Maya Hero Twins
The Maya Hero Twins are transformed into sun and moon in the Popol Vuh. Becoming Sun and Moon may well be a metonym for acquiring dominance over the sky and thus, metaphorically, political predominance.
↻ synthesized from 4 sources
When
- First attested
- 200 CE
- Attested period
- 200 – 2020
- Historical notes
- Mentioned in the Popol Vuh.
Relationships
- co occurs with
- Tepeyollotl, rabbit in the moon, deer in the moon, Howler monkey god, Tonsured Maize God, Hun-Ahan, Hun-Cheven, Zipacna, Vucub-Caquix, devils, Cloud, moon goddess, Hunahpu, Xbalanque
- enemy of
- Cabrakán, Hun Batz, Hun-Chowen
Mentioned by
Sources
Source passages
“In the Popol Vuh (16th century), the Maya Hero Twins are finally transformed into sun and moon, implying the recognition of a male moon, in a departure from the main Maya tradition.”
#18846 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001
“Hun-Chowen and Hun-Batz 'One-Howler Monkey' (both artists and musicians) clashed with their half-brothers, the Maya Hero Twins, a conflict which led to their humiliating transformation into monkeys.”
#33152 · extracted by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5
“The Maya Hero Twins are the central figures of a narrative included within the colonial Kʼicheʼ document called Popol Vuh, and constituting the oldest Maya myth to have been preserved in its entirety.”
#33219 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001
“He serves as a minor character in the Popol Vuh, where the Maya Hero Twins defeat him.”
#33868 · extracted by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5