The Epic Antiheroes of the Popul Vuh

 

    After a few weeks of reading the Popul Vuh by Allen J. Christenson I can say that this book was really interesting. The video up above describes most about what happens in the Popul Vuh and it is a really interesting video if you are a visual learner. If you want to read it then there is an online version of the Popul Vuh but it does have more pages and the book really starts on page 48, just letting you know. The Popul Vuh has many many characters but the main ones that we will talk about mostly are the Hero Twins and a little of "Our fathers are they who you killed, One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu by name" but mainly focused on what I like to call as the antihereos of the Popul Vuh (Christenson 187). You may be asking "why are they antihereos random blogger who I am reading this from" well random reader you will see in the next paragraph.

The Popol Vuh, The Sacred Book of the Maya
Now it is time to talk about the Hero Twins, the antihereos, Xbalanque and Hunahpu who have killed many but have protected themselves for so long. "We are the avengers of misfortune and affliction of our fathers" now it looks bad but they are doing this because their fathers have died and they are really sad so they have character and emotions and not just a killing monster, "Thus we shall now destroy you all"...welp they did (187 Christenson). So they caused people to stop having such great burdens placed upon them and now it is very bad burdens and with no importance and people who have sinned with be placed upon the people. Then after ruining mostly everyone's lives the Hero Twins leave and go turn into very important things "One of them arose as the sun, and the other as the moon" which helps the Earth and the people living on it that the Hero Twins helped create with the help of the Framer and the Shape...so they still have a heart (Christenson 191).

The Hero Twins,
Xbalanque and Hunahpu
The power of the Hero Twins caused them to create the origin of humanity specifically Maya people. The Hero twins used their new forms to support the Earth which is taking care of humanity who is very grateful and very intelligent and have really good vision. "Their frame and shape were merely brought about by the miraculous power and the spirit essence of the Framer and the Shaper..." which the Hero Twins took in order to create humanity because in the beginning the Framer and the Shaper did a horrible job trying to create humanity (197 Christenson). Therefore the Hero Twins are antihereos in the whole scenario they may have killed but they did in order to improve the next generation and to make them more grateful and not spoiled. They helped create humnaity and morally accepted the passing of their fathers by becoming something more than they expected.

Works Cited

Popol Vuh - Mesoweb. (n.d.). Retrieved October 6, 2021, from https://www.mesoweb.com/publications/Christenson/PopolVuh.pdf. 

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