A long time ago, when the world was newly created and wooden men lived on Earth, there was a very proud being called Wuqub Kak'ix.
At that time, the light of the Sun and the Moon was still very weak and Wuqub Kak'ix would walk around saying: "I am the Sun, I am the Moon! Look how my jade eyes shine, admire the glow of my teeth of precious stones, I have a beautiful throne, my gaze goes further than that of everyone else!"
His two sons had inherited his pride. Sipakna knew how to raise the mountains and Kabraqan knew how to move them and bring them down. That made them believe they were invincible.
The Creators did not like that there were such proud beings who wanted to be equal to them. Then, the Creator Uk'u'x Kaj, Heart of Heaven, sent the twin brothers Junajpu and Xbalamke to punish Wuqub Kak'ix and his children.
The twins knew that Wuqub Kak'ix had a large nance tree, because it was his favorite fruit, and every day he climbed on it to eat its fruits.
One day, Junajpu hid among the branches and waited for him. When Wuqub Kak'ix climbed the tree, Junajpu shot his blowgun and wounded him severely in the jaw.
The pain was so great that the proud Wuqub Kak'ix screamed loudly and fell off the tree. Juanjpu went down quickly to catch him, but Wuqub Kak'ix was faster and stronger, so much so that during the fight he tore off Junajpu's arm!
—What happened to you? — asked Chimalmat, his wife, when Wuqub Kak'ix arrived at his house.
"My jaw hurts and my teeth are loose because of two villains who attacked me," he said angrily. "But, let's see if he dares to come to retrieve his arm", he added as he hung Juanjpu's arm over the fire.
Meanwhile, Juanjpu and Xbalamke sought help from grandparents Saqi Nim Aq and Saqi Nim Sis.
Wuqub Kak'ix was leaning on his throne in the midst of all his riches, lamenting the pain of his jaw, when he saw pass by his house some old people accompanied by their two grandchildren.
—Where do you come from? He asked them. And who are you?
—We are two old people who walk around with their grandchildren, we heal eyes and remove worms from teeth—the grandparents answered.
"Have pity on me," Wuqub Kak'ix exclaimed, "I have not been able to eat because of the pain that two villains caused me when they attacked me with their blowgun!" My teeth are loose and my eyes are burning.
"It's okay, sir," the elders answered. We will remove your teeth and we will change them for new ones, then we will heal your eyes.
"But my teeth and my eyes are precious ornaments," said Wuqub Kak'ix, scared.
"Don't worry," the grandparents answered, "We'll put ground bone teeth that look real."
— Oh, oh, it hurts a lot! Okay, heal me, "Wuqub Kak'ix lamented.
But instead of putting ground bone teeth, the grandparents put white corn teeth. Then they took away his jade eyes and, at this moment, when they took out all the riches that made him proud, his radiance was extinguished forever, his eyes clouded... and he died!
This is how Junajpu and Xbalamke, thanks to the help of grandparents Saqi Nim Aq and Saqi Nim Sis, defeated the proud Wuqub Kak'ix and Junajpu regained his arm!
There were still two proud beings that had to be punished, they were the two sons of Wuqub Kak'ix: Sipakna and Kabraqan.
Like his father, Sipakna had a favorite food: he was fascinated by crab. For this reason, Juanjpu and Xbalamke manufactured a giant one with stones, shells and plants.
Sipakna was told that at the bottom of a large ravine, below Me'awan mountain, a large crab was hidden. Catching him was difficult, but Sipakna's pride and desire was so great that he went facedown in the ravine.
At this time, the brothers collapsed the mountain, burying Sipakna forever. Thus the second proudest being on Earth was defeated.
To defeat Kabraqan, the brothers also used their cunning: they made him believe that there was a giant mountain that never stopped growing.
—I have to knock it down! Said the proud Kabraqan.
The road to the mountain took several days, so they camped and the brothers cooked some birds that they had hunted with their blowguns.
—How delicious it smells... I want to taste that food! Kabraqan demanded.
"All right," said Junajpu and Xbalamke, and fed him a bird they had smeared with a white clay called tizate.
The tizate was a very toxic clay and it took away all the strength from Kabraqan! When they reached the mountain, he could not tear it down! At that time, the brothers caught him, tied him up and buried him.
That is how Kabraqan was defeated. They say that sometimes, when he turns around, still angry at being defeated, he makes the earth quake... have you ever felt it?
That ends one of the extraordinary adventures of Junajpu and Xbalamke, get ready to know more about them.
*The Popol Vuh is the National Book of Guatemala.
READ more:
No hay comentarios.:
Publicar un comentario