Huracan
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| Maya civilization |
|---|
| History |
| Preclassic Maya |
| Classic Maya collapse |
| Spanish conquest of the Maya |
Huracan[1] /ˈhʊrəkən, ˈhʊrəˌkɑːn/ (Spanish: Huracán; Mayan: Hunraqan, "one legged"), often referred to as U K'ux Kaj, the "Heart of Sky",[2] is a K'iche' Maya god of wind, storm, fire and one of the creator deities who participated in all three attempts at creating humanity.[3] He also caused the Great Flood after the second generation of humans angered the gods. He supposedly lived in the windy mists above the floodwaters and repeatedly invoked "earth" until land came up from the seas.
His name, understood as 'One-Leg', suggests god K of Postclassic and Classic Maya iconography, a deity of lightning with one human leg,[4] and one leg shaped like a serpent. God K is commonly referred to as Bolon Tzacab and K'awiil or Kauil. The name may ultimately derive from huracan, a Carib word,[5] and the source of the words hurricane and orcan (European windstorm). Huracan also helped destroy the manikins, the results of their second try. Huracan sent dogs and turkeys into the manikin's homes proclaiming revenge for the dogs and turkeys slain and eaten. Also, frying pans, mortars, pestles, and even stones came alive. The frying pans complained about their mouths being filled with ash and declared that they will be treated as them. The mortars complained about being banged with a pestle every day and that they will be beaten by pestles as their punishment. The pestles complained about their mouths being filled with grain each and every day. Finally, the stones shot out of the fireplace crushing the helpless manikins. Some sought refuge in trees but fell off after the branches shook them down. Some sought refuge in caves, but huge boulders closed the entrance entombing them forever. Some say you can still hear their sad wails to this day. The survivors ran into the forest and were chased by Huracan and the dogs and turkeys. They ran day and night until they could not go on. Huracan was pleased that there was no more manikins and so he walked until he found a field full of corn. He and Gúcumatz,the plumed serpent, handed the corn to Xmucane, who mixed corn with water to make dough. Out of this dough they made four men, Jaguar Quitze, Jaguar Night, Not Right Now and Dark Jaguar. Humans used to be able to do anything, fly, see oceans from far away, and inside rocks. Huracan clouded their vision so that they couldn't see so far. Huracan also sent Hunahpu and Xbalanque on their missions and presided over the decapitation of Zipacna the earth monster.
Related deities are Tohil, Bolon Tzacab, Cocijo in Zapotec mythology, and Tlaloc in Aztec mythology.
Huracan is referred to in Grace Nichols' poem Hurricane Hits England where she makes references to the Caribbean gods.
See also
Notes
References
- Christenson, Allen J. (2007) [2003]. "Popul Vuh: Sacred Book of the Quiché Maya People" (PDF online publication). Mesoweb articles. Mesoweb: An Exploration of Mesoamerican Cultures. Retrieved 2010-01-23.
- Freidel, David A.; Linda Schele; Joy Parker (1993). Maya Cosmos: Three Thousand Years on the Shaman's Path. New York: William Morrow & Co. ISBN 0-688-10081-3. OCLC 27430287.
- Miller, Mary; Karl Taube (2003) [1993]. An Illustrated Dictionary of the Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya. London: Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0-500-27928-4. OCLC 28801551.
- Read, Kay Almere; Jason González (2000). Handbook of Mesoamerican Mythology. Oxford: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 1-85109-340-0. OCLC 43879188.
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