post Classic Quiché kingdom in Guatemala's western highlands. The title translates as "Book of the Community," "Book of Counsel," or more literally as "Book of the People."...
, Hun-Hunahpu 'One-Hunahpu' (a calendrical name) is the father of the Maya hero twins
Maya Hero Twins
The Maya Hero Twins are the central figures of a narrative included within the colonial Quiché document called Popol Vuh, and constituting the oldest Maya myth to have been preserved in its entirety. Called Hunahpu and Xbalanque in Quiché, the Twins have also been identified in the art of the...
, Hunahpu and Xbalanque. As their shared calendrical day name suggests, Hun-Hunahpu is first and foremost the father of Hunahpu. He is also stated to be the father of the twins' half-brothers, the patrons of the artisans and writers, Hun-Chowen and Hun-Batz (see Howler Monkey Gods
Howler Monkey Gods
The howler monkey god was a major deity of the arts - including music - and a patron of the artisans among the Classic Mayas, especially of the scribes and sculptors. As such, his sphere of influence overlapped with that of the Tonsured Maize God...
). Hun-Hunahpu 'One-Hunahpu' is paired with his brother, Vucub-Hunahpu 'Seven-Hunahpu'. The brothers were tricked in the Dark House by the lords of the Underworld (Xibalba
Xibalba
Xibalba , roughly translated as "place of fear", is the name of the underworld in Maya mythology, ruled by the Maya death gods and their helpers. In 16th-century Verapaz, the entrance to Xibalba was traditionally held to be a cave in the vicinity of Cobán, Guatemala. According to some of the...
) and sacrificed. Hun-Hunahpu's head was suspended in a trophy tree and changed to a calabash
Crescentia alata
Crescentia alata is a species in the trumpet-flower family Bignoniaceae, native to southern Mexico and Central America south to Costa Rica....
. Its spittle (i.e., the juice of the calabash) impregnated a daughter of one of the lords of Xibalba, Xquic
Xquic
Xquic is a mythological figure known from the 16th century Quiché Maya manuscript Popol Vuh. She was the daughter of Cuchumaquic, one of the lords of Xibalba, the Maya Underworld...
. She fled the underworld and conceived the Twins. After defeating the lords of the Underworld, the Twins recovered the remains of their father and father's brother, but could not resuscitate them.
Hun-Hunahpu and the Maize Deity
Although, in the Popol Vuh, Hun-Hunahpu does not revive, it has been asserted that the Mayas of the Classical Period took a more optimistic view, and believed the sad paternal figure to have been reborn as the maizeMaize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
. In this theory, the scene of the Tonsured Maize God rising from a turtle carapace (the 'tomb' of the earth) is interpreted as Hun-Hunahpu resurrected, and the flanking Hero Twins assisting him are accordingly taken to be the maize deity's sons. In consequence of this view, Hun-Hunahpu is often referred to as a 'maize deity', and the maize deity as a 'first father'. In support of the Maize Deity theory, reference is often made to a pottery scene showing a cacao tree assimilated to the Tonsured Maize God, and having a trophy head suspended among its branches. The trophy head is taken to be that of Hun-Hunahpu, and the head of the Tonsured Maize God as its transformation.
The identification of Hun-Hunahpu with the Classic Mayan Maize Deity has become popular, but is still to be treated as a theory in need of corroboration. It remains problematic that the hieroglyphic name of the Tonsured Maize God (although including the prefix 'One') is not recognizable as that of Hun-Hunahpu. Moreover, the tree with the suspended trophy head in it is not a calabash tree, as in the Popol Vuh, but a personified cacao tree.
Sources
- Dennis Tedlock, Popol Vuh. New York: Simon and Schuster 1986.
- Karl Taube, Aztec and Maya Myths. The British Museum / University of Texas Press 1997. |authorlink=Karl Taube |year=1985 |title=The Classic Maya Maize God: A Reappraisal |booktitle=Fifth Palenque Round Table, 1983 |url=http://www.mesoweb.com/pari/publications/RT07/Maize.html |format=PDF |editor=Virginia M. Fields (volume ed.) |others=Merle Greene RobertsonMerle Greene RobertsonMerle Greene Robertson was an American artist, art historian, archaeologist, lecturer and Mayanist researcher, renowned for her extensive work towards the investigation and preservation of the art, iconography and writing of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization of Central America.-Early...
(general ed.) |edition=Online publication:November 2003 |location=Monterey, CA |publisher=Pre-Columbian Art Research Institute |accessdate=2007-01-11}}