Arch 226 Assignment 1 Michelle Taylor 301470624 In Popol Vuh, the Hero undergo several forms of torture in Xibalba, the underworld ruled by the gods of death. These tortures are all designed to test the twins' courage and determination, and involve being trapped in various types of houses. Three of the most notable tortures the twins face include being trapped in the house of knives, the house of bats, and the house of cold. The first torture the twins face is being trapped in the house of knives. The twins are forced to move through this house without getting cut since it is full of razor-sharp knives that dangle from the ceiling and walls. Their agility and quickness are put to the test as they carefully maneuver around the knives to avoid getting cut. Secondly the house of Jaguars, thrown inside this chamber, the Hero Twins are left to defend themselves from the vicious animals. They are being put to the test most likely to see how brave and resilient they are in the face of danger. The third torture the twins face is being trapped in the house of cold. This house is filled with freezing temperatures and snow, and the twins are forced to navigate through it without freezing to death. In order to survive the twins were able to make a fire with old trees to keep themselves warm until the torture was over. Of these three tortures, the house of knives is the most likely to have material culture to suggest re-creation of this portion of the myth. This is because the house of knives is a physical challenge that can be easily re-created. A real life re-creation of hanging from the ceiling and walls, and people could navigate through them as part of the myth playing out. Among the Mayan ruins it would be interesting to see if there has been any evidence of ritual destruction that may have taken place. Artifacts in the region of Maya ruins may also contain leftover rocks in the shapes of knives or spears that could suggest that these activities did take place. The house of jaguars and the house of cold on the other hand, are less likely to have material culture to suggest re-creation of this portion of the myth. This is because these houses are more abstract and difficult to recover or promote evidence.. Recreation of these houses of torture would be more challenging as it is difficult to create and encapsulate those environments even in todays world. It would be unlikely that these jaguars would be tame enough to be captured and put in place to torture the hero twins. The Hero Twins may have been subjected to torture in Xibalba, according to some Mayan artifacts, including carvings and ceramics. For instance, a carving of the Hero Twins huddled together in the cold might appear on a clay jar. These objects might have been utilized in ritual settings to recreate these Popol Vuh episodes and could be seen as representations of those chapters of the myth. Arch 226 Assignment 1 Michelle Taylor 301470624 The characters that take place within this myth similarly represent the idea of Animism. There are characters that are personified or a mixture of animals and human beings. This could represent the altered state of consciousness they could have been in at the time while drawing these stories on walls or creating carvings. The God of the underworld is ruling and demanding people from the underworld to pursue those who reside above them. Their sense of jealousy and missing out on activities of playing with the ball force them to take initiative in activities such as stealing little bloods heart. As discussed in module 3, comparative mythology demonstrates that myths provide understanding of natural phenomena such as the moon, the sun, the rain, & the wind. In Popol Vuh we also saw characters that represent the Sun and moon, associating natural forces with deities and giving these deities both human & superhuman qualities allows myths to explain these powerful forces as the actions of human-like entities. Comparative mythology demonstrates that myths provide understandings of natural phenomena such as the moon, the sun, the rain, & the wind. Associating natural forces with deities and giving these deities both human & superhuman qualities allows myths to explain these powerful forces as the actions of human-like entities. These figures could represent a social charter or expectations that guide the organization of society, express its values, & dictate the appropriate behavior of humans along with guidelines for dealing with aspects of life yet to be encountered. Overall, the tortures the Hero Twins face in Xibalba are designed to test their resilience. These tests are an important part of the Popol Vuh narrative, and can be re-created through material culture. It is possible that certain Mayan artifacts such as pottery, carvings, ballgame courts and equipment like rubber balls, might depict these scenes of the Hero Twins being tortured in Xibalba. These artifacts may have been used in ritual contexts to re-create these scenes from the myth.
