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One Hunahpu
Seven Hunahpu is One Hunahpu's brother; his parents are Xmucane and Xpiyacoc. Though One Hunahpu fathers children, Seven Hunahpu never takes a wife and, according to the narrator, remains "a boy" and a mere uncle figure to his four nephews. He and his brother are very good at a traditional Mesoamerican ball game, and Seven Hunahpu spends most of his time on earth playing. He dies when One Death and Seven Death summon him and One Hunahpu to Xibalba for a match, and he and his brother fall for all the tricks of the Xibalban lords. After Hunahpu and Xbalanque's victory, they ask Seven Hunahpu to name the parts of his face so that he can "be put back together again" after his death. Though Seven Hunahpu can only name a few parts of his face, the twins leave their father and uncle buried in the ball court so they'll be able to be appropriately worshipped.
Seven Hunahpu Quotes in Popol Vuh
The Popol Vuh quotes below are all either spoken by Seven Hunahpu or refer to Seven 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:
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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), Seven Hunahpu, Blood Moon, Hunahpu, Xbalanque
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
99
Explanation and Analysis:
After spitting in Blood Moon's hand, the head of One Hunahpu tells her that by having children, a father can live on through them. He does this to explain that she is now pregnant with his children, the hero twins Hunahpu and Xbalanque. This monologue provides one of the reasons why the Popol Vuh and the Mayan people placed such emphasis on familial loyalty. A loyal child will remember their parents, thereby keeping their parents alive through memory. In this way, the narrative links having children to the Popol Vuh itself: the written text includes the names of lords going back generations and therefore becomes a visual, recorded memory of these families. It thus becomes yet another way for children to remember their parents and other ancestors, and allow them to live on.
"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:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
They put Seven Hunahpu back together...He had wanted his face to become just as it was, but when he was asked to name everything, and once he had found the name of the mouth, the nose, the eyes of his face, there was very little else to be said.
Related Characters:
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Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Popol Vuh LitChart as a printable PDF.
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Seven Hunahpu Character Timeline in Popol Vuh
The timeline below shows where the character Seven Hunahpu appears in Popol Vuh. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part Three
...give a partial account of his exploits. The twins’ father is One Hunahpu, brother of Seven Hunahpu . One and Seven Hunahpu are the children of Xmucane and Xpiyacoc, and One Hunahpu...
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One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu spend their time throwing dice and playing a ball game, often with One Monkey and...
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...with One and Seven Death, they decide that they'd like to acquire One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu 's gaming equipment to put an end to the noise.
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One Death and Seven Death send their messenger owls to summon One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu to play ball in Xibalba. They instruct the messengers to flatter One and Seven Hunahpu...
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The owl messengers guide One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu down the road to Xibalba, which winds down a steep hill to the bottom of...
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...Road, Black Road, White Road, and Yellow Road—and Black Road speaks to One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu . It says that it's the lords’ road, but it's actually the Road of Xibalba....
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Finally, One Death and Seven Death address their guests. They tell One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu that tomorrow they'll play ball, and they offer them a bench—but the bench is a...
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Once One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu enter Dark House, a bearer brings them one lit torch and two lit cigars. The...
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In the morning, when One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu are brought back before One Death and Seven Death, they explain that they finished the...
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...has no grandchildren but One Monkey and One Artisan, and laments that One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu died in Xibalba. Blood Moon tries again to explain that her unborn children are One...
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...doesn't want Blood Moon, that Blood Moon's babies are bastards, and that One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu are dead. When Blood Moon insists again, Xmucane sends her to gather a full net...
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...if the boys give him food. The rat tells the boys that One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu 's gaming equipment is hidden in Xmucane's roof, and she doesn't want them to see...
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...names to the remaining Xibalbans. They say that they're the sons of One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu , and they've returned to Xibalba to right their deaths. The twins inform the Xibalbans...
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Hunahpu and Xbalanque go to the ball court to put Seven Hunahpu back together. They ask their uncle to name all the parts of his face, but...
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