Popol Vuh
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five
Themes
All Themes Origins, Customs, and the Mayan Culture Heroism vs. Villainy Names, Power, and Memory What It Means to be Human
Quotes
Characters
All Characters Hunahpu Xbalanque One Hunahpu Seven Hunahpu Xmucane One Death Seven Death One Monkey and One Artisan Seven Macaw Zipacna Earthquake Blood Moon Sovereign Plumed Serpent The Owl Messengers Jaguar Quitze Jaguar Night Not Right Now Dark Jaguar The Tribes Blood Gatherer The Four Hundred Boys Xpiyacoc The rat Tohil Lust Woman and Wailing Woman
Symbols
All Symbols Corn
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Popol Vuh

by

Dennis Tedlock
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One Hunahpu Character Analysis

One Hunahpu is Xmucane and Xpiyacoc's son, and the father of Hunahpu, Xbalanque, One Monkey, and One Artisan. He and his brother, Seven Hunahpu, love to play a traditional Mesoamerican ball game. However, because the ball court is on the road to Xibalba, the sounds of the game irritate the lords of Xibalba. When One Death and Seven Death summon One and Seven Hunahpu to play ball in Xibalba, One and Seven Hunahpu fall for the Xibalban lords' tricks and are killed because of it. Though One Hunahpu isn't the most skilled trickster, he is exceptionally loyal to his family members. When he descends to Xibalba, he instructs his sons to entertain and care for Xmucane in his absence.

One Hunahpu Quotes in Popol Vuh

The Popol Vuh quotes below are all either spoken by One Hunahpu or refer to One Hunahpu. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Origins, Customs, and the Mayan Culture Theme Icon
).
Part Three Quotes

After that, his son is like his saliva, his spittle, in his being, whether it be the son of a lord or the son of a craftsman, an orator. The father does not disappear, but goes on being fulfilled...

Related Characters: One Hunahpu (speaker), Hunahpu, Xbalanque, Seven Hunahpu, Blood Moon
Origins, Customs, and the Mayan Culture Theme Icon
Names, Power, and Memory Theme Icon
Page Number: 99
Explanation and Analysis:

"Listen, we shall name our names, and we shall also name the names of our fathers for you. Here we are: we are little Hunahpu and Xbalanque by name. And these are our fathers, the ones you killed: One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu by name. And we are here to clear the road of the torments and troubles of our fathers.

Related Characters: Hunahpu, Xbalanque, One Hunahpu, Seven Hunahpu
Origins, Customs, and the Mayan Culture Theme Icon
Heroism vs. Villainy Theme Icon
Names, Power, and Memory Theme Icon
Page Number: 138
Explanation and Analysis:
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One Hunahpu Quotes in Popol Vuh

The Popol Vuh quotes below are all either spoken by One Hunahpu or refer to One Hunahpu. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Origins, Customs, and the Mayan Culture Theme Icon
).
Part Three Quotes

After that, his son is like his saliva, his spittle, in his being, whether it be the son of a lord or the son of a craftsman, an orator. The father does not disappear, but goes on being fulfilled...

Related Characters: One Hunahpu (speaker), Hunahpu, Xbalanque, Seven Hunahpu, Blood Moon
Origins, Customs, and the Mayan Culture Theme Icon
Names, Power, and Memory Theme Icon
Page Number: 99
Explanation and Analysis:

"Listen, we shall name our names, and we shall also name the names of our fathers for you. Here we are: we are little Hunahpu and Xbalanque by name. And these are our fathers, the ones you killed: One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu by name. And we are here to clear the road of the torments and troubles of our fathers.

Related Characters: Hunahpu, Xbalanque, One Hunahpu, Seven Hunahpu
Origins, Customs, and the Mayan Culture Theme Icon
Heroism vs. Villainy Theme Icon
Names, Power, and Memory Theme Icon
Page Number: 138
Explanation and Analysis:
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