GESCHICHTEN VOM ANFANG DER WELT

POPUL VUH ( Buch des Rates)

der Chiche Mayas

The Text
This is the beginning of the Ancient Word, here is this place called Quiche.
Here we shall inscribe, we shall implant the Ancient Word, the potential and source for everything done in the citadel of Quiche, in the nation of Quiche people.
And here we shall take up the demonstration, revelation, and account of how things were put in shadow and brought to light
by the Maker, Modeler, named Bearer, Begetter,
Hunahpu Possum, Hunahpu Coyote,
Great White Peccary, Tapir,
Sovereign Plumed Serpent,
Heart of the Lake, Heart of the Sea
Maker of the Blue-Green Plate,
Maker of the Blue-Green Bowl,
As they are called, also named, also described as
the midwife, matchmaker
named Xpiyacc, Xmucane,
defender, protector,
twice a midwife, twice a matchmaker,
as is said in the words of Quiche. They accounted for everything, and did it, too as enlightened beings, in enlightened words. We shall write about this now amide the preaching of God, in Christendom now. We shall bring it out because
there is no longer a place to see it, a Council Book
a place to see "The Light That Came From Across the Sea"
the account of "Our Place in the Shadows,"

a place to see :"The Dawn of Life."
There is the original book and ancient writing, but he who reads and ponders it
hides his face. It take a long performance and account to complete the
emergence of all the sky-earth"
the fourfold siding, fourfold cornering,
measuring, fourfold staking,
halving the cord,stretching the cord
inthe sky, on the earth,
the four sides, the four corners,
as it is said,
by the Maker, Modeler,
mother-father of life, of humankind
giver of breath, giver of heart,
bearer, upbringer in the light that lasts
of those born in the light, begotten in the light;
worrier, knower of everything, whatever there is:
sky-earth, lake-sea.
Here is the Account:

( noch nicht übersetzt. daher in einem Textfeld)

Now it still ripples, now it still murmurs, ripples, it still sighs, still hums and it is
empty under the sky.
Here follow the first words, the first eloquence:
There is no yet one person, one animal, bird, fish, crab, tree, rock, hollow
canyon, meadow, forests. Only the sky alone is up there; the face of the earth is
not clear. Only the sea alone is pooled under all the sky; there is nothing
whatever gathered together. It is at rest, not a single thing stirs. It is held back,

kept at rest under the sky.
Whatever there is that might be is simple not there: only the pooled water, only
the calm sea, only it alone is pooled.
Whatever might be is simply not there: only murmurs, ripples, in the dark, in
the night. Only the Maker, Modeler alone, Sovereign Plumed Serpent, the
Bearers, Begetters are in the water, a glittering light. They are there, they are
enclosed in quetzal feathers, in blue-green.
Thus the name "Plumed Serpent." They are great knowers, greater thinkers in
their very being.
And of course there is the sky, and there is also the Heart of Sky. This is the
name of the god, as it is spoken.
And then came his word, he came here to the Sovereign Plumed Serpent, and
they talked, then they thought, then they worried. They agreed with each other,
they joined their words, their thoughts. Then it was clear, then they reached
accord in the light, and then humanity was clear, when they conceived the
growth, the generation of trees of bushes and the growth of life, of humankind,
in the blackness, in the early dawn, all because of the Heart of Sky, named
Hurricane. Thunderbolt Hurricane comes first, the second is Newborn
Thunderbolt, and the third is Raw Thunderbolt.
So there were three of them, as Heart of Sky, who came to the Sovereign
Plumed Serpent, when the dawn of life was conceived:
"How should it be sown, how should it dawn? Who is to be the provider,
nurturer?"
"Let it be this way, think about it: this water should be removed, emptied out
for the formation of the earth's own plate and platform, then comes the sowing,
the dawning of the sky-earth. But there will be no high days and no bright
praise for our work, our design, until the rise of the human work, the human
design," they said.

And then the earth arose because of them, it was simply their word that brought
it forth. For the forming of the earth they said "Earth." It arose suddenly, just
like a cloud, like a mist, now forming, unfolding. Then the mountains were
separated from the water, all at once the great mountains came forth. By their
genius alone, by their cutting edge alone they carried out the conception of the
mountain-plain, whose face grew install groves of cypress and pine.
And the Plumed Serpent was pleased with this:
"It was good that you came, Heart of Sky, Hurricane, and Newborn
Thunderbolt, Raw Thunderbolt. Our work, our design will turn out well, " they
said.
And the earth was formed first, the mountain-plain. The channels of water were
separated; their branches wound their ways among the mountains. The waters
were divided when the great mountains appeared.
Such was the formation of the earth when it was brought forth by the Heart of
Sky, Heart of Earth, as they are called, since they were the first to think of it.
The sky was set apart, and the earth was set apart in the midst of the waters.
Such was their plane when they thought, when they worried about the
completion of their work.
Now they planned the animals of the mountains, all the guardians of the forests,
creatures of the mountains: the deer, birds, pumas, jaguars, serpents,
rattlesnakes, yellowbites, guardians of the bushes.
A Bearer, Begetter speaks:
"Why this pointless humming? Why should there merely be rustling beneath the
trees and bushes?"
"Indeed- they had better have guardians," the other replied. As soon as they
thought it and said it, deer and birds came forth.
And then they gave out homes to the deer and birds:
"You, the deer: sleep along the rivers, in the canyons. Be here in the meadows,

in the thickets, in the forests, multiply yourselves. You will stand and walk on
all fours," they were told.
So then they established the nests of the birds, small and great:
"You, precious birds: your nests, your houses in the trees, in the bushes.
Multiply three, scatter there, in the branches or trees, or the branches of bushes.
" This the deer and birds were told.
When this deed had been done, all of them had received a place to sleep and a
place to stay, so it is that the nests of the animals are on the earth, given by the
Bearer, Begetter. Now the arrangement of the deer and birds was complete.
And then the deer and birds were told by the Maker, Modeler, Bearer, Begetter:
"Talk, speak out. Don't moan, don't cry out. Please talk, each to each, within
each kind, within each groups." This they were told: the deer, birds, puma,
jaguar, serpents.
"Name now our names, praise us. We are your mother, we are your father.
Speak now:
"Huricane,
Newborn Thunderbolt,Raw Thunderbolt,
Heart of Sky, Heart of Earth,
Maker, Modeler,
Bearer, Begetter,"
speak, pray to us, keep our days," they were told. But it didn't turn out that they
spoke like people: they squawked, they chattered, they howled. It wasn't
apparent what language they spoke; each one gave a different cry. When the
Maker, Modeler heard this:
"It hasn't turned out well, they haven't spoken," they said among themselves. "It
hasn't turned out that our names have been named. Since were are their mason

and sculptor this will not do," the Bearers and Begetters said among
themselves. So they told them:
"You will simply have to be transformed. Since it hasn't turned out well and you
haven't spoken, we have changed our word:
"What you feed on, what you eat, the places where you sleep and the places
where you stay, whatever is yours will remain in the canyons, the forests.
Although it turned out that our days were not kept, nor did you pray to us, there
may yet be strength in the keeper of days, the giver of praise whom we have
yet to make. Just accept your service, just let your flesh be eaten.
"So be it, this must be your service," they were told when they were
instructed-the animals, small and great on the face of the earth.
And then they wanted to test their timing again, they wanted to experiment
again, and they wanted to prepare for the keeping of days again. They had not
heard their speech among the animals, it did not come to fruition, and it was not
complete.
And so their flesh was brought low, they served, they were eaten, they were
killed-all the animals on the face of the earth.
Again there comes an experiment with the human work, the human design, by
the Maker, Modeler, Bearer, Begetter:
"It must simply be tried again. The time for the planting and dawning is nearing.
For this we must make a provider and nurturer. How else can we be involved
and remembered on the face of the earth? We have already make our first try at
our work and design, but it turned out that they didn't keep our days, nor did
they glorify us.
"So now let's try to make a giver of praise, giver of respect, provider, nurturer,"
the said.
So then comes the building and working with earth and mud. They made a

body, but it didn't look good to them. It was separating, crumbling, loosening,
softening, disintegrating, and dissolving. Its head wouldn't turn, either. Its face
was lopsided, its face was twisted. it couldn't look around. It talked at first, but
senselessly. It was quickly dissolved in the water.
"It won't last" the mason and sculptor said then.
"It seems to be dwindling away, so let it just dwindle. It can't walk and it can't
multiply, so let it be merely a thought." they said.
So then they dismantled, again they brought down their work and design. And
they talked:
"What is there for us to make that would turn out well, that would succeed in
keeping our days and praying to us?" they said. Then they planned again:
"We'll tell Xpiyacoc, Xmucane, Hunahpu Possum, Hunahpu Coyote to try a
counting of days, a counting of lots,:" the mason and sculptor said to
themselves. Then they invoked Xpiyacoc, Xmucane.
Then comes the naming of those who are the midmost seers: The Grandmother
of Day, Grandmother of Light as the Maker, Modeler called them. These are
name of Xpiyacoc and Xmucane.
When Hurricane had spoken with the Sovereign Plumed Serpent they involved
the daykeepers, divers, the midmost seers.
"There is yet to indicate, yet to discovered how we are to model a person,
construct a person again, a provider, nurturer, so that we are called upon and
we are recognized: our recompense is in words:
Midwife, matchmaker,
our grandmother, our grandfather,
Xpiyacoc,Xmucane,
let there be planting, let there be the dawning

of our invocation, our sustenance, our recognition
by the human work, the human design,
the human figure, the human mass.
So be it, fulfill your names:
Hunahpu Possum , Hunahpu Coyote,
Bearer twice over, Begetter twice over
Great Peccary, Great Tapir,
lapidary, jeweler,
sawer, carpenter,
Maker of the Blue-Green Plate,
Maker of the Blue-Green Bowl,
incense maker, master craftsman,
Grandmother of Day, Grandmother of Light.
You have been called upon because of our work , our design. Run your hands
over the kernels of corn, over the seeds of the coral tree, just get it done, just let
come out whether we should carve and gouge a mouth, a face in wood," they
told the day keepers.
And then comes the borrowing, the counting of days, the hand is moved over
the corn kernels, over the coral seeds, the days, the lots:
Then they spook to them, one of them a grandmother, the other a grandfather.
This is the grandfather, this is the master of the coral seeds, Xpiyacoc is his
name.
And this is the grandmother, the daykeeper, diviner who stands behind others:
Xmucane is her name.
And they say as they set out the days:
"Just let it be found, just let it be discovered,

say it our ear is listening,
may you talk, may you speak,
just find the wood for the carving and sculpting
by the builder, sculptor.
Is this to be the provider, the nurturer
when it comes to the planting, the dawning
You corn kernels, you coral seeds,
you days, you lots:
may you succeed, may you be accurate,"
they say to the corn kernels, coral seeds, days, lots. "Have shame, you up there,
Heart of Sky, attempt no deception before the mouth and face of Sovereign
Plumed Serpent" they say. Then they speak straight to the point:
It is well that there be your manikins, woodcarvings, talking speaking, there on
the face of the earth.
"So be it," they reply. The moment they spoke it was done; the manikins,
woodcarvings, human in looks and human in speech.
This was the peopling of the earth:
They came into being, they multiplied, they had daughters, they had sons, these
manikins, woodcarvings. But there was nothing in their hearts and nothing in
their minds, no memory of their mason and builder. They just went and walked
wherever they wanted. Now they did not remember the Heart of Sky.
And so they fell, just an experiment and just a cutout for humankind. They
were talking at first but their faces were dry. They were not yet developed in
the legs and arms. They had no blood, no lymph. They had no sweat, no fat.
Their complexions were dry, their faces were crusty. They flailed their legs and
arms, their bodies were deformed.
And so they accomplished nothing before the Maker, Modeler who gave them

birth, gave them heart. They became the first numerous people her on the earth.
Again there comes a humiliation, destruction, and demolition. The manikins,
woodcarvings were killed when the Heart of Sky devised a flood for them. A
great food was made, it came down on the heads of the manikins,
woodcarvings.