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One Monkey and One Artisan are the sons of One Hunahpu and Egret Woman. These two dedicate their lives to becoming great artists, writers, and musicians. Both brothers are also very skilled at a traditional Mesoamerican ball game, and they spend much of their time playing with their father and their uncle, Seven Hunahpu. When the boys' father and uncle descend to Xibalba, they charge One Monkey and One Artisan with entertaining and caring for Xmucane. When Blood Moon gives birth to their younger brothers, Hunahpu and Xbalanque, the older brothers are jealous and incensed, even though the boys are aware that their brothers will be very important heroes. They attempt to orchestrate their baby brothers' deaths, but fail to do so and are finally tricked into becoming monkeys. Though this fate isn't construed entirely positively, One Monkey and One Artisan's monkey forms become the patron gods of artisans, writers, and musicians.
One Monkey and One Artisan Quotes in Popol Vuh
The Popol Vuh quotes below are all either spoken by One Monkey and One Artisan or refer to One Monkey and One Artisan. 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:
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Part Three Quotes
But Hunahpu and Xbalanque aren't turning red with anger; rather, they just let it go, even though they know their proper place, which they see as clear as day.
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"Our elder brothers will be remembered. So be it: they have lived here and they have been named; they are to be called One Monkey and One Artisan."
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One Monkey and One Artisan Character Timeline in Popol Vuh
The timeline below shows where the character One Monkey and One Artisan appears in Popol Vuh. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part Three
...Hunahpu are the children of Xmucane and Xpiyacoc, and One Hunahpu has two other sons, One Monkey and One Artisan , with his wife, Egret Woman. Seven Hunahpu remains single, but he is just as...
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...and Seven Hunahpu spend their time throwing dice and playing a ball game, often with One Monkey and One Artisan . Their ball court is midway between the sky and Xibalba, the underworld. As such,...
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...tie it up in Xmucane's roof and promise to return to play again. They tell One Monkey and One Artisan to entertain their grandmother. Xmucane bursts into tears, and her sons assure her that they're...
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...pregnant with her grandbabies. Wrought with grief, Xmucane insists that she has no grandchildren but One Monkey and One Artisan , and laments that One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu died in Xibalba. Blood Moon tries...
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...Xmucane sends her to gather a full net of corn ears. Blood Moon walks to One Monkey and One Artisan 's garden, where she finds only one stalk of corn with only a few ears....
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...into the house they cry loudly, and Xmucane insists that Blood Moon take them outside. One Monkey and One Artisan place their baby brothers first on an anthill and then in some brambles, but the...
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The narrator explains that One Monkey and One Artisan want their brothers to die, as they're very jealous of Hunahpu and Xbalanque. One Monkey...
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Xmucane, One Monkey, and One Artisan treat Xbalanque and Hunahpu horribly. They don't show them love or feed them. Hunahpu and...
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...boys explain that their birds got stuck in a tree and they need help from One Monkey and One Artisan to get them down. One Monkey and One Artisan agree and follow their brothers. As...
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...Hunahpu and Xbalanque begin shooting birds in the tree. None of the birds fall, so One Monkey and One Artisan agree to climb the tree and get the birds down. As they climb, the tree...
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...shameless," like animals. Xmucane is suspicious, but Xbalanque and Hunahpu assure her that she'll see One Monkey and One Artisan again. They explain that they're going to "test their brothers' destiny," but say that Xmucane...
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When they hear the song, One Monkey and One Artisan come, dancing. When Xmucane sees her grandsons looking so ugly and silly, she laughs. This...
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...Xmucane to not be sad, as she still has them as grandchildren. They explain that One Monkey and One Artisan will be remembered by their names, and will be prayed to by musicians and artisans....
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